Search results for: intellectual property information analysis
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 35194

Search results for: intellectual property information analysis

7204 Measurement of the Quadriceps Angle with Respect to Various Body Parameters in Arab Countries

Authors: Ramada R. Khasawneh, Mohammed Z. Allouh, Ejlal Abu-El Rub

Abstract:

The quadriceps angle (Q angle), formed between the quadriceps muscles and the patella tendon, is considered clinically as a very important parameter which displays the biomechanical effect of the quadriceps muscle on the knee, and it is also regarded as a crucial factor for the proper posture and movement of the knee patella. This study had been conducted to measure the normal Q angle values range in the Arab nationalities and determine the correlation between Q angle values and several body parameters, including gender, height, weight, dominant side, and the condylar distance of the femur. The study includes 500 healthy Arab students from Yarmouk University and Jordan University of Science and Technology. The Q angle of those volunteers was measured using a universal manual Goniometer with the subjects in the upright weight-bearing position. It was found that the Q angle was greater in women than in men. The analysis of the data revealed an insignificant increase in the dominant side of the Q angle. In addition, the Q was significantly higher in the taller people of both sexes. However, the Q angle did not present any considerable correlation with weight in the study population; conversely, it was observed that there was a link with the condylar distance of the femur in both sexes. It was also noticed that the Q angle increased remarkably when there was an increase in the condylar distance. Consequently, it turned out that the gender, height, and the condylar distance were momentous factors that had an impact on the Q angle in our study samples. However, weight and dominance factors did not show to have any influence on the values in our study.

Keywords: Q angle, Jordanian, anatomy, condylar distance

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7203 Evaluation and Selection of Drilling Technologies: An Application of Portfolio Analysis Matrix in South Azadgan Oilfield

Authors: M. Maleki Sadabad, A. Pointing, N. Marashi

Abstract:

With respect to the role and increasing importance of technology for countries development, in recent decades technology development has paid attention in a systematic form. Nowadays the markets face with highly complicated and competitive conditions in foreign markets, therefore, evaluation and selection of technology effectiveness and also formulating technology strategy have changed into a vital subject for some organizations. The study introduces the standards of empowerment evaluation and technology attractiveness especially strategic technologies which explain the way of technology evaluation, selection and finally formulating suitable technology strategy in the field of drilling in South Azadegan oil field. The study firstly identifies the key challenges of oil fields in order to evaluate the technologies in field of drilling in South Azadegan oil field through an interview with the experts of industry and then they have been prioritised. In the following, the existing and new technologies were identified to solve the challenges of South Azadegan oil field. In order to explore the ability, availability, and attractiveness of every technology, a questionnaire based on Julie indices has been designed and distributed among the industry elites. After determining the score of ability, availability and attractiveness, every technology which has been obtained by the average of expert’s ideas, the technology package has been introduced by Morin’s model. The matrix includes four areas which will follow the especial strategy. Finally, by analysing the above matrix, the technology options have been suggested in order to select and invest.

Keywords: technology, technology identification, drilling technologies, technology capability

Procedia PDF Downloads 121
7202 Identification of Viruses Infecting Garlic Plants in Colombia

Authors: Diana M. Torres, Anngie K. Hernandez, Andrea Villareal, Magda R. Gomez, Sadao Kobayashi

Abstract:

