Search results for: current mode control
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 20075

Search results for: current mode control

4385 Investigating the Impact of Factors Associated with Student Academic Achievement and Expectations through the Ecosystemic Perspective in the Greek Context: The Role of the Individual, Family, School and of the Community

Authors: Olga Giovani

Abstract:

In this research, Bronfenbrenner's theory will be used to investigate the individual, microsystemic, and exosystemic factors that may affect adolescents' academic achievement as well as their expectations in Greece. First, the topic of academic achievement in an adolescent developmental context will be set as the target of the proposed study while focusing on the aspects of community influences on adolescents. More specifically, the effect of available resources and the perceived sense of safety and support will be further investigated. Then the issue of family factors will be analyzed, as they are subjectively perceived by the adolescents, focusing on the perceived parental style, parental monitor, and involvement as a mesosystemic factor. In turn, the school will also be discussed with emphasis on the perceived school climate and support as well as the academic aspects of student achievement. Finally, the adolescent's individual perspective will be taken into consideration in developmental terms, examining their perceptions regarding their community/neighborhood, their family, their school, as well as their sense of self-concept and self-esteem as these are expressed through their academic performance and prosocial behavior. The aim of the proposed research is to study these associations through the prism of the systemic perspective, the relationship between aspects of educational achievement and socioeconomic background, with an emphasis on the role of the community, which has not been adequately researched in the Greek context. Community will be defined by the available community resources (recreational activities, public library, local orchestras, free entrance museums, etc.), adolescents' own perception of social support, safety, and support inside that community. These perceptions need to be investigated since they may serve as possible predictors of a child's current cognitive, developmental, and psycho-social outcomes, such as their perceived self-concept and self-esteem, as well as on their future expectations related to the entrance to university and job expectations.

Keywords: bioecological model, developmental psychology, ecosystemic approach, student achievement, microsystemic factors, mesosystemic factors, individual perceptions

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4384 Decades of Educational Excellence: Case Studies of Successful Family-Owned Higher Educational Institutions

Authors: Maria Luz Macasinag

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This study aims to determine and to examine critically successful family-owned higher educational institutions towards identifying the attributes and practices that may likely have led to their success. This research is confined to private, non-sectarian, family-owned higher institutions of learning that have been operating for more than fifty years, had only one founder and had at least two transitions in terms of generation. The criteria for selecting family-owned universities to be part of the cases under investigation include institutions (1) with increasing enrollment over the past five years, with level III accreditation status, (3) with good performance in the Board examinations in most of its programs and (4) with high employability of graduates. The study uses the multiple case study method. A model based on the cross-case analysis of the attributes and practices of all the case studies of successful family- owned higher institutions of learning is the output. The paper provides insights to current and future school owners and administrators in the management of their institutions for competitiveness, sustainability and advancement. This research encourages the evaluation of how the ideas that may lead to the success of schools owned by families in developing a sense of community, a reciprocal relationship among colleagues, the students and other stakeholders will result to the attainment of the vision and mission of the school. The study is beneficial to entrepreneurs and to business students whose know-how may provide insights that would be helpful in guiding prospective school owners. The commission on higher education and the Department of Education stand to benefit from this academic paper for the guidance that they provide to family-owned educational institutions. Banks and other financial institutions may find valuable ideas from this academic paper for the purpose of providing financial assistance to colleges and universities that are family-owned. Researchers in the field of educational management and administration may be able to extract from this study related topics for future research.

Keywords: administration practices, attributes, family-owned schools, success factors

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4383 Perfectionism, Self-Compassion, and Emotion Dysregulation: An Exploratory Analysis of Mediation Models in an Eating Disorder Sample

Authors: Sarah Potter, Michele Laliberte

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As eating disorders are associated with high levels of chronicity, impairment, and distress, it is paramount to evaluate factors that may improve treatment outcomes in this group. Individuals with eating disorders exhibit elevated levels of perfectionism and emotion dysregulation, as well as reduced self-compassion. These variables are related to eating disorder outcomes, including shape/weight concerns and psychosocial impairment. Thus, these factors may be tenable targets for treatment within eating disorder populations. However, the relative contributions of perfectionism, emotion dysregulation, and self-compassion to the severity of shape/weight concerns and psychosocial impairment remain largely unexplored. In the current study, mediation analyses were conducted to clarify how perfectionism, emotion dysregulation, and self-compassion are linked to shape/weight concerns and psychosocial impairment. The sample was comprised of 85 patients from an outpatient eating disorder clinic. The patients completed self-report measures of perfectionism, self-compassion, emotion dysregulation, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment. Specifically, emotion dysregulation was assessed as a mediator in the relationships between (1) perfectionism and shape/weight concerns, (2) self-compassion and shape/weight concerns, (3) perfectionism and psychosocial impairment, and (4) self-compassion and psychosocial impairment. It was postulated that emotion dysregulation would significantly mediate relationships in the former two models. An a priori hypothesis was not constructed in reference to the latter models, as these analyses were preliminary and exploratory in nature. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was utilized to perform these analyses. Emotion dysregulation fully mediated the relationships between perfectionism and eating disorder outcomes. In the link between self-compassion and psychosocial impairment, emotion dysregulation partially mediated this relationship. Finally, emotion dysregulation did not significantly mediate the relationship between self-compassion and shape/weight concerns. The results suggest that emotion dysregulation and self-compassion may be suitable targets to decrease the severity of psychosocial impairment and shape/weight concerns in individuals with eating disorders. Further research is required to determine the stability of these models over time, between diagnostic groups, and in nonclinical samples.

Keywords: eating disorders, emotion dysregulation, perfectionism, self-compassion

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4382 The Psychosis Prodrome: Biomarkers of the Glutamatergic System and Their Potential Role in Prediction and Treatment

Authors: Peter David Reiss

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The concept of the psychosis prodrome has allowed for the identification of adolescent and young adult patients who have a significantly elevated risk of developing schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A number of different interventions have been tested in order to prevent or delay progression of symptoms. To date, there has been no consistent meta-analytical evidence to support efficacy of antipsychotic treatment for patients in the prodromal state, and their use remains therefore inconclusive. Although antipsychotics may manage symptoms transiently, they have not been found to prevent or delay onset of psychotic disorders. Furthermore, pharmacological intervention in high-risk individuals remains controversial, because of the antipsychotic side effect profile in a population in which only about 20 to 35 percent will eventually convert to psychosis over a two-year period, with even after two years conversion rates not exceeding 30 to 40 percent. This general estimate is additionally problematic, in that it ignores the fact that there is significant variation in individual risk among clinical high-risk cases. The current lack of reliable tests for at-risk patients makes it difficult to justify individual treatment decisions. Preventive treatment should ideally be dictated by an individual’s risk while minimizing potentially harmful medication exposure. This requires more accurate predictive assessments by using valid and accessible prognostic markers. The following will compare prediction and risk modification potential of behavioral biomarkers such as disturbances of basic sense of self and emotion awareness, neurocognitive biomarkers such as attention, working and declarative memory, and neurophysiological biomarkers such as glutamatergic abnormalities and NMDA receptor dysfunction. Identification of robust biomarkers could therefore not only provide more reliable means of psychosis prediction, but also help test and develop new clinical interventions targeted at the prodromal state.

