Search results for: radiological physics center

Authors: Sepideh Jabbari Behnam, Shadabeh Gashtasbi Iraei, Elnaz Mohsenin, MohammadAli Aghajani

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Urban neighborhoods, as important urban forming cells, play a key role in creating urban texture and integrated form. Nowadays, most of neighborhood divisions are based on urban management systems but without considering social issues and the other aspects of urban life. This can cause problems such as providing inappropriate services for city dwellers, the loss of local identity and etc. In this regard for regenerating of such neighborhoods, it is essential to locate neighborhood centers with appropriate access and services for all residents. The main objective of this article is reaching to the location of neighborhood centers in a way that, most of issues relating to the physical features (such as the form of access network and texture permeability and etc.) and other qualities such as land uses, densities and social and economic features can be done simultaneously. This paper attempts to use methods of spatial analysis in order to surveying spatial structure and space syntax of urban textures and Urban Network Analysis Systems. This can be done by one of GIS toolbars which is named UNA (Urban Network Analysis) with the use of its five functions (include: Reach, Betweenness, Gravity, Closeness, Straightness).These functions were written according to space syntax theory and offer its relating output. This paper tries to locate and evaluate the optimal location of neighborhood centers in order to create local centers. This is done through weighing of each of these functions and taking into account of spatial features.

Keywords: evaluate optimal location, Local centers, location of neighborhood centers, Spatial analysis, Urban network

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Authors: S. Teksin, S. Yayla

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The aim of the present study was to investigate details of flow structure in downstream of a circular cylinder base mounted on a flat surface in a rectangular duct with the dimensions of 8000 x 1000 x 750 mm in deep water flow for the Reynolds number 2500, 5000 and 7500. A flexible strip was attached to behind the cylinder and compared the bare body. Also, it was analyzed that how boundary layer affects the structure of flow around the cylinder. Diameter of the cylinder was 60 mm and the length of the flexible splitter plate which had a certain modulus of elasticity was 150 mm (L/D=2.5). Time-averaged velocity vectors, vortex contours, streamwise and transverse velocity components were investigated via Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Velocity vectors and vortex contours were displayed through the sections in which boundary layer effect was not present. On the other hand, streamwise and transverse velocity components were monitored for both cases, i.e. with and without boundary layer effect. Experiment results showed that the vortex formation occured in a larger area for L/D=2.5 and the point where the vortex was maximum from the base of the cylinder was shifted. Streamwise and transverse velocity component contours were symmetrical with reference to the center of the cylinder for all cases. All Froud numbers based on the Reynolds numbers were quite smaller than 1. The flow characteristics of velocity component values of attached circular cylinder arrangement decreased approximately twenty five percent comparing to bare cylinder case.

Keywords: partical image velocimetry, elastic plate, cylinder, flow structure

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Authors: Deependra Prasad Sarraf, Gajendra Prasad Rauniar, Robin Maskey, Rajiv Maharjan, Ashish Shrestha, Ramayan Prasad Kushwaha

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Objectives: To assess the perception of faculties towards online teaching-learning activities conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify barriers and facilitators to conducting online teaching-learning activities in our context. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among faculties at B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences using a 26-item semi-structured questionnaire. A Google Form was prepared, and its link was sent to the faculties via email. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and findings were presented as tables and graphs. Results: Out of 158 faculties, the majority were male (66.46%), medical faculties (85.44%), and assistant professors (46.84%). Only 16 (10.13%) faculties had received formal training regarding preparing and/or delivering online teaching learning activities. Out of 158, 133 (84.18%) faculties faced technical and internet issues. The most common advantage and disadvantage of online teaching learning activities perceived by the faculties were ‘not limited to time or place’ (94.30%) and ‘lack of interaction with the students’ (82.28%), respectively. Majority (94.3%) of them had a positive perception towards online teaching-learning activities conducted during COVID-19 pandemic. Slow internet connection (91.77%) and frequent electricity interruption (82.91%) were the most common perceived barriers to online teaching-learning. Conclusions: Most of the faculties had a positive perception towards online teaching-learning activities. Academic leaders and stakeholders should provide uninterrupted internet and electricity connectivity, training on online teaching-learning platform, and timely technical support.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, faculties, medical education, perception

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: Wissam Saliba, Mandy Nicholson

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Secretory carcinoma (SC) is a rare type of salivary gland cancer. It was first realized as a distinct type of malignancy in 2010and wasinitially termed “mammary analogue secretory carcinoma” because of similarities with secretory breast cancer. The name was later changed to SC. Most SCs originate in parotid glands, and most harbour a rare gene mutation: ETV6-NTRK3. This mutation is rare in common cancers and common in rare cancers; it is present in most secretory carcinomas. Disease outcomes for SC are usually described as favourable as many cases of SC are lowgrade (LG), and cancer growth is slow. In early stages, localized therapy is usually indicated (surgery and/or radiation). Despitea favourable prognosis, a sub-set of casescan be much more aggressive.These cases tend to be of high-grade(HG).HG casesare associated with a poorer prognosis.Management of such cases can be challenging due to limited evidence for effective systemic therapy options. This case report describes the clinical management of a 46-year-oldmale patient with a unique case of SC. He was initially diagnosed with a low/intermediate grade carcinoma of the left parotid gland in 2009; he was treated with surgery and adjuvant radiation. Surgical pathology favoured primary salivary adenocarcinoma, and 2 lymph nodes were positive for malignancy. SC was not yet realized as a distinct type of cancerat the time of diagnosis, and the pathology reportvalidated this gap by stating that the specimen lacked features of the defined types of salivary carcinoma.Slow-growing pulmonary nodules were identified in 2017. In 2020, approximately 11 years after the initial diagnosis, the patient presented with malignant pleural effusion. Pathology from a pleural biopsy was consistent with metastatic poorly differentiated cancer of likely parotid origin, likely mammary analogue secretory carcinoma. The specimen was sent for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS); ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion was confirmed, and systemic therapy was initiated.One cycle ofcarboplatin/paclitaxel was given in June 2020. He was switched to Larotrectinib (NTRK inhibitor (NTRKi)) later that month. Larotrectinib continued for approximately 9 months, with discontinuation in March 2021 due to disease progression. A second-generation NTRKi (Selitrectinib) was accessed and prescribedthrough a single patient study. Selitrectinib was well tolerated. The patient experienced a complete radiological response within~4 months. Disease progression occurred once again in October 2021. Progression was slow, and Selitrectinib continuedwhile the medical team performed a thorough search for additional treatment options. In January 2022, a liver lesion biopsy was performed, and NGS showed an NTRKG623R solvent-front resistance mutation. Various treatment pathways were considered. The patient pursuedanother investigational NTRKi through a clinical trial, and Selitrectinib was discontinued in July 2022. Excellent performance status was maintained throughout the entire course of treatment.It can be concluded that NTRK inhibitors provided satisfactory treatment efficacy and tolerance for this patient with high-grade transformation and NTRK gene fusion cancer. In the future, more clinical research is needed on systemic treatment options for high-grade transformations in NTRK gene fusion SCs.

