Search results for: new delivery modes

Authors: Minal Jain, Vinayak Malhotra

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Solid Propellant ignition consists of rapid and complex events comprising of heat generation and transfer of heat with spreading of flames over the entire burning surface area. Proper combustion and thus propulsion depends heavily on the modes of heat transfer characteristics and cavity volume. Fire safety is an integral component of a successful rocket flight failing to which may lead to overall failure of the rocket. This leads to enormous forfeiture in resources viz., money, time, and labor involved. When the propellant is ignited, thrust is generated and the casing gets heated up. This heat adds on to the propellant heat and the casing, if not at proper orientation starts burning as well, leading to the whole rocket being completely destroyed. This has necessitated active research efforts emphasizing a comprehensive study on the inter-energy relations involved for effective utilization of the solid rocket motors for better space missions. Present work is focused on one of the major influential aspects of this detrimental burning which is the presence of an external heat source, in addition to a potential heat source which is already ignited. The study is motivated by the need to ensure better combustion and fire safety presented experimentally as a simplified small-scale mode of a rocket carrying a solid propellant inside a cavity. The experimental setup comprises of a paraffin wax candle as the pilot fuel and incense stick as the external heat source. The candle is fixed and the incense stick position and location is varied to investigate the find the influence of the pilot heat source. Different configurations of the external heat source presence with separation distance are tested upon. Regression rates of the pilot thin solid fuel are noted to fundamentally understand the non-linear heat and mass transfer which is the governing phenomenon. An attempt is made to understand the phenomenon fundamentally and the mechanism governing it. Results till now indicate non-linear heat transfer assisted with the occurrence of flaming transition at selected critical distances. With an increase in separation distance, the effect is noted to drop in a non-monotonic trend. The parametric study results are likely to provide useful physical insight about the governing physics and utilization in proper testing, validation, material selection, and designing of solid rocket motors with enhanced safety.

Keywords: combustion, propellant, regression, safety

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Authors: Mavis Yaa Konadu Agyemang

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Despite provisions to uphold and safeguard the rights of persons with disability in Ghana, there is evidence that they still encounter several challenges which limit their full and effective involvement in mainstream society, including the gold mining sector. The study sought to explore how persons with physical disability (PWPDs) experience gold mining in the Obuasi Municipal Area. A qualitative research design was used to discover and understand the experiences of PWPDs regarding mining. The purposive sampling technique was used to select five key informants for the study with the age range of (24-52 years) while snowball sampling aided the selection of 16 persons with various forms of physical disability with the age range of (24-60 years). In-depth interviews were used to gather data. The interviews lasted from forty-five minutes to an hour. In relation to the setting, the interviews of thirteen (13) of the participants with disability were done in their houses, two (2) were done on the phone, and one (1) was done in the office. Whereas the interviews of the five (5) key informants were all done in their offices. Data were analyzed using Creswell’s (2009) concept of thematic analysis. The findings suggest that even though land degradation affected everyone in the area, persons with mobility and visual impairment experienced many difficulties trekking the undulating land for long distances in search of arable land. Also, although mining activities are mostly labour-intensive, PWPDs were not employed even in areas where they could work. Further, the cost of items, in general, was high, affecting PWPDs more due to their economic immobility and paying for other sources of water due to land degradation and water pollution. The study also discovered that the peculiar conditions of PWPDs were not factored into compensation payments, and neither were females with physical disability engaged in compensation negotiations. Also, although some of the infrastructure provided by the gold mining companies in the area was physically accessible to some extent, it was not accessible in terms of information delivery. There is a need to educate the public on the effects of mining on PWPDs, their needs as well as disability issues in general. The Minerals and Mining Act (703) should be amended to include provisions that would consider the peculiar needs of PWPDs in compensation payment.

Keywords: mining, resettlement, compensation, environmental, social, disability

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Authors: Guerich Mohamed, Assaf Samir

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The application of viscoelastic materials in the form of constrained layers in mechanical structures is an efficient and cost-effective technique for solving noise and vibration problems. This technique requires a design tool to select the best location, type, and thickness of the damping treatment. This paper presents a finite element model for the vibration of beams partially or fully covered with a constrained viscoelastic damping material. The model is based on Bernoulli-Euler theory for the faces and Timoshenko beam theory for the core. It uses four variables: the through-thickness constant deflection, the axial displacements of the faces, and the bending rotation of the beam. The sandwich beam finite element is compatible with the conventional C1 finite element for homogenous beams. To validate the proposed model, several free vibration analyses of fully or partially covered beams, with different locations of the damping patches and different percent coverage, are studied. The results show that the proposed approach can be used as an effective tool to study the influence of the location and treatment size on the natural frequencies and the associated modal loss factors. Then, a parametric study regarding the variation in the damping characteristics of partially covered beams has been conducted. In these studies, the effect of core shear modulus value, the effect of patch size variation, the thickness of constraining layer, and the core and the locations of the patches are considered. In partial coverage, the spatial distribution of additive damping by using viscoelastic material is as important as the thickness and material properties of the viscoelastic layer and the constraining layer. Indeed, to limit added mass and to attain maximum damping, the damping patches should be placed at optimum locations. These locations are often selected using the modal strain energy indicator. Following this approach, the damping patches are applied over regions of the base structure with the highest modal strain energy to target specific modes of vibration. In the present study, a more efficient indicator is proposed, which consists of placing the damping patches over regions of high energy dissipation through the viscoelastic layer of the fully covered sandwich beam. The presented approach is used in an optimization method to select the best location for the damping patches as well as the material thicknesses and material properties of the layers that will yield optimal damping with the minimum area of coverage.

Keywords: finite element model, damping treatment, viscoelastic materials, sandwich beam

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Authors: Elizabeth Howarth, Dawn Green, Sean Connolly, Geena Vabulas, Sara Smolley

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Through the EU Horizon 2020 Nuvoic Project, the project team recruited 70 individuals in the UK and Ireland to test the Voiceitt speech recognition app and provide user feedback to developers. The app is designed for people with dysarthric speech, to support communication with unfamiliar people and access to speech-driven technologies such as smart home equipment and smart assistants. Participants with atypical speech, due to a range of conditions such as cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, Down syndrome, stroke and hearing impairment, were recruited, primarily through organisations supporting disabled people. Most had physical or learning disabilities in addition to dysarthric speech. The project team worked with individuals, their families and local support teams, to provide access to the app, including through additional assistive technologies where needed. Testing was user-led, with participants asked to identify and test use cases most relevant to their daily lives over a period of three months or more. Ongoing technical support and training were provided remotely and in-person throughout the testing period. Structured interviews were used to collect feedback on users' experiences, with delivery adapted to individuals' needs and preferences. Informal feedback was collected through ongoing contact between participants, their families and support teams and the project team. Focus groups were held to collect feedback on specific design proposals. User feedback shared with developers has led to improvements to the user interface and functionality, including faster voice training, simplified navigation, the introduction of gamification elements and of switch access as an alternative to touchscreen access, with other feature requests from users still in development. This work offers a case-study in successful and inclusive co-design with the disabled community.