Colombian Garlic crops exhibited mild mosaic, yellow stripes, and deformation. This group of symptoms suggested a viral infection. Several viruses belonging to the genera Potyvirus, Carlavirus and Allexivirus are known to infect garlic and lower their yield worldwide, but in Colombia, there are no studies of viral infections in this crop, only leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) has been reported to our best knowledge. In Colombia, there are no management strategies for viral diseases in garlic because of the lack of information about viral infections on this crop, which is reflected in (i) high prevalence of viral related symptoms in garlic fields and (ii) high dispersal rate. For these reasons, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the viral status of garlic in Colombia, which can represent a major threat on garlic yield and quality for this country 55 symptomatic leaf samples were collected for virus detection by RT-PCR and mechanical inoculation. Total RNA isolated from infected samples were subjected to RT-PCR with primers 1-OYDV-G/2-OYDV-G for Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV) (expected size 774pb), 1LYSV/2LYSV for LYSV (expected size 1000pb), SLV 7044/SLV 8004 for Shallot latent virus (SLV) (expected size 960pb), GCL-N30/GCL-C40 for Garlic common latent virus (GCLV) (expected size 481pb) and EF1F/EF1R for internal control (expected size 358pb). GCLV, SLV, and LYSV were detected in infected samples; in 95.6% of the analyzed samples was detected at least one of the viruses. GCLV and SLV were detected in single infection with low prevalence (9.3% and 7.4%, respectively). Garlic generally becomes coinfected with several types of viruses. Four viral complexes were identified: three double infection (64% of analyzed samples) and one triple infection (15%). The most frequent viral complex was SLV + GCLV infecting 48.1% of the samples. The other double complexes identified had a prevalence of 7% (GCLV + LYSV and SLV + LYSV) and 5.6% of the samples were free from these viruses. Mechanical transmission experiments were set up using leaf tissues of collected samples from infected fields, different test plants were assessed to know the host range, but it was restricted to C. quinoa, confirming the presence of detected viruses which have limited host range and were detected in C. quinoa by RT-PCR. The results of molecular and biological tests confirm the presence of SLV, LYSV, and GCLV; this is the first report of SLV and LYSV in garlic plants in Colombia, which can represent a serious threat for this crop in this country.

Keywords: SLV, GCLV, LYSV, leek yellow stripe virus, Allium sativum

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7201 A Finite Elements Model for the Study of Buried Pipelines Affected by Strike-Slip Fault

Authors: Reza Akbari, Jalal MontazeriFashtali, PeymanMomeni Taromsari

Abstract:

Pipeline systems, play an important role as a vital element in reducing or increasing the risk of earthquake damage and vulnerability. Pipelines are suitable, cheap, fast, and safe routes for transporting oil, gas, water, sewage, etc. The sepipelines must pass from a wide geographical area; hence they will structurally face different environmental and underground factors of earthquake forces’ effect. Therefore, structural engineering analysis and design for this type of lines requires the understanding of relevant parameters behavior and lack of familiarity with them can cause irreparable damages and risks to design and execution, especially in the face of earthquakes. Today, buried pipelines play an important role in human life cycle, thus, studying the vulnerability of pipeline systems is of particular importance. This study examines the behavior of buried pipelines affected by strike-slip fault. Studied fault is perpendicular to the tube axis and causes stress and deformation in the tube by sliding horizontally. In this study, the pipe-soil interaction is accurately simulated, so that one can examine the large displacements and strains, nonlinear material behavior and contact and friction conditions of soil and pipe. The results can be used for designing buried pipes and determining the amount of fault displacement that causes the failure of the buried pipes.

Keywords: pipe lines , earthquake , fault , soil-fault interaction

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7200 Fracture Control of the Soda-Lime Glass in Laser Thermal Cleavage

Authors: Jehnming Lin

Abstract:

The effects of the contact ball-lens on the soda lime glass in laser thermal cleavage with a cw Nd-YAG laser were investigated in this study. A contact ball-lens was adopted to generate a bending force on the crack formation of the soda-lime glass in the laser cutting process. The Nd-YAG laser beam (wavelength of 1064 nm) was focused through the ball-lens and transmitted to the soda-lime glass, which was coated with a carbon film on the surface with a bending force from a ball-lens to generate a tensile stress state on the surface cracking. The fracture was controlled by the contact ball-lens and a straight cutting was tested to demonstrate the feasibility. Experimental observations on the crack propagation from the leading edge, main section and trailing edge of the glass sheet were compared with various mechanical and thermal loadings. Further analyses on the stress under various laser powers and contact ball loadings were made to characterize the innovative technology. The results show that the distributions of the side crack at the leading and trailing edges are mainly dependent on the boundary condition, contact force, cutting speed and laser power. With the increase of the mechanical and thermal loadings, the region of the side cracks might be dramatically reduced with proper selection of the geometrical constraints. Therefore, the application of the contact ball-lens is a possible way to control the fracture in laser cleavage with improved cutting qualities.

