Search results for: intensity duration

Authors: A. V. Shrirao, N. I. Kochar, A. V. Chandewar

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The flower extract of Butea monosperma herb has been used traditionally in India for medicinal purposes. The plant has been reported to treat hyperglycemia and associated hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are known to accelerate coronary artery disease and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. The present work was undertaken to investigate the possible antihyperlipidemic and antioxidative effect of Butea monosperma flowers on hyperlipidemic rats. Hyperlipidemia was induced in rats by a single intraperitonial (i.p.) injection of Triton WR 1339 (400 mg/kg) and it showed sustained elevated levels of serum cholesterol and triglyceride. Ethanolic extract of Butea monosperma flowers (Et-BM) (250 and 500 mg/kg/day) was administered to normal and hyperlipidemic rats for 14 days. Serum and liver tissue were analyzed at three different time intervals for lipid profile and antioxidants enzymes and the activity were compared to the cholesterol-lowering drug, Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg). Parameters were altered during hyperlipidemia and reverted back to near normal values after Et-BM treatment or standard drug Atorvastatin. Lipid peroxidation decreased whereas the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase increased in Et-BM treated rats. Pronounced changes were observed at 500 mg/kg of Et-BM for 2 weeks and it was comparable to the standard drug Atorvastatin. The current study provides strong evidence that Et-BM has a remarkable beneficial effect in treating hyperlipidemia and ROS without any side effects at the dosage and duration studied.

Keywords: antioxidant, butea monopserma, hyperlipidemia, triton WR 1339

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Authors: S. Alrekabi, A. Cundy, A. Lampropoulos, I. Savina

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Due to their remarkable mechanical properties, multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are considered by many researchers to be a highly promising filler and reinforcement agent for enhanced performance cementitious materials. Currently, however, achieving an effective dispersion of MWCNTs remains a major challenge in developing high performance nano-cementitious composites, since carbon nanotubes tend to form large agglomerates and bundles as a consequence of Van der Waals forces. In this study, effective dispersion of low concentrations of MWCNTs at 0.01%, 0.025%, and 0.05% by weight of cement in the composite was achieved by applying different sonication conditions in combination with the use of polycarboxylate ether as a surfactant. UV-Visible spectroscopy and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess the dispersion of MWCNTs in water, while the dispersion states of MWCNTs within the cement composites and their surface interactions were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A high sonication intensity applied over a short time period significantly enhanced the dispersion of MWCNTs at initial mixing stages, and 0.025% of MWCNTs wt. of cement, caused 86% and 27% improvement in tensile strength and compressive strength respectively, compared with a plain cement mortar.

Keywords: dispersion, mechanical performance, multi wall carbon nanotubes, sonication conditions

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Authors: Branimir Skoric

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Over the past two decades, number of international travels rose significantly in the United Kingdom and Worldwide in the shape of business travels and holiday travels as well. The fact that elderly people travel a lot, more than ever before increased the needs for medical evacuations (repatriations) back home if they fell ill abroad or had any kind of accident. This paper concerns medical evacuations of patients on the way back home to the United Kingdom (United Kingdom Residents) and their specific medical needs during short-haul or long-haul commercial scheduled flight and ground transportation to the final destination regardless whether it was hospital or usual place of residence. Particular medical need during medical evacuations is oxygen supply and it can be supplied via portable oxygen concentrator, pulse flow oxygenator or continuous free flow oxygenator depending on the main diagnosis and patient’s comorbidities. In this retrospective study, patients were divided into two groups. One group was consisted of patients suffering from cardio-respiratory diagnoses as primary illness. Another Group consisted of patients suffering from noncardiac illnesses who have other problems including any kind of physical injury. Needs for oxygen and type of supply were carefully considered in regards of duration of the flight, standard airline cabin pressure and results described in this retrospective study.

Keywords: commercial flight, elderly travellers, medical evacuations, oxygen

Procedia PDF Downloads 142

Authors: Robson C. Santos, Julio C. P. Ribeiro, Iorran M. de Castro, Luan C. F. Rodrigues, Sandro R. L. Silva, Diego M. Quesada

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The work aims to develop a robot in the form of autonomous vehicle to detect, inspection and mapping of underground pipelines through the ATmega328 Arduino platform. Hardware prototyping very similar to C / C ++ language that facilitates its use in robotics open source, resembles PLC used in large industrial processes. The robot will traverse the surface independently of direct human action, in order to automate the process of detecting buried pipes, guided by electromagnetic induction. The induction comes from coils that sends the signal to the Arduino microcontroller contained in that will make the difference in intensity and the treatment of the information, then this determines actions to electrical components such as relays and motors, allowing the prototype to move on the surface and getting the necessary information. The robot was developed by electrical and electronic assemblies that allowed test your application. The assembly is made up of metal detector coils, circuit boards and microprocessor, which interconnected circuits previously developed can determine, process control and mechanical actions for a robot (autonomous car) that will make the detection and mapping of buried pipelines plates.