Keywords: co-design, assistive technology, dysarthria, inclusive speech recognition

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Authors: D. Kokt, T. F. Dreyer

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The main objective of the study was to design a mentoring programme aimed at developing the soft skills of mentors. The mentors are all employed by a multinational corporation. The company had a mentoring plan in place that did not yield the required results, especially related to the development of soft skills. This prompted the researchers to conduct an extensive literature review followed by a mixed methods approach to ascertain the best practices in developing the soft skills of mentors. The outcomes of the study led to the development of a structured mentoring programme using 25 modules to be completed by mentors. The design incorporated a blended modular approach using both face-to-face teaching and teaching supported by Information Communication Technology (ICT). Blended learning was ideal as the ICT component helped to minimise instructor-mentor physical contact as part of the health measures during the Covid-19 pandemic. The blended learning approach also allowed instructors and mentors an online or offline mode, so that mentors could have more time for creative and cooperative exercises. A range of delivery methodologies were spread out across the different modules to ensure mentor engagement and accelerate mentor development. This included concept development through in-person instructor-led training sessions, concept development through virtual instructor-led training sessions, simulations, case studies, e-learning, role plays, interactive learning using mentoring toolkits, and experiential learning through application. The mentor development journey included formal modular competency assessments. All modules contained post-competency assessment consisting of 10 questions (comprising of a combination of explanatory questions and multiple-choice questions) to ensure understanding and deal with identified competency gaps. The minimum pass mark for all modular competency assessments was 80%. Mentors were allowed to retake the assessment if they scored less than 80% until they demonstrated understanding at the required level.

Keywords: mentor, mentee, soft skills, mentor development, blended learning, modular approach

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Authors: Thidilweli Denga, Bessie Malila, Lucretia Petersen

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The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic should be taken as a wake-up call on the importance of hearing health care considering amongst other things the electronic methods of communication used. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that by 2050, there will be more than 2.5 billion people living with hearing loss. These numbers show that more people will need rehabilitation services. Studies have shown that most people living with hearing loss reside in Low-Middle Income Countries (LIMC). Innovative technological solutions such as digital health interventions that can be used to deliver hearing health services to remote areas now exist. Tele-audiology implementation can potentially enable the delivery of hearing loss services to rural and remote areas. This study aimed to establish the concurrent validity of the tele-audiology practice in school-based hearing screening. The study employed a cross-sectional design with a within-group comparison. The portable KUDUwave Audiometer was used to conduct hearing screening from 50 participants (n=50). In phase I of the study, the audiologist conducted on-site hearing screening, while the synchronous remote hearing screening (tele-audiology) using a 5G network was done in phase II. On-site hearing screening results were obtained for the first 25 participants (aged between 5-6 years). The second half started with the synchronous tele-audiology model to avoid order-effect. Repeated sample t-tests compared threshold results obtained in the left and right ears for onsite and remote screening. There was a good correspondence between the two methods with a threshold average within ±5 dB (decibels). The synchronous tele-audiology model has the potential to reduce the audiologists' case overload, while at the same time reaching populations that lack access due to distance, and shortage of hearing professionals in their areas of reach. With reliable and broadband connectivity, tele-audiology delivers the same service quality as the conventional method while reducing the travel costs of audiologists.

Keywords: hearing screening, low-resource communities, portable audiometer, tele-audiology

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Authors: Prakash Parasivamurthy, Vivek Rama Das, Ravikant Talluri, Veena Jawali

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India ranks among third in the production of coconut besides Philippines and Indonesia. About 92% of the total production in the country is contributed from four southern states especially, Kerala (45.22%), Tamil Nadu (26.56%), Karnataka (10.85%), and Andhra Pradesh (8.93%). Other states, such as Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, and those in the northeast (Tripura and Assam) account for the remaining 8.44%. The use of coconut shell as coarse aggregate in concrete has never been a usual practice in the industry, particularly in areas where light weight concrete is required for non-load bearing walls, non-structural floors, and strip footings. The high cost of conventional building materials is a major factor affecting construction delivery in India. In India, where abundant agricultural and industrial wastes are discharged, these wastes can be used as potential material or replacement material in the construction industry. This will have double the advantages viz., reduction in the cost of construction material and also as a means of disposal of wastes. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this study to utilize the coconut shell (CS) as coarse aggregate in rigid pavement. The present study was initiated with the characterization of materials by the basic material testing. The casted moulds are cured and tests are conducted for hardened concrete. The procedure is continued with determination of fck (Characteristic strength), E (Modulus of Elasticity) and µ (Poisson Value) by the test results obtained. For the analytical studies, rigid pavement was modeled by the KEN PAVE software, finite element software developed specially for road pavements and simultaneously design of rigid pavement was carried out with Indian standards. Results show that physical properties of CSAC (Coconut Shell Aggregate Concrete) with 10% replacement gives better results. The flexural strength of CSAC is found to increase by 4.25% as compared to control concrete. About 13 % reduction in pavement thickness is observed using optimum coconut shell.

Keywords: coconut shell, rigid pavement, modulus of elasticity, poison ratio

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Authors: Abdul Haq

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The goal of this research is to better understand how wind loads affect bridges and develop strategies for designing bridges that are more stable and resistant to wind. The effect of wind on bridges is essential to their safety and functionality, especially in areas that are prone to high wind speeds or violent wind conditions. The study looks at the aerodynamic forces and vibrations caused by wind and how they affect bridge construction. Part of the research method involves first understanding the underlying ideas influencing wind flow near bridges. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to model and forecast the aerodynamic behaviour of bridges under different wind conditions. These models incorporate several factors, such as wind directionality, wind speed, turbulence intensity, and the influence of nearby structures or topography. The results provide significant new insights into the loads and pressures that wind places on different bridge elements, such as decks, pylons, and connections. Following the determination of the wind loads, the structural response of bridges is assessed. By simulating their dynamic behavior under wind-induced forces, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to model the bridge's component parts. This work contributes to the understanding of which areas are at risk of experiencing excessive stresses, vibrations, or oscillations due to wind excitations. Because the bridge has inherent modes and frequencies, the study considers both static and dynamic responses. Various strategies are examined to maximize the design of bridges to withstand wind. It is possible to alter the bridge's geometry, add aerodynamic components, add dampers or tuned mass dampers to lessen vibrations, and boost structural rigidity. Through an analysis of several design modifications and their effectiveness, the study aims to offer guidelines and recommendations for wind-resistant bridge design. In addition to the numerical simulations and analyses, there are experimental studies. In order to assess the computational models and validate the practicality of proposed design strategies, scaled bridge models are tested in a wind tunnel. These investigations help to improve numerical models and prediction precision by providing valuable information on wind-induced forces, pressures, and flow patterns. Using a combination of numerical models, actual testing, and long-term performance evaluation, the project aims to offer practical insights and recommendations for building wind-resistant bridges that are secure, long-lasting, and comfortable for users.

