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Authors: Brigitta Bodnár, Lajos Kovács, Zoltán Kupihár

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The cancer cells require higher amount of nucleoside building blocks for their proliferation, therefore they have significantly higher uptake of nucleosides by the different nucleoside transporters. Therefore, the conjugation with nucleosides may significantly increase the efficiency and selectivity of potential active pharmaceutical ingredients. On the other hand, the advantage of using a nucleoside could be either the higher activity on targeted enzymes overrepresented in cancer cells or an enhanced cellular uptake of the bioconjugates in these cells compared to the healthy ones. This fact can be used to make the nucleosides, as targeting moieties covalently bound to anti-cancer drug molecules which can selectively accumulate in cancer cells. However, in order to form the nucleoside-drug conjugates, such nucleoside building blocks are needed, which can selectively be coupled to the drug molecules containing even a high number of diverse functional groups. One of the most selective conjugation techniques is the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne click reaction that requires the presence of an alkyl group on one of the conjugated molecules and an azide group on the other. In case of nucleosides, the development of azide group is simpler for which the replacement of the 5'-hydroxy group is the most suitable. This transformation generally involves many side reactions and result in very low yields. In addition, during our experiments, the transformation of the 2'-deoxyguanosine to the corresponding 5'-deoxy-5’-azido-2’-deoxyguanosine could not be performed with any of the methods described in the literature. Therefore, we have tried to overcome these difficulties with not only using the traditional process based on the 2 step exchange of tosyl to azide, but also using the Mitsunobu reaction which requires only one step. However, this path proved to be unsuccessful in spite of the optimizing the reaction conditions. Finally, a method has been developed whereby the azide groups were incorporated into the 5’-position resulting in significantly better yields compared to all other previous methods, and we were able to produce all the four nucleoside derivatives.

Keywords: 5'-azidonucleosides, bioconjugate, click reaction, proliferation

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Authors: Nada Slimane, Foued Theljani, Faouzi Bouani

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The paper addresses the problem of fault diagnosis for systems operating in several modes (normal or faulty) based on states assessment. We use, for this purpose, a methodology consisting of three main processes: 1) sequential data clustering, 2) linear model regression and 3) state filtering. Typically, Kalman Filter (KF) is an algorithm that provides estimation of unknown states using a sequence of I/O measurements. Inevitably, although it is an efficient technique for state estimation, it presents two main weaknesses. First, it merely predicts states without being able to isolate/classify them according to their different operating modes, whether normal or faulty modes. To deal with this dilemma, the KF is endowed with an extra clustering step based fully on sequential version of the k-means algorithm. Second, to provide state estimation, KF requires state space models, which can be unknown. A linear regularized regression is used to identify the required models. To prove its effectiveness, the proposed approach is assessed on a simulated benchmark.

Keywords: clustering, diagnosis, Kalman Filtering, k-means, regularized regression

Procedia PDF Downloads 182

Authors: Slawomir Wnuk

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Due to widespread implementation of the renewable energy development programs the, solar energy use increasing constantlyacross the world. Accordingly to REN21, in 2020, both on-grid and off-grid solar photovoltaic systems installed capacity reached 760 GWDCand increased by 139 GWDC compared to previous year capacity. However, the photovoltaic solar cells used for primary solar energy conversion into electrical energy has exhibited significant drawbacks. The fundamentaldownside is unstable andlow efficiencythe energy conversion being negatively affected by a rangeof factors. To neutralise or minimise the impact of those factors causing energy losses, researchers have come out withvariedideas. One ofpromising technological solutionsoffered by researchers is PV-MTEG multilayer hybrid system combiningboth photovoltaic cells and thermoelectric generators advantages. A series of experiments was performed on Glasgow Caledonian University laboratory to investigate such a system in operation. In the experiments, the solar simulator Sol3A series was employed as a stable solar irradiation source, and multichannel voltage and temperature data loggers were utilised for measurements. The two layer proposed hybrid systemsimulation model was built up and tested for its energy conversion capability under a variety of the exposure angles to the solar irradiation with a concurrent examination of the temperature distribution inside proposed PV-MTEG structure. The same series of laboratory tests were carried out for a range of various loads, with the temperature and voltage generated being measured and recordedfor each exposure angle and load combination. It was found that increase of the exposure angle of the PV-MTEG structure to an irradiation source causes the decrease of the temperature gradient ΔT between the system layers as well as reduces overall system heating. The temperature gradient’s reduction influences negatively the voltage generation process. The experiments showed that for the exposureangles in the range from 0° to 45°, the ‘generated voltage – exposure angle’ dependence is reflected closely by the linear characteristics. It was also found that the voltage generated by MTEG structures working with the optimal load determined and applied would drop by approximately 0.82% per each 1° degree of the exposure angle increase. This voltage drop occurs at the higher loads applied, getting more steep with increasing the load over the optimal value, however, the difference isn’t significant. Despite of linear character of the generated by MTEG voltage-angle dependence, the temperature reduction between the system structure layers andat tested points on its surface was not linear. In conclusion, the PV-MTEG exposure angle appears to be important parameter affecting efficiency of the energy generation by thermo-electrical generators incorporated inside those hybrid structures. The research revealedgreat potential of the proposed hybrid system. The experiments indicated interesting behaviour of the tested structures, and the results appear to provide valuable contribution into thedevelopment and technological design process for large energy conversion systems utilising similar structural solutions.

