Search results for: monitoring blood bank center

Authors: Maesoomeh Khorshidi Mehr, Mohammad Sajadian, Shadi Alipour

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The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of eight weeks of continuous and periodic aerobic exercises on serum levels of CRP in overweight woman. 36 woman aged between 20 and 35 years from the city of Ahwaz were randomly selected as the sample of the study. This sample was further divided into three groups (n= 12) of continuous aerobic exercise, periodic aerobic exercise, and control. Subjects of the groups of continuous and periodic aerobic exercise participated in 8 weeks of specialized exercises while the control group subjects did not take part in any regular physical activity program. Blood samples were collected from subjects in 24 hours prior to and 48 hours past to the intervention period. Afterwards, the serum level of CRP was measured for each blood sample. Results showed that BMI and serum level of CRP both significantly reduced as a result of aerobic exercises. However, no statistically significant difference was recorded between the extent of effects of the former and latter aerobic exercise types. Eight weeks of aerobic exercise will probably result in reduced inflammation and cardiovascular diseases risk in overweight women. The reason for lack of difference between effects of continuous and periodic aerobic exercise may lie in the similarity of average intensity and length of physical administered activities.

Keywords: heart diseases, aerobic exercise, inflammation, CRP, overweight

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Authors: Cris Bravo

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Social entrepreneurship is a new and exciting topic that holds a great promise in helping alleviate the social problems of the world. As a new subject, the meaning of the term is too broad and this is counterproductive in trying to build understanding around the concept. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the elements of social entrepreneurship as defined by seven international organizations leading social entrepreneurship projects: Ashoka Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation and Yunus Center; as well as from three other institutions fostering social entrepreneurship: Global Social Benefit Institute, BRAC University, and Socialab. The study used document analysis from Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation, Yunus Center and Ashoka Foundation; and open ended interview to experts from the Global Social Benefit Institute at Santa Clara University in United States, BRAC University from Bangladesh, and Socialab from Argentina. The study identified three clearly differentiated schools of thought, based on their views on revenue, scalability, replicability and geographic location. While this study is by no means exhaustive, it provides an indication of the patterns of ideas fostered by important players in the field. By clearly identifying the similarities and differences in the concept of social entrepreneurship, research and practitioners are better equipped to build on the subject, and to promote more adequate and accurate social policies to foster the development of social entrepreneurship.

Keywords: replicability, revenue, scalability, schools of thought, social entrepreneurship

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Authors: Zintle Sikhunyana

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Management of public finance in many countries such as South Africa is affected by political decisions and by policies around fiscal decentralization amongst the government spheres. Economic success is said to be determined by efficient management of public finance and by the policies or strategies that are implemented to support efficient public finance management. Policymakers focus on pay attention to how economic policies have been implemented and how they are directed into ensuring stable development. This will allow policymakers to address economic challenges through the usage of fiscal policy parameters that are linked to the achieved rate of economic growth and development. Efficient public finance management reduces the likelihood of corruption and corruption is said to have negative effects on economic growth and development. Corruption in public finance refers to an act of using funds for personal benefits. To achieve macroeconomic objectives, governments make use of government expenditure and government expenditure is financed through tax revenue. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the potential impact of public finance management on economic growth and development in South Africa. The secondary data obtained from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and World Bank for 1980- 2020 has been utilized to achieve the research objectives. To test the impact of public finance management on economic growth and development, the study will use Seeming Unrelated Regression Equation (SURE) Modelling that allows researchers to model multiple equations with interdependent variables. The advantages of using SUR are that it efficiently allows estimation of relationships between variables by combining information on different equations and SUR test restrictions that involve parameters in different equations. The findings have shown that there is a positive relationship between efficient public finance management and economic growth/development. The findings also show that efficient public finance management has an indirect positive impact on economic growth and development. Corruption has a negative impact on economic growth and development. It results in an efficient allocation of government resources and thereby improves economic growth and development. The study recommends that governments who aim to stimulate economic growth and development should target and strengthen public finance management policies or strategies.

Keywords: corruption, economic growth, economic development, public finance management, fiscal decentralization

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Authors: Sanjay Adhikesaven

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Workplace accidents are a critical problem that causes many deaths, injuries, and financial losses. Climate change has a severe impact on industrial workers, partially caused by global warming. To reduce such casualties, it is important to proactively find unsafe environments where injuries could occur by detecting the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and identifying unsafe activities. Thus, we propose an industrial workplace alerting and monitoring platform to detect PPE use and classify unsafe activity in group settings involving multiple humans and objects over a long period of time. Our proposed method is the first to analyze prolonged actions involving multiple people or objects. It benefits from combining pose estimation with PPE detection in one platform. Additionally, we propose the first open-source annotated data set with video data from industrial workplaces annotated with the action classifications and detected PPE. The proposed system can be implemented within the surveillance cameras already present in industrial settings, making it a practical and effective solution.