Keywords: wind effects, aerodynamic forces, computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis

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Authors: África Vicario, Fernando J. Álvarez, Felipe Parralejo, Fernando Aranda

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The irrigation systems of traditional agriculture, such as gravity-fed irrigation, produce a great waste of water because, generally, there is no control over the amount of water supplied in relation to the water needed. The AIRON Project tries to solve this problem by implementing an IoT-based system to sensor the irrigation plots so that the state of the crops and the amount of water used for irrigation can be known remotely. The IoT system consists of a sensor network that measures the humidity of the soil, the weather conditions (temperature, relative humidity, wind and solar radiation) and the irrigation water flow. The communication between this network and a central gateway is conducted by means of long-range wireless communication that depends on the characteristics of the irrigation plot. The main objective of the AIRON project is to deploy an IoT sensor network in two different plots of the irrigation community of Aranjuez in the Spanish region of Madrid. The first plot is 2 km away from the central gateway, so LoRa has been used as the base communication technology. The problem with this plot is the absence of mains electric power, so devices with energy-saving modes have had to be used to maximize the external batteries' use time. An ESP32 SOC board with a LoRa module is employed in this case to gather data from the sensor network and send them to a gateway consisting of a Raspberry Pi with a LoRa hat. The second plot is located 18 km away from the gateway, a range that hampers the use of LoRa technology. In order to establish reliable communication in this case, the long-term evolution (LTE) standard is used, which makes it possible to reach much greater distances by using the cellular network. As mains electric power is available in this plot, a Raspberry Pi has been used instead of the ESP32 board to collect sensor data. All data received from the two plots are stored on a proprietary server located at the irrigation management company's headquarters. The analysis of these data by means of machine learning algorithms that are currently under development should allow a short-term prediction of the irrigation water demand that would significantly reduce the waste of this increasingly valuable natural resource. The major finding of this work is the real possibility of deploying a remote sensing system for irrigated plots by using Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) devices, easily scalable and adaptable to design requirements such as the distance to the control center or the availability of mains electrical power at the site.

Keywords: internet of things, irrigation water control, LoRa, LTE, smart farming

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Authors: Dragos Dragomir-Stanciu, Leon Marsh

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Background As a response to the gaps identified in recent research in the provision of residential care to address co-occurring health needs, including mental health problems and complexities Gamble Aware has facilitated the possibility to provide a new service which would extend the NGTS provision of residential rehabilitation for gambling disorder with complex and co-morbid presentation. Gordon Moody, together with Adferiad have been successful in securing the tender for this service and this presentation aims to introduce FOLD, the resulting model of treatment developed for the delivery of the service. Setting As a partnership, we have come together to coproduce a model which allows us to share our clinical and industry knowledge and build on our reputations as trusted treatment providers. The presentation will outline our expertise share in development of a unified approach to recovery-oriented models of care, clinical governance, risk assessment and management and aftercare and continuous recovery. We will also introduce our innovative specialist referral portal which will offer referring partners the ability to include the service user in planning their own recovery journey. Outcomes Our collaboration has resulted in the development of the FOLD model which includes three agile and flexible treatment packages aimed at offering the most enhanced and comprehensive treatment in UK, to date, for those most affected by gambling harm. The paper will offer insight into each treatment package and all recovery model stages involved, as well as into the partnership work with NGST providers, local mental health and social care providers and lived experience organisation that will enable us to offer support to more 100 people a year who would otherwise get “lost in the system”. Conclusion FOLD offers a great opportunity to develop, implement and evaluate a new, much needed, whole-person and whole-system approach to counter gambling related harms.

Keywords: gambling treatment, partnership working, integrated care pathways, NGTS, complex needs

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Authors: Mansur Hamma-Adama, Tahar Kouider

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Construction Industry has been evolving since the development of Building Information Modelling (BIM). This technological process is unstoppable; it is out to the market with remarkable case studies of solving the long industry’s history of fragmentation. This industry has been changing over time; United States has recorded the most significant development in construction digitalization, Australia, United Kingdom and some other developed nations are also amongst promoters of BIM process and its development. Recently, a developing country like China and Malaysia are keying into the industry’s digital shift, while very little move is seen in South Africa whose development is considered higher and perhaps leader in the digital transition amongst the African countries. To authors’ best knowledge, Nigerian construction industry has never engaged in BIM discussions hence has no attention at national level. Consequently, Nigeria has no “Noteworthy BIM publications.” Decision makers and key stakeholders need to be informed on the current trend of the industry’s development (BIM in specific) and the opportunities of adopting this digitalization trend in relation to the identified challenges. BIM concept can be traced mostly in Architectural practices than engineering practices in Nigeria. A superficial BIM practice is found to be at organisational level only and operating a model based - “BIM stage 1.” Research to adopting this innovation has received very little attention. This piece of work is literature review based, aimed at exploring BIM in Nigeria and its prospects. The exploration reveals limitations in the literature availability as to extensive research in the development of BIM in the country. Numerous challenges were noticed including building collapse, inefficiencies, cost overrun and late project delivery. BIM has potentials to overcome the above challenges and even beyond. Low level of BIM adoption with reasonable level of awareness is noticed. However, lack of policy and guideline as well as serious lack of experts in the field are amongst the major barriers to BIM adoption. The industry needs to embrace BIM to possibly compete with its global counterpart.

Keywords: adoption, BIM, CAD, construction industry, Nigeria, opportunities

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Authors: Khair Al-Deen Bsisu, Osama Mahmoud Abuzeid

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Significant technological advances have been achieved in the design and building construction of steel and glass in the last two decades. The metal glass support frame has been replaced by further sophisticated technological solutions, for example, the point fixed glazing systems. The minimization of the visual mass has reached extensive possibilities through the evolution of technology in glass production and the better understanding of the structural potential of glass itself, the technological development of bolted fixings, the introduction of the glazing support attachments of the glass suspension systems and the use for structural stabilization of cables that reduce to a minimum the amount of metal used. The variability of solutions of tension structures, allied to the difficulties related to geometric and material non-linear behavior, usually overrules the use of analytical solutions, letting numerical analysis as the only general approach to the design and analysis of tension structures. With the characteristics of low stiffness, lightweight, and small damping, tension structures are obviously geometrically nonlinear. In fact, analysis of cable truss is not only one of the most difficult nonlinear analyses because the analysis path may have rigid-body modes, but also a time consuming procedure. Non-linear theory allowing for large deflections is used. The flexibility of supporting members was observed to influence the stresses in the pane considerably in some cases. No other class of architectural structural systems is as dependent upon the use of digital computers as are tensile structures. Besides complexity, the process of design and analysis of tension structures presents a series of specificities, which usually lead to the use of special purpose programs, instead of general purpose programs (GPPs), such as ANSYS. In a special purpose program, part of the design know how is embedded in program routines. It is very probable that this type of program will be the option of the final user, in design offices. GPPs offer a range of types of analyses and modeling options. Besides, traditional GPPs are constantly being tested by a large number of users, and are updated according to their actual demands. This work discusses the use of ANSYS for the analysis and design of tension structures, such as cable truss structures under wind and gravity loadings. A model to describe the glass panels working in coordination with the cable truss was proposed. Under the proposed model, a FEM model of the glass panels working in coordination with the cable truss was established.

