Search results for: applied art

Authors: Mahdiar Hosseighadiry, Farnaz Fotovatikhah, Razali Ismail, Mohsen Khaledian, Mehdi Saeidemanesh

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In this paper, a new low-power high-performance full adder is presented based on a new design method. The proposed method relies on pass gate design and provides full-swing circuits with minimum number of transistors. The method has been applied on SUM, COUT and XOR-XNOR modules resulting on rail-to-rail intermediate and output signals with no feedback transistors. The presented full adder cell has been simulated in 45 and 32 nm CMOS technologies using HSPICE considering parasitic capacitance and compared to several well-known designs from literature. In addition, the proposed cell has been extensively evaluated with different output loads, supply voltages, temperatures, threshold voltages, and operating frequencies. Results show that it functions properly under all mentioned conditions and exhibits less PDP compared to other design styles.

Keywords: full adders, low-power, high-performance, VLSI design

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Authors: M. Y. Ismail, M. Inam, A. F. M. Zain, N. Misran

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Progressive phase distribution is an important consideration in reflect array antenna design which is required to form a planar wave in front of the reflect array aperture. This paper presents a detailed mathematical model in order to determine the required reflection phase values from individual element of a reflect array designed in Ku-band frequency range. The proposed technique of obtaining reflection phase can be applied for any geometrical design of elements and is independent of number of array elements. Moreover the model also deals with the solution of reflect array antenna design with both centre and off-set feed configurations. The theoretical modeling has also been implemented for reflect arrays constructed on 0.508 mm thickness of different dielectric substrates. The results show an increase in the slope of the phase curve from 4.61°/mm to 22.35°/mm by varying the material properties.

Keywords: mathematical modeling, progressive phase distribution, reflect array antenna, reflection phase

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Authors: Athirat Intajorn

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According to the ASEAN free trade areas (AFTA), Thailand has applied the AFTA agreement for reducing tariffs and reflecting changes in business processes. The reflection of changes in agribusiness processes, in particular, has accumulated as production costs for producers. Palm Oil industry has become an important industry to Thailand economic. Thailand currently ranks the 3rd in the world for Crude Palm Oil CPO. Therefore, the scope of this paper presents a research framework to investigate the supply chain management practices in Thailand palm oil industry. This research is limit to literature review. And the proposed framework identifies the criteria of supply chain management for Thailand palm oil industry in order for linkage among entities within logistics management involving plantation, mill, collection port, refinery and cookie from the data utilization. The Supply Chain Management Practices in Thailand Palm Oil Industry framework has a somewhat different view due to the high complexity of agribusiness logistics management.

Keywords: supply chain management, practice, palm oil industry, Thailand palm oil industry

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Authors: Fadzil Ahmad, Noor Ashidi Mat Isa

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This study introduces an improved genetic algorithm procedure that focuses search around near optimal solution corresponded to a group of elite chromosome. This is achieved through a novel crossover technique known as Segmented Multi Chromosome Crossover. It preserves the highly important information contained in a gene segment of elite chromosome and allows an offspring to carry information from gene segment of multiple chromosomes. In this way the algorithm has better possibility to effectively explore the solution space. The improved GA is applied for the automatic and simultaneous parameter optimization and feature selection of artificial neural network in pattern recognition of medical problem, the cancer and diabetes disease. The experimental result shows that the average classification accuracy of the cancer and diabetes dataset has improved by 0.1% and 0.3% respectively using the new algorithm.

Keywords: genetic algorithm, artificial neural network, pattern clasification, classification accuracy

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Authors: Shruti Motiwale, Xianlin Zhou, Reuben H. Kraft

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Military and sports personnel are often required to wear heavy helmets for extended periods of time. This leads to excessive cyclic loads on the neck and an increased chance of injury. Computational models offer one approach to understand and predict the time progression of disc degeneration under severe cyclic loading. In this paper, we have applied an analytic non-linear damage evolution model to estimate damage evolution in an intervertebral disc due to cyclic loads over decade-long time periods. We have also proposed a novel strategy for inclusion of recovery in the damage model. Our results show that damage only grows 20% in the initial 75% of the life, growing exponentially in the remaining 25% life. The analysis also shows that it is crucial to include recovery in a damage model.