Keywords: computer vision, deep learning, workplace safety, automation

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Authors: Vignesh Ratnaraj, Daniel Marascia, Kelly Ruecker

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Purpose: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. Data suggests PE is occurring earlier in trauma patients, with attention being turned to possible de novo events. Here, we examine the incidence of early PE at a level 1 trauma center and examine the relationship with a chest injury. Method: A retrospective analysis was performed from a prospective trauma registry at a level 1 trauma center. All patients admitted from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2019 diagnosed with PE following trauma were included. Early PE was considered a diagnosis within 72 hours of admission. The severity of the chest injury was determined by the Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS). Analysis of severe chest injury and incidence of early PE was performed using chi-square analysis. Sub-analysis on the timing of PE and PE location was also performed using chi-square analysis. Results: Chest injury was present in 125 of 184 patients diagnosed with PE. Early PE occurred in 28% (n=35) of patients with a chest injury, including 24.39% (n=10) with a severe chest injury. Neither chest injury nor severe chest injury determined the presence of early PE (p= > 0.05). Sub-analysis showed a trend toward central clots in early PE (37.14%, n=13) compared to late (27.78%, n=25); however, this was not found to be significant (p= > 0.05). Conclusion: PE occurs early in trauma patients, with almost one-third being diagnosed before 72 hours. This analysis does not support the paradigm that chest injury, nor severe chest injury, results in statistically significant higher rates of early PE. Interestingly, a trend toward early central PE was noted in those suffering chest trauma.

Keywords: trauma, PE, chest injury, anticoagulation

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Authors: Zahzouh Zoubir

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The widespread adoption of photovoltaic panel systems for global electricity generation is a prominent trend. Algeria, demonstrating steadfast commitment to strategic development and innovative projects for harnessing solar energy, emerges as a pioneering force in the field. Heat and radiation, being fundamental factors in any solar system, are currently subject to comprehensive studies aiming to discern their genuine impact on crucial elements within photovoltaic systems. This endeavor is particularly pertinent given that solar module performance is exclusively assessed under meticulously defined Standard Test Conditions (STC). Nevertheless, when deployed outdoors, solar modules exhibit efficiencies distinct from those observed under STC due to the influence of diverse environmental factors. This discrepancy introduces ambiguity in performance determination, especially when surpassing test conditions. This article centers on the performance monitoring of an Algerian photovoltaic project, specifically the Oued El Keberite power (OKP) plant boasting a 15 megawatt capacity, situated in the town of Souk Ahras in eastern Algeria. The study elucidates the behavior of a subfield within this facility throughout the year, encompassing various conditions beyond the STC framework. To ensure the optimal efficiency of solar panels, this study integrates crucial factors, drawing on an authentic technical sheet from the measurement station of the OKP photovoltaic plant. Numerical modeling and simulation of a sub-field of the photovoltaic station were conducted using MATLAB Simulink. The findings underscore how radiation intensity and temperature, whether low or high, impact the short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage; fill factor, and overall efficiency of the photovoltaic system.

Keywords: performance monitoring, photovoltaic system, numerical modeling, radiation intensity

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Authors: Ezaldin A. M. Mohammed, Youssef K. H. Abdalhafid, Masoud. M. Zatout

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The study aims to clarify the toxic effect of plant hormones, which are widely used in agriculture. One of these is the plant hormones (indole acetic acid); has been ٳata hormone to rats at 100 ppm salt solution of 0.2 per day after day for a period of forty days before conception until the fourteenth day or sixteenth or childbirth. Treatment brought about a marked shortage in the rate of increase in the weight of mice., And a percentage of the weight of the liver there was a distinct increase in the relative weight of the liver. As well as the increase in pathological changes and increase the size of the nuclei and Kupffer cell, as noted widespread and dense clusters of inflammatory cells accompanied by about the erosion of liver tissue and blood ٳrchah. Biochemical analyzes showed a marked decrease of the liver in antioxidant enzymes and an increase in the rate of free radicals. It was also noted an increase in cases of abortion. The owner of so many birth defects. It was also noted the lack of body weight in fetuses and increase the absorption rate of embryos in fetuses of mothers treatment compared to the control group. Showed microscopic examinations of the liver of mice born in the transaction and the decay in the presence of hepatic cells and edema, blood vessels and increase the rate of cell death.

Keywords: indol acetic acid, liver, pathological changes, albino rats

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Authors: Neeraj Malhotra

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Background: Bioreactors in tissue engineering are used as devices that apply mechanical means to influence biological processes. They are commonly employed for stem cell culturing, growth and expansion as well as in 3D tissue culture. Contemporarily there use is well established and is tested extensively in the medical sciences, for tissue-regeneration and tissue engineering of organs like bone, cartilage, blood vessels, skin grafts, cardiac muscle etc. Methodology: Literature search, both electronic and hand search, was done using the following MeSH and keywords: bioreactors, bioreactors and dentistry, bioreactors & dental tissue engineering, bioreactors and regenerative dentistry. Articles published only in English language were included for review. Results: Bioreactors like, spinner flask-, rotating wall-, flow perfusion-, and micro-bioreactors and in-vivo bioreactor have been employed and tested for the regeneration of dental and like-tissues. These include gingival tissue, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, mucosa, cementum and blood vessels. Based on their working dynamics they can be customized in future for regeneration of pulp tissue and whole tooth regeneration. Apart from this, they have been successfully used in testing the clinical efficacy and biological safety of dental biomaterials. Conclusion: Bioreactors have potential use in testing dental biomaterials and tissue engineering approaches aimed at regenerative dentistry.