Keywords: Glass Construction material, Facades, Finite Element, Pre-Tensioned Cable Truss

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Authors: Arefeh Hesaraki

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The application of photovoltaic-thermal hybrids (PVT), which delivers both electricity and heat simultaneously from the same system, has become more popular during the past few years. This study addresses techno-economic and environmental impacts assessment of photovoltaic/thermal systems combined with a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) for three single-family houses located in Stockholm, Sweden. Three case studies were: (1) A renovated building built in 1936, (2) A renovated building built in 1973, and (3) A new building built-in 2013. Two simulation programs of SimaPro 9.1 and IDA Indoor Climate and Energy 4.8 (IDA ICE) were applied to analyze environmental impacts and energy usage, respectively. The cost-effectiveness of the system was evaluated using net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and discounted payback time (DPBT) methods. In addition to cost payback time, the studied PVT system was evaluated using the energy payback time (EPBT) method. EPBT presents the time that is needed for the installed system to generate the same amount of energy which was utilized during the whole lifecycle (fabrication, installation, transportation, and end-of-life) of the system itself. Energy calculation by IDA ICE showed that a 5 m² PVT was sufficient to create a balance between the maximum heat production and the domestic hot water consumption during the summer months for all three case studies. The techno-economic analysis revealed that combining a 5 m² PVT with GSHP in the second case study possess the smallest DPBT and the highest NPV and IRR among the three case studies. It means that DPBTs (IRR) were 10.8 years (6%), 12.6 years (4%), and 13.8 years (3%) for the second, first, and the third case study, respectively. Moreover, environmental assessment of embodied energy during cradle- to- grave life cycle of the studied PVT, including fabrication, delivery of energy and raw materials, manufacture process, installation, transportation, operation phase, and end of life, revealed approximately two years of EPBT in all cases.

Keywords: life-cycle cost, life-cycle assessment, photovoltaic/thermal, IDA ICE, net present value

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Authors: Eitan Yefenof

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Glucocorticoid (GC) hormones, e.g. Dexamethasone and Prednisone, are widely used in the therapy of leukemia and lymphoma owing to their apoptogenic effect on lymphoid cells. However, the emergence of GC resistant cells during therapy is a major cause for treatment failure, urging the need for novel strategies that maintain leukemia sensitivity to the pro-apoptotic activity of GCs. GCs act by binding to the GC receptor (GR), which, in its inactive state, is sequestered in the cytosol by a multi-subunit complex of heat shock proteins. Upon ligand binding, the complex dissociates, allowing GR activation and translocation to the nucleus, where it regulates transcription of multiple genes. We demonstrated that in addition to gene expression, GR also regulates microRNA (miR) expression. Deep-sequencing analysis revealed 14 miRs that are regulated in GC-sensitive but resistant leukemias upon treatment with GC. GC up-regulates miR-103, miR-15~16 and miR-30e/d, while down-regulates miR-17, mir-18a, miR-19a, miR-19b, miR-20a and miR-92a (members of the miR-17∼92a multi-cistron). Upon transfection, miR-103 confers GC apoptotic sensitivity to otherwise GC-resistant cell. Furthermore, knocking down miR-103 expression reduces the GC apoptotic response of sensitive cells. miR-103 abrogates c-Myc expression, an oncogenic transcription factor which is deregulated in many cancers. In addition, miR-103 up-regulates Bim, a pro-apoptotic protein crucial for GC-induced death. Activated glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is also crucial for GC-induced apoptosis. GSK3 is active in GC-sensitive but not in GC-resistant cells. We found that GSK3 associates with the GR multi-subunit complex. Upon GC exposure, it dissociates from the GR and interacts with Bim to enable activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. miR-103 mediated c-Myc ablation is followed by down-regulation of the multi-cistron miR-17~92a, in particular miR-18a and miR-20a. miR-18a targets GR for degradation whereas miR-20a targets Bim degradation. Hence, miR-103 acts, in concert with Bim and GR, as a "tumor suppressor" that leads to reduced proliferation, cell-cycle arrest and cell death. We suggest that miR-103 can provide a diagnostic tool that predicts the sensitivity of leukemia to GC based therapy. Furthermore, exosomal delivery of miR-103 or up-regulation of the endogenous miR-103 could confer apoptotic sensitivity to resistant cells at the outset, thus becoming a useful therapeutic tool combined with GCs.

Keywords: apoptosis, leukemia, micro-RNA, steroids

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Authors: Elyce Cardonick, Shistri Dhar, Linsdey Seidman

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Background: When breast cancer is diagnosed during pregnancy, the prognosis is comparable to non-pregnant women matched for prognostic indicators when pregnant women receive treatment without delay. Chemotherapy, including taxanes, can be given during pregnancy with normal neonatal development in exposed fetuses. Methods: Cases of primary breast cancer were extracted from the Cancer and Pregnancy Registry and longitudinal study at Cooper Medical School, which collects cases of pregnant women diagnosed and treated for cancer into a single database. Obstetrical, oncology and pediatric records were reviewed, including annual neonatal developmental, behavioral and medical assessments. Results: 270 pregnant women were diagnosed with primary breast cancer at a mean gestational age of 14.7+9weeks. Mean maternal age at diagnosis 34.5+4.5 years. Receptor status is comparable to non-pregnant women of reproductive age. Forty-nine women were advised to terminate. Two hundred two women underwent surgery;244 women received chemotherapy in pregnancy after the first trimester; the majority of Doxorubucin/Cytoxan; 81 of the cases included a taxane. At a mean of 90 months, follow up obtained on 255 newborns.192/255 newborns are meeting developmental milestones. Respiratory illnesses, including asthma, and bronchiolitis, were reported in 64 newborns, the most common medical condition reported. Thirty-one children are undergoing treatment for GERD, 11 for urinary tract infections, and 7 are undergoing treatment for anemia. Twenty-six children with expressive or articulation language delays, 21/26 are mild. Eleven children with gross/ 7 with fine motor delays. Eight children are treated for ADHD, 4 for anxiety and 4 have social skill impairment. The majority of children with developmental, language or motor delays were born preterm. Conclusion: After chemotherapy exposure in utero for breast cancer, the majority of newborns are meeting developmental milestones and are medically healthy. The goal for treating pregnant women with breast cancer is to aim for delivery close to the term.

