Search results for: magnetic modelling

Authors: Natsuki Tsuda, Kiyotaka Obunai, Kazuya Okubo, Hideyuki Tashiro, Yoshinori Yamaji, Hideyuki Kato

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The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of belt stiffness on the performance of the CVT unit, such as the required pulley thrust force and the ratio coverage. The CVT unit consists of the V-grooved pulleys and the rubber CVT belt. The width of the driving pulley groove was controlled by the stepper motor, while that of the driven pulley was controlled by the hydraulic pressure. The generated mechanical power on the motor was transmitted from the driving axis to the driven axis through the CVT unit. The rotational speed and the transmitting torque of both axes were measured by the tachometers and the torque meters attached with these axes, respectively. The transmitted, mechanical power was absorbed by the magnetic powder brake. The thrust force acting on both pulleys and the force between both shafts were measured by the load cell. The back face profile of the rubber CVT belt along with width direction was measured by the 2-dimensional laser displacement meter. This paper found that when the stiffness of the rubber CVT belt in the belt width direction was reduced, the thrust force required for shifting was reduced. Moreover, when the stiffness of the rubber CVT belt in the belt width direction was reduced, the ratio coverage of the CVT unit was reduced. Due to the decrement of stiffness in belt width direction, the excessive concave deformation of belt in pulley groove was confirmed. Because of this excessive concave deformation, apparent wrapping radius of belt would have been reduced. Proposed model could be effectively estimated the difference of ratio coverage due to concave deformation. The proposed model could also be utilized for designing the rubber CVT belt with optimal bending stiffness in width direction.

Keywords: CVT, countinuously variable transmission, rubber, belt stiffness, transmission

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Authors: Omil Nady Mahrous Maximous

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The construction industry is currently experiencing a shift towards digitisation. This transformation is driven by adopting technologies like Building Information Modelling (BIM), drones, and augmented reality (AR). These advancements are revolutionizing the process of designing, constructing, and operating projects. BIM, for instance, is a new way of communicating and exploiting technology such as software and machinery. It enables the creation of a replica or virtual model of buildings or infrastructure projects. It facilitates simulating construction procedures, identifying issues beforehand, and optimizing designs accordingly. Drones are another tool in this revolution, as they can be utilized for site surveys, inspections, and even deliveries. Moreover, AR technology provides real-time information to workers involved in the project. Implementing these technologies in the construction industry has brought about improvements in efficiency, safety measures, and sustainable practices. BIM helps minimize rework and waste materials, while drones contribute to safety by reducing workers' exposure to areas. Additionally, AR plays a role in worker safety by delivering instructions and guidance during operations. Although the digital transformation within the construction industry is still in its early stages, it holds the potential to reshape project delivery methods entirely. By embracing these technologies, construction companies can boost their profitability while simultaneously reducing their environmental impact and ensuring safer practices.

Keywords: architectural education, construction industry, digital learning environments, immersive learning BIM, digital construction, construction technologies, digital transformation artificial intelligence, collaboration, digital architecture, digital design theory, material selection, space construction

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Authors: Mekni Sabrine, Nouira Mariem

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Background and aim: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a curative treatment for several hematological diseases; however, it has a non-negligible morbidity and mortality depending on several prognostic factors, including pre-transplant hyperferritinemia. The aim of our study was to estimate the impact of hyperferritinemia on survivals and on the occurrence of post-transplant complications. Methods: It was a longitudinal study conducted over 8 years and including all patients who had a first allograft. The impact of pretransplant hyperferritinemia (ferritinemia ≥1500) on survivals was studied using the Kaplan Meier method and the COX model for uni- and multivariate analysis. The Khi-deux test and binary logistic regression were used to study the association between pretransplant ferritinemia and post-transplant complications. Results: One hundred forty patients were included with an average age of 26.6 years and a sex ratio (M/F)=1.4. Hyperferritinemia was found in 33% of patients. It had no significant impact on either overall survival (p=0.9) or event -free survival (p=0.6). In multivariate analysis, only the type of disease was independently associated with overall survival (p=0.04) and event-free survival (p=0.002). For post-allograft complications: The occurrence of early documented infections was independently associated with pretransplant hyperferritinemia (p=0.02) and the presence of acute graft versus host disease( GVHD) (p<10-3). The occurrence of acute GVHD was associated with early documented infection (p=0.002) and Cytomegalovirus reactivation (p<10-3). The occurrence of chronic GVHD was associated with the presence of Cytomegalovirus reactivation (p=0.006) and graft source (p=0.009). Conclusion: Our study showed the significant impact of pre-transplant hyperferritinemia on the occurrence of early infections but not on survivals. Early and more accurate assessment iron overload by other tests such as liver magnetic resonance imaging with initiation of chelating treatment could prevent the occurrence of such complications after transplantation.

Keywords: allogeneic, transplants, ferritin, survival

Procedia PDF Downloads 53

Authors: Michael K.O. Ayomoh, Khaled A. Abou-El-Hossein., Sameh F.M. Ghobashy

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This paper proposes a numerical modelling scheme for surface roughness prediction. The approach is premised on the use of 3D difference analysis method enhanced with the use of feedback control loop where a set of adaptive weights are generated. The surface roughness values utilized in this paper were adapted from [1]. Their experiments were carried out using S55C high carbon steel. A comparison was further carried out between the proposed technique and those utilized in [1]. The experimental design has three cutting parameters namely: depth of cut, feed rate and cutting speed with twenty-seven experimental sample-space. The simulation trials conducted using Matlab software is of two sub-classes namely: prediction of the surface roughness readings for the non-boundary cutting combinations (NBCC) with the aid of the known surface roughness readings of the boundary cutting combinations (BCC). The following simulation involved the use of the predicted outputs from the NBCC to recover the surface roughness readings for the boundary cutting combinations (BCC). The simulation trial for the NBCC attained a state of total stability in the 7th iteration i.e. a point where the actual and desired roughness readings are equal such that error is minimized to zero by using a set of dynamic weights generated in every following simulation trial. A comparative study among the three methods showed that the proposed difference analysis technique with adaptive weight from feedback control, produced a much accurate output as against the abductive and regression analysis techniques presented in this.