Keywords: robotic, metal detector, embedded system, pipeline inspection

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Authors: Hany El Said Fawaz

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This study deals with numerical simulation using a commercial package 'ANSYS FLUENT 14.5' for flow characteristics of a flanged diffuser wind turbine. Influence of geometrical parameters such as flange height, diffuser length, and expansion angle on the lift and drag performance were investigated. As the angle of expansion increases, a considerable flow acceleration through the diffuser occur at expansion angle ranged from 0° and 12° due to the presence of undisturbed streamlines. after that flow circulation is developed near the diffuser outlet and increase with increasing expansion angle which causes a negligible effect of expansion angle. The effect of diffuser length on flow behavior shows that when the diffuser length ratio is less than 1.25, flow acceleration is observed and increased with diffuser length ratio. After this value, the flow field at diffuser outlet is characterized by a recirculation zone. The diffuser flange has an impact effect of the flow behavior as a low pressure zone is developed behind the flange, while a high pressure zone is generated in front of it. As the flange height increase, the intensity of both low and high pressure regions increase which tend to accelerate the flow inside the diffuser till flange height ratio reaches to 0.75.

Keywords: wind turbine, flanged diffuser, expansion angle, diffuser length

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Authors: Pymaneh Bairami Rad

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The present work was planned with the aim to study the histological changes that might occur in the sciatic nerve of adult male albino rat following antimony trioxide exposure and to throw more light on the protective role of vitamin "E" on the peripheral neurotoxicity induced by this environmental toxin Sixty adult male albino rats, weighing 183 - 235 grams, were utilized in this work. The animals were divided into 3 groups; each of 20 rats: animals of group I served as control, animals of group II received antimony trioxide daily for 12 successive weeks , animals of group III received antimony trioxide and vitamin "E" daily for the same duration. Antimony trioxide was given in a daily dose of 500 mg/ kg body weight which represents 1/40 of the known LD50 and vitamin "E" was administered in a daily dose of 300 mg/kg body weight. Both antimony trioxide and vitamin "E" were given to the animals by gastric intubation. This research revealed many histological changes in the sciatic nerve, following exposure to antimony trioxide, including Wallerian degeneration in most myelinated nerve fibers with pleomorphic destruction, fragmentation, loss of normal lamination and rupture of myelin sheaths. The axoplasms of these nerve fibers were irregular, degenerated and contained myelin fragments with loss of neurofibrils. Obvious increase in endoneurium was also observed. Concomitant administration of vitamin "E" with antimony trioxide resulted in marked improvement in the histological changes observed in the sciatic nerve.

Keywords: neurotoxicity, antimony, vitamin e, anatomy, histology

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Authors: SeyedMohammad Hosseini, Amirhossein Moghanian

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The main purpose of this research was to design a biomimetic system by freeze-drying method for evaluating the effect of adding 5 and 10 mol. % of zinc (Zn)in 58S bioactive glass and gelatin (5ZnBG/G and 10ZnBG/G) in terms of structural and biological changes. The structural analyses of samples were performed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Also, 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide(MTT) and alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity test were carried out for investigation of MC3T3-E1cell behaviors. The SEM results demonstrated the spherical shape of the formed hydroxyapatite (HA) phases, and also HA characteristic peaks were detected by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD)after 3 days of immersion in the simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. Meanwhile, FTIR spectra proved that the intensity of P–O peaks for 5ZnBG/G was more than 10ZnBG/G and control samples. Moreover, the results of alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) test illustrated that the optimal amount of Zn (5ZnBG/G) caused a considerable enhancement in bone cell growth. Taken together, the scaffold with 5 mol.% Zn was introduced as an optimal sample because of its higher biocompatibility, in vitro bioactivity, and growth of MC3T3-E1cellsin in comparison with other samples in bone tissue engineering.

Keywords: scaffold, gelatin, modified bioactive glass, alp, bone tissue engineering

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Authors: Krzysztof Skiba, Zdzislaw Kaminski

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Wind power is based on a variety of construction solutions to convert wind energy into electrical energy. These constructions are constrained by the correlation between their energy conversion efficiency and the area they occupy. Their energy conversion efficiency can be improved by wind tunnel tests of a rotor as a diffuser to optimize shapes of aerodynamic elements, to adapt these elements to changing conditions and to increase airflow intensity. This paper discusses the results of computer simulations and aerodynamic analyzes of this innovative diffuser design. The research aims at determining the aerodynamic phenomena triggered by the airflow inside this construction, and developing a design to improve the efficiency of the wind turbine. The research results enable us to design a diffuser with a double Venturi nozzle and specially shaped blades. The design of this type uses Bernoulli’s law on the behavior of the flowing medium in the tunnel of a decreasing diameter. The air flowing along the tunnel changes its velocity so the rotor inside such a decreased tunnel diameter rotates faster in this airflow than does the wind outside this tunnel, which makes the turbine more efficient. Additionally, airflow velocity is improved by applying aerodynamic rings with extended trailing edges to achieve controlled turbulent vortices.