Keywords: bioreactors, biological process, mechanical stimulation, regenerative dentistry, stem cells

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Authors: Azzi Mohammed Amin

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Summary: This note aims to demonstrate the impact that comes out of electronic commerce to improve the quality of banking services and to answer the questions raised in the problem; it also aims to find out the methods applied in the banks to improve the quality of banking. And it identified a conceptual framework for electronic commerce and electronic banking. In addition, the inclusion of case study includes the Algerian Popular Credit Bank to measure the impact of electronic commerce on the quality of banking services. Has been focusing on electronic banking services as a field of modern knowledge, including fields characterized by high module in content and content, where banking management concluded that the service and style of electronic submission is the only area to compete and improve their quality. After studying the exploration of some of the banks operating in Algeria, and concluded that the majority relies sites, especially on the Internet, to introduce themselves and their affiliates as well as the definition of customer coverage for traditional and electronic, which are still at the beginning of the road where only some plastic cards, e-Banking, Bank of cellular, ATM and fast transfers. The establishment of an electronic network that requires the use of an effective banking system overall settlement of all economic sectors also requires the Algerian banks to be ready to receive this technology through the modernization of management and modernization of services (expand the use of credit cards, electronic money, and expansion of the Internet). As well as the development of the banking media to contribute to the dissemination of electronic banking culture in the community. Has been reached that the use of the communications revolution has made e-banking services inevitable impose itself in determining the future of banks and development, has also been reached that there is the impact of electronic commerce on the improvement of banking services through the provision of the information base and extensive refresher on-site research and development, and apply strategies Marketing, all of which help banks to increase the performance of its services, despite the presence of some of the risks of the means of providing electronic service and not the nature of the service itself and clear impact also by changing the shape or location of service from traditional to electronic which works to reduce and the costs of providing high-quality service and thus access to the largest segment.

Keywords: e-commerce, e-banking, impact e-commerce, B2C

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Authors: Wenhao Li, Shijun Guo

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Carbon fibre reinforced composites are progressively replacing metal structures in modern civil aircraft. This is because composite materials have large potential of weight saving compared with metal. However, the achievement to date of weight saving in composite structure is far less than the theoretical potential due to many uncertainties in structural integrity and safety concern. Unlike the conventional metallic structure, composite components are bonded together along the joints where structural integrity is a major concern. To ensure the safety, metal fasteners are used to reinforce the composite bonded joints. One of the solutions for a significant weight saving of composite structure is to develop an effective technology of on-board Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) System. By monitoring the real-life stress status of composite structures during service, the safety margin set in the structure design can be reduced with confidence. It provides a means of safeguard to minimize the need for programmed inspections and allow for maintenance to be need-driven, rather than usage-driven. The aim of this paper is to develop smart composite joint. The key technology is a multifunctional thermoplastic composite fastener (MTCF). The MTCF will replace some of the existing metallic fasteners in the most concerned locations distributed over the aircraft composite structures to reinforce the joints and form an on-board SHM network system. Each of the MTCFs will work as a unit of the AU and AE technology. The proposed MTCF technology has been patented and developed by Prof. Guo in Cranfield University, UK in the past a few years. The manufactured MTCF has been successfully employed in the composite SLJ (Single-Lap Joint). In terms of the structure integrity, the hybrid SLJ reinforced by MTCF achieves 19.1% improvement in the ultimate failure strength in comparison to the bonded SLJ. By increasing the diameter or rearranging the lay-up sequence of MTCF, the hybrid SLJ reinforced by MTCF is able to achieve the equivalent ultimate strength as that reinforced by titanium fastener. The predicted ultimate strength in simulation is in good agreement with the test results. In terms of the structural health monitoring, a signal from the MTCF was measured well before the load of mechanical failure. This signal provides a warning of initial crack in the joint which could not be detected by the strain gauge until the final failure.

Keywords: composite single-lap joint, crack propagation, multifunctional composite fastener, structural health monitoring

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Authors: Asmir Gogic, Aljo Mujcic, Sandra Ibric, Nermin Suljanovic

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Ubiquity of natural disasters during last few decades have risen serious questions towards the prediction of such events and human safety. Every disaster regardless its proportion has a precursor which is manifested as a disruption of some environmental parameter such as temperature, humidity, pressure, vibrations and etc. In order to anticipate and monitor those changes, in this paper we propose an overall system for disaster prediction and monitoring, based on wireless sensor network (WSN). Furthermore, we introduce a modified and simplified WSN routing protocol built on the top of the trickle routing algorithm. Routing algorithm was deployed using the bluetooth low energy protocol in order to achieve low power consumption. Performance of the WSN network was analyzed using a real life system implementation. Estimates of the WSN parameters such as battery life time, network size and packet delay are determined. Based on the performance of the WSN network, proposed system can be utilized for disaster monitoring and prediction due to its low power profile and mesh routing feature.

Keywords: bluetooth low energy, disaster prediction, mesh routing protocols, wireless sensor networks

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Authors: Koichi Kurita

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In this study, an effective non-contact technique for the detection of human physical activity is proposed. The technique is based on detecting the electrostatic induction current generated by the walking motion under non-contact and non-attached conditions. A theoretical model for the electrostatic induction current generated because of a change in the electric potential of the human body is proposed. By comparing the obtained electrostatic induction current with the theoretical model, it becomes obvious that this model effectively explains the behavior of the waveform of the electrostatic induction current. The normal walking motions are recorded using a portable sensor measurement located in a passageway　of office building. The obtained results show that detailed information regarding physical activity such as a walking cycle can be estimated using our proposed technique. This suggests that the proposed technique which is based on the detection of the walking signal, can be successfully applied to the detection of human walking motion in a secured building.