Keywords: at-risk mental state, biomarkers, glutamatergic system, NMDA receptor, psychosis prodrome, schizophrenia

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4381 Market-Driven Process of Brain Circulation in Knowledge Services Industry in Sri Lanka

Authors: Panagodage Janaka Sampath Fernando

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Brain circulation has become a buzzword in the skilled migration literature. However, promoting brain circulation; returning of skilled migrants is challenging. Success stories in Asia, for instances, Taiwan, and China, are results of rigorous policy interventions of the respective governments. Nonetheless, the same policy mix has failed in other countries making it skeptical to attribute the success of brain circulation to the policy interventions per se. The paper seeks to answer whether the success of brain circulation within the Knowledge Services Industry (KSI) in Sri Lanka is a policy driven or a market driven process. Mixed method approach, which is a combination of case study and survey methods, was employed. Qualitative data derived from ten case studies of returned entrepreneurs whereas quantitative data generated from a self-administered survey of 205 returned skilled migrants (returned skilled employees and entrepreneurs) within KSI. The pull factors have driven the current flow of brain circulation within KSI but to a lesser extent, push factors also have influenced. The founding stone of the industry has been laid by a group of returned entrepreneurs, and the subsequent growth of the industry has attracted returning skilled employees. Sri Lankan government has not actively implemented the reverse brain drain model, however, has played a passive role by creating a peaceful and healthy environment for the industry. Therefore, in contrast to the other stories, brain circulation within KSI has emerged as a market driven process with minimal government interventions. Entrepreneurs play the main role in a market-driven process of brain circulation, and it is free from the inherent limitations of the reverse brain drain model such as discriminating non-migrants and generating a sudden flow of low-skilled migrants. Thus, to experience a successful brain circulation, developing countries should promote returned entrepreneurs by creating opportunities in knowledge-based industries.

Keywords: brain circulation, knowledge services industry, return migration, Sri Lanka

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4380 Retinal Changes in Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Case-Control Study

Authors: Rachna Agarwal, R. Naveen, Darpan Thakre, Rohit Shahi, Maryam Abbasi, Upendra Rathore, Latika Gupta

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Aim: Retinal changes are the window to systemic vasculature. Therefore, we explored retinal changes in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) as a surrogate for vascular health. Methods: Adult and juvenile IIM patients visiting a tertiary care centre in 2021 satisfying the International Myositis Classification Criteria were enrolled for detailed ophthalmic examination in comparison with healthy controls (HC). Patients with conditions that precluded thorough posterior chamber examination were excluded. Scale variables are expressed as median (IQR). Multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression-BLR) was conducted, adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities besides factors significant in univariate analysis. Results: 43 patients with IIM [31 females; age 36 (23-45) years; disease duration 5.5 (2-12) months] were enrolled for participation. DM (44%) was the most common diagnosis. IIM patients exhibited frequent attenuation of retinal vessels (32.6% vs. 4.3%, p <0.001), AV nicking (14% vs. 2.2%, p=0.053), and vascular tortuosity (18.6% vs. 2.2%, p=0.012), besides decreased visual acuity (53.5% vs. 10.9%, p<0.001) and immature cataracts (34.9% vs. 2.2%, p<0.001). Attenuation of vessels [OR 10.9 (1.7-71), p=0.004] emerged as significantly different from HC after adjusting for covariates in BLR. Notably, adults with IIM were more predisposed to retinal abnormalities [21 (57%) vs. 1 (16%), p=0.068], especially attenuation of vessels [14(38%) vs. 0(0), p=0.067] than jIIM. However, no difference was found in retinal features amongst the subtypes of adult IIM, nor did they correlate with MDAAT, MDI, or HAQ-DI. Conclusion: Retinal microvasculopathy and diminution of vision occur in nearly one-third to half of the patients with IIM. Microvasculopathy occurs across subtypes of IIM, and more so in adults, calling for further investigation as a surrogate for damage assessment and potentially even systemic vascular health.

Keywords: idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, vascular health, retinal microvasculopathy, arterial attenuation

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4379 Effects of the Tomato Pomace Oil Extract on Physical and Antioxidant Properties of Gelatin Films

Authors: N. Jirukkakul, J. Sodtipinta

Abstract:

Tomatoes are widely consumed as fresh and processed products through the manufacturing industry. Therefore, tomato pomace is generated as a by-product accounting for about 5-13% of the whole tomato. Antioxidants still remain in tomato pomace and extraction of tomato oil may useful in edible film production. The edible film solution was prepared by mixing gelatin (2, 4 and 6%) with the distilled water and heating at 40oC for 30 min. Effect of tomato pomace oil was evaluated at 0, 0.5 and 1%. Film solution was poured in plate and dried overnight at 40oC before determining the physical properties, which are tensile strength, moisture content, color, solubility, and swelling power. The results showed that an increase gelatin concentration caused increasing of tensile strength, moisture content, solubility and swelling power. The edible film with tomato pomace oil extract appeared as the rough film with oil droplet dispersion. The addition of tomato pomace oil extract caused an increase in lightness, redness and yellowness, while tensile strength, moisture content, and solubility were decreased. Film with tomato pomace oil extract at 0.5 and 1% exhibited antioxidant properties but those properties were not significantly different (p<0.05) between film incorporated with tomato pomace oil extract 0.5 and 1%. The suitable condition for film production in this study, 4% of gelatin and 0.5% of tomato pomace oil extract, was selected for protecting oxidation of palm oil. At 15 days of the storage period, the palm oil which covered by gelatin film with tomato pomace oil extract had 22.45 milliequivalents/kg of peroxide value (PV), while, the palm oil which covered by polypropylene film and control had 24.79 and 26.67 milliequivalents/kg, respectively. Therefore, incorporation of tomato pomace oil extract in gelatin film was able to protect the oxidation of food products with high fat content.