Keywords: secretory carcinoma, high-grade transformations, NTRK gene fusion, NTRK inhibitor

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Authors: Jingcheng Ma, Patricia B. Weisensee, Young H. Shin, Yujin Chang, Junjiao Tian, William P. King, Nenad Miljkovic

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Water droplet impact on surfaces is a ubiquitous phenomenon in both nature and industry. The transfer of mass, momentum and energy can be influenced by the time of contact between droplet and surface. In order to reduce the contact time, we study the influence of substrate motion prior to impact on the dynamics of droplet recoil. Using optical high speed imaging, we investigated the impact dynamics of macroscopic water droplets (~ 2mm) on rigid nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces vibrating at 60 – 300 Hz and amplitudes of 0 – 3 mm. In addition, we studied the influence of the phase of the substrate at the moment of impact on total contact time. We demonstrate that substrate vibration can alter droplet dynamics, and decrease total contact time by as much as 50% compared to impact on stationary rigid superhydrophobic surfaces. Impact analysis revealed that the vibration frequency mainly affected the maximum contact time, while the amplitude of vibration had little direct effect on the contact time. Through mathematical modeling, we show that the oscillation amplitude influences the possibility density function of droplet impact at a given phase, and thus indirectly influences the average contact time. We also observed more vigorous droplet splashing and breakup during impact at larger amplitudes. Through semi-empirical mathematical modeling, we describe the relationship between contact time and vibration frequency, phase, and amplitude of the substrate. We also show that the maximum acceleration during the impact process is better suited as a threshold parameter for the onset of splashing than a Weber-number criterion. This study not only provides new insights into droplet impact physics on vibrating surfaces, but develops guidelines for the rational design of surfaces to achieve controllable droplet wetting in applications utilizing vibration.

Keywords: contact time, impact dynamics, oscillation, pear-shape droplet

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Authors: Wenfen Bi, Zeng Lin

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As a developing country, China is badly in need of capital and talents to develop the socialist country with Chinese characteristics. However, a large proportion of high income people with know-how technique, wealth and management experience have immigrated or plan to immigrate to other countries. Of course, this phenomenon has attracted the attention from both the government and researchers. One explanation might be that these high-income people lack confidence in China’s social development. Based on the data on W city’s comprehensive social situation surveyed by center for the social survey research of Wuhan university (CSSR) in 2014, this paper employed the structural equation model (SEM) to evaluate whether personal income affects social confidence, via the mediating effect of the sense of social equity (sense of right equity and sense of distributive equity). Bootstrap mediation analysis revealed that after controlling Demographic variables, personal income had a significant negative influence on sense of right equity and in turn, sense of rights equity can significantly positively predict social confidence. While personal income had no significant effect on sense of distributive equity, and sense of distributive equity did not significantly affect macro social confidence. Also, the direct effects of personal income on social confidence became not significant. These findings revealed the inner mechanism of the relationship between the personal income and social confidence in contemporary China, which was caused by mediating effect of sense of rights equity. That is, the higher the personal income, the lower the sense of rights equity, the lower the social confidence. Thus, the boost of the social confidence, especially for the rich, does not only depend on the equitable distribution of material wealth, but also on the right equity and making people feel rights equally in common life.

Keywords: personal income, sense of right equity, sense of social equity, social confidence

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Authors: Mohamed Ahmed Abd El Kader

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This paper describes the conservation processes of an Ancient Egyptian wooden coffin dating back to the Middle Kingdom, ancient Egypt, using several scientific and analytical methods in order to provide a deeper understanding of the deterioration status and a greater awareness of how well preserved the object is. Visual observation and 2D Programs, as well as Optical Microscopy (OM), Environmental scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used in our study. The identification of wood species and the composition of the pigments and previous restoration materials were made. The coffin was previously conserved and stored in improper conditions, which led to its further deterioration; the surface of the lid dust, which obscured the decorations as well as all necessary restoration work was promptly carried out as soon as the coffin was transferred from the display hall from the Egyptian Museum to the Wood Conservation Laboratory of the Grand Egyptian Museum-Conservation Center (GEM-CC). The analyses provided detailed information concerning the original materials and the materials added during the previous treatment interventions, which was considered when applying the conservation plan. Conservation procedures have been applied with high accuracy to conserve the coffin including cleaning, consolidation of fragile painted layers, and the wooden boards forming the sides of the coffin were reassembled in their original positions. The materials and methods that were applied were extremely effective in stability and reinforcement of the coffin without harmfulness to the original materials and the coffin was successfully conserved and ready to display in the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

Keywords: coffin, middle kingdom, deterioration, 2d program

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Authors: Martin Hofmann, Diego Stutzer, Thomas Niederhauser, Juergen Burger