Keywords: laser cleavage, stress analysis, crack visualization, laser

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7199 Simulating Elevated Rapid Transit System for Performance Analysis

Authors: Ran Etgar, Yuval Cohen, Erel Avineri

Abstract:

One of the major challenges of transportation in medium sized inner-cities (such as Tel-Aviv) is the last-mile solution. Personal rapid transit (PRT) seems like an applicable candidate for this, as it combines the benefits of personal (car) travel with the operational benefits of transit. However, the investment required for large area PRT grid is significant and there is a need to economically justify such investment by correctly evaluating the grid capacity. PRT main elements are small automated vehicles (sometimes referred to as podcars) operating on a network of specially built guideways. The research is looking at a specific concept of elevated PRT system. Literature review has revealed the drawbacks PRT modelling and simulation approaches, mainly due to the lack of consideration of technical and operational features of the system (such as headways, acceleration, safety issues); the detailed design of infrastructure (guideways, stations, and docks); the stochastic and sessional characteristics of demand; and safety regulations – all of them have a strong effect on the system performance. A highly detailed model of the system, developed in this research, is applying a discrete event simulation combined with an agent-based approach, to represent the system elements and the podecars movement logic. Applying a case study approach, the simulation model is used to study the capacity of the system, the expected throughput of the system, the utilization, and the level of service (journey time, waiting time, etc.).

Keywords: capacity, productivity measurement, PRT, simulation, transportation

Procedia PDF Downloads 150
7198 The Relationships among Self-Efficacy, Critical Thinking and Communication Skills Ability in Oncology Nurses for Cancer Immunotherapy in Taiwan

Authors: Yun-Hsiang Lee

Abstract:

Cancer is the main cause of death worldwide. With advances in medical technology, immunotherapy, which is a newly developed advanced treatment, is currently a crucial cancer treatment option. For better quality cancer care, the ability to communicate and critical thinking plays a central role in clinical oncology settings. However, few studies have explored the impact of communication skills on immunotherapy-related issues and their related factors. This study was to (i) explore the current status of communication skill ability for immunotherapy-related issues, self-efficacy for immunotherapy-related care, and critical thinking ability; and (ii) identify factors related to communication skill ability. This is a cross-sectional study. Oncology nurses were recruited from the Taiwan Oncology Nursing Society, in which nurses came from different hospitals distributed across four major geographic regions (North, Center, South, East) of Taiwan. A total of 123 oncology nurses participated in this study. A set of questionnaires were used for collecting data. Communication skill ability for immunotherapy issues, self-efficacy for immunotherapy-related care, critical thinking ability, and background information were assessed in this survey. Independent T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine different levels of communication skill ability based on nurses having done oncology courses (yes vs. no) and education years (< 1 year, 1-3 years, and > 3 years), respectively. Spearman correlation was conducted to understand the relationships between communication skill ability and other variables. Among the 123 oncology nurses in the current study, the majority of them were female (98.4%), and most of them were employed at a hospital in the North (46.8%) of Taiwan. Most of them possessed a university degree (78.9%) and had at least 3 years of prior work experience (71.7%). Forty-three of the oncology nurses indicated in the survey that they had not received oncology nurses-related training. Those oncology nurses reported moderate to high levels of communication skill ability for immunotherapy issues (mean=4.24, SD=0.7, range 1-5). Nurses reported moderate levels of self-efficacy for immunotherapy-related care (mean=5.20, SD=1.98, range 0-10) and also had high levels of critical thinking ability (mean=4.76, SD=0.60, range 1-6). Oncology nurses who had received oncology training courses had significantly better communication skill ability than those who had not received oncology training. Oncology nurses who had higher work experience (1-3 years, or > 3 years) had significantly higher levels of communication skill ability for immunotherapy-related issues than those with lower work experience (<1 year). When those nurses reported better communication skill ability, they also had significantly better self-efficacy (r=.42, p<.01) and better critical thinking ability (r=.47, p<.01). Taken altogether, courses designed to improve communication skill ability for immunotherapy-related issues can make a significant impact in clinical settings. Communication skill ability for oncology nurses is the major factor associated with self-efficacy and critical thinking, especially for those with lower work experience (< 1 year).