Keywords: photovoltaic solar systems, hybrid systems, thermo-electrical generators, renewable energy

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Authors: M. Zasada, A. Markiewicz, A. Erkiert-Polguj, E. Budzisz

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The epidermis is a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium covered by the hydro-lipid barrier. Therefore, active substances should be able to penetrate through this hydro-lipid coating. L-ascorbic acid is one of the vitamins which plays an important role in stimulation fibroblast to produce collagen type I and in hyperpigmentation lightening. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant, which protects skin from oxidation damage and rejuvenates photoaged skin. No-needle mesotherapy is a non-invasive rejuvenation technique depending on electric pulses, electroporation, and ultrasounds. These physicals factors result in deeper penetration of cosmetics. It is important to increase the penetration of L-ascorbic acid, thereby increasing the spectrum of its activity. The aim of the work was to assess the effectiveness of pure L-ascorbic acid activity in anti-aging therapy using a needle-free and micro-needling mesotherapy. The study was performed on a group of 35 healthy volunteers in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki of 1964 and agreement of the Ethics Commissions no RNN/281/16/KE 2017. Women were randomized to mesotherapy or control group. Control group applied topically 2,5 ml serum containing 20% L-ascorbic acid with hydrate from strawberries, every 10 days for a period of 9 weeks. No-needle mesotherapy, on the left half of the face and micro-needling on the right with the same serum, was done in mesotherapy group. The pH of serum was 3.5-4, and the serum was prepared directly prior to the facial treatment. The skin parameters were measured at the beginning and before each treatment. The measurement of the forehead skin was done using Cutometer® (measurement of skin elasticity and firmness), Corneometer® (skin hydration measurement), Mexameter® (skin tone measurement). Also, the photographs were taken by Fotomedicus system. Additionally, the volunteers fulfilled the questionnaire. Serum was tested for microbiological purity and stability after the opening of the cosmetic. During the study, all of the volunteers were taken care of a dermatologist. The regular application of the serum has caused improvement of the skin parameters. Respectively, after 4 and 8 weeks improvement in hydration and elasticity has been seen (Corneometer®, Cutometer® results). Moreover, the number of hyper-pigmentated spots has decreased (Mexameter®). After 8 weeks the volunteers has claimed that the tested product has smoothing and moisturizing features. Subjective opinions indicted significant improvement of skin color and elasticity. The product containing the L-ascorbic acid used with intercellular penetration promoters demonstrates higher anti-aging efficiency than control. In vivo studies confirmed the effectiveness of serum and the impact of the active substance on skin firmness and elasticity, the degree of hydration and skin tone. Mesotherapy with pure L-ascorbic acid provides better diffusion of active substances through the skin.

Keywords: anti-aging, l-ascorbic acid, mesotherapy, promoters

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Authors: A. Isahakyan, A. Terzyan, V. Stepanyan, N. Zulumyan, H. Beglaryan

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The involvement of silica hydrogel derived from serpentine minerals (Mg(Fe))6[Si4O10](OH)8 as a source of silicon dioxide in SiO2–NaOH–BaCl2–H2O system results in precipitating via one-hour stirring of boiling suspension such intermediates that on heating up to 800 °C crystallize into the product composed of barium ortho- Ba2SiO4 and metasilicates BaSiO3. Based on the positive results, this approach has been decided to be adapted to inserting europium (III) ions into the structure of the synthesized compounds. Intermediates previously precipitated in silica hydrogel–NaOH–BaCl2–Eu(NO3)3 system via one-hour stirring at room temperature underwent one-hour heat-treatment at different temperatures (6001200 °C). Prior to calcination, the suspension produced in the mixer was heated on a boiling-water bath until a powder-like sample was obtained. When the silica hydrogel was metered, SiO2 content in the silica hydrogel that is 5.8 % was taken into consideration in order to guaranty the molar ratios of both SiO2 to BaO and SiO2 to Na2O equal to 1:2. BaCl2 and Eu(NO3)3 reagents were weighted so that the formation of appropriate compositions was guaranteed. Samples including various concentrations of Eu3+ ions (1.25, 2.5, 3.75, 5, 6.35, 8.65, 10, 17.5, 18.75 and 20 mol%) were synthesized by the described method. Luminescence excitation, emission spectra of the products were recorded on the Agilent Cary Eclipes fluorescence spectrophotometer using Agilent Xenon flash lamp (80 Hz) as the excitation source (scanning rate=30 nm/min, excitation and emission slits width=5 nm, excitation filter set to auto, emission filter set to auto and PMT detector Voltage=800 V). Prior to optical properties measurements, each of the powder samples was put in the solid sample-holder. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) measurements were made on the SmartLab SE diffractometer. Emission spectra recorded for all the samples at an excitation wavelength of 394 nm exhibit peaks centered at around 536, 555, 587, 614, 653, 690 and 702.5 nm. The most intensive emission peak is observed at 614nm due to 5D0→7F2 of europium (III) ions transition. Luminescence intensity achieves its maximum for Eu3+ 17.5 mol% and heat-treatment at 1200 °C. The XRPD patterns revealed that the diffraction peaks recorded for this sample are identical to NaBa6Nd(SiO4)4 reflections. As Nd-containing reagents were not involved into the synthesis, the maximum luminescent intensity is most likely to be conditioned by NaBa6Eu(SiO4)4 formation whose reflections are not available in the ICDD-JCPDS database of crystallographic 2024. Up to Eu3+ 2.5 mol% the samples demonstrate the phases corresponding to Ba2SiO4 and BaSiO3 standards. Subsequent increasing of europium (III) concentration in the system leads to NaBa6Eu(SiO4)4 formation along with Ba2SiO4 and BaSiO3. NaBa6Eu(SiO4)4 share gradually increases and starting from 17.5 mol% and more NaBa6Eu(SiO4)4 phase is only registered. Thus, the variation of europium (III) concentration in silica hydrogel–NaOH–BaCl2–Eu(NO3)3 system allows producing by the precipitation method the products composed of europium (III)-doped Ba2SiO4 and BaSiO3 and/or NaBa6Eu(SiO4)4 distinguished by different luminescent properties. The work was supported by the Science Committee of RA, in the frames of the research projects № 21T-1D131 and № 21SCG-1D013.