Keywords: breast cancer, pregnancy, chemotherapy, newborn

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Authors: S. Ping Ho, R. Dahal

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The global economy has drastically changed how firms operate and compete. Although the construction industry is ‘local’ by its nature, the internationalization of the construction industry has become an inevitable reality. As a result of global competition, staying domestic is no longer safe from competition and, on the contrary, to grow and become an MNE (multi-national enterprise) becomes one of the important strategies for a firm to survive in the global competition. For the successful entrance into competing markets, the firms need to re-define their competitive advantages and re-identify the sources of the competitive advantages. A firm’s initiation of internationalization is not necessarily a result of strategic planning but also involves certain idiosyncratic events that pave the path leading to a firm’s internationalization. For example, a local firm’s incidental or unintentional collaboration with an MNE can become the initiating point of its internationalization process. However, because of the intensive competition in today’s global movement, many firms were compelled to initiate their internationalization as a strategic response to the competition. Understandingly stepping in in the process of internationalization and appropriately implementing the strategies (in the process) at different stages lead the construction firms to a successful internationalization journey. This study is carried out to develop a model of the internationalization process, which derives appropriate strategies that the construction firms can implement at each stage. The proposed model integrates two major and complementary views of internationalization and expresses the dynamic process of internationalization in three stages, which are the pre-international (PRE) stage, the foreign direct investment (FDI) stage, and the multi-national enterprise (MNE) stage. The strategies implied in the proposed model are derived, focusing on capability building, market locations, and entry modes based on the resource-based views: value, rareness, imitability, and substitutability (VRIN). With the proposed dynamic process model the potential construction firms which are willing to expand their business market area can be benefitted. Strategies for internationalization, such as core competence strategy, market selection, partner selection, and entry mode strategy, can be derived from the proposed model. The internationalization process is expressed in two different forms. First, we discuss the construction internationalization process, identify the driving factor/s of the process, and explain the strategy formation in the process. Second, we define the stages of internationalization along the process and the corresponding strategies in each stage. The strategies may include how to exploit existing advantages for the competition at the current stage and develop or explore additional advantages appropriate for the next stage. Particularly, the additionally developed advantages will then be accumulated and drive forward the firm’s stage of internationalization, which will further determine the subsequent strategies, and so on and so forth, spiraling up the stages of a higher degree of internationalization. However, the formation of additional strategies for the next stage does not happen automatically, and the strategy evolution is based on the firm’s dynamic capabilities.

Keywords: construction industry, dynamic capabilities, internationalization process, internationalization strategies, strategic management

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Authors: Antonio Montes, Antonio Cozar, Clara Pereyra, Diego Valor, Enrique Martinez de la Ossa

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Tissues and organs can be damaged because of traumatism, congenital illnesses, or cancer and the traditional therapeutic alternatives, such as surgery, cannot usually completely repair the damaged tissues. Tissue engineering allows regeneration of the patient's tissues, reducing the problems caused by the traditional methods. Scaffolds, polymeric structures with interconnected porosity, can be promoted the proliferation and adhesion of the patient’s cells in the damaged area. Furthermore, by means of impregnation of the scaffold with beneficial active substances, tissue regeneration can be induced through a drug delivery process. The objective of the work is the fabrication of a PVA scaffold coated with Gallic Acid and polypyrrole through a one-step foaming and impregnation process using the SSI technique (Supercritical Solvent Impregnation). In this technique, supercritical CO₂ penetrates into the polymer chains producing the plasticization of the polymer. In the depressurization step a CO₂ cellular nucleation and growing to take place to an interconnected porous structure of the polymer. The foaming process using supercritical CO₂ as solvent and expansion agent presents advantages compared to the traditional scaffolds’ fabrication methods, such as the polymer’s high solubility in the solvent or the possibility of carrying out the process at a low temperature, avoiding the inactivation of the active substance. In this sense, the supercritical CO₂ avoids the use of organic solvents and reduces the solvent residues in the final product. Moreover, this process does not require long processing time that could cause the stratification of substance inside the scaffold reducing the therapeutic efficiency of the formulation. An experimental design has been carried out to optimize the SSI technique operating conditions, as well as a study of the morphological characteristics of the scaffold for its use in tissue engineerings, such as porosity, conductivity or the release profiles of the active substance. It has been proved that the obtained scaffolds are partially porous, conductors of electricity and are able to release Gallic Acid in the long term.

Keywords: scaffold, foaming, supercritical, PVA, polypyrrole, gallic acid

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Authors: Nilgün Katrancı, Pınar Göv

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With the acceleration and assessment of quality and patient safety works in healthcare services in the 21st century, activities to reduce errors have gained importance. The prevention and reduction of unintended consequences related to healthcare services and errors made during the delivery of healthcare services can be achieved by understanding the causes of the errors. Communication is the basic reason most frequently seen in such cases. Nurses who communicate with patients more closely and for longer time play a more critical role in ensuring patient safety compared to other healthcare professionals. To reduce the risk of medical errors and increase the quality of care, it is important to raise the awareness of nurses about patient safety in training period. This descriptive study was conducted between February 2017 and May 2017 to assess intern students' attitudes towards and knowledge of patient safety and medical errors. The target population of the study consists of intern students at the Faculty of Nursing in Gaziantep University (N=180). The study did not apply any sample selection method, and the research group consisted of 90 female and 37 male senior students who were available and accepted to take part in the study (N=127). The study used personal information form and medical error attitude scale to collect data. The medical error attitude scale consists of 16 items and 3 sub-dimensions. The most frequently seen medical error in the clinics the interns worked at was found as ‘Failure to comply with asepsis rules’ with a rate of 67,7%. The most frequent case among reasons for not disclosing an error is ‘noticing and correcting the error before affecting the patient’ with the rate of 70,9%. The most frequently expressed implications of disclosing a serious error for the intern students participating in the study are ‘harming patient trust (78%)’ and ‘possibility of overreaction by patient (62,2%)’. According to the results of the study, the awareness of the students about the importance of medical errors and error reporting was found high (3,48 ± 0,49). Consequently, it is important to assess and positively improve the attitudes of nurses and other healthcare professionals towards medical errors for the determination of causes of medical errors and their prevention.

Keywords: healthcare service, intern student, medical error, patient safety

Procedia PDF Downloads 200

Authors: A. Sezai Sarac

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Acrylonitrile (AN) copolymers with typical comonomers of vinyl acetate (VAc) or methyl acrylate (MA) exhibit better mechanical behaviors than its homopolymer. To increase processability of conjugated polymer, and to obtain a hybrid nano-structure multi-stepped emulsion polymerization was applied. Such products could be used in, i.e., drug-delivery systems, biosensors, gas-sensors, electronic compounds, etc. Incorporation of a number of flexible comonomers weakens the dipolar interactions among CN and thereby decreases melting point or increases decomposition temperatures of the PAN based copolymers. Hence, it is important to consider the effect of comonomer on the properties of PAN-based copolymers. Acrylonitrile vinylacetate (AN–VAc ) copolymers have the significant effect to their thermal behavior and are also of interest as precursors in the production of high strength carbon fibers. AN is copolymerized with one or two comonomers, particularly with vinyl acetate The copolymer of AN and VAc can be used either as a plastic (VAc > 15 wt %) or as microfibers (VAc < 15 wt %). AN provides the copolymer with good processability, electrochemical and thermal stability; VAc provides the mechanical stability. The free radical copolymerization of AN and VAc copolymer and core Shell structure of polyprrole composites,and nanofibers of poly(m-anthranilic acid)/polyacrylonitrile blends were recently studied. Free radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) – with different comonomers, i.e. acrylates, and styrene was realized using ammonium persulfate (APS) in the presence of a surfactant and in-situ polymerization of conjugated polymers was performed in this reaction medium to obtain core-shell nano particles. Nanofibers of such nanoparticles were obtained by electrospinning. Morphological properties of nanofibers are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force spectroscopy (AFM). Nanofibers are characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared - Attenuated Total Reflectance spectrometer (FTIR-ATR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The electrochemical Impedance results of the nanofibers were fitted to an equivalent curcuit by modelling (ECM).