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Dental biofilm is the main etiologic factor for caries, periodontal and peri-implant infections. In addition to the risk of tooth loss, periodontitis is also associated with an increased risk of systemic diseases such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For this reason, dental hygienists use ultrasonic scalers for prophylactic and periodontal care of the teeth. However, the current instruments are limited to their dimensions and operating frequencies. The innovative design of a planar ultrasonic transducer introduces a new type of dental scalers. The flat titanium-based design allows the mass to be significantly reduced compared to a conventional screw-mounted Langevin transducer, resulting in a more efficient and controllable scaler. For the development of the novel device, multi-physics finite element analysis was used to simulate and optimise various design concepts. This process was supported by prototyping and electromechanical characterisation. The feasibility and potential of a planar ultrasonic transducer have already been confirmed by our current prototypes, which achieve higher performance compared to commercial devices. Operating at the desired resonance frequency of 28 kHz with a driving voltage of 40 Vrms results in an in-plane tip oscillation with a displacement amplitude of up to 75 μm by having less than 8 % out-of-plane movement and an energy transformation factor of 1.07 μm/mA. In a further step, we will adapt the design to two additional resonance frequencies (20 and 40 kHz) to obtain information about the most suitable mode of operation. In addition to the already integrated characterization methods, we will evaluate the clinical efficiency of the different devices in an in vitro setup with an artificial biofilm pocket model.

Keywords: ultrasonic instrumentation, ultrasonic scaling, piezoelectric transducer, finite element simulation, dental biofilm, dental calculus

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Authors: Aouissi Nora, Meksem Leila

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This work focused on the study of air pollution generated by the transport sector in the region of Annaba. Our study is based on two parts: the first one concerns an epidemiological investigation in the area of Annaba situated in the east Algerian coast, which deals with the development of the fleet and its impact on public health. To get a more precise idea of the impact of road traffic on public health, we consulted the computing center office of the National Social Insurance Fund. The information we were given by this office refers to the number of reported asthma and heart disease after medical examination during the period 2006-2010. The second part was devoted to the study of the toxicity of exhaust gases on some physical and biochemical parameters of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). After germination and three-leaf stage, the pots are placed in a box of volume (0,096 m3) having an input which is linked directly to the exhaust pipe of a truck, and an outlet to prevent asphyxiation plant. The experience deals with 30 pots: 10 pots are exposed for 5 minutes to exhaust smoke; the other 10 are exposed for 15 minutes, and the remaining 10 for 30 minutes. The epidemiological study shows that the levels of pollutants emitted by the fleet are responsible for the increase of people respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. As for biochemical analyses of vegetation, they clearly show the toxicity of pollutants emitted by the exhaust gases, with an increase in total protein, proline and stimulation of detoxification enzyme (catalase).

Keywords: air pollution, toxicity, epidemiology, biochemistry

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Authors: Lucy Ampaw-Asiedu, Terri R. Norton

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In the wake of recent disasters happening around the world such as earthquake in Italy (January, 2017); hurricanes in the United States (US) (September 2016 and September 2017); and compounding disasters in Haiti (September 2010 and September 2016); to our best knowledge, never has the world seen the need to work on preemptive rather than reactionary measures to salvage this situation than now. Tornadoes are natural hazards that mostly affect mid-western and central states in the US. Tornadoes, like all natural hazards such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and others, are very destructive and result in massive destruction to homes, cause billions of dollars in damage and claims many lives. Healthcare facilities in general are vulnerable to disasters, and therefore, the safety of patients, health workers and those who come in to seek shelter should be a priority. The focus of this study is to assess disaster management measures instituted by healthcare facilities. Thus, the sole aim of the study is to examine the vulnerabilities and the design of safe spaces in healthcare facilities in Central US. Objectives that guide the study are to primarily identify the impacts of tornadoes in hospitals and to assess the structural design or specifications of safe spaces. St. John’s Regional Medical Center, now Mercy Hospital in Joplin, is used as a case study. Preliminary results show that the lateral base shear of the proposed design to be 684.24 ton (1508.49kip) for the safe space. Findings from this work will be used to make recommendations about the design of safe spaces for health care facilities in Central US.

Keywords: disaster management, safe spaces, structural design, tornado, vulnerability

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Authors: Ayoub. El Bourtali, Abdessamed.Najine, Amrou Moussa. Benmoussa

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One of the main goals of river engineering is river training, which is defined as controlling and predicting the behavior of a river. It is taking effective measurements to eliminate all related risks and thus improve the river system. In some rivers, the riverbed continues to erode and degrade; therefore, equilibrium will never be reached. Generally, river geometric characteristics and riverbed erosion analysis are some of the most complex but critical topics in river engineering and sediment hydraulics; riverbank erosion is the second answering process in hydrodynamics, which has a major impact on the ecological chain and socio-economic process. This study aims to integrate the new computer technology that can analyze erosion and hydraulic problems through computer simulation and modeling. Choosing the right model remains a difficult and sensitive job for field engineers. This paper makes use of the 5.0.4 version of the HEC-RAS model. The river section is adopted according to the gauged station and the proximity of the adjustment. In this work, we will demonstrate how 2D hydraulic modeling helped clarify the design and cover visuals to set up depth and velocities at riverbanks and throughout advanced structures. The hydrologic engineering center's-river analysis system (HEC-RAS) 2D model was used to create a hydraulic study of the erosion model. The geometric data were generated from the 12.5-meter x 12.5-meter resolution digital elevation model. In addition to showing eroded or overturned river sections, the model output also shows patterns of riverbank changes, which can help us reduce problems caused by erosion.