Keywords: Difference Analysis, Surface Roughness; Mesh- Analysis, Feedback control, Adaptive weight, Boundary Element

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Authors: Sahar Rakhshan, Simonetta Geninatti Crich, Diego Alberti, Rachele Stefania

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The combination of imaging and therapeutic agents in the same smart nanoparticle is a promising option to perform a minimally invasive imaging guided therapy. In this study, Low density lipoproteins (LDL), one of the most attractive biodegradable and biocompatible nanoparticles, were used for the simultaneous delivery of Paclitaxel (PTX), a hydrophobic antitumour drug and an amphiphilic contrast agent, Gd-AAZTA-C17, in B16-F10 melanoma cell line. These cells overexpress LDL receptors, as assessed by Flow cytometry analysis. PTX and Gd-AAZTA-C17 loaded LDLs (LDL-PTX-Gd) have been prepared, characterized and their stability was assessed under 72 h incubation at 37 ◦C and compared to LDL loaded with Gd-AAZTA-C17 (LDL-Gd) and LDL-PTX. The cytotoxic effect of LDL-PTX-Gd was evaluated by MTT assay. The anti-tumour drug loaded into LDLs showed a significantly higher toxicity on B16-F10 cells with respect to the commercially available formulation Paclitaxel Kabi (PTX Kabi) used in clinical applications. It was possible to demonstrate a high uptake of LDL-Gd in B16-F10 cells. As a consequence of the high cell uptake, melanoma cells showed significantly high cytotoxic effect when incubated in the presence of PTX (LDL-PTX-Gd). Furthermore, B16-F10 have been used to perform Magnetic Resonance Imaging. By the analysis of the image signal intensity, it was possible to extrapolate the amount of internalized PTX indirectly by the decrease of relaxation times caused by Gd, proportional to its concentration. Finally, the treatment with PTX loaded LDL on B16-F10 tumour bearing mice resulted in a marked reduction of tumour growth compared to the administration of PTX Kabi alone. In conclusion, LDLs are selectively taken-up by tumour cells and can be successfully exploited for the selective delivery of Paclitaxel and imaging agents.

Keywords: low density lipoprotein, melanoma cell lines, MRI, paclitaxel, personalized medicine application, theragnostic System

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Authors: T. Yılmaz, Ş. Tavman

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In this study, optimization of ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) of hemicellulose based polysaccharides from plant waste material has been studied. Selected material is hazelnut skin. Extraction variables for the operation are extraction time, amplitude and application temperature. Optimum conditions have been evaluated depending on responses such as amount of wet crude polysaccharide, total carbohydrate content and dried sample. Pretreated hazelnut skin powders were used for the experiments. 10 grams of samples were suspended in 100 ml water in a jacketed vessel with additional magnetic stirring. Mixture was sonicated by immersing ultrasonic probe processor. After the extraction procedures, ethanol soluble and insoluble sides were separated for further examinations. The obtained experimental data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Second order polynomial models were developed using multiple regression analysis. The individual and interactive effects of applied variables were evaluated by Box Behnken Design. The models developed from the experimental design were predictive and good fit with the experimental data with high correlation coefficient value (R2 more than 0.95). Extracted polysaccharides from hazelnut skin are assumed to be pectic polysaccharides according to the literature survey of Fourier Transform Spectrometry (FTIR) analysis results. No more change can be observed between spectrums of different sonication times. Application of UAE at optimized condition has an important effect on extraction of hemicellulose from plant material by satisfying partial hydrolysis to break the bounds with other components in plant cell wall material. This effect can be summarized by varied intensity of microjets and microstreaming at varied sonication conditions.

Keywords: hazelnut skin, optimization, polysaccharide, ultrasound assisted extraction

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Authors: Mariem Saadi, Sabri Kanzari, Adel Zghibi

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In semi-arid areas like the Kairouan region, the constant irrigation with saline water and the overuse of groundwater resources, soils and aquifers salinization has become an increasing concern. In this study, a methodology has been developed to evaluate the groundwater contamination risk based on the unsaturated zone hydraulic properties. Two soil profiles with different ranges of salinity, one located in the north of the plain and another one in the south of plain (each 30 m deep) and both characterized by direct recharge of the aquifer were chosen. Simulations were conducted with Hydrus-1D code using measured precipitation data for the period 1998-2003 and calculated evapotranspiration for both chosen profiles. Four combinations of initial conditions of water content and salt concentration were used for the simulation process in order to find the best match between simulated and measured values. The success of the calibration of Hydrus-1D allowed the investigation of some scenarios in order to assess the contamination risk under different natural conditions. The aquifer risk contamination is related to the natural conditions where it increased while facing climate change and temperature increase and decreased in the presence of a clay layer in the unsaturated zone. Hydrus-1D was a useful tool to predict the groundwater level and quality in the case of a direct recharge and in the absence of any information related to the soil layers except for the texture.