Keywords: antioxidant, gelatin films, physical properties, tomato oil extract

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4378 Lexical-Semantic Deficits in Sinhala Speaking Persons with Post Stroke Aphasia: Evidence from Single Word Auditory Comprehension Task

Authors: D. W. M. S. Samarathunga, Isuru Dharmarathne

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In aphasia, various levels of symbolic language processing (semantics) are affected. It is shown that Persons with Aphasia (PWA) often experience more problems comprehending some categories of words than others. The study aimed to determine lexical semantic deficits seen in Auditory Comprehension (AC) and to describe lexical-semantic deficits across six selected word categories. Thirteen (n =13) persons diagnosed with post-stroke aphasia (PSA) were recruited to perform an AC task. Foods, objects, clothes, vehicles, body parts and animals were selected as the six categories. As the test stimuli, black and white line drawings were adapted from a picture set developed for semantic studies by Snodgrass and Vanderwart. A pilot study was conducted with five (n=5) healthy nonbrain damaged Sinhala speaking adults to decide familiarity and applicability of the test material. In the main study, participants were scored based on the accuracy and number of errors shown. The results indicate similar trends of lexical semantic deficits identified in the literature confirming ‘animals’ to be the easiest category to comprehend. Mann-Whitney U test was performed to determine the association between the selected variables and the participants’ performance on AC task. No statistical significance was found between the errors and the type of aphasia reflecting similar patterns described in aphasia literature in other languages. The current study indicates the presence of selectivity of lexical semantic deficits in AC and a hierarchy was developed based on the complexity of the categories to comprehend by Sinhala speaking PWA, which might be clinically beneficial when improving language skills of Sinhala speaking persons with post-stroke aphasia. However, further studies on aphasia should be conducted with larger samples for a longer period to study deficits in Sinhala and other Sri Lankan languages (Tamil and Malay).

Keywords: aphasia, auditory comprehension, selective lexical-semantic deficits, semantic categories

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4377 Genomic Identification of Anisakis Simplex Larvae by PCR-RAPD

Authors: Fumiko Kojima, Shuji Fujimoto

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Anisakiasis is a disease caused by infection with an anisakid larvae, mostly Anisakis simplex. The larvae commonly infect in marine fish and the disease is frequently reported in areas of the world where fish is consumed raw, lightly pickled or salted. In Japan, people have the habit of eating raw fish such as ‘sushi’ or ‘sashimi’, so they have more chance of infection with larvae of anisakid nematodes. There are three sibling species in A. simplex larvae, namely, A. simplex sensu stricto (Asss), A. pegreffii (Ap) and A. simplex C. It was revealed that Ap is dominant among the larvae from fish (Scomber japonics) in the Japan Sea side and Asss is dominant among those of the Pacific Ocean side conversely. Although anisakiasis has happened in Japan among both the Japan Sea side area and the Pacific Ocean side area. The aim of this study was to investigate genetic variations between the siblings (Asss and Ap) and within the same sibling species by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. In order to investigate the genetic difference among the each A. simplex larvae, we used RAPD technique to differentiate individuals of A. simplex obtained from Scomber japonics fish those were caught in the Japan sea (Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture) and the cost of Pacific Ocean (Kanagawa Prefecture). The RAPD patterns of the control DNA (Genus Raphidascaris) were markedly different from those of the A. simplex. There were differences in amplification patterns between Asss and Ap. The RAPD patterns for larvae obtained from fish of the same sea were somewhat different and variations were detected even among larvae from the same fish. These results suggest the considerable high genetic variability between Asss and Ap and the possible existence of genetic variation within the sibling species.

Keywords: Anisakiasis in Japan, Anisakis simplex, genomic identification, PCR-RAPD

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4376 A Study on the Effect of Cod to Sulphate Ratio on Performance of Lab Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

Authors: Neeraj Sahu, Ahmad Saadiq

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Anaerobic sulphate reduction has the potential for being effective and economically viable over conventional treatment methods for the treatment of sulphate-rich wastewater. However, a major challenge in anaerobic sulphate reduction is the diversion of a fraction of organic carbon towards methane production and some minor problem such as odour problems, corrosion, and increase of effluent chemical oxygen demand. A high-rate anaerobic technology has encouraged researchers to extend its application to the treatment of complex wastewaters with relatively low cost and energy consumption compared to physicochemical methods. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio on the performance of lab scale UASB reactor. A lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was operated for 170 days. In which first 60 days, for successful start-up with acclimation under methanogenesis and sulphidogenesis at COD/SO₄²⁻ of 18 and were operated at COD/SO₄²⁻ ratios of 12, 8, 4 and 1 to evaluate the effects of the presence of sulfate on the reactor performance. The reactor achieved maximum COD removal efficiency and biogas evolution at the end of acclimation (control). This phase lasted 53 days with 89.5% efficiency. The biogas was 0.6 L/d at (OLR) of 1.0 kg COD/m³d when it was treating synthetic wastewater with effective volume of reactor as 2.8 L. When COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio changed from 12 to 1, slight decrease in COD removal efficiencies (76.8–87.4%) was observed, biogas production decreased from 0.58 to 0.32 L/d, while the sulfate removal efficiency increased from 42.5% to 72.7%.

Keywords: anaerobic, chemical oxygen demand, organic loading rate, sulphate, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor

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4375 DNA Methylation Score Development for In utero Exposure to Paternal Smoking Using a Supervised Machine Learning Approach

Authors: Cristy Stagnar, Nina Hubig, Diana Ivankovic

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The epigenome is a compelling candidate for mediating long-term responses to environmental effects modifying disease risk. The main goal of this research is to develop a machine learning-based DNA methylation score, which will be valuable in delineating the unique contribution of paternal epigenetic modifications to the germline impacting childhood health outcomes. It will also be a useful tool in validating self-reports of nonsmoking and in adjusting epigenome-wide DNA methylation association studies for this early-life exposure. Using secondary data from two population-based methylation profiling studies, our DNA methylation score is based on CpG DNA methylation measurements from cord blood gathered from children whose fathers smoked pre- and peri-conceptually. Each child’s mother and father fell into one of three class labels in the accompanying questionnaires -never smoker, former smoker, or current smoker. By applying different machine learning algorithms to the accessible resource for integrated epigenomic studies (ARIES) sub-study of the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC) data set, which we used for training and testing of our model, the best-performing algorithm for classifying the father smoker and mother never smoker was selected based on Cohen’s κ. Error in the model was identified and optimized. The final DNA methylation score was further tested and validated in an independent data set. This resulted in a linear combination of methylation values of selected probes via a logistic link function that accurately classified each group and contributed the most towards classification. The result is a unique, robust DNA methylation score which combines information on DNA methylation and early life exposure of offspring to paternal smoking during pregnancy and which may be used to examine the paternal contribution to offspring health outcomes.