Keywords: 2D hydraulics model, erosion, floodplain, hydrodynamic, HEC-RAS, riverbed erosion, river morphology, resolution digital data, sediment

Procedia PDF Downloads 188

Authors: G. Costa, F. Noto, L. Celona, F. Chines, G. Ciavola, G. Cuttone, S. Gammino, O. Leonardi, S. Marletta, G. Torrisi

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The ion sources for accelerators devoted to medical applications must provide intense ion beams, with high reproducibility, stability and brightness. AISHa (Advanced Ion Source for Hadron-therapy) is a compact ECRIS whose hybrid magnetic system consists of a permanent Halbach-type hexapole magnet and a set of independently energized superconducting coils. These coils will be enclosed in a compact cryostat with two cryocoolers for LHe-free operation. The AISHa ion source has been designed by taking into account the typical requirements of hospital-based facilities, where the minimization of the mean time between failures (MTBF) is a key point together with the maintenance operations which should be fast and easy. It is intended to be a multipurpose device, operating at 18 GHz, in order to achieve higher plasma densities. It should provide enough versatility for future needs of the hadron therapy, including the ability to run at larger microwave power to produce different species and highly charged ion beams. The source is potentially interesting for any hadrontherapy center using heavy ions. In the paper, we designed an innovative solution for the plasma containment chamber that allows us to solve our isolation and structural problems. We analyzed the materials chosen for our aim (glass fibers and carbon fibers) and we illustrated the all process (spinning, curing and machining) of the assembly of our chamber. The glass fibers and carbon fibers are used to reinforce polymer matrices and give rise to structural composites and composites by molding.

Keywords: hadron-therapy, carbon fiber, glass fiber, vacuum-bag, ECR, ion source

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Authors: Koe Han Beng, Khoo Boo Cheong

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The rising interest of stepped hull design has been led by the demand of more efficient high-speed boat. At the same time, the need of accurate prediction method for stepped planing hull is getting more important. By understanding the flow at high Froude number is the key in designing a practical step hull, the study surrounding stepped hull has been done mainly in the towing tank which is time-consuming and costly for initial design phase. Here the feasibility of predicting hydrodynamics of high-speed planing hull both with and without step using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the volume of fluid (VOF) methodology is studied in this work. First the flow around the prismatic body is analyzed, the force generated and its center of pressure are compared with available experimental and empirical data from the literature. The wake behind the transom on the keel line as well as the quarter beam buttock line are then compared with the available data, this is important since the afterbody flow of stepped hull is subjected from the wake of the forebody. Finally the calm water performance prediction of a conventional planing hull and its stepped version is then analyzed. Overset mesh methodology is employed in solving the dynamic equilibrium of the hull. The resistance, trim, and heave are then compared with the experimental data. The resistance is found to be predicted well and the dynamic equilibrium solved by the numerical method is deemed to be acceptable. This means that computational fluid dynamics will be very useful in further study on the complex flow around stepped hull and its potential usage in the design phase.

Keywords: planing hulls, stepped hulls, wake shape, numerical simulation, hydrodynamics

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Authors: Sudhir Kumar Tewatia, Kanishck Tewatia, Anttriksh Tewatia

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Advancements in soil consolidation are discussed, and further improvements are proposed with particular reference to Tewatia’s Y-Y’ Approach, which is called the Settlement versus Rate of Settlement Approach in consolidation. A branch of calculus named Y-Y' (or y versus dy/dx) is suggested (as compared to the common X-Y', x versus dy/dx, dy/dx versus x or Newton-Leibniz branch) that solves some complicated/unsolved theoretical and practical problems in physical sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, and allied sciences) and engineering in an amazingly simple and short manner, particularly when independent variable X is unknown and X-Y' Approach can’t be used. Complicated theoretical and practical problems in 1D, 2D, 3D Primary and Secondary consolidations with non-uniform gradual loading and irregularly shaped clays are solved with elementary school level Y-Y' Approach, and it is interesting to note that in X-Y' Approach, equations become more difficult while we move from one to three dimensions, but in Y-Y' Approach even 2D/3D equations are very simple to derive, solve, and use; rather easier sometimes. This branch of calculus will have a far-reaching impact on understanding and solving the problems in different fields of physical sciences and engineering that were hitherto unsolved or difficult to be solved by normal calculus/numerical/computer methods. Some particular cases from soil consolidation that basically creeps and diffusion equations in isolation and in combination with each other are taken for comparison with heat transfer. The Y-Y’ Approach can similarly be applied in wave equations and other fields wherever normal calculus works or fails. Soil mechanics uses mathematical analogies from other fields of physical sciences and engineering to solve theoretical and practical problems; for example, consolidation theory is a replica of the heat equation from thermodynamics with the addition of the effective stress principle. An attempt is made to give them mathematical analogies.

Keywords: calculus, clay, consolidation, creep, diffusion, heat, settlement

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Authors: Wellemans Isabelle, Remmelink Myriam, Foucart Annick, Rusu Stefan, Compère Christophe

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Primary pulmonary meningioma (PPM) is a very rare tumor, and its occurrence has been reported only sporadically. Multiple PPMs are even more exceptional, and herein, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the fourth case, focusing on the clinicopathological features of the tumor. Moreover, the possible relationship between the use of progesterone–only contraceptives and the development of these neoplasms will be discussed. Case Report: We report a case of a 51-year-old female presenting three solid pulmonary nodules, with the following localizations: right upper lobe, middle lobe, and left lower lobe, described as incidental findings on computed tomography (CT) during a pre-bariatric surgery check-up. The patient revealed no drinking or smoking history. The physical exam was unremarkable except for the obesity. The lesions ranged in size between 6 and 24 mm and presented as solid nodules with lobulated contours. The largest lesion situated in the middle lobe had mild fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on F-18 FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, highly suggestive of primary lung neoplasm. For pathological assessment, video-assisted thoracoscopic middle lobectomy and wedge resection of the right upper nodule was performed. Histological examination revealed relatively well-circumscribed solid proliferation of bland meningothelial cells growing in whorls and lobular nests, presenting intranuclear pseudo-inclusions and psammoma bodies. No signs of anaplasia were observed. The meningothelial cells expressed diffusely Vimentin, focally Progesterone receptors and were negative for epithelial (cytokeratin (CK) AE1/AE3, CK7, CK20, Epithelial Membrane Antigen (EMA)), neuroendocrine markers (Synaptophysin, Chromogranin, CD56) and Estrogenic receptors. The proliferation labelling index Ki-67 was low (<5%). Metastatic meningioma was ruled out by brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The third lesion localized in the left lower lobe was followed-up and resected three years later because of its slow but significant growth (14 mm to 16 mm), alongside two new infra centimetric lesions. Those three lesions showed a morphological and immunohistochemical profile similar to previously resected lesions. The patient was disease-free one year post-last surgery. Discussion: Although PPMs are mostly benign and slow-growing tumors with an excellent prognosis, they do not present specific radiological characteristics, and it is difficult to differentiate it from other lung tumors, histopathologic examination being essential. Aggressive behavior is associated with atypical or anaplastic features (WHO grades II–III) The etiology is still uncertain and different mechanisms have been proposed. A causal connection between sexual hormones and meningothelial proliferation has long been suspected and few studies examining progesterone only contraception and meningioma risk have all suggested an association. In line with this, our patient was treated with Levonorgestrel, a progesterone agonist, intra-uterine device (IUD). Conclusions: PPM, defined by the typical histological and immunohistochemical features of meningioma in the lungs and the absence of central nervous system lesions, is an extremely rare neoplasm, mainly solitary and associating, and indolent growth. Because of the unspecific radiologic findings, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung neoplasms. Regarding multiple PPM, only three cases are reported in the literature, and this is the first described in a woman treated by a progesterone-only IUD to the best of our knowledge.