Keywords: Hydrus-1D, Kairouan, salinization, semi-arid region, solute transport, unsaturated zone

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Authors: Heru Al Amin

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Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous inflammatory disorder of unclear etiology that can affect multiple different organ systems. Isolated cardiac sarcoidosis is a very rare condition that causes lethal arrhythmia and heart failure. A definite diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis remains challenging. The use of multimodality imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of this entity. Case summary: In this report, we discuss a case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with recurrent palpitation, dizziness, vertigo and presyncope. Electrocardiogram revealed variable heart blocks, including first-degree AV block, second-degree AV block, high-degree AV block, complete AV block, trifascicular block and sometimes supraventricular arrhythmia. Twenty-four hours of Holter monitoring show atrial bigeminy, first-degree AV block and trifascicular block. Transthoracic echocardiography showed Thinning of basal anteroseptal and inferred septum with LV dilatation with reduction of Global Longitudinal Strain. A dual-chamber pacemaker was implanted. CT Coronary angiogram showed no coronary artery disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance revealed basal anteroseptal and inferior septum thinning with focal edema with LGE suggestive of sarcoidosis. Computed tomography of the chest showed no lymphadenopathy or pulmonary infiltration. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) of the whole body showed. We started steroids and followed up with the patient. Conclusion: This case serves to highlight the challenges in identifying and managing isolated CS in a young patient with recurrent syncope with variable heart block. Early, even late initiation of steroids can improve arrhythmia as well as left ventricular function.

Keywords: cardiac sarcoidosis, conduction abnormality, syncope, cardiac MRI

Procedia PDF Downloads 71

Authors: Atitallah Sofien, Bouyahia Olfa, Krifi Farah, Missaoui Nada, Ben Rabeh Rania, Yahyaoui Salem, Mazigh Sonia, Boukthir Samir

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Introduction: Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita (CMTC) is a rare cutaneous vascular malformation. It most often appears at birth or during the first days of life. Its origin is still unknown. It associates a livedo with telangiectasias of diffuse or segmental topography. In rare cases, it can be associated with neurological disorders such as macrocephaly and, less frequently, with epilepsy. Methodology: We report a case of an infant with Macrocephaly- Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita syndrome associated with epilepsy. Results: This is the case of a one month and 15 days old female infant from a non-consanguineous marriage, admitted for a status epilepticus in the context of apyrexia. Infectious and metabolic causes had been eliminated. Physical examination had shown non-infiltrated and reticular livedoid erythematous patches affecting the left upper limb and atrophic on the back of the left hand. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed thin layers of bifrontal, temporal, and left parietal hygromas associated with the widening of the bifrontal subarachnoid spaces. The electroencephalogram showed a well-organized sleep tracing with a single right occipital paroxysmal abnormality. Antiepileptic treatment has been administered with good clinical evolution and regression of the skin lesion and a control electroencephalogram without abnormality. Conclusion: This observation illustrates an association of CMTC with both macrocephaly and epilepsy. This pathology, which is relatively benign and has a good prognosis, generally does not require treatment. However, a detailed examination must be carried out, and a follow-up plan must be put in place for each patient presenting with CMTC, given the risk of association with other abnormalities, which can be potentially serious.

Keywords: cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita, macrocephaly, epilepsy, children

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Authors: Ramuel Spirituel Mattathiah A. San Juan, Neil Ambasing

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Background: Reversal of vision metamorphopsia is a transient form of metamorphopsia described as an upside-down alteration of the visual field in the coronal plane. Patients would describe objects, such as cups, upside down, but the tea would not spill, and people would walk on their heads. It is extremely rare as a stable finding, lasting days or weeks. We report a case wherein this type of metamorphopsia occurred only in written words and lasted for six months. Objective: To the best of our knowledge, we report the first rare occurrence of reversal of vision metamorphopsia described as inverted words as the sole initial presentation of an underlying stroke. Case Presentation: We report a 59-year-old male with poorly controlled hypertension and diabetes mellitus who presented with a 3-day history of difficulty reading, described as the words were turned upside down as if the words were inverted horizontally then with the progression of deficits such as right homonymous hemianopia and achromatopsia, prosopagnosia. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an acute infarct on the left posterior cerebral artery territory. Follow-up after six months revealed improvement of the visual field cut but with the persistence of the higher cortical function deficits. Conclusion: We report the first rare occurrence of metamorphopsia described as purely inverted words as the sole initial presentation of an underlying stroke. The differential diagnoses of a patient presenting with text reversal metamorphopsia should include stroke in the occipitotemporal areas. It further expands the landscape of metamorphopsias due to its exclusivity to written words and prolonged duration. Knowing these clinical features will help identify the lesion locus and improve subsequent stroke care, especially in time-bound management like intravenous thrombolysis.

Keywords: rare presentation, text reversal metamorphopsia, ischemic stroke, stroke

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Authors: Ramuel Spirituel Mattathiah A. San Juan, Neil Ambasing

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Background: In lateral medullary strokes, hemiparesis doesn't typically manifest due to the distinct vascular supply to the corticospinal tract located within the medulla's tegmentum. Hemiparesis resulting from a medullary infarct would likely be attributable to a medial medullary stroke characterized by contralateral hemiparesis since the corticospinal tract fibers at this level have yet to cross over. This paper reports a unique case of a lateral medullary stroke variant that presented with ipsilateral hemiparesis. Objective: There have only been 23 other cases of reported Opalski syndrome, making this only the 24th and 25th case reported worldwide. Case Presentation: A 53-year-old male was admitted with slurring of speech with gait instability, numbness on the right face, Horner’s syndrome, and 4/5 motor strength on the right extremities. Hyperreflexia was noted on the right, together with a Babinski’s sign. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an infarct on the right dorsolateral medulla. A 48-year-old male was admitted complaining of dizziness, ataxic gait, veering to the left during ambulation, left facial numbness, left hemiplegia, crossed sensory disturbance, and right limb ataxia. MRI revealed an acute left lateral medullary infarction. Conclusion: A rare type of lateral medullary infarction, the Opalski Syndrome, is a weakness ipsilateral to the lesion of the infarct. The lesion involves the ipsilateral corticospinal tract below the pyramidal decussation. The considerable diversity in the posterior brain circulation serves as a contributing factor to the clinical observation of incomplete textbook syndromes, underscoring the significance of the neurological clinical approach and a solid foundation in neuroanatomy.