Keywords: cervical spine, computational biomechanics, damage evolution, intervertebral disc, continuum damage mechanics

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Authors: Sina Mahdavi, Faeze Noruzpur, Aysuda Noruzpur

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This paper proposes a high linear, low power and wideband Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA) with a direct current (DC) gain range of -10.2dB to 60.7dB. By applying the proposed idea to the folded cascade amplifier, it is possible to achieve a 71dB DC gain, 35MHz (-3dB) bandwidth, accompanied by high linearity and low sensitivity as well. It is noteworthy that the proposed idea can be able to apply on every differential amplifier, too. Moreover, the total power consumption and unity gain bandwidth of the proposed VGA is 1.41mW with a power supply of 1.8 volts and 4.37GHz, respectively, and 0.8pF capacitor load is applied at the output nodes of the amplifier. Furthermore, the proposed structure is simulated in whole process corners and different temperatures in the region of -60 to +90 ºC. Simulations are performed for all corner conditions by HSPICE using the BSIM3 model of the 180nm CMOS technology and MATLAB software.

Keywords: variable gain amplifier, low power, low voltage, folded cascade, amplifier, DC gain

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Authors: Hasan Basri Jumin

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Using the slaughterhouse waste combined to suitable dose of nitrogen fertilizer to Apium glaviolen gives the significant effect to mean relative growth rate. The same pattern also showed significantly in net assimilation rate. The net assimilation rate increased significantly during 42 days old plants. Combination of treatment of 100 ml/l animal slaughterhouse waste and 0.1 g/kg nitrogen fertilizer/kg soil increased the vegetative growth of Apium glaviolens. The biomass of plant and mean relative growth rate of Apium glaviolens were rapidly increased in 4 weeks after planting and gradually decreased after 35 days at the harvest time. Combination of 100 ml/l slaughterhouse waste and applied 0.1 g/kg nitrogen fertilizer has increased all parameters. The highest vegetative growth, biomass, mean relative growth rate and net assimilation rate were received from 0.56 mg-l.m-2.days-1.

Keywords: Apium glaviolent, nitrogen, pollutant, slaughterhouse, waste

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Authors: Davide Fuscà, Kanan Rahimli, Roberto Leuzzi

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Preventing abuse and illegal activities in a given area of the sea is a very difficult and expensive task. Artificial intelligence offers the possibility to implement new methods to identify the vessel class type from the kinematic features of the vessel itself. The task strictly depends on the quality of the data. This paper explores the application of a deep, long short-term memory model by using AIS flow only with a relatively low quality. The proposed model reaches high accuracy on detecting nine vessel classes representing the most common vessel types in the Ionian-Adriatic Sea. The model has been applied during the Adriatic-Ionian trial period of the international EU ANDROMEDA H2020 project to identify vessels performing behaviors far from the expected one depending on the declared type.

Keywords: maritime surveillance, artificial intelligence, behavior analysis, LSTM

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Authors: Mehdi Abbasi, Masoumeh Majidi Zolbin

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Varicocele is one of the common causes of infertility in 30-50% of married men which occurs within the spermatic cord. It can be considered as an abnormal dilatation and stasis of veins of the pampiniform plexus that drain the testis. It occurs in 15-20% of the male population. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity has been frequently reported in varicose veins. Several studies have considered the relationship between varicocele and semen NO concentrations. NOS isoforms have been shown to regulate a number of functions, e.g., sperm motility and maturation and germ cell apoptosis in the testes. In adult patients with varicocele, the amount of NO levels in the varicose veins are 25 times higher than in serum of peripheral veins. The aim of this study was to review the effect of different antioxidant that we applied so far on sperm parameters as well as sperm DNA fragmentation. The findings of this study suggest that antioxidants improve sperm parameters which are associated with infertility in varicocelized rats, and treatment can reduce damage to sperm DNA and increase the chance of fertility.