Keywords: communication skills, critical thinking, immunotherapy, oncology nurses, self-efficacy

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7197 The Role of Multinational Enterprises' Investments in Emerging Country's Economic Development, Case of Georgia

Authors: V. Charaia

Abstract:

From the strategic point of view, not all Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) are always positively benefiting the host economy, i.e. not all Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are promoting local/host economies. FDI could have different impact on different sectors of the economy, based not only on annual investment amount, but MNE motivations and peculiarities of the host economy in particular. FDI analysis based only on its amount can lead to incorrect decisions, it is much more important to understand the essence of investment. Consequently, our research is oriented on MNE’s motivations, answering which sectors are most popular among international investors and why, what motivated them to invest into one or another business. Georgian economy for the last period of time is attracting more and more efficiency seeking investments, which could be translated as - concentrating production in a limited number of locations to supply various markets, while benefiting local economy with: new technologies, employment, exports diversification, increased income for the local economy and so on. Foreign investors and MNEs in particular are no longer and not so much interested in the resource seeking investments, which was the case for Georgia in the last decade of XX century. Despite the fact of huge progress for the Georgian economy, still there is a room for foreign investors to make a local market oriented investments. The local market is still rich in imported products, which should be replaced by local ones. And the last but not the least important issue is that approximately 30% of all FDIs in Georgia according to this research are “efficiency seeking” investments, which is an enormous progress and a hope for future Georgian success.

Keywords: investments, MNE, FDI motivations, Georgian economy

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7196 The Investigation of Women Civil Engineers’ Identity Development through the Lens of Recognition Theory

Authors: Hasan Sungur, Evrim Baran, Benjamin Ahn, Aliye Karabulut Ilgu, Chris Rehmann, Cassandra Rutherford

Abstract:

Engineering identity contributes to the professional and educational persistence of women engineers. A crucial factor contributing to the development of the engineering identity is recognition. Those without adequate recognition often do not succeed in positively building their identities. This research draws on Honneth’s recognition theory to identify factors impacting women civil engineers’ feelings of recognition as civil engineers. A survey was composed and distributed to 330 female alumni who graduated from the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at Iowa State University in the last ten years. The survey items include demographics, perceptions of the identity of civil engineering, and factors that influence the recognition of civil engineering identities, such as views of society and family. Descriptive analysis of the survey responses revealed that the perceptions of civil engineering varied widely. Participants’ definitions of civil engineering included the terms: construction, design, and infrastructure. Almost half of the participants reported that the major reason to study civil engineering was their interest in the subject matter, and most reported that they were proud to be civil engineers. Many study participants reported that their parents see them as civil engineers. Treatment of institutions and the workplace were also considered as having a significant impact on the recognition of women civil engineers. Almost half of the participants reported that they felt isolated or ignored at work because of their gender. This research emphasizes the importance of recognition for the development of the civil engineering identity of women

Keywords: civil engineering, gender, identity, recognition

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7195 Two Lessons Learnt in Defining Intersections and Interfaces in Numerical Modeling with Plaxis

Authors: Mahdi Sadeghian, Somaye Sadeghian, Reza Dinarvand

Abstract:

This paper is going to discuss two issues encountered in using PLAXIS. Both issues were monitored during application of PLAXIS to estimate the excavation-induced displacement. Column Soil Mixing (CSM) was applied to stabilise the excavation. It was understood that the estimated excavation induced deformation at the top of the CSM blocks highly depends on the material type defining pavement material adjacent to the CSM blocks. Cohesive material for pavement will result in the unrealistic connection between pavement and CSM even by defining an interface element. To find the most realistic approach, the interface defined in three different manners (1) no interface elements were applied (2) a non-cohesive soil layer was defined between pavement and CSM block to represent the friction between these materials (3) built-in interface elements in PLAXIS was used to define the boundary between the pavement and the CSM block. The result showed that the option 2 would result in more realistic results. The second issue was in the modelling of the contact line between the CSM block and an inclined layer underneath. The analysis result showed that the excavation-induced deformation highly depends on how the PLAXIS user defines the contact area. It was understood that if the contact area had defined as a point in which CSM block had intersected the layer underneath the estimated lateral displacement of CSM block would be unrealistically lower than the model in which the contact area was defined as a line.