Keywords: Opalski syndrome, rare stroke, stroke, Wallenberg's syndrome

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Authors: Mohamed Mohamed, Philip Bonello, Peter Russhard

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Blade Tip Timing (BTT) is a technology concerned with the estimation of both frequency and amplitude of rotating blades. A BTT system comprises two main parts: (a) the arrival time measurement system, and (b) the analysis algorithms. Simulators play an important role in the development of the analysis algorithms since they generate blade tip displacement data from the simulated blade vibration under controlled conditions. This enables an assessment of the performance of the different algorithms with respect to their ability to accurately reproduce the original simulated vibration. Such an assessment is usually not possible with real engine data since there is no practical alternative to BTT for blade vibration measurement. Most simulators used in the literature are based on a simple spring-mass-damper model to determine the vibration. In this work, a more realistic experimentally validated simulator based on the Finite Element (FE) model of a bladed disc (blisk) is first presented. It is then used to generate the necessary data for the assessment of different BTT algorithms. The FE modelling is validated using both a hammer test and two firewire cameras for the mode shapes. A number of autoregressive methods, fitting methods and state-of-the-art inverse methods (i.e. Russhard) are compared. All methods are compared with respect to both synchronous and asynchronous excitations with both single and simultaneous frequencies. The study assesses the applicability of each method for different conditions of vibration, amount of sampling data, and testing facilities, according to its performance and efficiency under these conditions.

Keywords: blade tip timing, blisk, finite element, vibration measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 293

Authors: Fajana Sola Isaac

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In the last two decades, we have witnessed an increased interest in exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) in developing economies and emerging markets. This is perhaps due to the acknowledged significance of the pattern of exchange rate pass-through as a key instrument in monetary policy design, principally in retort to a shock in exchange rate in literature. This paper analyzed Exchange Rate Pass-Through by A Model of Oil Prices and Asymmetric Exchange Rate Fluctuations in Selected African Countries. The study adopted A Non-Linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach using yearly data on Algeria, Burundi, Nigeria and South Africa from 1986 to 2022. The paper found asymmetry in exchange rate pass-through in net oil-importing and net oil-exporting countries in the short run during the period under review. An ERPT exhibited a complete pass-through in the short run in the case of net oil-importing countries but an incomplete pass-through in the case of the net oil-exporting countries that were examined. An extended result revealed a significant impact of oil price shock on exchange rate pass-through to domestic price in the long run only for net oil importing countries. The Wald restriction test also confirms the evidence of asymmetric with the role of oil price acting as an accelerator to exchange rate pass-through to domestic price in the countries examined. The study found the outcome to be very useful for gaining expansive knowledge on the external shock impact on ERPT and could be of critical value for national monetary policy decisions on inflation targeting, especially for countries examined and other developing net oil importers and exporters.

Keywords: pass through, exchange rate, ARDL, monetary policy

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Authors: Kotchamon Yodkhum, Thawatchai Phaechamud

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Hydrophobic chitosan-based materials have been developed as controlled drug delivery system. This study was aimed to prepare and evaluate chitosan-aluminum monostearate composite dispersion (CLA) as fabricating liquid for construct a hydrophobic, controlled-release solid drug delivery matrix. This work was attempted to blend hydrophobic substance, aluminum monostearate (AMS), with chitosan in acidic aqueous medium without using any surfactants or grafting reaction, and high temperature during mixing that are normally performed when preparing hydrophobic chitosan system. Lactic acid solution (2%w/v) was employed as chitosan solvent. CLA dispersion was prepared by dispersing different amounts of AMS (1-20% w/w) in chitosan solution (4% w/w) with continuous agitation using magnetic stirrer for 24 h. Effect of AMS amount on physicochemical properties of the dispersion such as viscosity, rheology and particle size was evaluated. Morphology of chitosan-AMS complex (dispersant) was observed under inverted microscope and atomic force microscope. Stability of CLA dispersions was evaluated after preparation within 48 h. CLA dispersions containing AMS less than 5 % w/w exhibited rheological behavior as Newtonian while that containing higher AMS amount exhibited as pseudoplastic. Particle size of the dispersant was significantly smaller when AMS amount was increased up to 5% w/w and was not different between the higher AMS amount system. Morphology of the dispersant under inverted microscope displayed irregular shape and their size exhibited the same trend with particle size measurement. Observation of the dispersion stability revealed that phase separation occurred faster in the system containing higher AMS amount which indicated lower stability of the system. However, the dispersions were homogeneous and stable more than 12 hours after preparation that enough for fabrication process. The prepared dispersions had ability to be fabricated as a porous matrix via lyophilization technique.

Keywords: chitosan, aluminum monostearate, dispersion, controlled-release

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Authors: Yu-Cheng Lin, Yu-Chih Su

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Generally, there are many numerous existing problems during the construction phase special in civil engineering. The problems communication and management (PCM) of civil engineering are important and necessary to enhance the performance of construction management. The civil information modelling (CIM) approach is used to retain information with digital format and assist easy updating and transferring of information in the 3D environment for all related civil and infrastructure projects. When the application of CIM technology is adopted in infrastructure projects, all the related project participants can discuss problems and obtain feedback and responds among project participants integrated with the assistance of CIM models 3D illustration. Usually, electronic mail (e-mail) is one of the most popular communication tools among all related participants for rapid transit system (MRT), also known as a subway or metro, construction project in Taiwan. Furthermore, all interfaces should be traced and managed effectively during the process. However, there are many problems with the use of e-mail for communication of all interfaces. To solve the above problems, this study proposes a CIM-based Problem Communication and Management (CPCM) system to improve performance of problem communication and management. The CPCM system is applied to a case study of an MRT project in Taiwan to identify its CPCM effectiveness. Case study results show that the proposed CPCM system and Markup-enabled CIM Viewer are effective CIM-based communication tools in CIM-supported PCM work of civil engineering. Finally, this study identifies conclusion, suggestion, benefits, and limitations for further applications.