Keywords: antioxidant, rat, sperm parameter, varicocele

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Authors: Efstratios Karavasilis, Foteini Christidi, Georgios Velonakis, Agapi Plousi, Kalliopi Platoni, Nikolaos Kelekis, Ioannis Evdokimidis, Efstathios Efstathopoulos

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Introduction: Advanced structural and functional neuroimaging techniques contribute to the study of anatomical and functional brain connectivity and its role in the pathophysiology and symptoms’ heterogeneity in several neurodegenerative disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Aim: In the present study, we applied multiparametric neuroimaging techniques to investigate the structural and functional cortico-cerebellar changes in MS patients. Material: We included 51 MS patients (28 with clinically isolated syndrome [CIS], 31 with relapsing-remitting MS [RRMS]) and 51 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) who underwent MRI in a 3.0T MRI scanner. Methodology: The acquisition protocol included high-resolution 3D T1 weighted, diffusion-weighted imaging and echo planar imaging sequences for the analysis of volumetric, tractography and functional resting state data, respectively. We performed between-group comparisons (CIS, RRMS, HC) using CAT12 and CONN16 MATLAB toolboxes for the analysis of volumetric (cerebellar gray matter density) and functional (cortico-cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity) data, respectively. Brainance suite was used for the analysis of tractography data (cortico-cerebellar white matter integrity; fractional anisotropy [FA]; axial and radial diffusivity [AD; RD]) to reconstruct the cerebellum tracts. Results: Patients with CIS did not show significant gray matter (GM) density differences compared with HC. However, they showed decreased FA and increased diffusivity measures in cortico-cerebellar tracts, and increased cortico-cerebellar functional connectivity. Patients with RRMS showed decreased GM density in cerebellar regions, decreased FA and increased diffusivity measures in cortico-cerebellar WM tracts, as well as a pattern of increased and mostly decreased functional cortico-cerebellar connectivity compared to HC. The comparison between CIS and RRMS patients revealed significant GM density difference, reduced FA and increased diffusivity measures in WM cortico-cerebellar tracts and increased/decreased functional connectivity. The identification of decreased WM integrity and increased functional cortico-cerebellar connectivity without GM changes in CIS and the pattern of decreased GM density decreased WM integrity and mostly decreased functional connectivity in RRMS patients emphasizes the role of compensatory mechanisms in early disease stages and the disintegration of structural and functional networks with disease progression. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study highlights the added value of multimodal neuroimaging techniques for the in vivo investigation of cortico-cerebellar brain changes in neurodegenerative disorders. An extension and future opportunity to leverage multimodal neuroimaging data inevitably remain the integration of such data in the recently-applied mathematical approaches of machine learning algorithms to more accurately classify and predict patients’ disease course.

Keywords: advanced neuroimaging techniques, cerebellum, MRI, multiple sclerosis

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Authors: Fujio Akagi, Hiroaki Ito, Shin-Ichi Inage

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The aim of this study is to develop a combustion model that can be applied uniformly to laminar and turbulent premixed flames while considering the effect of the Lewis number (Le). The model considers the effect of Le on the transport equations of the reaction progress, which varies with the chemical species and temperature. The distribution of the reaction progress variable is approximated by a hyperbolic tangent function, while the other distribution of the reaction progress variable is estimated using the approximated distribution and transport equation of the reaction progress variable considering the Le. The validity of the model was evaluated under the conditions of propane with Le > 1 and methane with Le = 1 (equivalence ratios of 0.5 and 1). The estimated results were found to be in good agreement with those of previous studies under all conditions. A method of introducing a turbulence model into this model is also described. It was confirmed that conventional turbulence models can be expressed as an approximate theory of this model in a unified manner.