Keywords: core shell nanoparticles, nanofibers, ascrylonitile copolymers, hybrid nanostructures

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Authors: Aschenaki Zerihun Kea, Bernt Lindtjorn, Achamyelesh Gebretsadik, Sven Gudmund Hinderaker

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Introduction: Maternal mortality studies conducted at the national level do not provide the information needed for planning and monitoring health programs at lower administrative levels. The aim of this study was to measure maternal mortality, identify risk factors and district-level variations in Sidama National Regional State, southern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross sectional population-based survey was carried out in households where women reported pregnancy and birth outcomes in the past five years. The study was conducted in the Sidama National Regional State, southern Ethiopia, from July 2019 to May 2020. Multi-stage cluster sampling technique was employed. The outcome variable of the study was maternal mortality. Complex sample logistic regression analysis was applied to assess variables independently associated with maternal mortality. Results: We registered 10602 live births (LB) and 48 maternal deaths, yielding an overall maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 419; 95% CI: 260-577 per 100,000 LB. Aroresa district had the highest MMR with 1142 (95% CI: 693-1591) per 100,000 LB. Leading causes of death were haemorrhage 21 (41%) and eclampsia 10 (27%). Thirty (59%) mothers died during labour, or within 24 hours after delivery, 25 (47%) died at home and 17 (38%) at a health facility. Mothers who did not have formal education had a higher risk of maternal death (AOR: 4.4; 95% CI: 1.7 – 11.0). The risk of maternal death was higher in districts with a low midwife-to-population ratio (AOR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.0-8.9). Conclusion: The high maternal mortality with district-level variations in Sidama Region highlights the importance of improving obstetric care and employing targeted interventions in areas with high mortality rates. Due attention should be given to improving access to female education. Additional midwives have to be trained and deployed to improve maternal health services and consequently save the lives of mothers.

Keywords: maternal mortality variation, maternal death, Sidama, Ethiopia

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Authors: Amin Asgarian, Ghyslaine McClure

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Proper seismic evaluation of Non-Structural Components (NSCs) mandates an accurate estimation of floor seismic demands (i.e. acceleration and displacement demands). Most of the current international codes incorporate empirical equations to calculate equivalent static seismic force for which NSCs and their anchorage system must be designed. These equations, in general, are functions of component mass and peak seismic acceleration to which NSCs are subjected to during the earthquake. However, recent studies have shown that these recommendations are suffered from several shortcomings such as neglecting the higher mode effect, tuning effect, NSCs damping effect, etc. which cause underestimation of the component seismic acceleration demand. This work is aimed to circumvent the aforementioned shortcomings of code provisions as well as improving them by proposing a simplified, practical, and yet accurate approach to generate acceleration Floor Design Spectra (FDS) directly from corresponding Uniform Hazard Spectra (UHS) (i.e. design spectra for structural components). A database of 27 Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings in which Ambient Vibration Measurements (AVM) have been conducted. The database comprises 12 low-rise, 10 medium-rise, and 5 high-rise buildings all located in Montréal, Canada and designated as post-disaster buildings or emergency shelters. The buildings are subjected to a set of 20 compatible seismic records and Floor Response Spectra (FRS) in terms of pseudo acceleration are derived using the proposed approach for every floor of the building in both horizontal directions considering 4 different damping ratios of NSCs (i.e. 2, 5, 10, and 20% viscous damping). Several effective parameters on NSCs response are evaluated statistically. These parameters comprise NSCs damping ratios, tuning of NSCs natural period with one of the natural periods of supporting structure, higher modes of supporting structures, and location of NSCs. The entire spectral region is divided into three distinct segments namely short-period, fundamental period, and long period region. The derived roof floor response spectra for NSCs with 5% damping are compared with the 5% damping UHS and procedure are proposed to generate roof FDS for NSCs with 5% damping directly from 5% damped UHS in each spectral region. The generated FDS is a powerful, practical, and accurate tool for seismic design and assessment of acceleration-sensitive NSCs particularly in existing post-critical buildings which have to remain functional even after the earthquake and cannot tolerate any damage to NSCs.

Keywords: earthquake engineering, operational and functional components (OFCs), operational modal analysis (OMA), seismic assessment and design

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Authors: Robert Vanderburg, Michael Cowling, Nicholas Gibson

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Mathematics is one of the core subjects taught in the Australian K-12 education system and is considered an important component for future studies in areas such as engineering and technology. In addition to this, Australia has been a world leader in distance education due to the vastness of its geographic landscape. Despite this, research is still needed on distance math instruction. Even though delivery of curriculum has given way to online studies, and there is a resultant push for computer-based (PC, tablet, smartphone) math instruction, much instruction still involves practice problems similar to those original curriculum packs, without the ability for students to self-regulate their learning using the full interactive capabilities of these devices. Given this need, this paper addresses issues students have during online instruction. This study consists of 32 students struggling with mathematics enrolled in a math tutorial conducted in an online setting. The study used a case study design to understand some of the blockades hindering the students’ success. Data was collected by tracking students practice and quizzes, tracking engagement of the site, recording one-on-one tutorials, and collecting data from interviews with the students. Results revealed that when students have cognitively straining tasks in an online instructional setting, the first thing to dissipate was their ability to self-regulate. The results also revealed that instructors could ameliorate the situation and provided useful data on strategies that could be used for designing future online tasks. Specifically, instructors could utilize cognitive dissonance strategies to reduce the cognitive drain of the tasks online. They could segment the instruction process to reduce the cognitive demands of the tasks and provide in-depth self-regulatory training, freeing mental capacity for the mathematics content. Finally, instructors could provide specific scheduling and assignment structure changes to reduce the amount of student centered self-regulatory tasks in the class. These findings will be discussed in more detail and summarized in a framework that can be used for future work.