Keywords: pulmonary meningioma, multiple meningioma, meningioma, pulmonary nodules

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Authors: Sheba Akhtar

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The profound importance that Islam places on knowledge has directly influenced the architectural development of the mosque throughout the Muslim world. The masjid is the most important religious building type in Islamic society because, as a place of worship and social interaction, it is the center of both spiritual knowledge and secular guidance. The Quran begins with the emphatic injunction, “Iqra”, establishing the central importance of the pursuit of the sacred ilm that is offered to man by Allah. Similarly, numerous hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad emphasize the profound importance of the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge, both spiritual and temporal. The Muslim worshipper must enter the sacred space of the masjid to receive spiritual knowledge, but the transition from the profane realm outside the mosque to that of spirituality within is not merely physical; it is also deeply psychological and emotional. To this end, the architecture of the masjid, from the plan and geometry to the design elements and intricate ornamental details, plays a vital role in creating the environment within which the ritual acts of wudu and salat are enacted to foster the transformative journey, from the mundane reality of this world to the realm of spirituality beyond, in the heart, mind, and soul of the worshipper. It is expected that the paper will provide a better understanding of the ways in which sacred Islamic knowledge has influenced the architectural design of the mosque. The research will draw upon Islamic epistemology, Islamic architecture history, and compositional analysis to demonstrate this philosophical, historical, and formal relationship. In this way, the paper will provide a meaningful bridge between the existing knowledge related to mosque design and the expanding academic discourse about the religious architecture of Islam.

Keywords: Islamic architecture, mosque architecture, religious architecture, sacred architecture

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Authors: Ayse Inel Manav, Saliha Bozdogan Yesilot, Pinar Yesil Demirci, Gursel Oztunc

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Introduction: This study was conducted with a view to evaluating cognitive function level, depression, and quality of life of elderly people living in a nursing home. Methods: This study, which is cross-sectional and descriptive in nature, was conducted in the Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the Elderly in Adana/Turkey between 1st of May and 1st of August, 2016. The participants included 118 elderly people who were chosen using simple random sampling method. The data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Standardized Mini Mental State Exam (SMMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD (WHOQOL-OLD) module. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (IBM, SPSS, Turkey) program. Results: Of all the participants, 36,4% (n=43) were female, 63,6% (n=75) were male, and average age was 74,08 ± 8,23 years. The participants’ SMMSE mean score was found 20,37 ± 7,08, GDS mean score was 14,92 ± 4,29, and WHOQOL-OLD module mean score was 69,76 ± 11,54. There was a negative, significant relationship between SMMSE and GDS scores, a positive relationship between WHOQOL-OLD module total scores and a negative, significant relationship between GDS scores and WHOQOL-OLD module total scores. Discussıon and Conclusion: Results showed that more than half of the elderly people living in the nursing home experienced cognitive deterioration and depression; and cognitive state, depression, and quality of life were found to be significantly related to each other.

Keywords: depression, cognitive function level, quality of life

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Authors: Aminu Bashir Mohammad, Agwu Ezera, Abdulrazaq G. Habib, Garba Iliyasu

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Background: Drug resistance tuberculosis (DR-TB) continues to be a challenge in developing countries with poor resources. Routine screening for primary DR-TB before commencing treatment is not done in public hospitals in Nigeria, even with the large body of evidence that shows a high prevalence of primary DR-TB. Data on drug resistance and its genetic determinant among follow up TB patients is lacking in Nigeria. Hence the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and genetic determinant of drug resistance among follow up TB patients in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional laboratory-based study conducted on 384 sputum samples collected from consented follow-up tuberculosis patients. Standard microbiology methods (Zeil-Nielsen staining and microscopy) and PCR (Line Probe Assay)] were used to analyze the samples collected. Person’s Chi-square was used to analyze the data generated. Results: Out of three hundred and eighty-four (384) sputum samples analyzed for mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and DR-TB twenty-five 25 (6.5%) were found to be AFB positive. These samples were subjected to PCR (Line Probe Assay) out of which 18(72%) tested positive for DR-TB. Mutations conferring resistance to rifampicin (rpo B) and isoniazid (katG, and or inhA) were detected in 12/18(66.7%) and 6/18(33.3%), respectively. Transmission dynamic of DR-TB was not significantly (p>0.05) dependent on demographic characteristics. Conclusion: There is a need to strengthened the laboratory capacity for diagnosis of TB and drug resistance testing and make these services available, affordable, and accessible to the patients who need them.