Keywords: combustion model, laminar flame, Lewis number, turbulent flame

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Authors: Liang Zhao, Chong-quan Zhong

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In order to improve the control performance of vector inverter, an improved parameter identification solution for induction motor is proposed in this paper. Dc or AC voltage is applied to the induction motor using the SVPWM through the inverter. Then stator resistance, stator leakage inductance, rotor resistance, rotor leakage inductance and mutual inductance are obtained according to the signal response. The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is used to deal with the noise and harmonic. The impact on parameter identification caused by delays in the inverter switch tube, tube voltage drop and dead-time is avoided by effective compensation measures. Finally, the parameter identification experiment is conducted based on the vector inverter which using TMS320F2808 DSP as the core processor and results show that the strategy is verified.

Keywords: vector inverter, parameter identification, SVPWM; DFT, dead-time compensation

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Authors: Mary L. G. S. Senna, Veruska, C. Dutra, Jr., Keity L. F. Oliveira, Patrícia A. Santos, Alana C. M. Santana

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Environmental impacts are the changes in the physical, chemical or biological properties of natural areas that are most often caused by human actions on the environment and which have consequences for human health, society and the elements of nature. The identification of the environmental impacts is important so that they are mitigated, and above all that the mitigating measures are applied in the area. This work aims to identify the environmental impacts generated in the Praia do Caju area in the city of Palmas/Brazil and show that the lack of structure on the beach intensifies the environmental impacts. The present work was carried out having as parameter, the typologies of exploratory and descriptive and quantitative research through a matrix of environmental impacts through direct observation and registration. The study took place during the holidays from August to December 2016 and photographic record of impacts. From the collected data it was possible to verify that Caju beach suffers constant degradation due to irregular deposition.

Keywords: leisure, tourism, environmental impacts, Brazil

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Authors: Khaled Moaddy

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In this paper, we present a fast and accurate numerical scheme for the solution of a Laplace equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The non-standard finite difference scheme (NSFD) is applied to construct the numerical solutions of a Laplace equation with two different Dirichlet boundary conditions. The solutions obtained using NSFD are compared with the solutions obtained using the standard finite difference scheme (SFD). The NSFD scheme is demonstrated to be reliable and efficient.

Keywords: standard finite difference schemes, non-standard schemes, Laplace equation, Dirichlet boundary conditions

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Authors: Karima Megdouli, Bourhan tachtouch

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Ejector refrigeration cycles offer an alternative to conventional systems for producing cold from low-temperature heat. In this article, a thermodynamic model is presented. This model has the advantage of simplifying the calculation algorithm and describes the complex double-throttling mechanism that occurs in the ejector. The model assumption and calculation algorithm are presented first. The impact of each efficiency is evaluated. Validation is performed on several data sets. The ejector model is then used to simulate a RES (refrigeration ejector system), to validate its robustness and suitability for use in predicting thermodynamic cycle performance. A Taguchi and ANOVA optimization is carried out on a RES. TOPSIS analysis was applied to decide the optimum refrigerants with cost, safety, environmental and enviro economic concerns along with thermophysical properties.

Keywords: ejector, velocity distribution, shock circle, Taguchi and ANOVA optimization, TOPSIS analysis

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Authors: Satyendra Pratap Singh, S. P. Singh

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This paper presents a methodology using Gravitational Search Algorithm for optimal placement of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in order to achieve complete observability of the power system. The objective of proposed algorithm is to minimize the total number of PMUs at the power system buses, which in turn minimize installation cost of the PMUs. In this algorithm, the searcher agents are collection of masses which interact with each other using Newton’s laws of gravity and motion. This new Gravitational Search Algorithm based method has been applied to the IEEE 14-bus, IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus test systems. Case studies reveal optimal number of PMUs with better observability by proposed method.