Keywords: digital education, distance education, mathematics education, self-regulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 128

Authors: Daniel Osieko Okach, Joseph Otieno Ondier, Gerhard Rambold, John Tenhunen, Bernd Huwe, Dennis Otieno

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Increased human activities such as grazing, logging, and agriculture alongside unpredictable rainfall patterns have been detrimental to the ecosystem service delivery, therefore compromising its productivity potential. This study aimed at simulating the impact of drought (50%) and enhanced rainfall (150%) on the future herbaceous CO2 uptake, biomass production and soil C:N dynamics in a humid savanna ecosystem influenced by livestock grazing. Rainfall pattern was predicted using manipulation experiments set up to reduce (50%) and increase (150%) ambient (100%) rainfall amounts in grazed and non-grazed plots. The impact of manipulated rainfall regime on herbaceous CO2 fluxes, biomass production and soil C:N dynamics was measured against volumetric soil water content (VWC) logged every 30 minutes using the 5TE (Decagon Devices Inc., Washington, USA) soil moisture sensors installed (at 20 cm soil depth) in every plots. Herbaceous biomass was estimated using destructive method augmented by standardized photographic imaging. CO2 fluxes were measured using the ecosystem chamber method and the gas analysed using LI-820 gas analyzer (USA). C:N ratio was calculated from the soil carbon and Nitrogen contents (analyzed using EA2400CHNS/O and EA2410 N elemental analyzers respectively) of different plots under study. The patterning of VWC was directly influenced by the rainfall amount with lower VWC observed in the grazed compared to the non-grazed plots. Rainfall variability, grazing and their interaction significantly affected changes in VWC (p < 0.05) and subsequently total biomass and CO2 fluxes. VWC had a strong influence on CO2 fluxes under 50% rainfall reduction in the grazed (r2 = 0.91; p < 0.05) and ambient rainfall in the ungrazed (r2 = 0.77; p < 0.05). The dependence of biomass on VWC across plots was enhanced under grazed (r2 = 0.78 - 0.87; p < 0.05) condition as compared to ungrazed (r2 = 0.44 - 0.85; p < 0.05). The C:N ratio was however not correlated to VWC across plots. This study provides insight on how the predicted trends in humid savanna will respond to changes influenced by rainfall variability and livestock grazing and consequently the sustainable management of such ecosystems.

Keywords: CO2 fluxes, rainfall manipulation, soil properties, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 130

Authors: Laura Bravo-García, Gotzone Barandika, Begoña Bazán, M. Karmele Urtiaga, Luis M. Lezama, María I. Arriortua

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Solid coordination networks (SCNs) are materials consisting of metal ions or clusters that are linked by polyfunctional organic ligands and can be designed to form tridimensional frameworks. Their structural features, as for example high surface areas, thermal stability, and in other cases large cavities, have opened a wide range of applications in fields like drug delivery, host-guest chemistry, biomedical imaging, chemical sensing, heterogeneous catalysis and others referred to greenhouse gases storage or even separation. In this sense, the use of polycarboxylate anions and dipyridyl ligands is an effective strategy to produce extended structures with the needed characteristics for these applications. In this context, a novel compound, [Cu4(m-BDC)4(bpa)2DMF]•DMF has been obtained by microwave synthesis, where m-BDC is 1,3-benzenedicarboxylate and bpa 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane. The crystal structure can be described as a three dimensional framework formed by two equal, interpenetrated networks. Each network consists of two different CuII dimers. Dimer 1 have two coppers with a square pyramidal coordination, and dimer 2 have one with a square pyramidal coordination and other with octahedral one, the last dimer is unique in literature. Therefore, the combination of both type of dimers is unprecedented. Thus, benzenedicarboxylate ligands form sinusoidal chains between the same type of dimers, and also connect both chains forming these layers in the (100) plane. These layers are connected along the [100] direction through the bpa ligand, giving rise to a 3D network with 10 Å2 voids in average. However, the fact that there are two interpenetrated networks results in a significant reduction of the available volume. Structural analysis was carried out by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. Thermal and magnetic properties have been measured by means of thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray thermodiffractometry (TDX), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Additionally, CO2 and CH4 high pressure adsorption measurements have been carried out for this compound.

Keywords: gas adsorption, interpenetrated networks, magnetic measurements, solid coordination network (SCN), thermal stability

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Authors: L. Ebralidze, A. Tsertsvadze, D. Berashvili, A. Bakuridze

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Current cancer therapy strategies are based on surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The problems associated with chemotherapy are one of the biggest challenges for clinical medicine. These include: low specificity, broad spectrum of side effects, toxicity and development of cellular resistance. Therefore, anti-cance drugs need to be develop urgently. Particularly, in order to increase efficiency of anti-cancer drugs and reduce their side effects, scientists work on formulation of nano-drugs. The objective of this study was to develop composition and technology of vincristine nanoparticles using high-molecular carbohydrates of plant origin. Plant polysacharides, particularly, soy bean seed polysaccharides, flaxseed polysaccharides, citrus pectin, gum arabic, sodium alginate were used as objects. Based on biopharmaceutical research, vincristine containing nanoparticle formulations were prepared. High-energy emulsification and solvent evaporation methods were used for preparation of nanosystems. Polysorbat 80, polysorbat 60, sodium dodecyl sulfate, glycerol, polyvinyl alcohol were used in formulation as emulsifying agent and stabilizer of the system. The ratio of API and polysacharides, also the type of the stabilizing and emulsifying agents are very effective on the particle size of the final product. The influence of preparation technology, type and concentration of stabilizing agents on the properties of nanoparticles were evaluated. For the next stage of research, nanosystems were characterized. Physiochemical characterization of nanoparticles: their size, shape, distribution was performed using Atomic force microscope and Scanning electron microscope. The present study explored the possibility of production of NPs using plant polysaccharides. Optimal ratio of active pharmaceutical ingredient and plant polysacharids, the best stabilizer and emulsifying agent was determined. The average range of nanoparticles size and shape was visualized by SEM.

Keywords: nanoparticles, target delivery, natural high molecule carbohydrates, surfactants

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Authors: Z. Kolacinski, L. Szymanski. G. Raniszewski, D. Koza, L. Pietrzak

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Magnetic Bio-Nano-Fluid (BNF) can be composed of a buffer fluid such as plasma and magnetic nanoparticles such as iron, nickel, cobalt and their oxides. However iron is one of the best elements for magnetization by electromagnetic radiation. It can be used as a tool for medical diagnosis and treatment. Radio frequency (RF) radiation is able to heat iron nanoparticles due to magnetic hysteresis. Electromagnetic heating of iron nanoparticles and ferro-fluids BNF can be successfully used for non-invasive thermal ablation of cancer cells. Moreover iron atoms can be carried by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) if iron is used as catalyst for CNTs synthesis. Then CNTs became the iron containers and they screen the iron content against oxidation. We will present a method of CNTs addressing to the required cells. For thermal ablation of cancer cells we use radio frequencies for which the interaction with human body should be limited to minimum. Generally, the application of RF energy fields for medical treatment is justified by deep tissue penetration. The highly iron doped CNTs as the carriers creating magnetic fluid will be presented. An excessive catalyst injection method using electrical furnace and microwave plasma reactor will be presented. This way it is possible to grow the Fe filled CNTs on a moving surface in continuous synthesis process. This also allows producing uniform carpet of the Fe filled CNTs carriers. For the experimental work targeted to cell ablation we used RF generator to measure the increase in temperature for some samples like: solution of Fe2O3 in BNF which can be plasma-like buffer, solutions of pure iron of different concentrations in plasma-like buffer and in buffer used for a cell culture, solutions of carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of different concentrations in plasma-like buffer and in buffer used for a cell culture. Then the targeted therapies which can be effective if the carriers are able to distinguish the difference between cancerous and healthy cell’s physiology are considered. We have developed an approach based on ligand-receptor or antibody-antigen interactions for the case of colon cancer.