Keywords: wind turbine, renewable energy, cfd, numerical analysis

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Authors: Suparwoko, M. Hardyan Prastyanto, Aisah Azhari Marwangi

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Today, we face with some paradoxical tendencies. In the field of culture, on the one hand, we are witnessing the emergence of ethnic and religious fervor that is becoming stronger, but on the other hand, we are also witnessing a new ideology that characterized the flow of transnationalism, globalism, and secularism. Through social media, the globalization movement is accommodated to spread all over the world. Globalization also requires the commercialization of many fields, including architecture. In the architecture of commercial buildings, the appeal of the building is an important aspect for the function of the building. That theory is the basis for research of this study. This study aimed to know the influence of social media on the changing trends in the design of restaurant in urban areas of Yogyakarta Province. This study is using observation (survey) method to restaurants in Yogyakarta and surrounding areas to collect data, then the assessment of data by using the theory of the social media Path and Instagram that provide trend information from interior and building facades of the restaurant. By using social media Path and Instagram based survey methods, it can be seen that the intensity of social media users who publish or promote restaurant that has been chosen. Generally, conventional character of the restaurant have changed into a material and visually conceptual restaurant.

Keywords: influence, social media, changes, architecture trend

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Authors: V. Antevska, B. Dejanova, L. Todorovska, J. Pluncevic, E. Sivevska, S. Petrovska, S. Mancevska, I. Karagjozova

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Introduction: The aim of this study was to optimise the laboratory oxidative stress (OS) markers in soccer players. Material and methods: In a number of 37 soccer players (21±3 years old) and 25 control subjects (sedenters), plasma samples were taken for d-ROMs (reactive oxygen metabolites) and NO (nitric oxide) determination. The d-ROMs test was performed by measurement of hydroperoxide levels (Diacron, Italy). For NO determination the method of nitrate enzyme reduction with the Greiss reagent was used (OXIS, USA). The parameters were taken after the training of the soccer players and were compared with the control group. Training was considered as maximal exercise treadmill test. The criteria of maximum loading for each subject was established as >95% maximal heart rate. Results: The level of d-ROMs was found to be increased in the soccer players vs. control group but no significant difference was noticed. After the training d-ROMs in soccer players showed increased value of 299±44 UCarr (p<0.05). NO showed increased level in all soccer players vs. controls but significant difference was found after the training 102±29 μmol (p<0.05). Conclusion: Due to these results we may suggest that the measuring these OS markers in sport medicine may be useful for better estimation and evaluation of the training program. More oxidative stress should be used to clarify optimization of the training intensity program.

Keywords: oxidative stress markers, soccer players, training, sport

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Authors: B. U. Ibrahim, A. Okafor

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Sixty-two (62) samples of Clarias anguillaris were collected from Tagwai Reservoir and used for the study. 29 male and 33 female samples were obtained for the study. Body measurement indicated that different sizes were collected for the study. Males, females and combined sexes had standard length and total length means of 26.56±4.99 and 31.13±6.43, 27.17±5.21 and 30.62±5.43, 26.88±5.08 and 30.86±5.88 cm, respectively. The weights of males, females and combined sexes have mean weights of 241.10±96.27, 225.75±78.66 and 232.93±86.95 gm, respectively. Eight items; fish, insects, plant materials, sand grains, crustaceans, algae, detritus and unidentified items were eaten as food by Clarias anguilarias in Tagwai Reservoir. Frequency of occurrence and numerical methods used in stomach contents analysis indicated that fish was the highest, followed by insect, while the lowest was the algae. Frequency of stomach fullness of Clarias anguillaris showed low percentage of empty stomachs or stomachs without food (21.00%) and high percentage of stomachs with food (79.00%), which showed high abundance of food and high feeding intensity during the period of study. Classification of fish based on feeding habits showed that Clarias anguillaris in this study is an omnivore because it consumed both plant and animal materials.

Keywords: stomach content, feeding habit, Clarias anguillaris, Tagwai Reservoir

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Authors: Ari Istiany, Guspri Devi Artanti, M. Si

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Based on the results Riskesdas, it is known that breastfeeding awareness about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding is still low at only 15.3 %. These conditions resulted in a very infant at risk for infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infection. Therefore, the aim of this study to evaluate the video development about exclusive breastfeeding as a nutrition education media for posyandu cadre. This research used development methods for making the video about exclusive breastfeeding. The study was conducted in urban areas Rawamangun, East Jakarta. Respondents of this study were 1 media experts from the Department of Educational Technology - UNJ, 2 subject matter experts from Department of Home Economics - UNJ and 20 posyandu cadres to assess the quality of the video. Aspects assessed include the legibility of text, image display quality, color composition, clarity of sound, music appropriateness, duration, suitability of the material and language. Data were analyzed descriptively likes frequency distribution table, the average value, and deviation standard. The result of this study showed that the average score assessment according to media experts, subject matter experts, and posyandu cadres respectively was 3.43 ± 0.51 (good), 4.37 ± 0.52 (very good) and 3.6 ± 0.73 (good). The conclusion is on exclusive breastfeeding video as feasible as a media for nutrition education. While suggestions for the improvement of visual media is multiply illustrations, add material about the correct way of breastfeeding and healthy baby pictures.