Keywords: gravitational search algorithm (GSA), law of motion, law of gravity, observability, phasor measurement unit

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Authors: Jasim Saleh Said AlDairi

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The potential of applying Lean Management in Higher Education Institutions has increased significantly in last few years, leading to tremendous savings. Reviewing and updating competencies’ curriculum matrix is one of the critical and complicated processes that consume time and effort, and this has triggered searching for a scientific and sustainable approach to manage the such review. This paper presents a novel approach of implementing Lean (5S) methodology in reviewing technical competencies required for the graduates of the Military Technological College (MTC) in the Sultanate of Oman. The 5S framework has been imbedded into an action plan using the PDCA cycle. As a result, the method applied has helped in sorting out the actual required competencies, the team has identified the required (new, amended, and deleted) competencies in all of the targeted Engineering Departments, in addition, the major wastes within the overall process were identified, and the future review process was standardized and documented.

Keywords: PDCA, 5S, lean, MTC, competencies, curriculum matrix, higher education

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Authors: Hamid Mustafa, Huson J. Heather, Kim Eiusoo, Adeela Ajmal, Tad S. Sonstegard

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the informativeness of Bovine high density SNPs genotyping in Sahiwal cattle population. This is a first attempt to assess the Bovine HD SNP genotyping array in any Pakistani indigenous cattle population. To evaluate these SNPs on genome wide scale, we considered 777,962 SNPs spanning the whole autosomal and X chromosomes in Sahiwal cattle population. Fifteen (15) non related gDNA samples were genotyped with the bovine HD infinium. Approximately 500,939 SNPs were found polymorphic (MAF > 0.05) in Sahiwal cattle population. The results of this study indicate potential application of Bovine High Density SNP genotyping in Pakistani indigenous cattle population. The information generated from this array can be applied in genetic prediction, characterization and genome wide association studies of Pakistani Sahiwal cattle population.

Keywords: Sahiwal cattle, polymorphic SNPs, genotyping, Pakistan

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Authors: Routsukol Sunalai

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This research was to study the relationship between the organizational culture like bureaucratic system, and patronage system in government hospitals with hospital accreditation and its impact on the quality of service in the government hospital accredited. Qualitative research was applied in this study by in-depth interviews with samples containing 20 public welfare service providers, i.e. doctors, nurses and practical nurses and 20 service recipients in the units of study. It was found that the bureaucracy still existed and was evidenced by the structure of the line of command; work systems, clear cut duty divisions, procedures and plans, and the patronage system hindered the quality of service in the government hospitals under the process of development and accreditation. The administrators should encourage and support the creation of a learning process in the organization for self-improvement and work development.

Keywords: hospital in Dusit Area, organization culture, the quality of service, economics and financial engineering

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Authors: P. Subbuthai, S. Muruganand

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Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the complicated diseases and it is caused by the changes in the blood vessels of the retina. Extraction of retina image through Fundus camera sometimes produced poor contrast and noises. Because of this noise, detection of blood vessels in the retina is very complicated. So preprocessing is needed, in this paper, a novel algorithm is implemented to remove the noisy pixel in the retina image. The proposed algorithm is Extended Median Filter and it is applied to the green channel of the retina because green channel vessels are brighter than the background. Proposed extended median filter is compared with the existing standard median filter by performance metrics such as PSNR, MSE and RMSE. Experimental results show that the proposed Extended Median Filter algorithm gives a better result than the existing standard median filter in terms of noise suppression and detail preservation.

Keywords: fundus retina image, diabetic retinopathy, median filter, microaneurysms, exudates

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Authors: Jae-Joon Song, Sang-Yoon Lee, Bong-Chul Joo

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The girder-type precast modular bridge has been developed as a simply supported bridge. The girder-type precast modular bridge could be applied to the multi-span bridges through the continuity method. The continuity of the girder-type precast modular bridge is achieved by using the link slab which is easy to construction and appropriate to the rapid construction. In this study, the link slab with transition zone was used for the continuity of the precast modular bridges, and the construction detail of link slab was modified. In addition, the modified iterative design method of link slab was proposed in this study. To verify the proposed design method, the fatigue test using the mock-up specimen was conducted with cycle loading condition up to two million cycles.