Keywords: europium (III)-doped barium ortho- Ba2SiO4 and metasilicates BaSiO₃, NaBa₆Eu(SiO₄)₄, luminescence, precipitation method

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Authors: K. A. Schuck, J. K. Perret, A. Mehn, K. Rommel

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Consumers increasingly consider sustainability aspects in their consumption behavior. Although, few fashion brands are already active in the second-hand luxury market with their own online platforms. Separating between base and high-end luxury brands, two online discrete choice experiments determine the drivers behind consumers’ willingness-to-pay for platform characteristics like the type of ownership, giving brands the opportunity to elicit a financial scope they can operate within.

Keywords: choice experiment, luxury, preferences, second-hand, platform, online

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Authors: Jennifer E Simpson

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Background and purpose: The ubiquitous use of the Internet and social media by children and young people has had a dual effect. The first is to open a world of possibilities and promise that is characterized by the ability to consume and create content, connect with friends, explore and experiment. The second relates to risks such as unsolicited requests, sexual exploitation, cyberbullying and commercial exploitation. This duality poses significant difficulties for a generation of foster carers and social workers who have no childhood experience to draw on in terms of growing up using the Internet, social media and digital devices. This presentation is concerned with the findings of a small qualitative study about the use of digital devices and the Internet by care-experienced young people to stay in touch with their families and the way this was managed by foster carers and social workers using specific parental mediation strategies. The findings highlight that restrictive strategies were used by foster carers and endorsed by social workers. An argument is made for an approach that develops a series of balanced solutions that move foster carers from such restrictive approaches to those that are grounded in co-use and are interpretive in nature. Methods: Using a purposive sampling strategy, 12 triads consisting of care-experienced young people (aged 13-18 years), their foster carers and allocated social workers were recruited. All respondents undertook a semi-structured interview, with the young people detailing what social media apps and other devices they used to contact their families via an Ecomap. The foster carers and social workers shared details of the methods and approaches they used to manage digital devices and the Internet in general. Data analysis was performed using a Framework analytic method to explore the various attitudes, as well as complementary and contradictory perspectives of the young people, their foster carers and allocated social workers. Findings: The majority of foster carers made use of parental mediation strategies that erred on the side of typologies that included setting rules and regulations (restrictive), ad-hoc checking of a young person’s behavior and device (monitoring), and software used to limit or block access to inappropriate websites (technical). It was noted that minimal use was made by foster carers of parental mediation strategies that included talking about content (active/interpretive) or sharing Internet activities (co-use). Amongst the majority of the social workers, they also had a strong preference for restrictive approaches. Conclusions and implications: Trepidations on the part of both foster carers and social workers about the use of digital devices and the Internet meant that the parental strategies used were weighted more towards restriction, with little use made of approaches such as co-use and interpretative. This lack of balance calls for solutions that are grounded in co-use and an interpretive approach, both of which can be achieved through training and support, as well as wider policy change.

Keywords: parental mediation strategies, risk, children in state care, online safety

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Authors: M. Jamil Amir, Rabia Iqbal, M. Yaseen

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In this paper, we solve some differential equations analytically by using differential transform method. For this purpose, we consider four models of Laplace equation with two Dirichlet and two Neumann boundary conditions and K(2,2) equation and obtain the corresponding exact solutions. The obtained results show the simplicity of the method and massive reduction in calculations when one compares it with other iterative methods, available in literature. It is worth mentioning that here only a few number of iterations are required to reach the closed form solutions as series expansions of some known functions.

Keywords: differential transform method, laplace equation, Dirichlet boundary conditions, Neumann boundary conditions

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Authors: Abe D. Desta

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This study suggests a deep learning-based method for identifying and following moving objects in surveillance video. The proposed method uses a fast regional convolution neural network (F-RCNN) trained on a substantial dataset of vehicle images to first detect vehicles. A Kalman filter and a data association technique based on a Hungarian algorithm are then used to monitor the observed vehicles throughout time. However, in general, F-RCNN algorithms have been shown to be effective in achieving high detection accuracy and robustness in this research study. For example, in one study The study has shown that the vehicle detection and tracking, the system was able to achieve an accuracy of 97.4%. In this study, the F-RCNN algorithm was compared to other popular object detection algorithms and was found to outperform them in terms of both detection accuracy and speed. The presented system, which has application potential in actual surveillance systems, shows the usefulness of deep learning approaches in vehicle detection and tracking.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, computer vision, deep learning, fast-regional convolutional neural networks, feature extraction, vehicle tracking

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Authors: Rajesh S. Mony, Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala

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An attempt is made in this study to evolve a drug development modality based on classical Ayurvedic knowledge base as well as on modern scientific methodology. The present study involves (a) identification of a specific ailment condition, (b) the selection of a polyherbal formulation, (c) deciding suitable extraction procedure, (d) confirming the efficacy of the combination by in-vitro trials and (e) fixing up the recommended dose. The ailment segment selected is arthritic condition. The selected herbal combination is Kunturushka, Vibhitaki, Guggulu, Haridra, Maricha and Nirgundi. They were selected as per Classical Ayurvedic references, Authentified as per API (Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India), Extraction of each drug was done by different ratios of Hydroalcoholic menstrums, Invitro assessment of each extract after removing residual solvent for anti-Inflammatory, anti-arthritic activities (by UV-Vis. Spectrophotometer with positive control), Invitro assessment of each extract for COX enzyme inhibition (by UV-Vis. Spectrophotometer with positive control), Selection of the extracts was made having good in-vitro activity, Performed the QC testing of each selected extract including HPTLC, that is the in process QC specifications, h. Decision of the single dose with mixtures of selected extracts was made as per the level of in-vitro activity and available toxicology data, Quantification of major groups like Phenolics, Flavonoids, Alkaloids and Bitters was done with both standard Spectrophotometric and Gravimetric methods, Method for Marker assay was developed and validated by HPTLC and a good resolved HPTLC finger print was developed for the single dosage API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient mixture of extracts), Three batches was prepared to fix the in process and API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) QC specifications.

Keywords: drug development, antiinflammatory, quality stardardisation, planar chromatography

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Authors: Edwin Forero-Garcia, Jaime Vitola, Brayan Cardenas, Johan Casagua

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This research article presents the integration of electronic and computer systems, which developed an ultrasonic signal processing system that performs the capture, adaptation, and analog-digital conversion to later carry out its processing and visualization. The capture and adaptation of the signal were carried out from the design and implementation of an analog electronic system distributed in stages: 1. Coupling of impedances; 2. Analog filter; 3. Signal amplifier. After the signal conditioning was carried out, the ultrasonic information was digitized using a digital microcontroller to carry out its respective processing. The digital processing of the signals was carried out in MATLAB software for the elaboration of A-Scan, B and D-Scan types of ultrasonic images. Then, advanced processing was performed using the SAFT technique to improve the resolution of the Scan-B-type images. Thus, the information from the ultrasonic images was displayed in a user interface developed in .Net with Visual Studio. For the validation of the system, ultrasonic signals were acquired, and in this way, the non-invasive inspection of the structures was carried out and thus able to identify the existing pathologies in them.

Keywords: acquisition, signal processing, ultrasound, SAFT, HMI

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Authors: Ali Isapour, Ramin Nateghi

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— Markov parameters are unique parameters of the system and remain unchanged under similarity transformations. Markov parameters from a power series that is convergent only if the system matrix’s eigenvalues are inside the unity circle. Therefore, Markov parameters of a stable discrete-time system are convergent. In this study, we aim to realize the system based on Markov parameters by using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and this end, we use Flexible Neural Networks. Realization means determining the elements of matrices A, B, C, and D.

Keywords: Markov parameters, realization, activation function, flexible neural network

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Authors: Ellana Boada, Eric Santos-Clotas, Alba Cabrera-Codony, Maria Martin, Lluis Baneras, Frederic Gich

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Volatile methylsiloxanes (VMS) are a group of manmade silicone compounds widely used in household and industrial applications that end up on the biogas produced through the anaerobic digestion of organic matter in landfills and wastewater treatment plants. The presence of VMS during the biogas energy conversion can cause damage on the engines, reducing the efficiency of this renewable energy source. Non regenerative adsorption onto activated carbon is the most widely used technology to remove siloxanes from biogas, while new trends point out that biotechnology offers a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional technologies. The first objective of this research was to enrich, isolate and identify bacterial species able to grow using siloxane molecules as a sole carbon source: anoxic wastewater sludge was used as initial inoculum in liquid anoxic enrichments, adding D4 (as representative siloxane compound) previously adsorbed on activated carbon. After several months of acclimatization, liquid enrichments were plated onto solid media containing D4 and thirty-four bacterial isolates were obtained. 16S rRNA gene sequencing allowed the identification of strains belonging to the following species: Ciceribacter lividus, Alicycliphilus denitrificans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas citronellolis which are described to be capable to degrade toxic volatile organic compounds. Kinetic assays with 8 representative strains revealed higher cell growth in the presence of D4 compared to the control. Our second objective was to characterize the community composition and diversity of the microbial community present in the enrichments and to elucidate whether the isolated strains were representative members of the community or not. DNA samples were extracted, the 16S rRNA gene was amplified (515F & 806R primer pair), and the microbiome analyzed from sequences obtained with a MiSeq PE250 platform. Results showed that the retrieved isolates only represented a minor fraction of the microorganisms present in the enrichment samples, which were represented by Alpha, Beta, and Gamma proteobacteria as dominant groups in the category class thus suggesting that other microbial species and/or consortia may be important for D4 biodegradation. These results highlight the need of additional protocols for the isolation of relevant D4 degraders. Currently, we are developing molecular tools targeting key genes involved in siloxane biodegradation to identify and quantify the capacity of the isolates to metabolize D4 in batch cultures supplied with a synthetic gas stream of air containing 60 mg m⁻³ of D4 together with other volatile organic compounds found in the biogas mixture (i.e. toluene, hexane and limonene). The isolates were used as inoculum in a biotrickling filter containing lava rocks and activated carbon to assess their capacity for siloxane removal. Preliminary results of biotrickling filter performance showed 35% of siloxane biodegradation in a contact time of 14 minutes, denoting that biological siloxane removal is a promising technology for biogas upgrading.