Keywords: human walking motion, access control, electrostatic induction, alarm monitoring

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Authors: Zakieh Rostamzadeh , Nariman Sepehrvand-Zahra Shirmohamadi

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Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the most common infectious problems following kidney transplantation. In this study, we are aimed to investigate the CMV infection in the setting of renal transplant recipients in Urmia-Iran, using both ELISA and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Methods: Ninety-six renal transplant recipients were selected randomly and enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Blood sampling was done via venipuncture, and all sera were investigated for anti-CMV IgM, and the seropositive cases in association with 14 randomly selected seronegative cases were investigated with PCR assay. Results: Thirty-three patients (34.3%) were seropositive for anti-CMV IgM, 3 patients (3.1%) were in borderline range, and 60 patients (62.5%) were seronegative. By considering the patients with borderline anti-CMV IgM levels as seropositive, 37.5% were seropositive for anti-CMV IgM. Among 36 seropositive cases, the CMV infection was confirmed in 19 (52.7%) of them using PCR. Age (P = 0.40), educational status (P = 0.77), history of pre-transplantation dialysis (0.52), history of blood transfusion (P = 0.52), and immunosuppressive regimen were not statistically different among recipients with positive versus negative CMV PCR study results. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of CMV infection was demonstrated to be high in renal transplant recipients of Urmia-Iran. The rate was higher compared to several previous reports in the literature. ELISA method has an appropriate sensitivity to screen the recipients for CMV infection but considering its relatively low specificity, the seropositive cases are better to be confirmed by further PCR study.

Keywords: cytomegalovirus, renal transplantation, ELISA, IgM, PCR

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Authors: Ishfaq A. Bukhari, Bassem Yousef Sheikh, Abdulrahman Almotrefi, Osama Yousaf, Amer Mahmood

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Olive oil is the primary source of fat in the Mediterranean diet which is associated with a low mortality for cardiovascular disease. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, and has been reported for variety of beneficial cardiovascular effects including blood pressure lowering, anti-platelet, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. Growing number evidences from preclinical and clinical studies have shown that olive oil improves insulin resistance, decrease vessels stiffness and prevent thromboembolism. We evaluated the effects of olive against streptozotocin-induced physiological disorders in the animal models of diabetes and ischemia and reperfusion (I/R)- induced cardiac arrhythmias. Diabetes was induced in male rats with a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg), rats were treated for two months with olive oil (1 ml/kg p.o). Control animals received saline. Blood glucose, body weight were monitored every 14 days. At the end of the treatment rats were sacrificed hearts were isolated for mounting on langedorff’s apparatus. The blood glucose and body weight was not significantly different in the control and olive treated animals. The control diabetic animals exhibited 100% incidence of I/R –induced ventricular fibrillation which was reduced to 0% with olive oil, treatment. The duration of ventricular fibrillation reduced from 98.8± 2.3 (control) to 0 seconds in the olive oil treated group. Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker (1 µm/L) showed similar results and protected the I/R-induced cardiac disorders. The biochemical analysis of the cardiac tissues showed that diabetes and I/R produce marked pathological changes in the cardiomyocytes including decreased glutathione (GSH) and increased oxidative stress (Malondialdehyde; MDA). Pretreatment of animals with olive oil (1 ml/kg p.o) increased GSH and MDA levels. Olive oil also improved the diabetic-induced histopathological changes in the cardiomyocytes. These finding indicates that olive possesses cardiac protective properties. Further studies are under way in our lab to explore the mechanism of the cardio-protective effect of olive oil.

Keywords: diabeties, ischemia-reperfusion, olive oil, rats heart

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Authors: Sofia G. Meirinho, Luis G. Dias, António M. Peres, Lígia R. Rodrigues

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The emerging development of electrochemical aptasen sors has enabled the easy and fast detection of protein biomarkers in standard and real samples. Biomarkers are produced by body organs or tumours and provide a measure of antigens on cell surfaces. When detected in high amounts in blood, they can be suggestive of tumour activity. These biomarkers are more often used to evaluate treatment effects or to assess the potential for metastatic disease in patients with established disease. Osteopontin (OPN) is a protein found in all body fluids and constitutes a possible biomarker because its overexpression has been related with breast cancer evolution and metastasis. Currently, biomarkers are commonly used for the development of diagnostic methods, allowing the detection of the disease in its initial stages. A previously described RNA aptamer was used in the current work to develop a simple and sensitive electrochemical aptasensor with high affinity for human OPN. The RNA aptamer was biotinylated and immobilized on a gold electrode by avidin-biotin interaction. The electrochemical signal generated from the aptamer–target molecule interaction was monitored electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry in the presence of [Fe (CN) 6]−3/− as a redox probe. The signal observed showed a current decrease due to the binding of OPN. The preliminary results showed that this aptasensor enables the detection of OPN in standard solutions, showing good selectivity towards the target in the presence of others interfering proteins such as bovine OPN and bovine serum albumin. The results gathered in the current work suggest that the proposed electrochemical aptasensor is a simple and sensitive detection tool for human OPN and so, may have future applications in cancer disease monitoring.

Keywords: osteopontin, aptamer, aptasensor, screen-printed electrode, cyclic voltammetry

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Authors: Li Shihao, Dieter Trau

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Bilirubin is a yellow substance that is made when the body breaks down old red blood cells. High levels of bilirubin can cause jaundice, a condition that makes the newborn's skin and the white part of the eyes look yellow. Jaundice is a serial-killer in developing countries in Southeast Asia such as Myanmar and most parts of Africa where jaundice screening is largely unavailable. Worldwide, 60% of newborns experience infant jaundice. One in ten will require therapy to prevent serious complications and lifelong neurologic sequelae. Limitations of current solutions: - Blood test: Blood tests are painful may largely unavailable in poor areas of developing countries, and also can be costly and unsafe due to the insufficient investment and lack of access to health care systems. - Transcutaneous jaundice-meter: 1) can only provide reliable results to caucasian newborns, due to skin pigmentations since current technologies measure bilirubin by the color of the skin. Basically, the darker the skin is, the harder to measure, 2) current jaundice meters are not affordable for most underdeveloped areas in Africa like Kenya and Togo, 3) fat tissue under the skin also influences the accuracy, which will give overestimated results, 4) current jaundice meters are not reliable after treatment (phototherapy) because bilirubin levels underneath the skin will be reduced first, while overall levels may be quite high. Thus, there is an urgent need for a low-cost non-invasive device, which can be effective not only for caucasian babies but also Asian and African newborns, to save lives at the most vulnerable time and prevent any complications like brain damage. Instead of measuring bilirubin on skin, we proposed a new method to do the measurement on the sclera, which can avoid the difference of skin pigmentations and ethnicities, due to the necessity for the sclera to be white regardless of racial background. This is a novel approach for measuring bilirubin by an optical method of light reflection off the white part of the eye. Moreover, the device is connected to a smart device, which can provide a user-friendly interface and the ability to record the clinical data continuously A disposable eye cap will be provided avoiding contamination and fixing the distance to the eye.