Keywords: building information modeling, civil information modeling, infrastructure, general contractor

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Rahul Shrivastava, Manish Tripathi, Mohmmad Yasir, Shailesh Singh

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Life style changes and depletion in atmospheric ozone layer in recent decades lead to increase in skin cancer including both melanoma and nonmelanomas. Natural products which were obtained from different plant species have the potential of anti skin cancer activity. In regard of this, present study focuses the potential effect of Glycosmis pentaphylla against anti skin cancer activity. Different Phytochemical constituents which were present in the roots of Glycosmis pentaphylla were identified and were used as ligands after sketching of their structures with the help of ACD/Chemsketch. These ligands are screened for their anticancer potential with proteins which are involved in skin cancer effects with the help of pyrx software. After performing docking studies, results reveal that Noracronycine secondary metabolite of Glycosmis pentaphylla shows strong affinity of their binding energy with Ribosomal S6 Kinase 2 (2QR8) protein. Ribosomal S6 Kinase 2 (2QR8) has an important role in the cell proliferation and transformation mediated through by N-terminal kinase domain and was induced by the tumour promoters such as epidermal growth factor. It also plays a key role in the neoplastic transformation of human skin cells and in skin cancer growth. Noracronycine interact with THR-493 and MET-496 residue of Ribosomal S6 Kinase 2 protein with binding energy ΔG = -8.68 kcal/mole. Thus on the basis of this study we can say that Noracronycine which present in roots of Glycosmis pentaphylla can be used as lead compound against skin cancer.

Keywords: glycosmis pentaphylla, pyrx, ribosomal s6 kinase, skin cancer

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Authors: P. Moskal, T. Bednarski, P. Bialas, E. Czerwinski, A. Gajos, A. Gruntowski, D. Kaminska, L. Kaplon, G. Korcyl, P. Kowalski, T. Kozik, W. Krzemien, E. Kubicz, Sz. Niedzwiecki, M. Palka, L. Raczynski, Z. Rudy, P. Salabura, N. G. Sharma, M. Silarski, A. Slomski, J. Smyrski, A. Strzelecki, A. Wieczorek, W. Wislicki, M. Zielinski, N. Zon

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A new concept and results of the performance tests of the TOF-PET detection system developed at the Jagiellonian University will be presented. The novelty of the concept lies in employing long strips of polymer scintillators instead of crystals as detectors of annihilation quanta, and in using predominantly the timing of signals instead of their amplitudes for the reconstruction of Lines-of-Response. The diagnostic chamber consists of plastic scintillator strips readout by pairs of photo multipliers arranged axially around a cylindrical surface. To take advantage of the superior timing properties of plastic scintillators the signals are probed in the voltage domain with the accuracy of 20 ps by a newly developed electronics, and the data are collected by the novel trigger-less and reconfigurable data acquisition system. The hit-position and hit-time are reconstructed by the dedicated reconstruction methods based on the compressing sensing theory and the library of synchronized model signals. The solutions are subject to twelve patent applications. So far a time-of-flight resolution of ~120 ps (sigma) was achieved for a double-strip prototype with 30 cm field-of-view (FOV). It is by more than a factor of two better than TOF resolution achievable in current TOF-PET modalities and at the same time the FOV of 30 cm long prototype is significantly larger with respect to typical commercial PET devices. The Jagiellonian PET (J-PET) detector with plastic scintillators arranged axially possesses also another advantage. Its diagnostic chamber is free of any electronic devices and magnetic materials thus giving unique possibilities of combining J-PET with CT and J-PET with MRI for scanning the same part of a patient at the same time with both methods.

Keywords: PET-CT, PET-MRI, TOF-PET, scintillator

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Authors: S. K. Fasogbon, O. E. Oguegbu

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Pasteurization is one of the most important steps in the preservation of beer products, which improves its shelf life by inactivating almost all the spoilage organisms present in it. However, there is no gain saying the fact that it is always difficult to determine the slowest heating zone, the temperature profile and pasteurization units inside bottled beer during pasteurization, hence there had been significant experimental and ANSYS fluent approaches on the problem. This work now developed Computational fluid dynamics model using COMSOL Multiphysics. The model was simulated to determine the slowest heating zone, temperature profile and pasteurization units inside the bottled beer during the pasteurization process. The results of the simulation were compared with the existing data in the literature. The results showed that, the location and size of the slowest heating zone is dependent on the time-temperature combination of each zone. The results also showed that the temperature profile of the bottled beer was found to be affected by the natural convection resulting from variation in density during pasteurization process and that the pasteurization unit increases with time subject to the temperature reached by the beer. Although the results of this work agreed with literatures in the aspects of slowest heating zone and temperature profiles, the results of pasteurization unit however did not agree. It was suspected that this must have been greatly affected by the bottle geometry, specific heat capacity and density of the beer in question. The work concludes that for effective pasteurization to be achieved, there is a need to optimize the spray water temperature and the time spent by the bottled product in each of the pasteurization zones.