Keywords: exclusive breastfeeding, posyandu cadre, video, nutrition education

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Authors: Shafiullah Soomro

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Active contour is one of the image segmentation techniques and its goal is to capture required object boundaries within an image. In this paper, we propose a novel image segmentation method by using an active contour method based on anisotropic diffusion feature enhancement technique. The traditional active contour methods use only pixel information to perform segmentation, which produces inaccurate results when an image has some noise or complex background. We use Perona and Malik diffusion scheme for feature enhancement, which sharpens the object boundaries and blurs the background variations. Our main contribution is the formulation of a new SPF (signed pressure force) function, which uses global intensity information across the regions. By minimizing an energy function using partial differential framework the proposed method captures semantically meaningful boundaries instead of catching uninterested regions. Finally, we use a Gaussian kernel which eliminates the problem of reinitialization in level set function. We use several synthetic and real images from different modalities to validate the performance of the proposed method. In the experimental section, we have found the proposed method performance is better qualitatively and quantitatively and yield results with higher accuracy compared to other state-of-the-art methods.

Keywords: active contours, anisotropic diffusion, level-set, partial differential equations

Procedia PDF Downloads 157

Authors: Mohamad Bolandmrtabeh, Nafiseh Hasani, Saeid Abdi darakeh, Amir Heydari, Maryam Asghari

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Dactylogyrus spp. and Butriocephalus spp. are among the most common parasites infecting farmed fish in Iran and worldwide. These parasites infect fish of all ages and are responsible for many lesions and mortalities in fingerlings and occasionally in grow-out and brood fish. Understanding the prevalence and intensity of these parasites appears necessary for their effective management and control. In this study, 60 common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were collected from 6 stations in Mazandaran Province, Iran, during summer 2023 and examined parasitologically. Common carp is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. The fish were transferred live to the laboratory after capture and were examined for parasites after anaesthetization and biometrics. The identified parasitic species included a Dactylogyrus sp. and a Butriocephalus sp. A total of 11 Dactylogyrus spp. were recovered from the gills of 60 fish examined. Additionally, 6 Butriocephalus spp. were collected from the intestine of infected fish. Based on taxonomic keys, the parasites were identified to genus level. The overall prevalence of infection was 23.3%, with approximately one quarter of all fish infected. A significant association was found between infections in different sampling stations. These results highlight the need for further research and planning for treatment and control in order to mitigate the impact of these parasitic diseases.

Keywords: dactylogyrus, butriocephalus, common carp, cyprinus carpio

Procedia PDF Downloads 67

Authors: J. B. Sharma, Vivek Kakkar, Sunesh Kumar, K. K. Roy, Rajesh Kumari, Kavita Pandey, Smriti Hari

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Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common problem affecting the quality of life of women. Methods: It is a prospective study conducted over 40 women of SUI by endovaginal ultrasound on rest and Valsalva preoperatively and six months postoperatively for levator hiatus, pubovisceral thickness, urethral length, and bladder neck position. A 24-hour pad test was also performed on all women at the same time for grading of SUI. Treatment given was medical in 4 (10%), Burch colposuspension in 18 (45%), and tension-free obturator tape in 18 (45%). Results: Mean age, parity, and body mass index in the study were 41.60 years, 2.73, and 24.2 kg/m², respectively. All 40 (100%) patients had SUI, with the mean duration of symptoms being 4.04 years. On the 24-hour pad test, mild SUI was in 4 (10%), moderate SUI in 33 (82.5%), and severe SUI in 3 (7.5%), with mean preoperative 24-hour pad test being 36.69 gm which significantly reduced to 9.79 gm postoperatively (p 0.001). There was a significant change in levator hiatus and pubovisceral thickness with the treatment of SUI. Overall urethral length increased, but there was a significant decrease in urethral length on Valsalva after the treatment (0.40 versus 0.28 cm, p 0.04) and a significant reduction in bladder neck descent after Valsalva after treatment (0.41 cm versus 0.27 cm, p 0.001). Conclusion: Endovaginal ultrasound and 24-hour pad test are useful diagnostic modalities for SUI diagnosis and to see the impact of treatment.