Keywords: Jaundice, bilirubin, non-invasive, sclera

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Authors: Javier A. Dominguez Caballero, Graeme A. Manson, Matthew B. Marshall

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Cutting tools with ceramic inserts are often used in the process of machining many types of superalloy, mainly due to their high strength and thermal resistance. Nevertheless, during the cutting process, the plastic flow wear generated in these inserts enhances and propagates cracks due to high temperature and high mechanical stress. This leads to a very variable failure of the cutting tool. This article explores the relationship between the continuous wear that ceramic SiAlON (solid solutions based on the Si3N4 structure) inserts experience during a high-speed machining process and the evolution of sparks created during the same process. These sparks were analysed through pictures of the cutting process recorded using an SLR camera. Features relating to the intensity and area of the cutting sparks were extracted from the individual pictures using image processing techniques. These features were then related to the ceramic insert’s crater wear area.

Keywords: ceramic cutting tools, high speed machining, image processing, tool condition monitoring, tool wear

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Authors: Tomola Obamuyi

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The banking system in Nigeria adopted innovative banking, with the aim of enhancing financial inclusion, and making financial services readily and cheaply available to majority of the people, and to contribute to the efficiency of the financial system. Some of the innovative services include: Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Point of Sale (PoS), internet (Web) banking, Mobile Money payment (MMO), Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), agent banking, among others. The introduction of these payment systems is expected to increase bank efficiency and customers' satisfaction, culminating in better performance for the commercial banks. However, opinions differ on the possible effects of the various innovative payment systems on the performance of commercial banks in the country. Thus, this study empirically determines how commercial banks use innovation to gain competitive advantage in the specific context of Nigeria's finance and business. The study also analyses the effects of financial innovation on the performance of commercial banks, when different periods of analysis are considered. The study employed secondary data from 2009 to 2018, the period that witnessed aggressive innovation in the financial sector of the country. The Vector Autoregression (VAR) estimation technique forecasts the relative variance of each random innovation to the variables in the VAR, examine the effect of standard deviation shock to one of the innovations on current and future values of the impulse response and determine the causal relationship between the variables (VAR granger causality test). The study also employed the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) to rank the innovations and the performance criteria of Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). The entropy method of MCDM was used to determine which of the performance criteria better reflect the contributions of the various innovations in the banking sector. On the other hand, the Range of Values (ROV) method was used to rank the contributions of the seven innovations to performance. The analysis was done based on medium term (five years) and long run (ten years) of innovations in the sector. The impulse response function derived from the VAR system indicated that the response of ROA to the values of cheques transaction, values of NEFT transactions, values of POS transactions was positive and significant in the periods of analysis. The paper also confirmed with entropy and range of value that, in the long run, both the CHEQUE and MMO performed best while NEFT was next in performance. The paper concluded that commercial banks would enhance their performance by continuously improving on the services provided through Cheques, National Electronic Fund Transfer and Point of Sale since these instruments have long run effects on their performance. This will increase the confidence of the populace and encourage more usage/patronage of these services. The banking sector will in turn experience better performance which will improve the economy of the country. Keywords: Bank performance, financial innovation, multi-criteria decision making, vector autoregression,

Keywords: Bank performance, financial innovation, multi-criteria decision making, vector autoregression

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Authors: Spoorthi Sripad

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Rapid advancements in LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, coupled with the synergy of remote sensing, have revolutionized Earth observation methodologies. This paper delves into the transformative impact of integrated LiDAR and remote sensing systems. Focusing on miniaturization, cost reduction, and improved resolution, the study explores the evolving landscape of terrestrial and aquatic environmental monitoring. The integration of multi-wavelength and dual-mode LiDAR systems, alongside collaborative efforts with other remote sensing technologies, presents a comprehensive approach. The paper highlights the pivotal role of LiDAR in environmental assessment, urban planning, and infrastructure development. As the amalgamation of LiDAR and remote sensing reshapes Earth observation, this research anticipates a paradigm shift in our understanding of dynamic planetary processes.

Keywords: LiDAR, remote sensing, earth observation, advancements, integration, environmental monitoring, multi-wavelength, dual-mode, technology, urban planning, infrastructure, resolution, miniaturization

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Authors: Kelechi Emmanuel, Kyaw Thein Aung, William Burch

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Introduction: Although rewarding in more ways than one, rural medicine can be challenging. The factors that lead to the challenges experienced in rural medicine include but are not limited to scarcity of resources, poor patient education inadequately trained professionals. This is the first single center study done on the challenges of and ways to improve diagnosis in rural medicine. Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were given to providers in a single hospital in rural Tennessee USA. In which providers were asked the question ‘In the past six months, what measures have you taken to improve your diagnostic accuracy given limited resources. Results: The questionnaire was passed to ten physicians working in a two hundred and twentyfive hospital bed. Physicians who participated included physicians in hospital medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, cardiology and gastroenterology. The study found that improved physical examination skills, access to specialist especially via telemedicine and affiliation to centers with more experienced professionals improved diagnosis and overall patient outcome in rural medicine. Conclusion: From this single center study, there is evidence to show that in addition to honing physical examination skills and having access to immediate results of testing done; hospital collaborations and access to highly trained specialist via telemedicine does improve diagnosis in rural medicine.