Keywords: modeling, heat transfer, temperature profile, pasteurization process, bottled beer

Procedia PDF Downloads 192

Authors: Vidula Shevade, B. J. Nagare, Sajeev Chacko

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First principles simulation, meaning density functional theory (DFT) calculations with plane waves and pseudopotential, has become a prized technique in condensed matter theory. Nanoparticles (NP) have been known to possess good catalytic activities, especially for molecules such as CO, O₂, etc. Among the metal NPs, Aluminium based NPs are also widely known for their catalytic properties. Aluminium metal is a lightweight, excellent electrical, and thermal abundant chemical element in the earth’s crust. Aluminium NPs, when added to solid rocket fuel, help improve the combustion speed and considerably increase combustion heat and combustion stability. Adding aluminium NPs into normal Al/Al₂O₃ powder improves the sintering processes of the ceramics, with high heat transfer performance, increased density, and enhanced thermal conductivity of the sinter. We used VASP and Gaussian 0₃ package to compute the geometries, electronic structure, and bonding properties of Al₁₂Ni as well as its interaction with O₂ and CO molecules. Several MD simulations were carried out using VASP at various temperatures from which hundreds of structures were optimized, leading to 24 unique structures. These structures were then further optimized through a Gaussian package. The lowest energy structure of Al₁₂Ni has been reported to be a singlet. However, through our extensive search, we found a triplet state to be lower in energy. In our structure, the Ni atom is found to be on the surface, which gives the non-zero magnetic moment. Incidentally, O2 and CO molecules are also triplet in nature, due to which the Al₁₂-Ni cluster is likely to facilitate the oxidation process of the CO molecule. Our results show that the most favourable site for the CO molecule is the Ni atom and that for the O₂ molecule is the Al atom that is nearest to the Ni atom. Al₁₂Ni-O₂ and Al₁₂-Ni-CO structures we extracted using VMD. Al₁₂Ni nanocluster, due to in triplet electronic structure configuration, indicates it to be a potential candidate as a catalyst for oxidation of CO molecules.

Keywords: catalyst, gaussian, nanoparticles, oxidation

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Authors: V. Veeraprathap, G. S. Harish, G. Narendra Kumar

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Uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lung in the form of tumor can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Patients with Lung Cancer (LC) have an average of five years life span expectancy provided diagnosis, detection and prediction, which reduces many treatment options to risk of invasive surgery increasing survival rate. Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for earlier detection of cancer are common. Gaussian filter along with median filter used for smoothing and noise removal, Histogram Equalization (HE) for image enhancement gives the best results without inviting further opinions. Lung cavities are extracted and the background portion other than two lung cavities is completely removed with right and left lungs segmented separately. Region properties measurements area, perimeter, diameter, centroid and eccentricity measured for the tumor segmented image, while texture is characterized by Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) functions, feature extraction provides Region of Interest (ROI) given as input to classifier. Two levels of classifications, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) is used for determining patient condition as normal or abnormal, while Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is used for identifying the cancer stage is employed. Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) algorithm is used for the main feature extraction leading to best efficiency. The developed technology finds encouraging results for real time information and on line detection for future research.

Keywords: artificial neural networks, ANN, discrete wavelet transform, DWT, gray-level co-occurrence matrix, GLCM, k-nearest neighbor, KNN, region of interest, ROI

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Authors: Francis Chinweuba Eboh, Peter Ahlström, Tobias Richards

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Entropy, as an outcome of the second law of thermodynamics, measures the level of irreversibility associated with any process. The identification and reduction of irreversibility in the energy conversion process helps to improve the efficiency of the system. The entropy of pure substances known as absolute entropy is determined at an absolute reference point and is useful in the thermodynamic analysis of chemical reactions; however, municipal solid waste (MSW) is a structurally complicated material with unknown absolute entropy. In this work, an empirical model to calculate the absolute entropy of MSW based on the content of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and chlorine on a dry ash free basis (daf) is presented. The proposed model was derived from 117 relevant organic substances which represent the main constituents in MSW with known standard entropies using statistical analysis. The substances were divided into different waste fractions; namely, food, wood/paper, textiles/rubber and plastics waste and the standard entropies of each waste fraction and for the complete mixture were calculated. The correlation of the standard entropy of the complete waste mixture derived was found to be s^o_msw= 0.0101C + 0.0630H + 0.0106O + 0.0108N + 0.0155S + 0.0084Cl (kJ.K^-1.kg) and the present correlation can be used for estimating the absolute entropy of MSW by using the elemental compositions of the fuel within the range of 10.3% ≤ C ≤ 95.1%, 0.0% ≤ H ≤ 14.3%, 0.0% ≤ O ≤ 71.1%, 0.0 ≤ N ≤ 66.7%, 0.0% ≤ S ≤ 42.1%, 0.0% ≤ Cl ≤ 89.7%. The model is also applicable for the efficient modelling of a combustion system in a waste-to-energy plant.

Keywords: absolute entropy, irreversibility, municipal solid waste, waste-to-energy

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Authors: Junjie Wu, Hongjuan Hou, Eric Hu, Yongping Yang

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Solar aided power generation (SAPG) technology has been proven as an efficient way to make use of solar energy for power generation purpose. In an SAPG plant, a solar field consisting of parabolic solar collectors is normally used to supply the solar heat in order to displace the high pressure/temperature extraction steam. To understand the performance of such a SAPG plant, a new simulation model was developed by the authors recently, in which the boiler was treated, as a series of heat exchangers unlike other previous models. Through the simulations using the new model, it was found the outlet properties of reheated steam, e.g. temperature, would decrease due to the introduction of the solar heat. The changes make the (lower stage) turbines work under off-design condition. As a result, the whole plant’s performance may not be optimal. In this paper, the second solar filed was proposed to increase the inlet temperature of steam to be reheated, in order to bring the outlet temperature of reheated steam back to the designed condition. A 600MW SAPG plant was simulated as a case study using the new model to understand the impact of the second solar field on the plant performance. It was found in the study, the 2nd solar field would improve the plant’s performance in terms of cycle efficiency and solar-to-electricity efficiency by 1.91% and 6.01%. The solar-generated electricity produced by per aperture area under the design condition was 187.96W/m2, which was 26.14% higher than the previous design.