Keywords: cancer treatment, carbon nano tubes, drag delivery, hyperthermia, iron

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Authors: A. Stifi, S. Gentes

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Undoubtedly from construction's perspective, the use of explosives will remove a large facility such as a 40-storey building , that took almost 3 to 4 years for construction, in few minutes. Usually, the reconstruction or decommissioning, the last phase of life cycle of any facility, is considered to be the shortest. However, this is proved to be wrong in the case of nuclear power plant. Statistics says that in the last 30 years, the construction of a nuclear power plant took an average time of 6 years whereas it is estimated that decommissioning of such plants may take even a decade or more. This paper is all about the decommissioning phase of a nuclear power plant which needs to be given more attention and encouragement from the research institutes as well as the nuclear industry. Currently, there are 437 nuclear power reactors in operation and 70 reactors in construction. With around 139 nuclear facilities already been shut down and are in different decommissioning stages and approximately 347 nuclear reactors will be in decommissioning phase in the next 20 years (assuming the operation time of a reactor as 40 years), This fact raises the following two questions (1) How far is the nuclear and construction Industry ready to face the challenges of decommissioning project? (2) What is required for a safety and reliable decommissioning project delivery? The decommissioning of nuclear facilities across the global have severe time and budget overruns. Largely the decommissioning processes are being executed by the force of manual labour where the change in regulations is respectively observed. In term of research and development, some research projects and activities are being carried out in this area, but the requirement seems to be much more. The near future of decommissioning shall be better through a sustainable development strategy where all stakeholders agree to implement innovative technologies especially for dismantling and decontamination processes and to deliever a reliable and safety decommissioning. The scope of technology transfer from other industries shall be explored. For example, remotery operated robotic technologies used in automobile and production industry to reduce time and improve effecincy and saftey shall be tried here. However, the innovative technologies are highly requested but they are alone not enough, the implementation of creative and innovative management methodologies should be also investigated and applied. Lean Management with it main concept "elimination of waste within process", is a suitable example here. Thus, the cooperation between international organisations and related industries and the knowledge-sharing may serve as a key factor for the successful decommissioning projects.

Keywords: decommissioning of nuclear facilities, innovative technology, innovative management, sustainable development

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Authors: Fatemeh Haghiralsadat, Mohadese Hashemi, Elham Akhoundi Kharanaghi, Mojgan Yazdani, Mahboobe Sharafodini, Omid Javani

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Niosomes are colloidal particles formed from the self-assembly of non-ionic surfactants in aqueous medium resulting in closed bilayer structures. As a consequence of this hydrophilic and hydrophobic structure, niosomes have the capacity to entrap compounds of different solubilities. Niosomes are promising vehicle for drug delivery which protect sensitive drugs and improve the therapeutic index of drugs by restricting their action to target cells. Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds such as terpenoids, phenol-derived aromatic components that have been used for many biological properties including bactericidal, fungicidal, insecticidal, antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase and other medicinal properties. Encapsulation of essential oils in niosomes can be an attractive method to overcome their limitation such as volatility, easily decomposition by heat, humidity, light, or oxygen. Cuminum cyminum L. (Cumin) is an aromatic plant included in the Apiaceae family and is used to flavor foods, added to fragrances, and for medical preparations which is indigenous to Egypt, the Mediterranean region, Iran and India. The major components of the Cumin oil were reported as cuminaldehyde, γ -terpinene, β-pinene, p-cymene, p-mentha-1, 3-dien-7-al, and p-mentha-1, 4-dien-7-al which provide the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The aim of this work was to formulate Cumin essential oil-loaded niosomes to improve water solubility of natural product and evaluate its physico-chemical features and stability. Cumin oil was obtained through steam distillation using a clevenger-type apparatus and GC/MS was applied to identify the main components of the essential oil. Niosomes were prepared by using thin film hydration method and nanoparticles were characterized for particle size, dispersity index, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release, and morphology.

Keywords: Cuminum cyminum L., Cumin, niosome, essential oil, encapsulation

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Authors: Abdul Mutalib Md Jani, Abdul Hadi Mahmud, Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Ali

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The rapid growth of interest in surface modification of nanostructures materials that exhibit improved structural and functional properties is attracting more researchers. The unique properties of highly ordered nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide (NAAO) membrane have been proposed as a platform for biosensing applications. They exhibit excellent physical and chemical properties with high porosity, high surface area, tunable pore sizes and excellent chemical resistance. In this study, NAAO was functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to prepared silane-modified NAAO. Amine functional groups are formed on the surface of NAAO during silanization and were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The synthesis of multi segment of peptide on NAAO surfaces can be realized by changing the surface chemistry of the NAAO membrane via click chemistry. By click reactions, utilizing alkyne terminated with amino group, various peptides tagged on NAAO can be envisioned from chiral natural or unnatural amino acids using standard coupling methods (HOBt, EDCI and HBTU). This strategy seemly versatile since coupling strategy of dipeptide with another amino acids, leading to tripeptide, tetrapeptide or pentapeptide, can be synthesized without purification. When an appropriate terminus is selected, multiple segments of amino acids can be successfully synthesized on the surfaces. The immobilized NAAO should be easily separated from the reaction medium by conventional filtration, thus avoiding complicated purification methods. Herein, we proposed to synthesize multi fragment peptide as a model for capturing and attaching various small biomolecules on NAAO surfaces and can be also applied as biosensing device, drug delivery systems and biocatalyst.

Keywords: nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide, silanization, peptide synthesise, click chemistry

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Authors: Hind Bouami, Patrick Millot

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Medication dispensing system is a life-critical system whose failure may result in preventable adverse events leading to longer patient stays in hospitals or patient death. Automation has led to great improvements in life-critical systems as it increased safety, efficiency, and comfort. However, critical risks related to medical organization complexity and automated solutions integration can threaten drug dispensing security and performance. Knowledge about the system’s complexity aspects and human machine parameters to control for automated equipment’s security and performance will help operators to secure their automation process and to optimize their system’s reliability. In this context, this study aims to document the operator’s situation awareness about automation risks and parameters involved in automation security and performance. Our risk management approach has been deployed in the North Luxembourg hospital center’s pharmacy, which is equipped with automated drug dispensing systems since 2009. With more than 4 million euros of gains generated, North Luxembourg hospital center’s success story was enabled by the management commitment, pharmacy’s involvement in the implementation and improvement of the automation project, and the close collaboration between the pharmacy and Sinteco’s firm to implement the necessary innovation and organizational actions for automated solutions integration security and performance. An analysis of the actions implemented by the hospital and the parameters involved in automated equipment’s integration security and performance has been made. The parameters to control for automated equipment’s integration security and performance are human aspects (6.25%), technical aspects (50%), and human-machine interaction (43.75%). The implementation of an anthropocentric analysis system before automation would have prevented and optimized the control of risks related to automation.

Keywords: Automated drug delivery systems, Hospitals, Human-centered automated system, Risk management

Procedia PDF Downloads 134