Keywords: precast, modular bridge, link slab

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Authors: Chien-Ho Lin, Ho-Ching Yang, Barbara Knowlton, Shin-Leh Huang, Ming-Chang Chiang

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Practicing motor tasks arranged in an interleaved order (interleaved practice, or IP) generally leads to better learning than practicing tasks in a repetitive order (repetitive practice, or RP), an example of how desirable difficulty during practice benefits learning. Greater difficulty during practice, e.g. IP, is associated with greater brain activity measured by higher blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the sensorimotor areas of the brain. In this study resting-state fMRI was applied to investigate whether increase in resting-state brain connectivity immediately after practice predicts the benefit of desirable difficulty to motor learning. 26 healthy adults (11M/15F, age = 23.3±1.3 years) practiced two sets of three sequences arranged in a repetitive or an interleaved order over 2 days, followed by a retention test on Day 5 to evaluate learning. On each practice day, fMRI data were acquired in a resting state after practice. The resting-state fMRI data was decomposed using a group-level spatial independent component analysis (ICA), yielding 9 independent components (IC) matched to the precuneus network, primary visual networks (two ICs, denoted by I and II respectively), sensorimotor networks (two ICs, denoted by I and II respectively), the right and the left frontoparietal networks, occipito-temporal network, and the frontal network. A weighted resting-state functional connectivity (wRSFC) was then defined to incorporate information from within- and between-network brain connectivity. The within-network functional connectivity between a voxel and an IC was gauged by a z-score derived from the Fisher transformation of the IC map. The between-network connectivity was derived from the cross-correlation of time courses across all possible pairs of ICs, leading to a symmetric nc x nc matrix of cross-correlation coefficients, denoted by C = (pᵢⱼ). Here pᵢⱼ is the extremum of cross-correlation between ICs i and j; nc = 9 is the number of ICs. This component-wise cross-correlation matrix C was then projected to the voxel space, with the weights for each voxel set to the z-score that represents the above within-network functional connectivity. The wRSFC map incorporates the global characteristics of brain networks measured by the between-network connectivity, and the spatial information contained in the IC maps measured by the within-network connectivity. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that greater IP-minus-RP difference in wRSFC was positively correlated with the RP-minus-IP difference in the response time on Day 5, particularly in brain regions crucial for motor learning, such as the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and the right premotor and supplementary motor cortices. This indicates that enhanced resting brain connectivity during the early phase of memory consolidation is associated with enhanced learning following interleaved practice, and as such wRSFC could be applied as a biomarker that measures the beneficial effects of desirable difficulty on motor sequence learning.

Keywords: desirable difficulty, functional magnetic resonance imaging, independent component analysis, resting-state networks

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Authors: Andreea Cervatiuc

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This study focuses on teaching second language writing through a constructivist approach. Unlike traditional approaches to teaching second language writing, which were product-oriented and emphasized surface features of writing, such as spelling and grammar, the constructivist approach to teaching second language writing is process-oriented and fosters discovery of meaning, creativity, collaboration, and writing for an audience. Educators who take a constructivist approach to teaching second language writing create communities of writers in their classrooms, emphasize that the goal of writing is to share ideas with others, and engage their students in collaborative, creative, and authentic writing activities, such as writing conferences, group story writing, finish the story, and chain writing. The constructivist approach to teaching second language writing combines a focus on genres, scaffolding, and treating writing as a process. Through constructivist writing, students co-create knowledge and engage in meaningful dialogue with various texts and their peers. The findings of this study can have implications for applied linguists, teachers, and language learners.