Keywords: rural medicine, diagnostic accuracy, diagnosis, telemedicine

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Authors: T. Bensana, S. Mekhilef

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The methodology of vibration based condition monitoring technology has been developing at a rapid stage in the recent years suiting to the maintenance of sophisticated and complicated machines. The ability of wavelet analysis to efficiently detect non-stationary, non-periodic, transient features of the vibration signal makes it a demanding tool for condition monitoring. This paper presents a methodology for fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings based on wavelet envelope power spectrum technique is analysed in both the time and frequency domains. In the time domain the auto-correlation of the wavelet de-noised signal is applied to evaluate the period of the fault pulses. However, in the frequency domain the wavelet envelope power spectrum has been used to identify the fault frequencies with the single sided complex Laplace wavelet as the mother wavelet function. Results show the superiority of the proposed method and its effectiveness in extracting fault features from the raw vibration signal.

Keywords: preventive maintenance, fault diagnostics, rolling element bearings, wavelet de-noising

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Authors: Hicham Maklache, Rajae Delhi, Fatiha Benzha, Mohamed Tahiri

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In Morocco, where semi-arid climate is dominant, the supply of industrial and drink water is provided primarily by surface water. Morocco has currently 118 multi-purpose dams. If the construction of these works was a necessity to ensure in all seasons, the water essential to our country, it is impartial to control and protect the quality of running water. -Most dam reservoir used are threatened by eutrophication due to increased terrigenous and anthropogenic pollutants, coming from an over-fertilization of water by phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients and accelerated by uncontrolled development of microalgae aging. It should also be noted that the daily practices of citizens with respect to the resource, an essential component involved in almost all human activities (agriculture, agro-industries, hydropower, ...), has contributed significantly to the deterioration of water quality despite its treatment in several plants. Therefore, the treated water, provides a legacy of bad tastes and odors unacceptable to the consumer. -The present work exhibits results of water quality watershed Oum Erbia used to supply drinking water to the whole terraced area connecting the city of Khenifra to the city of Azemmour. The area south west of Great Casablanca (metropolis of the kingdom with about 4 million inhabitants) supplied 50% of its water needs by sourcing Dam Sidi Said Maachou located, last anchor point of the watershed before the spill in the Atlantic Ocean. The results were performed in a spatio-temporal scale and helped to establish a history of monitoring water quality during the 2009-2011 cycles, the study also presents the development of quality according to the seasonal rhythmicity and rainfall. It gives also an overview on the concept of watershed stewardship.

Keywords: crude surface water quality, Oum Er Rbia hydraulic basin, spatio-temporal monitoring, Great Casablanca drink water quality, Morocco

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Authors: Christiena Van Der Bank, Marjone Van Der Bank, Ronelle Prinsloo

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The constitutional right to a healthy environment and the constitutional duty imposed on the state actively to protect the environment fulfill the specific duties to prevent pollution and ecological degradation and to promote conservation. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the relationship between child rights and the environment. The focus is to analyse government’s responses as mandated with section 24 of the Bill of Rights for ensuring the right to a clean and healthy environment. The principle of sustainability of the environment encompasses the notion of equity and the harm to the environment affects the present as well as future generations. Section 24 obliges the state to ensure that the legacy of future generations is protected, an obligation that has been said to be part of the common law. The environment is an elusive and wide concept that can mean different things to different people depending on the context in which it is used for example clean drinking water or safe food. An extensive interpretation of the term environment would include almost everything that may positively or negatively influence the quality of human life. The analysis will include assessing policy measures, legislation, budgetary measures and other measures taken by the government in order to progressively meet its constitutional obligation. The opportunity of the child to grow up in a healthy and safe environment is extremely unjustly distributed. Without a realignment of political, legal and economic conditions this situation will not fundamentally change. South Africa as a developing country that needs to meet the demand of social transformation and economic growth whilst at the same time expediting its ability to compete in global markets, the country will inevitably embark on developmental programmes as a measure for sustainable development. The courts would have to inquire into the reasonableness of those measures. Environmental threats to children’s rights must be identified, taking into account children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities, their dependence and marginalisation. Obligations of states and violations of rights must be made more visible to the general public.

Keywords: environment, children rights, pollution, healthy, violation

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Authors: Mojtaba Noghabaei, Khashayar Asadi, Kevin Han