Keywords: PLAXIS, FEM, CSM, Excavation-Induced Deformation

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7194 Governance of Energy Transitions in Developing States

Authors: Robert Lindner

Abstract:

In recent years a multitude of international efforts, including the United Nations’ aspirational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, provided a new momentum to facilitate energy access and rural electrification projects to combat energy poverty in developing states in Asia. Rural electrification projects promise to facilitate other sustainable development aims, such as the empowerment of local communities through the creation of economic opportunities or increased disaster resilience. This study applies a multi-governance research framework to study the cases of the ongoing energy system transition in Myanmar and Cambodia. It explores what impact the international aid community, especially multilateral development banks and international development agencies, has on the governance of the transitions and how diverging aid donor interest shape policy making and project planning. The study is based on policy analysis and expert interviews, as well as extensive field research. It critically examines the current development trajectories and the strategies of the stakeholders involved. It concludes that institutional and technological competition between donors, as well as a lack of transparency and inclusion in the project planning and implementation phases, contributes to insufficient coordination in national energy policy making and project implementation at the local level. The study further discusses possible alternative approaches that might help to promote the spread of sustainable energy technologies.

Keywords: energy governance, developing countries, multi-level governance, energy transitions

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7193 Optimal 3D Deployment and Path Planning of Multiple Uavs for Maximum Coverage and Autonomy

Authors: Indu Chandran, Shubham Sharma, Rohan Mehta, Vipin Kizheppatt

Abstract:

Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being explored as the most promising solution to disaster monitoring, assessment, and recovery. Current relief operations heavily rely on intelligent robot swarms to capture the damage caused, provide timely rescue, and create road maps for the victims. To perform these time-critical missions, efficient path planning that ensures quick coverage of the area is vital. This study aims to develop a technically balanced approach to provide maximum coverage of the affected area in a minimum time using the optimal number of UAVs. A coverage trajectory is designed through area decomposition and task assignment. To perform efficient and autonomous coverage mission, solution to a TSP-based optimization problem using meta-heuristic approaches is designed to allocate waypoints to the UAVs of different flight capacities. The study exploits multi-agent simulations like PX4-SITL and QGroundcontrol through the ROS framework and visualizes the dynamics of UAV deployment to different search paths in a 3D Gazebo environment. Through detailed theoretical analysis and simulation tests, we illustrate the optimality and efficiency of the proposed methodologies.

Keywords: area coverage, coverage path planning, heuristic algorithm, mission monitoring, optimization, task assignment, unmanned aerial vehicles

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7192 Reduction of the Number of Traffic Accidents by Function of Driver's Anger Detection

Authors: Masahiro Miyaji

Abstract:

When a driver happens to be involved in some traffic congestion or after traffic incidents, the driver may fall in a state of anger. State of anger may encounter decisive risk resulting in severer traffic accidents. Preventive safety function using driver’s psychosomatic state with regard to anger may be one of solutions which would avoid that kind of risks. Identifying driver’s anger state is important to create countermeasures to prevent the risk of traffic accidents. As a first step, this research figured out root cause of traffic incidents by means of using Internet survey. From statistical analysis of the survey, dominant psychosomatic states immediately before traffic incidents were haste, distraction, drowsiness and anger. Then, we replicated anger state of a driver while driving, and then, replicated it by means of using driving simulator on bench test basis. Six types of facial expressions including anger were introduced as alternative characteristics. Kohonen neural network was adopted to classify anger state. Then, we created a methodology to detect anger state of a driver in high accuracy. We presented a driving support safety function. The function adapts driver’s anger state in cooperation with an autonomous driving unit to reduce the number of traffic accidents. Consequently, e evaluated reduction rate of driver’s anger in the traffic accident. To validate the estimation results, we referred the reduction rate of Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) as well as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Keywords: Kohonen neural network, driver’s anger state, reduction of traffic accidents, driver’s state adaptive driving support safety

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7191 Predicting Entrepreneurial Intentions among Undergraduates Using Theory of Planned Behaviour

Authors: Mohammed Abubakar Mawoli

Abstract:

Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a useful tool for predicting entrepreneurial intentions among individuals or groups of people. In view of the Nigerian government’s renewed educational policies and programs to prepare Nigerian undergraduates towards self-reliance and employers of labor after graduation, it becomes pertinent to empirically examine and predict the undergraduate’s entrepreneurial intentions at graduation. Thus, this study primarily examines the undergraduates entrepreneurial intentions using TPB, which includes perceived desirability, perceived social norm, and perceived feasibility factors. In so doing, a questionnaire research method was adopted in which 219 copies of a questionnaire distributed to final year undergraduates were belonging to five departments with a total population of 487 students. A combination of relative frequency, mean standard deviation and multiple regression statistical tools were employed for data analysis. The study found that TPB components exert a significant composite effect on undergraduate’s entrepreneurial intentions. Based on individual contribution of the independent variables, Perceived Desirability is the strongest predictor of the undergraduate’s entrepreneurial intentions, while Perceived Social Norm is a strong predictor of the undergraduate’s entrepreneurial intentions. However, Perceived Feasibility is not a strong predictor of student’s entrepreneurial intentions. The study therefore, recommends that the Perceived desirability, which is formed and shaped by ones level of education and skills acquisition, be improved upon to create the expected positive impact on graduates entrepreneurial intentions and possible venture creation.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial intentions, planned behaviour, prediction, Nigeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 285
7190 The Correlation between Political Awareness and Political Participation for University Students’ “Applied Study”