Keywords: bacterial cultivation, biogas upgrading, microbiome, siloxanes

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Authors: Jarmila Štěpánová, Martin Kudláček, Lukáš Jakubec

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The people with spinal cord injury are one of the least sport active members of our society. Their hypoactivity is determined by primary injury, i.e., the loss of motor function, the injured part of the body is connected with health complications and social handicap. Study performs one part of the standardization process of semi-structured interview PARA-SCI.CZ (Czech version of the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for People with Spinal Cord Injury), which measures the type, frequency, duration, and intensity of physical activity of people with spinal cord injury. The study focused on persons with paraplegia who use a wheelchair as their primary mode of mobility. The aim of this study was to perform a process to determine the criterion validity of PARA-SCI.CZ. The actual physical activity of wheelchair users was monitored during three days by using accelerometers Actigraph GT3X fixed on the non-dominant wrist, and semi-structured interview PARA-SCI.CZ. During the PARA-SCI.CZ interview, participants were asked to recall activities they had done over the past 3 days, starting with the previous day. PARA-SCI.CZ captured frequency, duration, and intensity (low, moderate, and heavy) of two categories of physical activity (leisure time physical activity and activities of a usual day). Accelerometer Actigraph GT3X captured duration and intensity (low and moderate + heavy) of physical activity during three days and nights. The study presented three potential recalculations of measured data. Standardization process of PARA-SCI.CZ is essential to critically approach issues of health and active lifestyle of persons with spinal cord injury in the Czech Republic. Standardized PARA-SCI.CZ can be used in practice by physiotherapists and sports pedagogues from the field of adapted physical activities.

Keywords: physical activity, lifestyle, paraplegia, semi-structure interview, accelerometer

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Authors: Kanika Saxena, Sunita Balani

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Purpose - The aim of the study is to compare the reported sustainability activities in areas of emission, water management and gender equality, currently undertaken by the seven major pharmaceutical companies. Methodology: The published corporate sustainability activity reports for the year 2017 for seven pharmaceutical companies have been studied. The two main criteria for the inclusion of pharmaceutical companies in this study are that they are globally recognized and active in the field of sustainability reporting. Company’s actions and initiatives have been grouped under three categories: (i) Emissions (ii) Water management (iii) Gender Equality in terms of employee workforce. Findings: Based on the sustainability reports, quantification and grading of the companies showed interesting results. Johnson & Johnson and Bayer are leading their activities under emissions and water management categories. The number of activities under emission and water management in case of Eli Lily, Roche, Sanofi, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline were 19, 16, 16, 11 and 6 respectively. Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lily are leading in taking the initiatives to curb the problem of emissions as compared with other 5 companies. Under the category of gender equality in terms of employee workforce, Eli Lily is leading the group of sampled companies with 47% of women employee workforce globally followed by Sanofi with 46.2% (42.2% of managers) female employees. It has also been observed that in some of the reports, gender diversification in the workforce has not been mentioned though the total number of employees were mentioned. Conclusion: This study could serve as the informative material for future in-depth industry-specific studies in order to find out the participation of the pharmaceutical companies in the reporting of the sustainability activities especially in reference to emission, water management and gender equality in the workforce. In addition to it, this can be helpful as a reference point for other companies in the pharmaceutical sector who are yet to explore the field of sustainability initiatives and reporting. Due to the limited scope of this study, only seven major players of the pharmaceutical sector who are active in the field of sustainability have been considered.

Keywords: emission, gender equality workforce, pharmaceutical, sustainability, water management

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Authors: Saumya Srivastava, Rina Maiti

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In order to achieve a better performance of vehicle detection in a complex environment, we present an efficient approach for a multi-vehicle detection system using an adaptive sliding window technique. For a given frame, image segmentation is carried out to establish the region of interest. Gradient computation followed by thresholding, denoising, and morphological operations is performed to extract the binary search image. Near-region field and far-region field are defined to generate hypotheses using the adaptive sliding window technique on the resultant binary search image. For each vehicle candidate, features are extracted using a histogram of oriented gradients, and a pre-trained support vector machine is applied for hypothesis verification. Later, the Kalman filter is used for tracking the vanishing point. The experimental results show that the method is robust and effective on various roads and driving scenarios. The algorithm was tested on highways and urban roads in India.

Keywords: gradient, vehicle detection, histograms of oriented gradients, support vector machine

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Authors: Klara Krizova, Rudolf Hela

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The topic of the article focuses on the evaluation of selected technological factors and their influence on resulting elasticity modulus of concrete. A series of various factors enter into the manufacturing process which, more or less, influences the elasticity modulus. This paper presents the results of concrete in which the influence of water coefficient and the size of maximum fraction of the aggregate on the static elasticity modulus were monitored. Part of selected results of the long-term programme was discussed in which a wide scope of various variants of proposals for the composition of concretes was evaluated.

Keywords: mix design, water-cement ratio, aggregate, modulus of elasticity

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Authors: I. Ibrahim, A. Mann

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Phytochemical screening of crude Chrysanthlum Indicum revealed the presence of carbohydrates, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkanoids, steroidal nucleus and cardiac glycosides. The extract was evaluated against some pathogenic organisms by agar dilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bacteriocidal concentration (MBC) of the active extract of Chrysanthlum Indicum shows that its extract could be a potential source of antimicrobial agents.