Keywords: solar-aided power generation system, off-design performance, coal-saving performance, boiler modelling, integration schemes

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Authors: Adele Pierre, Nadia Amoroso

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Changing climate patterns are resulting in increased in storm severity, challenging traditional methods of managing stormwater runoff. This research compares a system of bioswales to existing curb and gutter infrastructure in a post-industrial streetscape of Hamilton, Ontario. Using the geodesign process, including rule-based set parameters and an integrated approach combining geospatial information with stakeholder input, a section of Ottawa St. North was modelled to show how green infrastructure can ease the burden on aging, combined sewer systems. Qualitative data was gathered from residents of the neighbourhood through field notes, and quantitative geospatial data through GIS and site analysis. Parametric modelling was used to generate multiple design scenarios, each visualizing resulting impacts on stormwater runoff along with their calculations. The selected design scenarios offered both an aesthetically pleasing urban bioswale street-scape system while minimizing and controlling stormwater runoff. Interactive maps, videos and the 3D model were presented for stakeholder comment via ESRI’s (Environmental System Research Institute) web-scene. The results of the study demonstrate powerful tools that can assist landscape architects in designing, collaborating and communicating stormwater strategies.

Keywords: bioswale, geodesign, data-driven and rule-based design, geodesign, GIS, stormwater management

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Authors: Norshima Humaidi, Saif Hussein Abdallah Alghazo

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Cybersecurity threat have become a serious issue recently, and one of the cause is because human error, which is usually constituted by carelessness, ignorance, and failure to practice cybersecurity behaviour adequately. Using a data from a quantitative survey, Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis was used to determine the factors that affect cybersecurity protective behaviour (CPB). This study adapts cybersecurity protective behaviour model by focusing on two constructs that can enhance CPB: manager’s information security competencies (MISI) and procedural information security countermeasure (PCM) awareness. Theory of leadership competencies were adapted to measure user’s perception towards competencies among security managers/leader in the organization. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) testing shows that all the measurement items of each constructs were adequate in their validity individually based on their factor loading value. Moreover, each constructs are valid based on their parameter estimates and statistical significance. The quantitative research findings show that PCM awareness strongly influences CPB compared to MISI. Meanwhile, MISI was significantlyPCM awarenss. This study believes that the research findings can contribute to human behaviour in IS studies and are particularly beneficial to policy makers in improving organizations’ strategic plans in information security, especially in this new era. Most organizations spend time and resources to provide and establish strategic plans of information security; however, if employees are not willing to comply and practice information security behaviour appropriately, then these efforts are in vain.

Keywords: cybersecurity, protection behaviour, information security, information security competencies, countermeasure awareness

Procedia PDF Downloads 82

Authors: Marzia Bilkiss, Muhammad J. A. Shiddiky, Mostafa K. Masud, Prabhakaran Sambasivam, Ido Bar, Jeremy Brownlie, Rebecca Ford

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A greater achievement in the Integrated Disease Management (IDM) to prevent the loss would result from early diagnosis and quantitation of the causal pathogen species for accurate and timely disease control. This could significantly reduce costs to the growers and reduce any flow on impacts to the environment from excessive chemical spraying. Necrotrophic fungal disease botrytis grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea and Botrytis fabae, significantly reduce temperate legume yield and grain quality during favourable environmental condition in Australia and worldwide. Several immunogenic and molecular probe-type protocols have been developed for their diagnosis, but these have varying levels of species-specificity, sensitivity, and consequent usefulness within the paddock. To substantially improve speed, accuracy, and sensitivity, advanced nanoparticle-based biosensor approaches have been developed. For this, two sets of primers were designed for both Botrytis cinerea and Botrytis fabae which have shown the species specificity with initial sensitivity of two genomic copies/µl in pure fungal backgrounds using multiplexed quantitative PCR. During further validation, quantitative PCR detected 100 spores on artificially infected legume leaves. Simultaneously an electro-catalytic assay was developed for both target fungal DNA using functionalised magnetic nanoparticles. This was extremely sensitive, able to detect a single spore within a raw total plant nucleic acid extract background. We believe that the translation of this technology to the field will enable quantitative assessment of pathogen load for future accurate decision support of informed botrytis grey mould management.

Keywords: biosensor, botrytis grey mould, sensitive, species specific

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Authors: Tim Steinhaus, Christian Beidl

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Urban air quality and climate protection are two major challenges for future mobility systems. Despite the steady reduction of pollutant emissions from vehicles over past decades, local immission load within cities partially still reaches heights, which are considered hazardous to human health. Although traffic-related emissions account for a major part of the overall urban pollution, modeling the exact interaction remains challenging. In this paper, a novel approach for the determination of the emission-immission interaction on the basis of neural network modeling for traffic induced NO2-immission load within a near-traffic hot-spot scenario is presented. In a detailed sensitivity analysis, the significance of relevant influencing variables on the prevailing NO2 concentration is initially analyzed. Based on this, the generation process of the model is described, in which not only environmental influences but also the vehicle fleet composition including its associated segment- and certification-specific real driving emission factors are derived and used as input quantities. The validity of this approach, which has been presented in the past, is re-examined in this paper using updated data on vehicle emissions and recent immission measurement data. Within the framework of a final scenario analysis, the future development of the immission load is forecast for different developments in the vehicle fleet composition. It is shown that immission levels of less than half of today’s yearly average limit values are technically feasible in hot-spot situations.