Keywords: constructivist second language, writing genres, process writing, scaffolding

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Authors: L. Belkhiri, L. Mouni, A. Tiri, T.S. Narany

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In the present study, the self-organizing map (SOM) clustering technique was applied to identify homogeneous clusters of hydrochemical parameters in El Milia plain, Algeria, to assess the quality of groundwater for potable and agricultural purposes. The visualization of SOM-analysis indicated that 35 groundwater samples collected in the study area were classified into three clusters, which showed progressive increase in electrical conductivity from cluster one to cluster three. Samples belonging to cluster one are mostly located in the recharge zone showing hard fresh water type, however, water type gradually changed to hard-brackish type in the discharge zone, including clusters two and three. Ionic ratio studies indicated the role of carbonate rock dissolution in increases on groundwater hardness, especially in cluster one. However, evaporation and evapotranspiration are the main processes increasing salinity in cluster two and three.

Keywords: groundwater quality, self-organizing maps, drinking water, irrigation water

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Authors: Leonardo Herrera, Shield B. Lin, Stephen J. Montgomery-Smith, Ziraguen O. Williams

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Three control algorithms: Proportional-Integral-Derivative, Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian, and Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian with the shift, were applied to the computer simulation of a one-directional dynamic model of a Stewart Platform. The goal was to compare the dynamic system responses under the three control algorithms and to minimize the impact energy when simulating spacecraft docking operations. Equations were derived for the control algorithms and the input and output of the feedback control system. Using MATLAB, Simulink diagrams were created to represent the three control schemes. A switch selector was used for the convenience of changing among different controllers. The simulation demonstrated the controller using the algorithm of Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian with the shift resulting in the lowest impact energy.

Keywords: controller, Stewart platform, docking operation, spacecraft

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Authors: Bahram Fathi, Seyedhossein Sajadifar, Naser Khiabani

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Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has recently gained popularity in energy efficiency analysis. A common feature of the previously proposed DEA models for measuring energy efficiency performance is that they treat energy consumption as an input within a production framework without considering undesirable outputs. However, energy use results in the generation of undesirable outputs as byproducts of producing desirable outputs. Within a joint production framework of both desirable and undesirable outputs, this paper presents several DEA-type linear programming models for measuring energy efficiency performance. In addition to considering undesirable outputs, our models treat different energy sources as different inputs so that changes in energy mix could be accounted for in evaluating energy efficiency. The proposed models are applied to measure the energy efficiency performances of 12 OPEC countries and the results obtained are presented.

Keywords: energy efficiency, undesirable outputs, data envelopment analysis

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Authors: Helia Moayedi, Mahdi Moaidi

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Nowadays, the managing and planning of hospitals is facing many problems. Failure to recognize the main criteria for strategic management to ensure long-term hospital performance can lead to many health problems. To achieve this goal, a qualitative-quantitate method titled Delphi-Fuzzy has been applied. This strategy makes it possible for experts to screen among the most important criteria in strategic management. To conduct this operation, a statistical society consisting of 20 experts in Ahwaz hospitals has been questioned. The final model confirms the key criterions after three stages of Delphi. This model provides the possibility to focus on the basic criteria and can determine the organization’s main orientation.

Keywords: Delphi-fuzzy method, hospital management, long-term planning, qualitative-quantitate method, screening of strategic criteria, strategic planning

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Authors: Gyoutae Park, Woosuk Kim, Sangguk Ahn, Seungmo Kim, Minjun Kim, Jinhan Lee, Youngdo Jo, Jongsam Moon, Hiesik Kim

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In this research, we designed a remote system to test parameters of gas detectors such as gas concentration and initial response time. This testing system is available to measure two gas instruments simultaneously. First of all, we assembled an experimental jig with a square structure. Those parts are included with a glass flask, two high-quality cameras, and two Ethernet modems for transmitting data. This remote gas detector testing system extracts numerals from videos with continually various gas concentrations while LCDs show photographs from cameras. Extracted numeral data are received to a laptop computer through Ethernet modem. And then, the numerical data with gas concentrations and the measured initial response speeds are recorded and graphed. Our remote testing system will be diversely applied on gas detector’s test and will be certificated in domestic and international countries.