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Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology has recently attracted the attention of construction companies for real-time performance monitoring. To effectively use SLAM for construction performance monitoring, SLAM results should be registered to a Building Information Models (BIM). Registring SLAM and BIM can provide essential insights for construction managers to identify construction deficiencies in real-time and ultimately reduce rework. Also, registering SLAM to BIM in real-time can boost the accuracy of SLAM since SLAM can use features from both images and 3d models. However, registering SLAM with the BIM in real-time is a challenge. In this study, a novel SLAM platform named Model-Based SLAM (MB-SLAM) is proposed, which not only provides automated registration of SLAM and BIM but also improves the localization accuracy of the SLAM system in real-time. This framework improves the accuracy of SLAM by aligning perspective features such as depth, vanishing points, and vanishing lines from the BIM to the SLAM system. This framework extracts depth features from a monocular camera’s image and improves the localization accuracy of the SLAM system through a real-time iterative process. Initially, SLAM can be used to calculate a rough camera pose for each keyframe. In the next step, each SLAM video sequence keyframe is registered to the BIM in real-time by aligning the keyframe’s perspective with the equivalent BIM view. The alignment method is based on perspective detection that estimates vanishing lines and points by detecting straight edges on images. This process will generate the associated BIM views from the keyframes' views. The calculated poses are later improved during a real-time gradient descent-based iteration method. Two case studies were presented to validate MB-SLAM. The validation process demonstrated promising results and accurately registered SLAM to BIM and significantly improved the SLAM’s localization accuracy. Besides, MB-SLAM achieved real-time performance in both indoor and outdoor environments. The proposed method can fully automate past studies and generate as-built models that are aligned with BIM. The main contribution of this study is a SLAM framework for both research and commercial usage, which aims to monitor construction progress and performance in a unified framework. Through this platform, users can improve the accuracy of the SLAM by providing a rough 3D model of the environment. MB-SLAM further boosts the application to practical usage of the SLAM.

Keywords: perspective alignment, progress monitoring, slam, stereo matching.

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Authors: Hadiza Abdullahi

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Sialic Acids and sialidases have been implicated in many disease states particularly bacterial and viral infections which are common opportunist infections of HIV disease. Their role in HIV/AIDS is contemplated. A study was carried out to determine Sialic Acid profile and Sialidase Activity in HIV infected and Apparently Healthy individuals, and also determine the relationship between the sialic acid levels and sialidase activity. Blood samples were collected from 200 subjects (150 HIV infected individuals and 50 apparently healthy individuals divided into four groups- HIV ART Naïve, HIV Stable (on ART but have been stable with no clinical episodes), HIV-OI (on ART with opportunistic infections), and Apparently Healthy). Complete Blood Count, Erythrocyte Surface Sialic Acid (ESSA), Free Serum Sialic Acid (FSSA) concentrations and Sialidase activity were determined for all 200 subjects. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the results of the different groups of HIV infected individuals as well as controls. The mean haemoglobin (HGB), Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and Red Blood Cells (RBC) concentrations were significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05) in the HIV groups compared with the apparently healthy groups. Anaemia and neutropaenia were the most common heamatological abnormalities observed in this study with highest prevalence of anaemia found in the ART naive group. The mean FSSA was 0.4±0.4mg/ml. There was a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between some groups. The highest levels of FSSA was observed in the HIV ART naïve (0.65±0.5mg/ml). The mean ESSA value for the study population was 0.54±0.35mg/ml with no significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between groups. The mean sialidase activity values were 0.52±0.1 µmol/min/µl, 0.40±0.1 µmol/min/µl, 0.45±0.1 µmol/min/µl and 0.41±0.1 µmol/min/µl for the HIV ART naïve, HIV stable, HIV/OIs and apparently healthy groups respectively. No significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) was found between groups and also in gender and age. The finding in this study of higher mean sialidase activity and FSSA levels in the ART naïve HIV group compared with other groups indicate that the virus and other opportunistic pathogens may be sialidase producers in vivo which cleave off sialic acids from erythrocytes surface, leading to high levels of FSSA, anaemia and neutropaenia seen in this group. The higher ESSA concentration found in the HIV stable group along with lowest FSSA concentration in the group suggests the presence of sialyltransferases.

Keywords: erythrocyte surface sialic acid, free serum sialic acid, HIV, sialidase

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Authors: Nelson Barrientos, Matthew J. Davies, Marco C. Marques, Darren N. Nesbeth, Gary J. Lye, Nicolas Szita

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Microbioreactor technology is making important advances towards its application in cell culture and bioprocess development. In particular, the technology promises flexible and controllable devices capable to perform parallelised experimentation at low cost. Currently, state of the art methods (e.g. optical sensors) allow the accurate monitoring of the microbioreactor operation. In addition, the laminar flow regime encountered in these devices allows more predictive fluid dynamics modelling, improving the control over the soluble, physical and mechanical environment of the cells. This work describes the development and characterisation of a novel microbioreactor cassette system (microbioreactor volume is 150 μL. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (KLa) and mixing time have been characterised to be between 25 to 113 h-1 and 0.5 and 0.1 s, respectively. In addition, the Residence time distribution (RTD) analysis confirms that the reactor operates at well mixed conditions. Finally, Staphylococcus carnosus TM300 growth is demonstrated via batch culture experiments. Future work consists in expanding the optics of the microbioreactor design to include the monitoring of variables such as fluorescent protein expression, among others.

Keywords: microbioreactor, cell-culture, fermentation, microfluidics

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Authors: Hosein Alimadadi, Fatemeh Farahmand, Ali Jafarian, Nasir Fakhar, Mohammad Hassan Sohouli, Neda Raeesi

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Backgroundsː Regarding the important role of liver transplantation as the only treatment in many cases of end-stage liver disease in children, the aim of this study is to investigate the complications of liver transplantation and their management in children referred to the Children's Medical Center. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study on pediatric patients who have undergone liver transplants in the years 2016 to 2021. The indication for liver transplantation in this population was confirmed by a pediatric gastroenterologist, and a liver transplant was performed by a transplant surgeon. Finally, information about the patient before and after the transplantation was collected and recorded. Results: A total of 53 patients participated in this study, including 25 (47.2%) boys and 28 (52.8%) girls. The most common causes of liver transplantation were cholestatic and metabolic diseases. The most common early complication of liver transplantation in children was acute cellular rejection (ACR) and anastomotic biliary stricture. The most common late complication in these patients was an infection which was observed in 56.6% of patients. Among the drug side effects, neurotoxicity (convulsions) was seen more in patients, and 15.1% of the transplanted patients died. Conclusion: In this study, the most common early complication of liver transplantation in children was ACR and biliary stricture, and the most common late complication was infection. Neurotoxicity (convulsions) was the most common side effect of drugs.