Keywords: extract, phytochemicals, antimicrobial, antibacterial, Chrysanthlum indicum

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Authors: Ayda Youssef, Tarek Rafaat, Iman zaky

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Purpose: Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis (LCH) is not uncommon pathology that implies aberrant proliferation of a specific dendritic (Langerhans) cell. These atypical but mature cells of monoclonal origin can infiltrate many sites of the body and may occur as localized lesions or as widespread systemic disease. Liver is one of the uncommon sites of affection. The twofold objective of this study is to illustrate the radiological presentation of this disease, and to compare these results with previously reported series. Methods and Materials: Between 2007 and 2012, 150 patients with biopsy-proven LCH were treated in our hospital, a paediatric cancer tertiary care center. A retrospective review of radiographic images and reports was performed. There were 33 patients with liver affection are stratified. All patients underwent imaging studies, mostly US and CT. A chart review was performed to obtain demographic, clinical and radiological data. They were analyzed and compared to other published series. Results: Retrospective assessment of 150 patients with LCH was performed, among them 33 patients were identified who had liver involvement. All these patients developed multisystemic disease; They were 12 females and 21 males with (n= 32), seven of them had marked hepatomegaly. Diffuse hypodense liver parenchyma was encountered in five cases, the periportal location has a certain predilection in cases of focal affection where three cases has a hypodense periportal soft tissue sheets, one of them associated with dilated biliary radicals, only one case has multiple focal lesions unrelated to portal tracts. On follow up of the patients, two cases show abnormal morphology of liver with bossy outline. Conclusion: LCH is a not infrequent disease. A high-index suspicion should be raised in the context of diagnosis of liver affection. A biopsy is recommended in the presence of radiological suspicion. Chemotherapy is the preferred therapeutic modality. Liver histiocytosis are not disease specific features but should be interpreted in conjunction with the clinical history and the results of biopsy. Clinical Relevance/Application: Radiologist should be aware of different patterns of hepatobiliary histiocytosis, Thus early diagnosis and proper management of patient can be conducted.

Keywords: langerhans’ cell histiocytosis, liver, medical and health sciences, radiology

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Authors: Zoltán Höhling, Sarah-Lu Oberschelp, Niklas Gilsdorf, Michael Wirsching, Andrea Kuhnert

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A majority of medical students at the University of Freiburg reported stress-related psychosomatic symptoms which are often associated with their studies. International research supports these findings, as medical students worldwide seem to be at special risk for mental health problems. In some countries and institutions, psychologically based interventions that assist medical students in coping with their stressors have been implemented. It turned out that anonymity is an important aspect here. Many students fear a potential damage of reputation when being associated with mental health problems, which may be due to a high level of competitiveness in classes. Therefore, we launched an online-platform where medical students could anonymously seek help and exchange their experiences with fellow students and experts. Medical students of all semesters have access to it through the university’s learning management system (called “ILIAS”). The informative part of the platform consists of exemplary videos showing medical students (actors) who act out scenes that demonstrate the antecedents of stress-related psychosomatic disorders. These videos are linked to different expert comments, describing the exhibited symptoms in an understandable and normalizing way. The (inter-)active part of the platform consists of self-help tools (such as meditation exercises or general tips for stress-coping) and an anonymous interactive forum where students can describe their stress-related problems and seek guidance from experts and/or share their experiences with fellow students. Besides creating an immediate proposal to help affected students, we expect that competitiveness between students might be diminished and bondage improved through mutual support between them. In the initial phase after the platform’s launch, it was accessed by a considerable number of medical students. On a closer look it appeared that platform sections like general information on psychosomatic-symptoms and self-treatment tools were accessed far more often than the online-forum during the first months after the platform launch. Although initial acceptance of the platform was relatively high, students showed a rather passive way of using our platform. While user statistics showed a clear demand for information on stress-related psychosomatic symptoms and its possible remedies, active engagement in the interactive online-forum was rare. We are currently advertising the platform intensively and trying to point out the assured anonymity of the platform and its interactive forum. Our plans, to assure students their anonymity through the use of an e-learning facility and promote active engagement in the online forum, did not (yet) turn out as expected. The reasons behind this may be manifold and based on either e-learning related issues or issues related to students’ individual needs. Students might, for example, question the assured anonymity due to a lack of trust in the technological functioning university’s learning management system. However, one may also conclude that reluctance to discuss stress-related psychosomatic symptoms with peer medical students may not be solely based on anonymity concerns, but could be rooted in more complex issues such as general mistrust between students.

Keywords: e-tutoring, stress-coping, student support, online forum

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Authors: Siba Soren, Purnendu Parhi