Keywords: drug resistance tuberculosis, genetic determinant, intensive phase, Nigeria

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Authors: Elif Bakkaloglu, Necdet Torunbalci

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The fact of earthquakes in Turkiye is an inevitable natural disaster. Therefore, buildings must be prepared for this natural hazard. Especially in hospital buildings, earthquake resistance is an essential point because hospitals are one of the first places where people come after an earthquake. Although hospital buildings are more suitable for horizontal architecture, it is necessary to construct and expand multi-storey hospital buildings due to difficulties in finding suitable places as a result of excessive urbanization, difficulties in obtaining appropriate size land and decrease in suitable places and increase in land values. In Turkiye, using seismic isolators in public hospitals, which are placed in first-degree earthquake zone and have more than 100 beds, is made obligatory by general instruction. As a result of this decision, it may sometimes be necessary to construct seismic isolated multi-storey hospital buildings in cities where those problems are experienced. Although widespread use of seismic isolators in Japan, there are few multi-storey buildings in which seismic isolators are used in Turkiye. As it is known, base isolation systems are the most effective methods of earthquake resistance, as number of floors increases, center of gravity moves away from base in multi-storey buildings, increasing the overturning effect and limiting the use of these systems. In this context, it is aimed to investigate structural systems of multi-storey buildings which built using seismic isolation methods in the World. In addition to this, a working principle is suggested for disseminating seismic isolators in multi-storey hospital buildings. The results to be obtained from the study will guide architects who design multi-storey hospital buildings in their architectural designs and engineers in terms of structural system design.

Keywords: earthquake, energy absorbing systems, hospital, seismic isolation systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Xingyu Peng, Qingyuan Hu, Xuebin Zhu, Xi Yuan

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Neutron spectrometry has contributed much to the development of nuclear physics since 1932 and has also become an importance tool in several other fields, notably nuclear technology, fusion plasma diagnostics and radiation protection. Compared with neutron fluxes, neutron spectra can provide more detailed information on the internal physical process of neutron sources, such as fast neutron reactors, fusion plasma, fission-fusion hybrid reactors, and so on. However, high performance neutron spectrometer is not so commonly available as it requires the use of large and complex instrumentation. This work describes the development and characterization of a compact magnetic proton recoil (MPR) spectrometer for high-resolution measurements of fast neutron spectra. The compact MPR spectrometer is featured by its large recoil angle, small size permanent analysis magnet, short beam transport line and dual-purpose detector array for both steady state and pulsed neutron spectra measurement. A 3-dimensional electromagnetic particle transport code is developed to simulate the response function of the spectrometer. Simulation results illustrate that the performance of the spectrometer is mainly determined by n-p recoil foil and proton apertures, and an overall energy resolution of 3% is achieved for 14 MeV neutrons. Dedicated experiments using alpha source and mono-energetic neutron beam are employed to verify the simulated response function of the compact MPR spectrometer. These experimental results show a good agreement with the simulated ones, which indicates that the simulation code possesses good accuracy and reliability. The compact MPR spectrometer described in this work is a valuable tool for fast neutron spectra measurements for the fission or fusion devices.

Keywords: neutron spectrometry, magnetic proton recoil spectrometer, neutron spectra, fast neutron

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Authors: Darn H. Hsiao, Zhu-Yun Zheng

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Since Taiwan is located between the Eurasian and Filipino plates and earthquakes often thus occur. The coastal plains in western Taiwan are alluvial plains, and the soils of the alluvium are mostly from the Lao-Shan belt in the central mountainous area of ​​southern Taiwan. It could come mostly from sand/shale and slate. The previous investigation found that the soils in the Kaohsiung area of ​​southern Taiwan are mainly composed of slate, shale, quartz, low-plastic clay, silt, silty sand and so on. It can also be found from the past earthquakes that the soil in Kaohsiung is highly susceptible to soil subsidence due to liquefaction. Insufficient bearing capacity of building will cause soil liquefaction disasters. In this study, the boring drilling data from nine districts among the Love River Basin in the city center, and some factors affecting liquefaction include the content of fines (FC), standard penetration test N value (SPT N), the thickness of clay layer near ground-surface, and the thickness of possible liquefied soil were further discussed for liquefaction potential as well as groundwater level. The results show that the liquefaction potential is higher in the areas near the riverside, the backfill area, and the west area of ​​the study area. This paper also uses the old paleo-geological map, soil particle distribution curve, compared with LPI map calculated from the analysis results. After all the parameters finally were studied for five sub zones in the Love River Basin by maximum-minimum method, it is found that both of standard penetration test N value and the thickness of the clay layer will be most influential.

Keywords: liquefaction, western Taiwan, liquefaction potential map, high liquefaction potential areas

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Authors: Chuks Odiegwu-Enwerem

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The classical notion of opinion leadership presupposes that the media is at the center of an effective and successful opinion leadership. Under this idea, an opinion leader is an active media user who consumes, understands, digests and interprets the messages for the understanding and acceptance/adoption by lower-end media users – whose access and understanding of media content are supposedly low. Because of their unique access to and presumed understanding of media functions and their content, opinion leaders are typically esteemed by those who look forward to and accept their opinions. Lazarsfeld and Katz’s two-step flow of communication theory is the basis of opinion leadership – propelled by limited access to the media. With the emergence and spread of social media and its unlimited access by all and sundry, however, the study interrogates the relevance and application of opinion leaders and, by implication, the two-step flow communication theory in Nigeria’s Northcentral region. It seeks to determine whether opinion leaders still exist in the picture and if they still exert considerable influence, especially in matters of political conversations and decision-making among the citizens of this area. It further explores whether the diffusion of social media is a reality and how the ‘low-end’ media users react to the new-found freedom of access to media, and how they are using it to inform their decisions on important matters as well as examines if they are still glued to their opinion leaders. This study explores the empirical dimensions of the two-step flow hypothesis in relation to the activities of social media to determine if a change has occurred and in what direction, using mixed methos of Survey and in-depth interviews. Our understanding and belief in some theoretical assumptions may be enhanced or challenged by the study outcome.