Keywords: liver transplantation, complication, infection, survival rate

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Authors: Takuya Sumi, Syoko Nukaya, Takashi Kaburagi, Hiroshi Tanaka, Kajiro Watanabe, Yosuke Kurihara

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We propose an unconstrained measurement system for scratching motion based on mathematical model of unconstrained bed sensing method which could measure the bed vibrations due to the motion of the person on the bed. In this paper, we construct mathematical model of the unconstrained bed monitoring system, and we apply the unconstrained bed sensing method to the system for detecting scratching motion. The proposed sensors are placed under the three bed feet. When the person is lying on the bed, the output signals from the sensors are proportional to the magnitude of the vibration due to the scratching motion. Hence, we could detect the subject’s scratching motion from the output signals from ceramic sensors. We evaluated two scratching motions using the proposed system in the validity experiment as follows: First experiment is the subject’s scratching the right side cheek with his right hand, and; second experiment is the subject’s scratching the shin with another foot. As the results of the experiment, we recognized the scratching signals that enable the determination when the scratching occurred. Furthermore, the difference among the amplitudes of the output signals enabled us to estimate where the subject scratched.

Keywords: unconstrained bed sensing method, scratching, body movement, itchy, piezoceramics

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Authors: Khashayar Nasrifar

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Ionic liquids (ILs) exhibit particular properties exemplified by extremely low vapor pressure and high thermal stability. The properties of ILs can be tailored by proper selection of cations and anions. As such, ILs are appealing as potential solvents to substitute traditional solvents with high vapor pressure. One of the IL properties required in chemical and process design is density. In developing corresponding state liquid density correlations, scaling hypothesis is often used. The hypothesis expresses the temperature dependence of saturated liquid densities near the vapor-liquid critical point as a function of reduced temperature. Extending the temperature dependence, several successful correlations were developed to accurately correlate the densities of normal liquids from the triple point to a critical point. Applying mixing rules, the liquid density correlations are extended to liquid mixtures as well. ILs are not molecular liquids, and they are not classified among normal liquids either. Also, ILs are often used where the condition is far from equilibrium. Nevertheless, in calculating the properties of ILs, the use of corresponding state correlations would be useful if no experimental data were available. With well-known generalized saturated liquid density correlations, the accuracy in predicting the density of ILs is not that good. An average error of 4-5% should be expected. In this work, a data bank was compiled. A simplified and concise corresponding state saturated liquid density correlation is proposed by phenomena-logically modifying reduced temperature using the temperature-dependence for an interacting parameter of the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state. This modification improves the temperature dependence of the developed correlation. Parametrization was next performed to optimize the three global parameters of the correlation. The correlation was then applied to the ILs in our data bank with satisfactory predictions. The correlation of IL density applied at 0.1 MPa and was tested with an average uncertainty of around 2%. No adjustable parameter was used. The critical temperature, critical volume, and acentric factor were all required. Methods to extend the predictions to higher pressures (200 MPa) were also devised. Compared to other methods, this correlation was found more accurate. This work also presents the chronological order of developing such correlations dealing with ILs. The pros and cons are also expressed.

Keywords: correlation, corresponding state principle, ionic liquid, density

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Authors: Mohammad Javad Behzadnia, Amir Bahador Boroumand

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Introduction: Limited facility situations require allocating the most available resources for most casualties. Accordingly, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the one that may need to transport the patient as soon as possible. In a mass casualty event, deciding when the facilities are restricted is hard. The Extended Glasgow Outcome Score (GOSE) has been introduced to assess the global outcome after brain injuries. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic factors associated with GOSE. Materials and Methods: In a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted on 144 patients with TBI admitted to trauma emergency centers. All the patients with isolated TBI who were mentally and physically healthy before the trauma entered the study. The patient’s information was evaluated, including demographic characteristics, duration of hospital stays, mechanical ventilation on admission laboratory measurements, and on-admission vital signs. We recorded the patients’ TBI-related symptoms and brain computed tomography (CT) scan findings. Results: GOSE assessments showed an increasing trend by the comparison of on-discharge (7.47 ± 1.30), within a month (7.51 ± 1.30), and within three months (7.58 ± 1.21) evaluations (P < 0.001). On discharge, GOSE was positively correlated with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (r = 0.729, P < 0.001) and motor GCS (r = 0.812, P < 0.001), and inversely with age (r = −0.261, P = 0.002), hospitalization period (r = −0.678, P < 0.001), pulse rate (r = −0.256, P = 0.002) and white blood cell (WBC). Among imaging signs and trauma-related symptoms in univariate analysis, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), interventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (P = 0.006), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (P = 0.06; marginally at P < 0.1), subdural hemorrhage (SDH) (P = 0.032), and epidural hemorrhage (EDH) (P = 0.037) were significantly associated with GOSE at discharge in multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Our study showed some predictive factors that could help to decide which casualty should transport earlier to a trauma center. According to the current study findings, GCS, pulse rate, WBC, and among imaging signs and trauma-related symptoms, ICH, IVH, SAH, SDH, and EDH are significant independent predictors of GOSE at discharge in TBI patients.

Keywords: field, Glasgow outcome score, prediction, traumatic brain injury.

Procedia PDF Downloads 61