Keywords: epigenome, health outcomes, paternal preconception environmental exposures, supervised machine learning

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4374 Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of Selected Essential Oils against Toxigenic Fungi Associated with Maize (Zea mays L.)

Authors: Birhane Atnafu, Chemeda Abedeta Garbaba, Fikre Lemessa, Abdi Mohammed, Alemayehu Chala

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Essential oil is a bio-pesticide plant product used as an alternative to pesticides in managing plant pests, including fungal pathogens. Thus, the current study aims to investigate the chemical composition and antifungal activities of essential oils (EO) extracted from three aromatic plants i.e., Thymus vulgaris, Coriandrum sativum, and Cymbopogon martini. The leaf parts of those selected plants were collected from the Jimma area and their essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation method in a Clevenger apparatus. The chemical composition of selected plant essential oil was analyzed by using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and their inhibitory effects were tested in vitro on toxigenic fungi isolated from maize kernel. Chemical analysis results revealed the presence of 32 compounds in C. sativum with Hexanedioic acid, bis (2-ethylhexyl) ester (46. 9%), 2-Decenal, (E)- (12.6), and linalool (8.3%) being the dominant ones. T. vulgaris essential oils constituted 25 compounds, of which thymol (34.4%), o-cymene (17.5%), and Gamma-Terpinene (16.8%) were the major components. Twenty-five compounds were detected in C. martinii of which geraniol (51.4%), Geranyl acetate (14.5%), and Trans – ß-Ocimene (11.7%) were dominant. The EOs of the tested plants had very high antifungal activity (up to 100% efficacy) against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium verticillioides in vitro and on maize grains. The antifungal activities of these essential oils were dependent on the major components such as thymol, hexanedioic acid, bis (2-ethylhexyl) ester, and geraniol. The study affirmed the potential of these essential oils controlling as bio-fungicides to manage the effects of potentially toxigenic fungi associated with maize under post-harvest stages. This can reduce the consequences of the health impacts of the mold and toxigenic compounds produced in maize.

Keywords: bio-activity, bio-pesticides, maize, mycotoxin

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4373 Cost Effective Microfabrication Technique for Lab on Chip (LOC) Devices Using Epoxy Polymers

Authors: Charmi Chande, Ravindra Phadke

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Microfluidics devices are fabricated by using multiple fabrication methods. Photolithography is one of the common methods wherein SU8 is widely used for making master which in turn is used for making working chip by the process of soft lithography. The high-aspect ratio features of SU-8 makes it suitable to be used as micro moulds for injection moulding, hot embossing, and moulds to form polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structures for bioMEMS (Microelectromechanical systems) applications. But due to high cost, difficulty in procuring and need for clean room, restricts the use of this polymer especially in developing countries and small research labs. ‘Bisphenol –A’ based polymers in mixture with curing agent are used in various industries like Paints and coatings, Adhesives, Electrical systems and electronics, Industrial tooling and composites. We present the novel use of ‘Bisphenol – A’ based polymer in fabricating micro channels for Lab On Chip(LOC) devices. The present paper describes the prototype for production of microfluidics chips using range of ‘Bisphenol-A’ based polymers viz. GY 250, ATUL B11, DER 331, DER 330 in mixture with cationic photo initiators. All the steps of chip production were carried out using an inexpensive approach that uses low cost chemicals and equipment. This even excludes the need of clean room. The produced chips using all above mentioned polymers were validated with respect to height and the chip giving least height was selected for further experimentation. The lowest height achieved was 7 micrometers by GY250. The cost of the master fabricated was $ 0.20 and working chip was $. 0.22. The best working chip was used for morphological identification and profiling of microorganisms from environmental samples like soil, marine water and salt water pan sites. The current chip can be adapted for various microbiological screening experiments like biochemical based microbial identification, studying uncultivable microorganisms at single cell/community level.

Keywords: bisphenol–A based epoxy, cationic photoinitiators, microfabrication, photolithography

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4372 Impact of Lobular Carcinoma in situ on Local Recurrence in Breast Cancer Treated with Breast Conservation Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Authors: Christopher G. Harris, Guy D. Eslick

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Purpose: Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a known risk factor for breast cancer of unclear significance when detected in association with invasive carcinoma. This meta-analysis aims to determine the impact of LCIS on local recurrence risk for individuals with breast cancer treated with breast conservation therapy to help guide appropriate treatment strategies. Methods: We identified relevant studies from five electronic databases. Studies were deemed suitable for inclusion where they compared patients with invasive breast cancer and concurrent LCIS to those with breast cancer alone, all patients underwent breast conservation therapy (lumpectomy with adjuvant radiation therapy), and local recurrence was evaluated. Recurrence data were pooled by use of a random effects model. Results: From 1488 citations screened by our search, 8 studies were deemed suitable for inclusion. These studies comprised of 908 cases and 10638 controls. Median follow-up time was 90 months. There was a significantly increased overall risk of local breast cancer recurrence for individuals with LCIS in association with breast cancer following breast conservation therapy [pOR 1.87; 95% CI 1.14-3.04; p = 0.012]. The risk of local recurrence was non-significantly increased at 5 [pOR 1.09; 95% CI 0.48-2.48; p = 0.828] and 10 years [pOR 1.90; 95% CI 0.89-4.06; p = 0.096]. Conclusions: Individuals with LCIS in association with invasive breast cancer have an increased risk of local recurrence following breast conservation therapy. This supports consideration of aggressive local control of LCIS by way of completion mastectomy or re-excision for certain high-risk patients.