Keywords: Opinion Leadership, Active Media User, Two-Step-Flow, Social media, Northcentral Nigeria

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Authors: Pei-Fan Mu

Abstract:

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer with the highest mortality rate. Patients with lung cancer under chemotherapy treatment experience life-threatening uncertainty. This study was based on the broaden-and-build theory using intentionality reflection of the body and internalization of positive prioritization strategies to enhance positive emotions of patients with lung cancer. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a quasi-experimental research design to examine the effectiveness of the enhancing positive emotion program. Method: Data were collected from a medical center in Taiwan. Fifty-four participants with lung cancer were recruited. Thirty participants were in the experiential group receiving the two weeks program. The content of the program includes awareness and understanding of the symptom experience, co-existing with illness and establishing self-identity, cognitive-emotion adjustment and establishing a new body schema, and symptom management to reach spiritual well-being. Twenty-four participants were in the control group receiving regular nursing care. Baseline, one month later and two months later, programmed measurements of symptoms of distress, positive emotion, and psychological well-being. Results: These two weeks of enhancing the positive emotion program resulted in a significantly improved positive emotion score for the experimental group compared to the control group. The findings of this study indicated that the positive emotion had significant differences between the two groups. There were no differences in symptom distress between the two groups. Discussion: The findings indicated that the enhancing positive emotion program could help patients enhance their life-threatening facing conditions.

Keywords: positive emotion, lung cancer, experimental design, symptom distress

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Authors: Maninder Singh

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The Chandigarh city is under the strain of exponential growth of car density across various neighborhood. The consumerist nature of society today is to be blamed for this menace because everyone wants to own and ride a car. Car manufacturers are busy selling two or more cars per household. The Regional Transport Offices are busy issuing as many licenses to new vehicles as they can in order to generate revenue in the form of Road Tax. The car traffic in the neighborhoods of Chandigarh has reached a tipping point. There needs to be a more empirical and sustainable model of cars per household, which should be based on specific parameters of livable neighborhoods. Sector 22 in Chandigarh is one of the first residential sectors to be established in the city. There is scope to think, reflect, and work out a method to know how many cars we need to sell our citizens before we lose the argument to traffic problems, parking problems, and road rage. This is where the true challenge of a planner or a designer of the city lies. Currently, in Chandigarh city, there are no clear visible answers to this problem. The way forward is to look at spatial mapping, planning, and design of car parking units to address the problem, rather than suggesting extreme measures of banning cars (short-term) or promoting plans for citywide transport (very long-term). This is a chance to resolve the problem with a pragmatic approach from a citizen’s perspective, instead of an orthodox development planner’s methodology. Since citizens are at the center of how the problem is to be addressed, acceptable solutions are more likely to emerge from the car and traffic problem as defined by the citizens. Thus, the idea and its implementation would be interesting in comparison to the known academic methodologies. The novel and innovative process would lead to a more acceptable and sustainable approach to the issue of number of car parks in the neighborhood of Chandigarh city.

Keywords: cars, Chandigarh, neighborhood, sustainable living, walkability

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Authors: Rukiye Pinar Boluktas

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According to 2015 statistics, in Turkey, 46% of older people live alone in their homes, 55% have poor health perceptions, 18% face poverty, and 43% are unhappy. Prevalence of depression is between 14% and 20%. In 2013, rate of suicide was 6.5. However, the most of older people prefer to live in their community although they are lonely, they face poverty, and face limitations as a result of chronic diseases and disabilities. Community based care for older people is also encouraged by Ministry of Health as it is more cost-effective. Music therapy is a simple, effective, safe, and nonpharmacologic intervention that may be used to decrease depression and to improve cognition, and health related quality of life (HRQOL). In Turkish culture, music is typically described as ‘food for soul’. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Turkish classical music songs in 32 community dwelling older people. Participants were received interventions two or three times per week, 50-60 min per session, for 8 weeks at a day health center. Each intervention session started listening music for 15-20 min to get remember songs, then followed singing songs as a group. Participants were assessed at baseline (week 0), and two follow-up at month 1 and month 2. Compared to baseline, at two follow-up, we observed that cognition improved, depression decreased, and SF-36 scores, including 8 domains and two summary scores increased. We conclude that an intervention comprising listening and singing Turkish classical music improve cognition, depression and HRQOL in older people.

Keywords: cognitive function, depression, elderly, quality of life, Turkish classical music

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Authors: Vijaykumar M. Baragi, Ramtilak Gattu, Gabriela Trifan, John L. Woodard, K. Meyers, Tim S. Halstead, Eric Hipple, Ewart Mark Haacke, Randall R. Benson

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NFL players, by virtue of their exposure to repetitive head injury, are at least twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia as the general population. Early recognition and intervention prior to onset of clinical symptoms could potentially avert/delay the long-term consequences of these diseases. Since AD is thought to have a long preclinical incubation period, the aim of the current research was to determine whether former NFL players, referred to a depression center, showed evidence of incipient dementia in their structural imaging prior to diagnosis of dementia. Thus, to identify neuroimaging markers of AD, against which former NFL players would be compared, we conducted a comprehensive volumetric analysis using a cohort of early stage AD patients (ADNI) to produce a set of brain regions demonstrating sensitivity to early AD pathology (i.e., the “AD fingerprint”). A cohort of 46 former NFL players’ brain MRIs were then interrogated using the AD fingerprint. Brain scans were done using a T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence. The Free Surfer image analysis suite (version 6.0) was used to obtain the volumetric and cortical thickness data. A total of 55 brain regions demonstrated significant atrophy or ex vacuo dilatation bilaterally in AD patients vs. healthy controls. Of the 46 former NFL players, 19 (41%) demonstrated a greater than expected number of atrophied/dilated AD regions when compared with age-matched controls, presumably reflecting AD pathology.