Keywords: gas leak detector, inspection instrument, extracting numerals, concentration

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Authors: Kyung-Soon Choi, Ji-Young Hwang, Young-Hee Pyo

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Vinegars have been used as an alternative remedy for treating gout, but the scientific basis remains to be elucidated. In this study, acetic acid fermentation was applied for the first time to Monascus-fermented soybeans to examine its effect on the bioactive components together with the xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XOI) activity of the soy vinegar. The content of total phenols (0.47~0.97 mg gallic acid equivalents/mL) and flavonoids (0.18~0.39 mg quercetin equivallents/mL) were spectrophotometrically determined, and the content of organic acid (10.22~59.76 mg/mL) and isoflavones (6.79~7.46 mg/mL) were determined using HPLC-UV. The analytical method for ubiquinones (0.079~0.276 μg/mL) employed saponification before solvent extraction and quantification using LC-MS. Soy vinegar also showed significant XOI (95.3%) after 20 days of acetic acid fermentation at 30 °C. The results suggest that soy vinegar has potential as a novel medicinal food.

Keywords: acetic acid fermentation, bioactive component, soy vinegar, xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity

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Authors: Marisa Rio, Sharanya Bola, Richard H. W. Funk, Gerald Gerlach

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Cell migration, wound healing and regeneration are some of the physiological phenomena in which electric fields (EFs) have proven to have an important function. Physiologically, cells experience electrical signals in the form of transmembrane potentials, ion fluxes through protein channels as well as electric fields at their surface. As soon as a wound is created, the disruption of the epithelial layers generates an electric field of ca. 40-200 mV/mm, directing cell migration towards the wound site, starting the healing process. In vitro electrotaxis, experiments have shown cells respond to DC EFs polarizing and migrating towards one of the poles (cathode or anode). A standard electrotaxis experiment consists of an electrotaxis chamber where cells are cultured, a DC power source and agar salt bridges that help delaying toxic products from the electrodes to attain the cell surface. The electric field strengths used in such an experiment are uniform and homogeneous. In contrast, the endogenous electric field strength around a wound tend to be multi-field and non-homogeneous. In this study, we present a custom device that enables electrotaxis experiments in non-homogeneous DC electric fields. Its main feature involves the replacement of conventional metallic electrodes, separated from the electrotaxis channel by agarose gel bridges, through electrolyte-filled microchannels. The connection to the DC source is made by Ag/AgCl electrodes, incased in agarose gel and placed at the end of each microfluidic channel. An SU-8 membrane closes the fluidic channels and simultaneously serves as the single connection from each of them to the central electrotaxis chamber. The electric field distribution and current density were numerically simulated with the steady-state electric conduction module from ANSYS 16.0. Simulation data confirms the application of nonhomogeneous EF of physiological strength. To validate the biocompatibility of the device cellular viability of the photoreceptor-derived 661W cell line was accessed. The cells have not shown any signs of apoptosis, damage or detachment during stimulation. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining, namely by vinculin and actin labelling, allowed the assessment of adhesion efficiency and orientation of the cytoskeleton, respectively. Cellular motility in the presence and absence of applied DC EFs was verified. The movement of individual cells was tracked for the duration of the experiments, confirming the EF-induced, cathodal-directed motility of the studied cell line. The in vitro monolayer wound assay, or “scratch assay” is a standard protocol to quantitatively access cell migration in vitro. It encompasses the growth of a confluent cell monolayer followed by the mechanic creation of a scratch, representing a wound. Hence, wound dynamics was monitored over time and compared for control and applied the electric field to quantify cellular population motility.

Keywords: DC non-homogeneous electric fields, electrotaxis, microfluidic biochip, wound healing

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