Keywords: stress urinary incontinence, endovaginal ultrasound, 24-hours pad test, pubovisceral muscle thickness

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Authors: P. Charvin, R. Bourrou, F. Lemont, C. Lafon, A. Russello

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For nuclear waste treatment and confinement, a specific IN-CAN melting module based on low-frequency induction heating have been designed. The frequency of 50Hz has been chosen to improve penetration length through metal. In this design, the liquid metal, strongly stirred by electromagnetic effects, presents shape of a dome caused by strong Laplace forces developing in the bulk of bath. Because of a lower density, the glass phase is located above the metal phase and is heated and stirred by metal through interface. Electric parameters (Intensity, frequency) give precious information about metal load and composition (resistivity of alloy) through impedance modification. Then, power supply can be adapted to energy transfer efficiency for suitable process supervision. Modeling of this system allows prediction of metal dome shape (in agreement with experimental measurement with a specific device), glass and metal velocity, heat and motion transfer through interface. MHD modeling is achieved with COMSOL and Fluent. First, a simplified model is used to obtain the shape of the metal dome. Then the shape is fixed to calculate the fluid flow and the thermal part.

Keywords: electromagnetic stirring, induction heating, interface modeling, metal load

Procedia PDF Downloads 257

Authors: Ranjitkumar Patil

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Age estimation has importance in forensic dentistry. Dental age estimation has emerged as an alternative to skeletal age determination. The methods based on stages of tooth formation, as appreciated on radiographs, seem to be more appropriate in the assessment of age than those based on skeletal development. The study was done to evaluate dental age in the north Indian population using Cameriere’s method. Aims/Objectives: The study was conducted to assess the dental age of North Indian children using Cameriere’s method and to compare the chronological age and dental age for validation of the Cameriere’s method in the north Indian population. A comparative study of 02-year duration on the OPG (using PLANMECA Promax 3D) data of 497 individuals with ages ranging from 5 to 15 years was done based on simple random technique ethical approval obtained from institutional ethical committee. The data was obtained based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and was analyzed by software for dental age estimation. Statistical analysis: The student’s t-test was used to compare the morphological variables of males with those of females and to compare observed age with estimated age. The regression formula was also calculated. Results: Present study was a comparative study of 497 subjects with a distribution between males and females, with their dental age assessed by using a Panoramic radiograph, following the method described by Cameriere, which is widely accepted. Statistical analysis in our study indicated that gender does not have a significant influence on age estimation. (R2= 0.787). Conclusion: This infers that Cameriere’s method can be effectively applied to the north Indian population.

Keywords: forensic, dental age, skeletal age, chronological age, Cameriere’s method

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Authors: Long Xumeng

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Place attachment focuses on the emotions and practices between people and their environment, and the influencing factors of place attachment vary depending on the nature of the place. As an important carrier of public slow-moving activities and urban culture, the feelings, cognition, and behaviors of the subjects involved in the use of mountain city trails have become the focus of research in this field. This paper will take Daijiaxiang Cliff Walkway in Yuzhong District, Chongqing City, as an example and analyze the evaluation results and correlation of each factor through questionnaire survey and field observation, using the three scales of Recreational Experience Scale, Satisfaction Scale, and Place Attachment Scale, as well as the intensity of activity, by using SPSS software. The study shows that there is a significant difference between the demographic variables of users' identity and age and the formation of place attachment; the degree of place attachment is significantly positively correlated with the emotion, industry, and service quality of recreational experience; and the recreational experience of the Mountain City Trail is significantly positively correlated with the overall satisfaction. By analyzing the influencing factors of recreational experience, satisfaction and place attachment, the corresponding conclusions and enhancement strategies were drawn to provide references for the renewal and construction of mountain city trails.

Keywords: mountain city trail, place attachment, recreational experience, satisfaction, urban renewal

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Authors: Andrew Anis Fakhrey Mosaad

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Objectives: Physiotherapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) improves patient outcomes. We aimed to determine the characteristics of physiotherapy practice and critical barriers to applying physiotherapy in ICUs. Materials and Methods: A 54-item survey for determining the characteristics physiotherapists and physiotherapy applications in the ICU was developed. The survey was electronically sent to potential participants through the Turkish Physiotherapy Association network. Sixty-five physiotherapists (47F and 18M; 23–52 years; ICU experience: 6.0±6.2 years) completed the survey. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: The duration of ICU practice was 3.51±2.10 h/day. Positioning (90.8%), active exercises (90.8%), breathing exercises (89.2%), passive exercises (87.7%), and percussion (87.7%) were the most commonly used applications. The barriers were related to physiotherapists (low level of employment and practice, lack of shift); patients (unwillingness, instability, participation restriction); teamwork (lack of awareness and communication); equipment (inadequacy, non-priority to purchase); and legal (reimbursement, lack of direct physiotherapy access, non-recognition of autonomy) procedures. Conclusion: The most common interventions were positioning, active, passive, breathing exercises, and percussion. Critical barriers toward physiotherapy are multifactorial and related to physiotherapists, patients, teams, equipment, and legal procedures. Physiotherapist employment, service maintenance, and multidisciplinary teamwork should be considered for physiotherapy effectiveness in ICUs.