Keywords: alzheimers, neuroimaging biomarkers, traumatic brain injury, free surfer, ADNI

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Authors: Yuri S. Djikaev

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A large subset of aqueous aerosols can be initially (immediately upon formation) coated with various organic amphiphilic compounds whereof the hydrophilic moieties are attached to the aqueous aerosol core while the hydrophobic moieties are exposed to the air thus forming a hydrophobic coating thereupon. We study the thermodynamics of water condensation on such an aerosol whereof the hydrophobic organic coating is being concomitantly processed by chemical reactions with atmospheric reactive species. Such processing (chemical aging) enables the initially inert aerosol to serve as a nucleating center for water condensation. The most probable pathway of such aging involves atmospheric hydroxyl radicals that abstract hydrogen atoms from hydrophobic moieties of surface organics (first step), the resulting radicals being quickly oxidized by ubiquitous atmospheric oxygen molecules to produce surface-bound peroxyl radicals (second step). Taking these two reactions into account, we derive an expression for the free energy of formation of an aqueous droplet on an organic-coated aerosol. The model is illustrated by numerical calculations. The results suggest that the formation of aqueous cloud droplets on such aerosols is most likely to occur via Kohler activation rather than via nucleation. The model allows one to determine the threshold parameters necessary for their Kohler activation. Numerical results also corroborate previous suggestions that one can neglect some details of aerosol chemical composition in investigating aerosol effects on climate.

Keywords: aqueous aerosols, organic coating, chemical aging, cloud condensation nuclei, Kohler activation, cloud droplets

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Authors: Vafa Delphi, Maryam Delphi, Talieh Zarifian, Enayatolah Bakhshi

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Background and Aim: Bilingualism is a common phenomenon in many countries of the world and May be consistent consonant errors in the speech of bilingual children. The aim of this study was to evaluate Phonological skills include occurrence proportion, frequency and type of phonological processes in Persian-Arabic speaking children in Ahvaz city, the center of Khuzestan. Method: This study is descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional. Twenty-eight children aged 36-48 months were divided into two groups Persian monolingual and Persian-Arabic bilingual: (14 participants in each group). Sampling was recruited randomly based on inclusion criteria from kindergartens of the Ahvaz city in Iran. The tool of this study was the Persian Phonological Test (PPT), a subtest of Persian Diagnostic Evaluation Articulation and Phonological test. In this test, Phonological processes were investigated in two groups: structure and substitution processes. Data was investigated using SPSS software and the U Mann-Whitney test. Results: The results showed that the proportion occurrence of substitution process was significantly different between two groups of monolingual and bilingual (P=0/001), But the type of phonological processes didn’t show a significant difference in both monolingual and bilingual children of the Persian-Arabic.The frequency of phonological processes is greater in bilingual children than monolingual children. Conclusion: The study showed that bilingualism has no effect on type of phonological processes, but this can be effective on the frequency of processes. Since the type of phonological processes in bilingual children is similar to monolingual children So we can conclude the Persian_arabic bilingual children's phonological system is similar to monolingual children.

Keywords: Persian-Arabic bilingual child, phonological processes, the proportion occurrence of syllable structure, the proportion occurrence of substitution

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Authors: Chanada Aonsri, Wichai Eungpinichpong

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Stereotypical behavior is one of the learning and social skills development problems that affect children with autism. Previous studies found that traditional Thai massage (TTM) could reduce stereotypical behaviors in autistic children. However, the effects of TTM delivered by the parents of autistic children have not been explored. This pilot study investigated the effects of TTM by parents on stereotypical behaviors in children with autism. A one-group pretest-posttest design was applied for 15 children, aged 4-16 years, with their parents' permissions. They participated in the study at the Special Education program of the Special Education Center of Khon Kaen University, Thailand. After being trained in a specialized TTM for children, the parents delivered 50-minute TTM to children once a day, twice a week for eight weeks. The severity of autism and autistic behaviors were measured using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), respectively. The functions of autonomic nervous systems were measured using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to indicated physical and mental disorders such as stress. The data at baseline and the 8th week were analyzed using either an independent t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The study found that 16 sessions of TTM significantly improved measured data for autism in all children including the CARS (p<0.001), ATEC, speech/language/communication (p<0.001), sociability (p<0.001), sensory/cognitive awareness (p<0.001), health/physical/behavior (p < 0.001), and HRV (p<0.001). The results indicated that TTM performed by parents could be useful as an adjunct therapy for autistic children as it can reduce stereotypical behaviors and stress.

Keywords: traditional Thai massage, stereotypical behaviors, Autistic children, parent

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Authors: Suruchi Shukla, Shantanu Prakash, Amita Jain

Abstract:

Introduction: Arboviral diseases are one of the most common causes of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). Of which, Dengue and Chikungunya pose a significant health problem in India. Arbovirus has a tendency to cross the territories and emerge in the new region. Considering the above issues, in the current study active surveillance was conducted among viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) cases reported from Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. We studied the arboviral etiology of VHF; mainly Dengue, Chikungunya, and ZIKA. Methods: Clinical samples of 465 suspected VHF cases referred to tertiary care referral center of UP, India were enrolled in the study during a period from 15th May 2016 to 9th March 2018. Serum specimens were collected and analyzed for the presence of Dengue, Chikungunya, and ZIKA either by serology and/or by molecular assays. Results: Of all tested, 165 (35.4%) cases were positive for either Dengue or Chikungunya. Dengue (21.2%) was found to be the most prevalent, followed by Chikungunya, (6.6%). None of the cases tested positive for ZIKA virus. Serum samples of 35 (7.5%) cases were positive for both Dengue and Chikungunya. DEN-2 serotype was the most predominant serotype. Phylogenetic and sequence analysis of DEN-2 strains showed 100% clustering with the Cosmopolitan genotype strain. Bleeding from several sites, jaundice, abdominal pain, arthralgia, haemoconcentration, and thrombocytopenia were significantly higher in dengue hemorrhagic cases. However, the rash was significantly more common in Chikungunya patients. Most of the Dengue and Chikungunya positive cases (Age group 6-40 years) were seen in post monsoon season (September to November). Conclusion: Only one-third of total VHF cases are positive for either Dengue/Chikungunya or both. This necessitates the screening of other etiologies capable of causing hemorrhagic manifestations.

Keywords: viral hemorrhagic fever, dengue, chikungunya, zika, India

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