Keywords: breast cancer, breast conservation therapy, lobular carcinoma in situ, lobular neoplasia, local recurrence, meta-analysis

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4371 Empowering 21st Century Students with Self-Employability Skill Competencies in an Era of Uncertainties of Paid Employment Jobs

Authors: Pac Ordu

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The paper was conceived on the premise that employment of tertiary education graduates has become an endemic problem in Nigeria. Recognizing the objective of current education as schooling for paid employment, the paper identified that the basic objective of present-day education should be schooling to become self-employed. While schooling to become a successful employee was identified as the focus for the older generation, schooling to become self-employed was defined as the focus for 21st-century teaching and learning. Hence, the paper condemned the inability of curriculum implementers to teach creative trends to enable students to acquire practical skills and small business operation-oriented competencies. A review of some disciplines was made to show the new trend of education that would empower Nigerian students with small business enterprise operation skills for self-employment on graduation. This was further made to draw the attention of institutions and curriculum designers to the need for our curriculum to be functional in line with demands of the innovative economic environment. The paper also noted that at periods of recession with its attendant effects, was the best period for students of entrepreneurship to dream and create their small business enterprises. It highlighted the role of Federal College of Education (Technical) Omoku, Rivers State, Nigeria and the national recognition it has received for developing an innovative, practical model of teaching entrepreneurship education in Nigeria Colleges of Education system. In order to equip students for economic survival on graduation, the introduction of innovative teaching can only be successful if lecturers shift their focus away from the conventional emphasis on theory to students’ energy quotients. While the paper obviously recommended that lecturers should be creative and teach outside the curriculum box, it further recommended that students should use this period of their studentship to dream, create and operate their own small business enterprises.

Keywords: 21st century students, curriculum, entrepreneurship, hands-on-training, innovative

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4370 Measuring the Effect of Continuous Performance Test-3 Administration on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow with Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Adult ADHD

Authors: Claire Stafford, Charles Golden, Daniel Amen, Kristen Willeumier

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The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the administration of the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT-3) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) in adults with ADHD. The data for this study was derived from a large SPECT database. Participants in the ADHD group (n=81, Mage=37.97) were similar to those in the healthy control group (n=8503, Mage=41.86). All participants were assessed for cerebral blood flow levels before and after CPT-3 administration. Both age and gender were considered covariates. Multiple 2-by-2 ANCOVAs with repeated measures were conducted with sphericity assumed. The main effects of CPT-3 administration on CBF levels were significant in the left and right side of the frontal and occipital, and right temporal lobe. The main effects of ADHD diagnosis were significant in all brain areas assessed. The interaction between CPT-3 administration and ADHD diagnosis was significant in the left and right side of the limbic system, basal ganglia, the frontal lobe, and occipital lobe. Post hoc tests with a Bonferroni adjustment revealed that CBF levels increased following CPT-3 administration but less so in the ADHD group. Individuals had higher levels of CBF following the administration of CPT-3. Due to a significant interaction, we can infer that ADHD diagnosis changes the effect of CPT-3 administration on CBF levels. This is consistent with our hypothesis considering that CPT-3 is a test of sustained attention, a common challenge for children with ADHD. The aforementioned interaction was not found to be significant in the parietal lobe. This may be due to the nature of CPT- 3 which does not require an integration of sensory information.

Keywords: SPECT, ADHD, conners continuous performance test, cerebral blood flow

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4369 Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Training on Fibrinolytic and Coagulative Factors in Healthy Young Man

Authors: Farshad Ghazalian, Seyed Hossein Alavi

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Background: Use of whole body vibration (WBV) as an exercise method has rapidly increased over the last decade. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of five week whole-body vibration training with different amplitudes and progressive frequencies on fibrinolytic and coagulative factors. Methods: Twenty five healthy male students were divided randomly in three groups: high amplitude vibration group (n=10), low amplitude vibration group (n=10), and control group (n=5). The vibration training consisted of 5 week whole-body vibration 3 times a week with amplitudes 4 and 2 mm and progressive frequencies from 25Hz with increments of 5Hz weekly. Concentrations of fibrinogen, plasminogen, tPA, and PAI-1 before and after 5 weeks of training were measured in plasma samples. Statistical analysis was done using one way analysis of variance. In order to compare pre-test with post test we used Wilcoxon signed ranked test .P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The 5 week high amplitude vibration training caused a significant improvement in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) (p=0.028), and PAI-1 (p=0.033), fibrinogen showed decrease albeit not significantly (p=0.052). Plasminogen showed decrease not significantly (p=0.508). Low-amplitude vibration training caused a significant improvement in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) (p=0.006) and and PAI-1 showed decrease not significantly (p=0.907). Fibrinogen showed decrease albeit not significantly (p=0.19). Plasminogen showed decrease not significantly (p=0.095). However, between groups there was no significant effect on tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) (p = 0.50), PAI-1 (p=0.249), Plasminogen (p=0.742), and fibrinogen (p=0.299). Conclusion: Amplitude of vibrations training is a important variable that effect on fibrino lytic factors.

Keywords: vibration, fibrinolysis, blood coagulation, plasminogen

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4368 “Post-Industrial” Journalism as a Creative Industry

Authors: Lynette Sheridan Burns, Benjamin J. Matthews

Abstract:

The context of post-industrial journalism is one in which the material circumstances of mechanical publication have been displaced by digital technologies, increasing the distance between the orthodoxy of the newsroom and the culture of journalistic writing. Content is, with growing frequency, created for delivery via the internet, publication on web-based ‘platforms’ and consumption on screen media. In this environment, the question is not ‘who is a journalist?’ but ‘what is journalism?’ today. The changes bring into sharp relief new distinctions between journalistic work and journalistic labor, providing a key insight into the current transition between the industrial journalism of the 20th century, and the post-industrial journalism of the present. In the 20th century, the work of journalists and journalistic labor went hand-in-hand as most journalists were employees of news organizations, whilst in the 21st century evidence of a decoupling of ‘acts of journalism’ (work) and journalistic employment (labor) is beginning to appear. This 'decoupling' of the work and labor that underpins journalism practice is far reaching in its implications, not least for institutional structures. Under these conditions we are witnessing the emergence of expanded ‘entrepreneurial’ journalism, based on smaller, more independent and agile - if less stable - enterprise constructs that are a feature of creative industries. Entrepreneurial journalism is realized in a range of organizational forms from social enterprise, through to profit driven start-ups and hybrids of the two. In all instances, however, the primary motif of the organization is an ideological definition of journalism. An example is the Scoop Foundation for Public Interest Journalism in New Zealand, which owns and operates Scoop Publishing Limited, a not for profit company and social enterprise that publishes an independent news site that claims to have over 500,000 monthly users. Our paper demonstrates that this journalistic work meets the ideological definition of journalism; conducted within the creative industries using an innovative organizational structure that offers a new, viable post-industrial future for journalism.