Keywords: air quality, emission, emission-immission-interaction, immission, NO2, zero impact

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Authors: A. Mohamed, A. El-Hamalawi, M. Frost, A. Connell

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Often design standards do not provide guidance or formulae for the calculation of stresses on buried pipelines caused by external loads. Frequently engineers rely on other methods and published sources of information to calculate such imposed stresses and a variety of methods can be used. This paper reviews three current approaches to soil pipeline interaction modelling to predict stresses on buried pipelines subjected to soil overburden and traffic loading. The traditional approach to use empirical stress formulas to calculate circumferential bending stresses on pipelines. The alternative approaches considered are the use of a finite element package to compute an estimate of circumferential bending stress and a proprietary stress analysis system (SURFLOAD) to estimate the circumferential bending stress. The results from analysis using the methods are presented and compared to experimental results in terms of predicted and measured circumferential stresses. This study shows that the approach used to assess externally generated stress is important and can lead to an over-conservative analysis. Using FE analysis either through SURFLOAD or a general FE package to predict circumferential stress is the most accurate way to undertake stress analysis due to traffic and soil loads. Although conservative, classical empirical methods will continue to be applied to the analysis of buried pipelines, an opportunity exists, therefore, in many circumstances, to use applied numerical techniques, made possible by advances in finite element analysis.

Keywords: buried pipelines, circumferential bending stress, finite element analysis, soil overburden, soil pipeline interaction analysis (SPIA), traffic loadings

Procedia PDF Downloads 424

Authors: Chongyang Ye, Rong Liu

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Elastic compression stockings (ECSs) have been widely applied in prophylaxis and treatment of chronic venous insufficiency of lower extremities. The medical function of ECS is to improve venous return and increase muscular pumping action to facilitate blood circulation, which is largely determined by the complex interaction between the ECS and lower limb tissues. Understanding the mechanical transmission of ECS along the skin surface, deeper tissues, and vascular system is essential to assess the effectiveness of the ECSs. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of the leg-ECS system integrated with a 3D fluid-solid interaction (FSI) model of the leg-vein system was constructed to analyze the biomechanical properties of veins and soft tissues under different ECS compression. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the human leg was divided into three regions, including soft tissues, bones (tibia and fibula) and veins (peroneal vein, great saphenous vein, and small saphenous vein). The ECSs with pressure ranges from 15 to 26 mmHg (Classes I and II) were adopted in the developed FE-FSI model. The soft tissue was assumed as a Neo-Hookean hyperelastic model with the fixed bones, and the ECSs were regarded as an orthotropic elastic shell. The interfacial pressure and stress transmission were simulated by the FE model, and venous hemodynamics properties were simulated by the FSI model. The experimental validation indicated that the simulated interfacial pressure distributions were in accordance with the pressure measurement results. The developed model can be used to predict interfacial pressure, stress transmission, and venous hemodynamics exerted by ECSs and optimize the structure and materials properties of ECSs design, thus improving the efficiency of compression therapy.

Keywords: elastic compression stockings, fluid-solid interaction, tissue and vein properties, prediction

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Authors: Madhuri S. Ghate, Rahul P. Chavhan, Shriya S. Nahar

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Learning objective: •To describe Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) imaging appearances of typical and atypical uterine fibroids with emphasis on differentiating it from other similar conditions. •To classify uterine fibroids according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Sub-classifications system and emphasis on its clinical significance. •To show cases with atypical imaging appearances atypical fibroids Material and methods: MRI of Pelvis had been performed in symptomatic women of child bearing age group on 1.5T and 3T MRI using T1, T2, STIR, FAT SAT, DWI sequences. Contrast was administered when degeneration was suspected. Imaging appearances of Atypical fibroids and various degenerations in fibroids were studied. Fibroids were classified using FIGO Sub-classification system. Its impact on surgical decision making and clinical outcome were also studied qualitatively. Results: Intramural fibroids were most common (14 patients), subserosal 7 patients, submucosal 5 patients . 6 patients were having multiple fibroids. 7 were having atypical fibroids. (1 hyaline degeneration, 1 cystic degeneration, 1 fatty, 1 necrosis and hemorrhage, 1 red degeneration, 1 calcification, 1 unusual large bilobed growth). Fibroids were classified using FIGO system. In uterus conservative surgeries, the lesser was the degree of myometrial invasion of fibroid, better was the fertility outcome. Conclusion: Relationship of fibroid with mucosal and serosal layers is important in the management of symptomatic fibroid cases. Risk to fertility involved in uterus conservative surgeries in women of child bearing age group depends on the extent of myometrial invasion of fibroids. FIGO system provides better insight into the degree of myometrial invasion. Knowledge about the atypical appearances of fibroids is important to avoid diagnostic confusion and untoward treatment.

Keywords: degeneration, FIGO sub-classification, MRI pelvis, uterine fibroids

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Authors: Maryam Ziaei, Saeedeh Rafiei, Leila Mivehi, Akbar Khodaparast Haghi

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Carbon nanofibers possess properties that are rarely present in any other types of carbon adsorbents, including a small cross-sectional area, combined with a multitude of slit shaped nanopores that are suitable for adsorption of certain types of molecules. Because of their unique properties these materials can be used for the selective adsorption of organic molecules. On the other hand, activated carbon fiber (ACF) has been widely applied as an effective adsorbent for micro-pollutants in recent years. ACF effectively adsorbs and removes a full spectrum of harmful substances. Although there are various methods of fabricating carbon nanofibres, electrospinning is perhaps the most versatile procedure. This technique has been given great attention in current decades because of the nearly simple, comfortable and low cost. Spinning process control and achieve optimal conditions is important in order to effect on its physical properties, absorbency and versatility with different industrial purposes. Modeling and simulation are suitable methods to obtain this approach. In this paper, activated carbon nanofibers were produced during electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile solution. Stabilization, carbonization and activation of electrospun nanofibers in optimized conditions were achieved, and mathematical modelling of electrosinning process done by focusing on governing equations of electrified fluid jet motion (using FeniCS software). Experimental and theoretical results will be compared with each other in order to estimate the accuracy of the model. The simulation can provide the possibility of predicting essential parameters, which affect the electrospinning process.

Keywords: carbon nanofibers, electrospinning, electrospinning modeling, simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 275