Keywords: intensive care units, physical therapy, physiotherapy, exercises

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Authors: Katarina Lazarević, Mirjana Todosijević, Tijana Vulević, Natalija Momirović, Ranka Erić

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Due to increasing demand, climate change, and world population growth, natural resources are getting exploit fast. One of the most important natural resources is soil, which is susceptible to degradation. Erosion as one of the forms of land degradation is also one of the most global environmental problems. Ecosystem services are often defined as benefits that nature provides to humankind. Soil, as the foundation of basic ecosystem functions, provides benefits to people, erosion control, water infiltration, food, fuel, fibers… This research is using the ecosystem approach as a strategy for natural resources management for promoting sustainability and conservation. The research was done on the Topčiderska River basin (Belgrade, Serbia). The InVEST Sediment Delivery Ratio model was used, to quantify erosion intensity with a spatial distribution output map of overland sediment generation and delivery to the stream. InVEST SDR, a spatially explicit model, is using a method based on the concept of hydrological connectivity and (R) USLE model. This, combined with socio-economic and law and policy analysis, gives a full set of information to decision-makers helping them to successfully manage and deliver sustainable ecosystems.

Keywords: ecosystem services, InVEST model, soil erosion, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: A. M. Iordache, S. M. Iordache, V. Barna, M. Elisa, I. C. Vasiliu, C. R. Stefan, I. Chilibon, I. Stamatin, S. Caramizoiu, C. E. A. Grigorescu

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The general objective of the presentation is the development of an e-tongue like sensor based on modified screen printed electrode (SPE) structures with a receptor part made of porphyrins/metalloporphyrins chemically bound to graphene (the sensitive assembly) to act as antennas and “capture” the histamine molecules. Using a single, ultra-sensitive electrochemical sensor, we measured the concentration of histamine, a compound which is strongly connected to the level of freshness in foods (the caution level of histamine is 50 ppm, whereas the maximum accepted levels range from 200 ppm to 500 ppm). Our approach for the chemical immobilization of the porphyrins onto the surface of the graphenes was via substitution reaction: a solution of graphene in SOCl2 was heated to 800C for 6 hours. Upon cooling, the metallo-porphyrins were added and ultrasonicated for 4 hours. The solution was then allowed to cool to room temperature and then centrifuged in order to separate the deposit. The sensitive assembly was drop casted onto the carbon SPE and cyclic voltammetry was performed in the presence of histamine. The reaction is quasi-reversible and the sensor showed an oxidation potential for histamine at 600 mV. The results indicate a linear dependence of concentration of histamine as function of intensity. The results are reproducible; however the chemical stability of the sensitive assembly is low.

Keywords: histamine, cyclic voltammetry, metallo-porphyrin, food freshness

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Authors: Aamna Tufail, Catherine Anyanwu

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Introduction/Aims: Neurosensory deficits following third molar removal affect the quality of life markedly. The purpose of this audit was to evaluate the incidence of IDN and LN damage and to compare departmental rates to an established standard. A secondary objective was to provide a descriptive summary of identified cases for clinical learning. Materials and Methods: A retrospective audit was conducted by a telephone survey of 101 patients who had third molar extractions performed under LA, IVS, or GA from January 2019 to June 2020 at a District General Hospital. The results were compared to a clinical standard identified as Cheng et al1. Data collection included mode of surgery, mode of anaesthesia, grade of clinician, assessment of difficulty, severity, and duration of symptoms. Results/Statistics: A total of 101 patients had 136 third molars extracted. Age range was 18-84 years. 44% extractions were under LA, 52% under GA, and 4% under IV sedation. 30% were simple extractions, 68% were surgical removals, 2% were unspecified. 89% extractions were performed by an Associate Specialist, 5% by a consultant, and 6% by unspecified grade of clinician. The rate of IDN injuries was 2.9% (n=4), higher than standard (0.3%). The rate of LN injuries was 0.7% (n=1), same as standard (0.7%). The 5 cases of neurosensory deficits are discussed in detail. Conclusions/Clinical Relevance: The rate of ID nerve injuries was higher than the standard. The rate of LN complications was lower than the standard.

Keywords: inferior dental nerve, lingual nerve, nerve injuries, third molars

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Authors: Abdul Khaliq Amiri, Shigeyuki Date

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This study investigates the effect of using carbon-free fly ash (CfFA) and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) on the compressive strength of mortar. The CfFA used in this investigation is high-quality fly ash and the carbon content is 1.0% or less. In this study, three types of blends with a 30% water-binder ratio (w/b) were prepared: control, binary and ternary blends. The Control blend contained only Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), in binary and ternary blends OPC was partially replaced with CfFA and GGBFS at different substitution rates. Mortar specimens were cured for 1 day, 7 days and 28 days under two curing conditions: steam curing and water curing. The steam cured specimens were exposed to two different pre-curing times (1.5 h and 2.5 h) and one steam curing duration (6 h) at 45 °C. The test results showed that water cured specimens revealed higher compressive strength than steam cured specimens at later ages. An increase in CfFA and GGBFS contents caused a decrease in the compressive strength of mortar. Ternary mixes exhibited better compressive strength than binary mixes containing CfFA with the same replacement ratio of mineral admixtures.