Keywords: creative industries, digital communication, journalism, post industrial

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4367 Metallurgy of Friction Welding of Porous Stainless Steel-Solid Iron Billets

Authors: S. D. El Wakil

Abstract:

The research work reported here was aimed at investigating the feasibility of joining high-porosity stainless steel discs and wrought iron bars by friction welding. The sound friction-welded joints were then subjected to a metallurgical investigation and an analysis of failure resulting from tensile loading. Discs having 50 mm diameter and 10 mm thickness were produced by loose sintering of stainless steel powder at a temperature of 1350 oC in an argon atmosphere for one hour. Minor machining was then carried out to control the dimensions of the discs, and the density of each disc could then be determined. The level of porosity was calculated and was found to be about 40% in all of those discs. Solid wrought iron bars were also machined to facilitate tensile testing of the joints produced by friction welding. Using our previously gained experience, the porous stainless steel disc and the wrought iron tube were successfully friction welded. SEM was employed to examine the fracture surface after a tensile test of the joint in order to determine the type of failure. It revealed that the failure did not occur in the joint, but rather in the in the porous metal in the area adjacent to the joint. The load carrying capacity was actually determined by the strength of the porous metal and not by that of the welded joint. Macroscopic and microscopic metallographic examinations were also performed and showed that the welded joint involved a dense heat-affected zone where the porous metal underwent densification at elevated temperature, explaining and supporting the findings of the SEM study.

Keywords: fracture of friction-welded joints, metallurgy of friction welding, solid-porous structures, strength of joints

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4366 Using Contingency Valuation Approaches to Assess Community Benefits through the Use of Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site as a Tourism Attraction

Authors: Nyasha Agnes Gurira, Patrick Ngulube

Abstract:

Heritage as an asset can be used to achieve cultural and socio-economic development through its careful use as a tourist attraction. Cultural heritage sites, especially those listed as World Heritage sites generate a lot of revenue through their use as tourist attractions. According to article 5(a) of the World Heritage Convention, World Heritage Sites (WHS) must serve a function in the life of the communities. This is further stressed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) charter on cultural heritage tourism which recognizes the positive effects of tourism on cultural heritage and underlines that domestic and international tourism is among the foremost vehicles for cultural exchange, conservation should thus provide for responsible and well-managed opportunities for local communities. The inclusion of communities in the world heritage agenda identifies them as the owners of the heritage and partners in the management planning process. This reiterates the need to empower communities and enable them to participate in the decisions which relate to the use of their heritage divorcing from the ideals of viewing communities as beneficiaries from the heritage resource. It recognizes community ownership rights to cultural heritage an element enshrined in Zimbabwe’ national constitution. Through the use of contingency valuation approaches, by assessing the Willingness to pay for visitors at the site the research determined the tourism use value of Great Zimbabwe (WHS). It assessed the extent to which the communities at Great Zimbabwe (WHS) have been developed through the tourism use of the WHS. Findings show that the current management mechanism in place regards communities as stakeholders in the management of the WHS, their ownership and property rights are not fully recognized. They receive indirect benefits from the tourism use of the WHS. This paper calls for a shift in management approach where community ownership rights are fully recognized and more inclusive approaches are adopted to ensure that the goal of sustainable development is achieved. Pro-poor benefits of tourism are key to enhancing the livelihoods of communities and can only be achieved if their rights are recognized and respected.

Keywords: communities, cultural heritage tourism, development, property ownership rights, pro-poor benefits, sustainability, world heritage site

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4365 Effect of Dietary Melissa officinalis Leaves Supplementation on Lipid Oxidation of Broiler Breast Fillets During Refrigerated Storage

Authors: Khosro Ghazvinian, Touba Khodaeian

Abstract:

To improve the oxidative stability of meat products, the use of dietary form of antioxidants can extend the shelf life and acceptability of muscle food during exposition or storage condition. As shown, this method is more effective than adding direct preservatives due to uniform incorporation of dietary additives into sub cellular membrane and therefore, they can properly inhibit the oxidative reaction at their localized sites. Furthermore, postmortem addition of antioxidants to meat cannot directly inhibit the oxidation in membrane phospholipids. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effects of feed supplementation with Melissa officinalis leaves on lipid peroxidation of chicken breast fillets during refrigerated storage. In this study, 72 one-day old Ross 308 broilers distributed in four groups with six replicates (3 chickens each) were fed a basal diet (CONT) or basal diet supplemented with 5, 10, and 15 gr/Kg M.officinalis, for 6 weeks. Following slaughter, fillets from breast were stored at 4 °C in the dark for 12 days, and lipid oxidation was assessed on the basis of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formed. Results showed that incorporation of M.officinalis in broiler diets delayed lipid oxidation in raw breast meat during refrigerated storage comparative with CONT(p<0.05). In this regard, TBARS levels of breast samples containing higher concentrations (10 and 15 gr/Kg) of M. officinalis (625.43 and 504.32 µg/kg MDA equivalents, respectively )were significantly lower than those of control and 5g/kg samples (872.75 and 841.32 µg/kg MDA equivalents, respectively) (p<0.05). Therefore, M. officinalis might be utilized in novel applications as a nutritional supplement or a functional food component.

Keywords: breast fillet, lipid oxidation, Melissa officinalis, TBARS assay

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4364 Determination of Alkali Treatment Conditions Effects That Influence the Variability of Kenaf Fiber Mean Cross-Sectional Area

Authors: Mohd Yussni Hashim, Mohd Nazrul Roslan, Shahruddin Mahzan Mohd Zin, Saparudin Ariffin

Abstract:

Fiber cross-sectional area value is a crucial factor in determining the strength properties of natural fiber. Furthermore, unlike synthetic fiber, a diameter and cross-sectional area of natural fiber has a large variation along and between the fibers. This study aims to determine the main and interaction effects of alkali treatment conditions that influence kenaf bast fiber mean cross-sectional area. Three alkali treatment conditions at two different levels were selected. The conditions setting were alkali concentrations at two and ten w/v %; fiber immersed temperature at room temperature and 1000C; and fiber immersed duration for 30 and 480 minute. Untreated kenaf fiber was used as a control unit. Kenaf bast fiber bundle mounting tab was prepared according to ASTM C1557-03. The cross-sectional area was measured using a Leica video analyzer. The study result showed that kenaf fiber bundle mean cross-sectional area was reduced 6.77% to 29.88% after alkali treatment. From the analysis of variance, it shows that the interaction of alkali concentration and immersed time has a higher magnitude at 0.1619 compared to alkali concentration and immersed temperature interaction that was 0.0896. For the main effect, alkali concentration factor contributes to the higher magnitude at 0.1372 which indicated the decrease pattern of variability when the level changed from lower to the higher level. Then, it was followed by immersed temperature at 0.1261 and immersed time at 0.0696 magnitudes.