Authors: Rana Mohamed

Abstract:

Despite youth in Egypt were away from political life for a long time; they are able to make a tangible difference in political status. Purpose: This exploratory study aims to determine whether and how much the prevailing political culture influence participatory behavior with a special focus on political awareness factors among university students in Egypt. Methodology: The study employed several data collection methods to ensure the validity of the results, quantitative and qualitative, verifying the positive relationships between the levels of political awareness and political participation and between political values in society and the level of political participation among university students. For achieving the objectives of the paper in the light of the pool of available literature and data, the study adopts system analysis method to apply input-output and conversions associated with the phenomena of political participation to analyze the different factors that have an effect upon the prevailing political culture and the patterns of values in Egyptian society. Findings: The result reveals that the level of political awareness and political participation for students were low, with a statistically significant relationship. In addition, the patterns of values in Egyptian culture significantly influence the levels of student participation. Therefore, the study recommends formulating policies that aim to increase awareness levels and integrate youth into the political process. Originality/Value: The importance of the academic study stems from addressing one of the central issues in political science; this study measures the change in the Egyptian patterns of culture and values among university students.

Keywords: political awareness, political participation, civic culture, citizenship, Egyptian universities, political knowledge

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7189 Detection of Helicobacter Pylori by PCR and ELISA Methods in Patients with Hyperlipidemia

Authors: Simin Khodabakhshi, Hossein Rassi

Abstract:

Hyperlipidemia refers to any of several acquired or genetic disorders that result in a high level of lipids circulating in the blood. Helicobacter pylori infection is a contributing factor in the progression of hyperlipidemia with serum lipid changes. The aim of this study was to detect of Helicobacter pylori by PCR and serological methods in patients with hyperlipidemia. In this case-control study, 174 patients with hyperlipidemia and 174 healthy controls were studied. Also, demographics, physical and biochemical parameters were performed in all samples. The DNA extracted from blood specimens was amplified by H pylori cagA specific primers. The results show that H. pylori cagA positivity was detected in 79% of the hyperlipidemia and in 56% of the control group by ELISA test and 49% of the hyperlipidemia and in 24% of the control group by PCR test. Prevalence of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in hyperlipidemia as compared to controls. In addition, patients with hyperlipidemia had significantly higher values for triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-C, waist to hip ratio, body mass index, diastolic and systolic blood pressure and lower levels of HDL-C than control participants (all p < 0.0001). Our result detected the ELISA was a rapid and cost-effective detection and considering the high prevalence of cytotoxigenic H. pylori strains, cag A is suggested as a promising target for PCR and ELISA tests for detection of infection with toxigenic strains. In general, it can be concluded that molecular analysis of H. pylori cagA and clinical parameters are important in early detection of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis with H. pylori infection by PCR and ELISA tests.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, hyperlipidemia, PCR, ELISA

Procedia PDF Downloads 185
7188 Improved Embroidery Based Textile Electrodes for Sustainability of Impedance Measurement Characteristics

Authors: Bulcha Belay Etana

Abstract:

Research shows that several challenges are to be resolved for textile sensors and wearable smart textiles systems to make it accurate and reproducible minimizing variability issues when tested. To achieve this, we developed stimulating embroidery electrode with three different filling textiles such as 3Dknit, microfiber, and nonwoven fabric, and tested with FTT for high recoverability on compression. Hence The impedance characteristics of wetted electrodes were caried out after 1hr of wetting under normal environmental conditions. The wetted 3D knit (W-3D knit), Wetted nonwoven (W-nonwoven), and wetted microfiber (W-microfiber) developed using Satin stitch performed better than a dry standard stitch or dry Satin stitch electrodes. Its performance was almost the same as that of the gel electrode (Ag/AgCl) as shown by the impedance result in figure 2 .The impedance characteristics of Dry and wetted 3D knit based Embroidered electrodes are better than that of the microfiber, and nonwoven filling textile. This is due to the fact that 3D knit fabric has high recoverability on compression to retain electrolyte gel than microfiber, and nonwoven. However,The non-woven fabric held the electrolyte for longer time without releasing it to the skin when needed, thus making its impedance characteristics poor as observed from the results. Whereas the dry Satin stitch performs better than the standard stitch based developed electrode. The inter electrode distance of all types of the electrode was 25mm, with the area of the electrode being 20mm by 20mm. Detail evaluation and further analysis is in progress for EMG monitoring application

Keywords: impedance, moisture retention, 3D knit fabric, microfiber, nonwoven

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7187 A Novel Environmentally Benign Positive Electrode Material with Improved Energy Density for Lithium Ion Batteries

Authors: Wassima El Mofid, Svetlozar Ivanov, Andreas Bund

Abstract:

The increasing requirements for high power and energy lithium ion batteries have led to the development of several classes of positive electrode materials. Among those one promising material is LiNixMnyCo1−x−yO2 due to its high reversible capacity and remarkable cycling performance. Further structural stabilization and improved electrochemical performance of this class of cathode materials can be achieved by cationic substitution to a transition metal such as Al, Mg, Cr, etc. The current study discusses a novel NMC type material obtained by simultaneous cationic substitution of the cobalt which is a toxic element, with aluminum and iron. A compound with the composition LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.15Al0.025Fe0.025O2 (NMCAF) was synthesized by the self-combustion method using sucrose as fuel. The material has a layered α-NaFeO2 type structure with a good hexagonal ordering. Rietveld refinement analysis of the XRD patterns revealed a very low cationic mixing compared to the non-substituted material LiNi0.6Mn0,2Co0.2O2 suggesting a structural stabilization. Galvanostatic cycling measurements indicate improved electrochemical performance after the metal substitution. An initial discharge capacity of about 190 mAh.g−1 at slow rate (C/20), and a good cycling stability even at moderately faster rates (C/5 and C) have been observed. The long term cycling displayed a capacity retention of about 90% after 10 cycles.

Keywords: cationic substitution, lithium ion batteries, positive electrode material, self-combustion synthesis method

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7186 Hydro-Geochemistry and Groundwater Quality Assessment of Rajshahi City in Bangladesh

Authors: M. G. Mostafa, S. M. Helal Uddin, A. B. M. H. Haque, M. R. Hasan

Abstract:

The study was carried out to understand the hydro-geochemistry and ground water quality in Rajshahi City of Bangladesh. 240 groundwater (shallow and deep tubewell) samples were collected during the year 2009-2010 covering pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters including major ions. The results reveal that the groundwater was slightly acidic to neutral in nature, total hardness observed in all samples fall under hard to very hard category. The concentration of calcium, iron, manganese, arsenic and lead ions were found far above the permissible limit in most of the shallow tubewells water samples. The analysis results show that the mean concentrations of cations and anions were observed in the order: Ca > Mg > Na > K > Fe > Mn > Pb > Zn > Cu > As (total) > Cd and HCO3-> Cl-> SO42-> NO3-, respectively. The concentrations of TH, TDS, HCO3-, NO3-, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, and As (total) were found to be higher during post-monsoon compare to pre-monsoon, whilst K, Mg, Cd, and Cl were found higher during pre-monsoon and monsoon. Ca-HCO3 was identified as the major hydro chemical facie using piper trilinear diagram. Higher concentration of toxic metals including Fe, Mn, As and Pb were found indicating various health hazards. The results also illustrate that the rock water interaction was the major geochemical process controlling the chemistry of groundwater in the study area.