Keywords: carbon-free fly ash, compressive strength, ground granulated blast-furnace slag, steam curing, water curing

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Authors: Bin Liu, Weijie Liu, Bin Sun, Yihui Luo

Abstract:

In order to solve the problem of lower spatial resolution and block effect in the fusion method based on separable wavelet transform in the resulting fusion image, a new sampling mode based on multi-resolution analysis of two-channel non separable wavelet transform, whose dilation matrix is [1,1;1,-1], is presented and a multispectral image fusion method based on this kind of sampling mode is proposed. Filter banks related to this kind of wavelet are constructed, and multiresolution decomposition of the intensity of the MS and panchromatic image are performed in the sampled mode using the constructed filter bank. The low- and high-frequency coefficients are fused by different fusion rules. The experiment results show that this method has good visual effect. The fusion performance has been noted to outperform the IHS fusion method, as well as, the fusion methods based on DWT, IHS-DWT, IHS-Contourlet transform, and IHS-Curvelet transform in preserving both spectral quality and high spatial resolution information. Furthermore, when compared with the fusion method based on nonsubsampled two-channel non separable wavelet, the proposed method has been observed to have higher spatial resolution and good global spectral information.

Keywords: image fusion, two-channel sampled nonseparable wavelets, multispectral image, panchromatic image

Procedia PDF Downloads 436

Authors: Jaroslav Belás, Anna Chochoľáková, Lenka Gabčová

Abstract:

The aim of this article was to examine and quantify the dependence of additional purchases of banking products from customer loyalty and dependence of bank clients’ loyalty on the customers’ satisfaction. In this context, in our research from 2014, the respondents were divided into satisfied (loyal) and dissatisfied (disloyal) banking clients and their attitudes in the area of loyalty and additional purchases of banking products were compared. The differences in attitudes were examined by means of Pearson statistics. It was found out that satisfied customers compared with those dissatisfied clients significantly more advise their bank to their friends, also they often consider that they would use their bank in the future, they are more resistant to the offers from the other banks as well. Loyal customers are more interested in the services of their own banks when considering investments in the financial market, keep their savings in their own bank, take out a mortgage loan from their own bank and use other banking products and services offered by their own bank as well. According to the results of our research, with the different intensities the loyalty of customers is transforming into a potential purchase of additional banking products. The greatest potential interest of the bank customers was in keeping their own savings in the bank and mortgage loans. The intensity of interest in the purchase of financial investments and other products was relatively low.

Keywords: commercial bank, bank customers’ satisfaction, loyalty of bank clients, additional purchases of banking products and services

Procedia PDF Downloads 474

Authors: Alaa Y. Ali, Natalie P. Holmes, John Holdsworth, Warwick Belcher, Paul Dastoor, Xiaojing Zhou

Abstract:

Multi-layered graphene has been produced under low temperature chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth conditions by utilizing an organic solvent and polymer film source. Poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) was dissolved in chlorobenzene solvent and used as a drop-cast film carbon source on a quartz slide. A source temperature (T_source) of 180 °C provided sufficient carbon to grow graphene, as identified by Raman spectroscopy, on clean copper foil catalytic surfaces.  Systematic variation of hydrogen gas (H₂) flow rate from 25 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) to 100 sccm and CVD temperature (T_growth) from 400 to 800 °C, yielded graphene films of varying quality as characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The optimal graphene growth parameters were found to occur with a hydrogen flow rate of 75 sccm sweeping the 180 °C source carbon past the Cu foil at 600 °C for 1 min. The deposition at 600 °C with a H₂ flow rate of 75 sccm yielded a 2D band peak with ~53.4 cm^-1 FWHM and a relative intensity ratio of the G to 2D bands (I_G/I_2D) of 0.21. This recipe fabricated a few layers of good quality graphene.

Keywords: graphene, chemical vapor deposition, carbon source, low temperature growth

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Mohammad Saber Rohi, Saghar Heidari

Abstract:

In this paper, we studied the pricing problem of American options under a regime-switching model with the possibility of a non-optimal exercise policy (early or late exercise time) which is called an irrational strategy. For this, we consider a Markovmodulated model for the dynamic of the underlying asset as an alternative model to the classical Balck-Scholes-Merton model (BSM) and an intensity-based model for the irrational strategy, to provide more realistic results for American option prices under the irrational behavior in real financial markets. Applying a partial differential equation (PDE) approach, the pricing problem of American options under regime-switching models can be formulated as coupled PDEs. To solve the resulting systems of PDEs in this model, we apply a finite element method as the numerical solving procedure to the resulting variational inequality. Under some appropriate assumptions, we establish the stability of the method and compare its accuracy to some recent works to illustrate the suitability of the proposed model and the accuracy of the applied numerical method for the pricing problem of American options under the regime-switching model with irrational behaviors.