Keywords: natural fiber, kenaf bast fiber bundles, alkali treatment, cross-sectional area

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4363 Survey and Identification of Coinfecting Botryosphaeriales Causing Stem Canker Diseases of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in Ethiopia

Authors: Wendu Admasu, Assefa Sintayehu, Alemu Gezahgne, Zewdu Terefework

Abstract:

Eucalyptus is the most widely planted forest tree species in the world. In Ethiopia, pathogenic fungi pose an increasing threat to Eucalyptus species. Due to limited research, there is insufficient information on the associated diseases and pathogens. This study investigated Eucalyptus diseases, the extent of their damage, and the causal fungal pathogens. A Eucalyptus disease survey was conducted in the Eucalyptus forestry areas of Ethiopia during the growth years 2019/20 and 2020/21. Disease assessment and sampling were carried out in eighteen plantations at nine locations. E. camaldulensis was the most dominant species planted in the surveyed areas. The field study shows a high incidence and severity of canker diseases. Diseased stem and branch samples were collected, cultured on malt extract agar media and studied. The results of morphological and ITS sequence analysis confirmed that the fungal species Neofusicoccum parvum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, and Aplosporella hesperidica caused the observed canker symptoms. This is the first report of Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Aplosporella hesperidica causing diseases in Eucalyptus plants in Ethiopia. Changes in global climate and environmental factors, such as altitude, are believed to have a strong impact on the susceptibility of Eucalyptus plants to diseases. Strict quarantine practices and continuous monitoring of pathogenic and endophytic fungal species associated with Eucalyptus trees are issued to be prioritized to effectively control and manage the disease.

Keywords: Neofusicoccum, Lasiodiplodia, Aplosporella, pathogenicity, phylogeny, severity

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4362 Nonstationary Modeling of Extreme Precipitation in the Wei River Basin, China

Authors: Yiyuan Tao

Abstract:

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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4361 Preparation and Functional Properties of Synbiotic Yogurt Fermented with Lactobacillus brevis PML1 Derived from a Fermented Cereal-Dairy Product

Authors: Farideh Tabatabei-Yazdi, Fereshteh Falah, Alireza Vasiee

Abstract:

Nowadays, production of functional foods has become very essential. Inulin is one of the most functional hydrocolloid compounds used in such products. In the present study, the production of a synbiotic yogurt containing 1, 2.5, and 5% (w/v) inulin has been investigated. The yogurt was fermented with Lactobacillus brevis PML1 derived from Tarkhineh, an Iranian cereal-dairy fermented food. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, sensory attributes, and microbial viability properties were investigated on the 0th, 7th, and 14th days of storage after fermentation. The viable cells of L. brevis PML1 reached 108 CFU/g, and the product resisted to simulated digestive juices. Moreover, the synbiotic yogurt impressively increased the production of antimicrobial compounds and had the most profound antimicrobial effect on S. typhimurium. The physiochemical properties were in the normal range, and the fat content of the synbiotic yogurt was reduced remarkably. The antioxidant capacity of the fermented yogurt was significantly increased (p<0:05), which was equal to those of DPPH (69:18±1:00%) and BHA (89:16±2:00%). The viability of L. brevis PML1 was increased during storage. Sensory analysis showed that there were significant differences in terms of the impressive parameters between the samples and the control (p<0:05). Addition of 2.5% inulin not only improved the physical properties but also retained the viability of the probiotic after 14 days of storage, in addition to the viability of L. brevis with a viability count above 6 log CFU/g in the yogurt. Therefore, a novel synbiotic product containing L. brevis PML1, which can exert the desired properties, can be used as a suitable carrier for the delivery of the probiotic strain, exerting its beneficial health effects.

Keywords: functional food, lactobacillus brevis, symbiotic yogurt, physiochemical properties

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4360 The application of Gel Dosimeters and Comparison with other Dosimeters in Radiotherapy: A Literature Review

Authors: Sujan Mahamud

Abstract:

Purpose: A major challenge in radiotherapy treatment is to deliver precise dose of radiation to the tumor with minimum dose to the healthy normal tissues. Recently, gel dosimetry has emerged as a powerful tool to measure three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution for complex delivery verification and quality assurance. These dosimeters act both as a phantom and detector, thus confirming the versatility of dosimetry technique. The aim of the study is to know the application of Gel Dosimeters in Radiotherapy and find out the comparison with 1D and 2D dimensional dosimeters. Methods and Materials: The study is carried out from Gel Dosimeter literatures. Secondary data and images have been collected from different sources such as different guidelines, books, and internet, etc. Result: Analyzing, verifying, and comparing data from treatment planning system (TPS) is determined that gel dosimeter is a very excellent powerful tool to measure three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution. The TPS calculated data were in very good agreement with the dose distribution measured by the ferrous gel. The overall uncertainty in the ferrous-gel dose determination was considerably reduced using an optimized MRI acquisition protocol and a new MRI scanner. The method developed for comparing measuring gel data with calculated treatment plans, the gel dosimetry method, was proven to be a useful for radiation treatment planning verification. In 1D and 2D Film, the depth dose and lateral for RMSD are 1.8% and 2%, and max (Di-Dj) are 2.5% and 8%. Other side 2D+ ( 3D) Film Gel and Plan Gel for RMSDstruct and RMSDstoch are 2.3% & 3.6% and 1% & 1% and system deviation are -0.6% and 2.5%. The study is investigated that the result fined 2D+ (3D) Film Dosimeter is better than the 1D and 2D Dosimeter. Discussion: Gel Dosimeters is quality control and quality assurance tool which will used the future clinical application.