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Today, the world is facing a severe challenge due to depletion of traditional fossil fuels. Scientists across the globe are working for a solution that involves a dramatic shift to practical and environmentally sustainable energy sources. High-capacity energy systems, such as metal-air batteries, fuel cells, are highly desirable to meet the urgent requirement of sustainable energies. Among the fuel cells, Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are recognized as an ideal power source for mobile applications and have received considerable attention in recent past. In this advanced electrochemical energy conversion technologies, Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) is of utmost importance. However, the poor kinetics of cathodic ORR in DMFCs significantly hampers their possibilities of commercialization. The oxygen is reduced in alkaline medium either through a 4-electron (equation i) or a 2-electron (equation ii) reduction pathway at the cathode ((i) O₂ + 2H₂O + 4e⁻ → 4OH⁻, (ii) O₂ + H₂O + 2e⁻ → OH⁻ + HO₂⁻ ). Due to sluggish ORR kinetics the ability to control the reduction of molecular oxygen electrocatalytically is still limited. The electrocatalytic ORR starts with adsorption of O₂ on the electrode surface followed by O–O bond activation/cleavage and oxide removal. The reaction further involves transfer of 4 electrons and 4 protons. The sluggish kinetics of ORR, on the one hand, demands high loading of precious metal-containing catalysts (e.g., Pt), which unfavorably increases the cost of these electrochemical energy conversion devices. Therefore, synthesis of active electrocatalyst with an increase in ORR performance is need of the hour. In the recent literature, there are many reports on transition metal oxide (TMO) based ORR catalysts for their high activity TMOs are also having drawbacks like low electrical conductivity, which seriously affects the electron transfer process during ORR. It was found that 2D graphene layer is having high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and excellent chemical stability, appeared to be an ultimate choice as support material to enhance the catalytic performance of bare metal oxide. g-C₃N₄ is also another candidate that has been used by the researcher for improving the ORR performance of metal oxides. This material provides more active reaction sites than other N containing carbon materials. Rare earth oxide like CeO₂ is also a good candidate for studying the ORR activity as the metal oxide not only possess unique electronic properties but also possess catalytically active sites. Here we will discuss the ORR performance (in alkaline medium) of N-rGO/C₃N₄ supported nano Cerium Oxides hybrid synthesized by microwave assisted Solvothermal method. These materials exhibit superior electrochemical stability and methanol tolerance capability to that of commercial Pt/C.

Keywords: oxygen reduction reaction, electrocatalyst, cerium oxide, graphene

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Authors: Hansraj Bookun, Angela Tan, Rachel Xuan, Linheng Zhao, Kejia Wang, Animesh Singla, David Kim, Christopher Loupos

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Introduction: Incisional wound complications in vascular surgery patients represent a significant clinical and econometric burden of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to trial the feasibility of applying the Prevena negative pressure incision management system as a routine dressing in patients who had undergone arterial surgery. Conventionally, Prevena has been applied to groin incisions, but this study features applications on multiple wound sites such as the thigh or major amputation stumps. Method: This was a cross-sectional observational, single-centre case series of 12 patients who had undergone major vascular surgery. Their wounds were managed with the Prevena system being applied either intra-operatively or on the first post-operative day. Demographic and operative details were collated as well as the length of stay and complication rates. Results: There were 9 males (75%) with mean age of 66 years and the comorbid burden was as follows: ischaemic heart disease (92%), diabetes (42%), hypertension (100%), stage 4 or greater kidney impairment (17%) and current or ex-smoking (83%). The main indications were acute ischaemia (33%), claudication (25%), and gangrene (17%). There were single instances of an occluded popliteal artery aneurysm, diabetic foot infection, and rest pain. The majority of patients (50%) had hybrid operations with iliofemoral endarterectomies, patch arterioplasties, and further peripheral endovascular treatment. There were 4 complex arterial bypass operations and 2 major amputations. The mean length of stay was 17 ± 10 days, with a range of 4 to 35 days. A single complication, in the form of a lymphocoele, was encountered in the context of an iliofemoral endarterectomy and patch arterioplasty. This was managed conservatively. There were no deaths. Discussion: The Prevena wound management system shows that in conjunction with safe vascular surgery, absolute wound complication rates remain low and that it remains a valuable adjunct in the treatment of vasculopaths.

Keywords: wound care, negative pressure, vascular surgery, closed incision

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Authors: Legkikh Victoria

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The purpose of keeping bi/multilingualism is usually a way to let the child speak two/three languages at the same level. The main problem which normally appears is a mixed language or a domination of one language. The same level of two or more languages would be ideal but practically not easily reachable. So it was made an experiment with a girl with a natural multilingualism as an attempt to avoid a dominant language in the preschool age. The girl lives in Germany and the main languages for her are Italian, Russian and German but she also hears every day English. ‘One parent – one language’ strategy was used since the beginning so Italian and Russian were spoken to her since her birth, English was spoken between the parents and when she was 1,5 it was added German as a language of a nursery. In order to avoid a dominant language, she was always put in international groups with activity in different languages. Even if it was not possible to avoid an interference of languages in this case we can talk not only about natural multilingualism but also about balanced bilingualism in preschool time. The languages have been developing in parallel with different accents in a different period. Now at the age of 6 we can see natural horizontal multilingualism Russian/Italian/German/English. At the moment, her Russian/Italian bilingualism is balanced. German vocabulary is less but the language is active and English is receptive. We can also see a reciprocal interference of all the three languages (English is receptive so the simple phrases are normally said correctly but they are not enough to judge the level of language interference and it is not noticed any ‘English’ mistakes in other languages). After analysis of the state of every language, we can see as a positive and negative result of the experiment. As a positive result we can see that in the age of 6 the girl does not refuse any language, three languages are active, she differentiate languages and even if she says a word from another language she notifies that it is not a correct word, and the most important are the fact, that she does not have a preferred language. As a prove of the last statement it is to be noticed not only her self-identification as ‘half Russian and half Italian’ but also an answer to the question about her ‘mother tongue’: ‘I do not know, probably, when I have my own children I will speak one day Russian and one day Italian and sometimes German’. As a negative result, we can notice that not only a development of all the three languages are a little bit slower than it is supposed for her age but since she does not have a dominating language she also does not have a ‘perfect’ language and the interference is reciprocal. In any case, the experiment shows that it is possible to keep at least two languages without a preference in a pre-school multilingual space.