Keywords: irrational exercise strategy, rationality parameter, regime-switching model, American option, finite element method, variational inequality

Procedia PDF Downloads 69

Authors: Khamdan Cahyari, Pratikno Hidayat

Abstract:

Indonesia has produced more than 1.8 million ton pineapple fruit in 2013 of which turned into waste due to industrial processing, deterioration and low qualities. It was estimated that this waste accounted for more than 40 percent of harvested fruits. In addition, pineapple leaves were one of biomass waste from pineapple farming land, which contributed even higher percentages. Most of the waste was only dumped into landfill area without proper pretreatment causing severe environmental problem. This research was meant to valorize the pineapple waste for producing renewable energy source of biogas through mesophilic (30℃) anaerobic digestion process. Especially, it was aimed to investigate effect of substrate concentration of pineapple fruit waste i.e. peel, core as well as effect of microwave pretreatment of pineapple leaves waste. The concentration of substrate was set at value 12, 24 and 36 g VS/liter culture whereas 800-Watt microwave pretreatment conducted at 2 and 5 minutes. It was noticed that optimum biogas production obtained at concentration 24 g VS/l with biogas yield 0.649 liter/g VS (45%v CH4) whereas microwave pretreatment at 2 minutes duration performed better compare to 5 minutes due to shorter exposure of microwave heat. This results suggested that valorization of pineapple waste could be carried out through biogas production at the aforementioned process condition. Application of this method is able to both reduce the environmental problem of the waste and produce renewable energy source of biogas to fulfill local energy demand of pineapple farming areas.

Keywords: pineapple waste, substrate concentration, microwave pretreatment, biogas, anaerobic digestion

Procedia PDF Downloads 572

Authors: Mary Ann U. Baradi, Arnold R. Elepaño, Manuel Jose C. Regalado

Abstract:

Aromatic rice has become popular and continues to command higher price than ordinary rice because of its distinctive scent that makes it special. Freshly harvested aromatic rice exhibits strong aromatic scent but decreases with time and conditions during storage. Of the many volatile compounds in aromatic rice, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) is a major compound that gives rice its popcorn-like aroma. The diffusion mechanism of 2AP in rice was investigated. Semi-empirical models explaining 2AP diffusion as affected by temperature and duration were developed. Storage time and temperature affected 2AP loss via diffusion. The amount of 2AP in rice decreased with time. Free 2AP, being volatile, is lost due to diffusion. Storage experiment indicated rapid 2AP loss during the first five weeks and subsequently leveled off afterwards; attaining level of starch bound 2AP. Decline of 2AP during storage followed exponential equation and exhibited four stages; i.e. the initial, second, third and final stage. Free 2AP is easily lost while bound 2AP is left, only to be released upon exposure to high temperature such as cooking. Both free and bound 2AP is found in endosperm while free 2AP is in the bran. Around 63–67% of total 2AP was lost in brown and milled rice of MS 6 paddy kept at ambient. Samples stored at higher temperature (27°C) recorded higher 2AP loss than those kept at lower temperature (15°C). The study should be able to guide processors in understanding and controlling parameters in storage to produce high quality rice.

Keywords: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, aromatic rice, diffusion mechanism, storage

Procedia PDF Downloads 332

Authors: R. V. Suresh Reddi, Vishnu S. Das, Mathew Leslie

Abstract:

The weather systems within the Arabian Sea is very dynamic in terms of monsoon and cyclone events. The storms generated in the Arabian Sea are more likely to progress in the north-west or west direction towards Oman. From the database of Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), the number of cyclones that hit the Oman coast or pass within close vicinity is noteworthy and therefore they must be considered when looking at coastal/port engineering design and development projects. This paper provides a case study of two cyclones, i.e., Nanauk (2014) and Ashobaa (2015) to assess the impact on storm surge off the Oman coast. These two cyclones have been selected since they are comparable in terms of maximum wind, cyclone duration, central pressure and month of occurrence. They are of similar strength but differ in track, allowing the impact of proximity to the coast to be considered. Of the two selected cyclones, Ashobaa is the 'extreme' case with close proximity while Nanauk remains further offshore and is considered as a more typical case. The available 'best-track' data from JTWC is obtained for the 2 selected cyclones, and the cyclone winds are generated using a 'Cyclone Wind Generation Tool' from MIKE (modelling software) from DHI (Danish Hydraulic Institute). Using MIKE 21 Hydrodynamic model powered by DHI the storm surge is estimated at selected offshore locations along the Oman coast.

Keywords: costal engineering, cyclone, storm surge, modelling

Procedia PDF Downloads 141