Keywords: gel dosimeters, phantom, rmsd, QC, detector

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4359 The Influence of Microscopic Features on the Self-Cleaning Ability of Developed 3D Printed Fabric-Like Structures Using Different Printing Parameters

Authors: Ayat Adnan Atwah, Muhammad A. Khan

Abstract:

Self-cleaning surfaces are getting significant attention in industrial fields. Especially for textile fabrics, it is observed that self-cleaning textile fabric surfaces are created by manipulating the surface features with the help of coatings and nanoparticles, which are considered costly and far more complicated. However, controlling the fabrication parameters of textile fabrics at the microscopic level by exploring the potential for self-cleaning has not been addressed. This study aimed to establish the context of self-cleaning textile fabrics by controlling the fabrication parameters of the textile fabric at the microscopic level. Therefore, 3D-printed textile fabrics were fabricated using the low-cost fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique. The printing parameters, such as orientation angle (O), layer height (LH), and extruder width (EW), were used to control the microscopic features of the printed fabrics. The combination of three printing parameters was created to provide the best self-cleaning textile fabric surface: (LH) (0.15, 0.13, 0.10 mm) and (EW) (0.5, 0.4, 0.3 mm) along with two different (O) of (45º and 90º). Three different thermoplastic flexible filament materials were used: (TPU 98A), (TPE felaflex), and (TPC flex45). The printing parameters were optimised to get the optimum self-cleaning ability of the printed specimens. Furthermore, the impact of these characteristics on mechanical strength at the fabric-woven structure level was investigated. The study revealed that the printing parameters significantly affect the self-cleaning properties after adjusting the selected combination of layer height, extruder width, and printing orientation. A linear regression model was effectively developed to demonstrate the association between 3D printing parameters (layer height, extruder width, and orientation). According to the experimental results, (TPE felaflex) has a better self-cleaning ability than the other two materials.

Keywords: 3D printing, self-cleaning fabric, microscopic features, printing parameters, fabrication

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4358 Outcomes of Educating Care Giver in Tracheostomy Wound Care for Discharge Planning of Tracheostomy Patients at the Ear, Nose, Throat, and Eye Ward of Songkhla Hospital Thailand

Authors: Kingkan Chumjamras

Abstract:

There are permanent and temporary tracheostomies, and in a permanent tracheostomy, care giver are important persons to know and be able to care for the tracheostomy patient. The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate outcomes of educating care giver in tracheostomy wound care for discharge planning of tracheostomy patients. The subjects of the study were relatives who directly cared for tracheostomy patients. Thirty subjects were selected according to specified criteria. The research instruments consisted of practice guidelines, manual for relatives in caring for the tracheostomy wound, an assisted model with a tracheostomy wound, a test, an observation form, and a patient’s relative satisfaction questionnaire. The instrument validity was tested by three experts, and the questionnaire reliability was tested with Cronbach’s alpha, and the reliability coefficient was 0.83; the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and paired t-test. The results of the study on educating relatives in tracheostomy wound care for discharge planning of tracheostomy patients revealed that the score for knowledge and ability in caring for the tracheostomy wound before receiving the education was at a low level (M= 19.23, SD= 1.57) compared with the very high score (M= 36.40, SD= 19.23) after receiving the education. The difference was statistically significant (p < .05), and relatives’ satisfaction was at a high level (80 percent). Knowledge and ability in caring for tracheostomy patients among patients’ relatives could cause tracheostomy wound complications for tracheostomy patients. One way to control such complications and returns to hospital from infection, in addition to care by the health care team, is educating relatives in tracheostomy wound care for discharge planning of tracheostomy patients.

Keywords: outcomes, educating, care giver, Tracheostomy Wound Care, discharge planning

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4357 Litho-Structural Variations and Gold Mineralization around Wonaka Schist Belt, North West Nigeria

Authors: Umar Sambo Umar, Ahmad Isah Haruna, Abubakar Sadik Maigari, Muhammad Bello Abubakar

Abstract:

Schist belts in Nigeria occur prominently west of longitude 80 E and sporadic to the east, they are upper Proterozioc low-medium grade deformed metasediments and metavolcanics that were intruded by Pan-African granitoids. The Wonaka schist belt, though reportedly distinctive in composition and metamorphism, is the least understood; the host for primary gold were not defined, structures which may control primary enrichment have not been delineated. The aim of this work is to determine the relationship between litho-structures and the gold around Wonaka schist belt through geological field mapping, petrographic studies and structural data analysis via ArcGis 10.2, Surfer 11.0 and Stereopro 2.0. The results show that the major rock types are mica schist and migmatites, muscovites detected during microstructural analysis suggests low-grade metamorphism in the metapelites. The shear zones identified were trending North Northeast – South Southwest (NNE-SSW), fractures trend mostly Northeast-Southwest (NE-SW) perpendicular to planes of gneissic foliations, these conform to the late Pan-African deformational episode. Pegmatite lodes, net self-cross cutting quartz veins as well as the quartz stringers hosted by both migmatites and schist are delineated as targets for primary gold mineralization, while major confluences of the streams serve as zones for secondary (placer) gold targets since the streams are dendritic and intermittent.

Keywords: gold mineralization, Nigeria, migmatites, Wonaka schist belt

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4356 The Effect of Six Weeks Aerobic Training and Taxol Consumption on Interleukin 8 and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 on Mice with Cervical Cancer

Authors: Alireza Barari, Maryam Firoozi, Maryam Ebrahimzadeh, Romina Roohan Ardeshiri, Maryam Kamarloeei

Abstract:

Background: The The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of six-week aerobic training and taxol consumption on interleukin 8 and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in mice with cervical cancer. Material and method: In this experimental study, 40 female C57 mice, eight weeks old, were randomly divided into 4 groups: cancer, cancer-taxol complement, cancer-training and cancer-training - taxol complement with 10 mice in each group. The implantation of cancerous tumors was performed under the skin of the upper pelvis. The training group completed the endurance training protocol, which included 3 sessions per week, 50 minutes per session, at a speed of 14-18 m/s for six weeks. A dose of 60 mg/ kg/day, a pure extract of Taxol was injected peritoneal Data were analyzed by t-test, One-way ANOVA and post hoc Bonferron's at the significant level P<0. 05. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between mean values of interleukin-8 (P < 0.05, F = 12.25) and the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (P < 0.05, P=0.10737) in four groups. A significance level of less than 0.05 in Tukey test for both variables also showed a significant difference between the "control" group and the complementary "exercise" group. Namely, six weeks of aerobic training, along with taxol, have a significant effect on the level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and interleukin-8 mice with cervical cancer. Conclusion: Considering the effect of training on these variables, this type of exercise can be used as a complementary therapeutic approach along with other therapies for cervical cancer.

Keywords: cervical cancer, taxol, endurance training, interleukin 8, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1

Procedia PDF Downloads 185