Keywords: balanced bilingualism, language interference, natural multilingualism, preschool multilingual education

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Authors: Hummera Rafique, Aamer Saeed

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Thioureas are highly biologically active compounds, as many important applications are associated with this nucleus. They serve as exceptionally versatile building block for the synthesis of wide variety of heterocyclic systems, which also possess extensive range of bioactivities. These thioureas were converted into five-membered heterocycles with imino moiety like ethyl 4-[2-benzamido-4-methylthiazol-3(2H)-yl)]benzoates (2a-j) by base catalyzed cyclization of corresponding thioureas with 2-bromoacetone and triethylamine in good yields.

Keywords: ethyl 4-[2-benzamido-4-methylthiazol-3(2H)-yl)]benzoates, ethyl 4-(3-benzoylthioureido) benzoates, antibacterial activity

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Authors: Brajesh Kumar, Luis Cumbal

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An eco-friendly Citrus paradisi peel extract mediated synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles is reported under sonication. U.V.-vis, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering and X-ray analyses are performed to characterize the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles. It is almost spherical in shape, having a size of 60–140 nm and the XRD peaks at 2θ = 25.363° confirm the characteristic facets for anatase form. The synthesized nano catalyst is highly active in the decomposition of methyl orange (64 mg/L) in sunlight (~73%) for 2.5 hours.

Keywords: eco-friendly, TiO2 nanoparticles, citrus paradisi, TEM

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Authors: Elaiho Osaruwense, Ajuzie Godson Chidiebere

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Nigeria of at least 250 ethnic group a have suffered a lot of social, economic and political setback especially in the regime of oil and gas, that are exploited from the minority region of the Niger south -south areas. The rate of insecurity in the north gives a lot of questioning and concern, with the series of killings by the Boko Haram in some part of the north etc. the fact still remains on how the gap and the compromise will be reconciling especially with the incoming president of Muhammadu Buhari with all the problems which was not resolve by the past administration (President Ebele Jonathan), considering the configuration and the character of the Nigerian state. This paper tends to critically evaluate all this problems, assertion, proffering possible solution.

Keywords: ethnic minority, oil theft, insecurity, the gap and the compromise

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Authors: S. S. Awanti, Aravindakumar B. Harwalkar

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Concrete construction in future has to be environmental friendly apart from being safe so that society at large is benefited by the huge investments made in the infrastructure projects. To achieve this, component materials of the concrete system have to be optimized with reference to sustainability. This paper presents a study on development of mix proportions of high volume fly ash concrete (HFC). A series of HFC mixtures with cement replacement levels varying between 50% and 65% were prepared with water/binder ratios of 0.3 and 0.35. Compressive strength values were obtained at different ages. From the experimental results, pozzolanic efficiency ratios and mix design curves for HFC were established.

Keywords: age factor, compressive strength, high volume fly ash concrete, pozolanic efficiency ratio

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Authors: Rizwan Ullah, Abdar Ali, Zahid Ullah

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This paper illustrates the study of three isolated zero voltage switched (ZVS) PWM full bridge (FB) converters to charge the high voltage battery in the charger of electric vehicle (EV). EV battery chargers have several challenges such as high efficiency, high reliability, low cost, isolation, and high power density. The cost of magnetic and filter components in the battery charger is reduced when switching frequency is increased. The increase in the switching frequency increases switching losses. ZVS is used to reduce switching losses and to operate the converter in the battery charger at high frequency. The performance of each of the three converters is evaluated on the basis of ZVS range, dead times of the switches, conduction losses of switches, circulating current stress, circulating energy, duty cycle loss, and efficiency. The limitations and merits of each PWM FB converter are reviewed. The converter with broader ZVS range, high efficiency and low switch stresses is selected for battery charger applications in EV.

Keywords: electric vehicle, PWM FB converter, zero voltage switching, circulating energy

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Authors: Elias Nemer, Greg Vines

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Time-frequency transformation and spectral representations of audio signals are commonly used in various machine learning applications. Training networks on frequency features such as the Mel-Spectrogram or Cochleogram have been proven more effective and convenient than training on-time samples. In practical realizations, these features are created on a different processor and/or pre-computed and stored on disk, requiring additional efforts and making it difficult to experiment with different features. In this paper, we provide a PyTorch framework for creating various spectral features as well as time-frequency transformation and time-domain filter-banks using the built-in trainable conv1d() layer. This allows computing these features on the fly as part of a larger network and enabling easier experimentation with various combinations and parameters. Our work extends the work in the literature developed for that end: First, by adding more of these features and also by allowing the possibility of either starting from initialized kernels or training them from random values. The code is written as a template of classes and scripts that users may integrate into their own PyTorch classes or simply use as is and add more layers for various applications.

Keywords: neural networks Mel-Spectrogram, chromagram, cochleogram, discrete Fourrier transform, PyTorch conv1d()

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Authors: Jin Zhi

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This study focuses on a green screen keying method developed especially for film visual effects. There are a series of ways of using existing tools for creating mattes from green or blue screen plates. However, it is still a time-consuming process, and the results vary especially when it comes to retaining tiny details, such as hair and fur. This paper introduces an alternative concept and method for retaining edge details of characters on a green screen plate, also, a number of connected mathematical equations are explored. At the end of this study, a simplified process of applying this method in real productions is also introduced.

Keywords: green screen, visual effects, compositing, matte

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