Keywords: physio-chemical parameters, groundwater, geochemistry, Rajshahi city

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7185 Increase in the Persistence of Various Invaded Multiplex Metacommunities Induced by Heterogeneity of Motifs

Authors: Dweepabiswa Bagchi, D. V. Senthilkumar

Abstract:

Numerous studies have typically demonstrated the devastation of invasions on an isolated ecosystem or, at most, a network of dispersively coupled similar ecosystem patches. Using such a simplistic 2-D network model, one can only consider dispersal coupling and inter-species trophic interactions. However, in a realistic ecosystem, numerous species co-exist and interact trophically and non-trophically in groups of 2 or more. Even different types of dispersal can introduce complexity in an ecological network. Therefore, a more accurate representation of actual ecosystems (or ecological networks) is a complex network consisting of motifs formed by two or more interacting species. Here, the apropos structure of the network should be multiplex or multi-layered. Motifs between different patches or species should be identical within the same layer and vary from one layer to another. This study investigates three distinct ecological multiplex networks facing invasion from one or more external species. This work determines and quantifies the criteria for the increased extinction risk of these networks. The dynamical states of the network with high extinction risk, i.e., the danger states, and those with low extinction risk, i.e., the resistive network states, are both subsequently identified. The analysis done in this study further quantifies the persistence of the entire network corresponding to simultaneous changes in the strength of invasive dispersal and higher-order trophic and non-trophic interactions. This study also demonstrates that the ecosystems enjoy an inherent advantage against invasions due to their multiplex network structure.

Keywords: increased ecosystem persistence, invasion on ecosystems, multiplex networks, non-trophic interactions

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7184 'I'm in a Very Safe Place': Webcam Sex Workers in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Their Perceptions of Danger and Risk

Authors: Madeline V. Henry

Abstract:

Sex work is a contested subject in academia. Many authors now argue that the practice should be recognized as a legitimate and rationally chosen form of labor, and that decriminalization is necessary to ensure the safety of sex workers and reduce their stigmatization. However, a prevailing argument remains that the work is inherently violent and oppressive and that all sex workers are directly or indirectly coerced into participating in the industry. This argument has been complicated by the recent proliferation of computer-mediated technologies that allow people to conduct sex work without the need to be physically co-present with customers or pimps. One example of this is the practice of ‘camming’, wherein ‘webcam models’ stream themselves stripping and/or performing autoerotic stimulation in an online chat-room for payment. In this presentation, interviews with eight ‘camgirls’ (aged 22-34) will be discussed. Their talk has been analyzed using Foucauldian discourse analysis, focusing on common discursive threads in relation to the work and their subjectivities. It was found that the participants demonstrated appreciation for the lack of physical danger they were in, but emphasized the unique and significant dangers of online-based sex work (their images and videos being recorded and shared without their consent, for example). Participants also argued that their largest concerns were based around stigma, which they claimed remained prevalent despite the decriminalized legal model in Aotearoa/New Zealand (which has been in place for over 14 years). Overall, this project seeks to challenge commonplace academic approaches to sex work, adding further research to support sex workers’ rights and highlighting new issues to consider in a digital environment.

Keywords: camming, sex work, stigma, risk

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7183 Extension Services' Needs of Small Farmers in Biliran Province, Philippines

Authors: Mario C. Nierras

Abstract:

This study aimed to determine the extension services’ needs of small farmers in Biliran province, Philippines. It also sought to find out other issues/concerns of the small farmers. Extension services’ needs of small farmers were gathered through personal interviewing and observational analysis of randomly-selected small farmers in Biliran, Philippines. Biliran small farmers extension services’ needs include: raising fruits, raising legumes, raising vegetables, raising swine, raising cattle, and raising chicken (as priority broad skills). For the specific skills, diagnosing symptoms on fertilizer deficiencies, controlling plant pests and diseases, diagnosing signs on specific pest and disease damage, controlling animal pests and diseases, and doing artificial insemination were the priority skills. They considered an on-farm trial of new technology as most needed to be coupled with industry and quality-orientedness, as positive behaviors needed in farming success. The farmers still adhere to the so-called wait-and-see attitude, thus they are more convinced to follow a particular technology if they see a concrete result of the introduced changes. Technical needs prioritization of Biliran small farmers showed that they have a real need for crop and animal production skills to include the other issues/concerns. Extension service program planning for small farmers should be patterned after their technical needs giving due attention to some issues/concerns so that extension work could deliver the right skills for the right needs of the farmers.

Keywords: extension, extension service, extension service needs, extension service program, farmers, small farmers, marginal farmers

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7182 Production Increase of C-Central Wells Baher Essalm-Libya

Authors: Emed Krekshi, Walid Ben Husein

Abstract:

The Bahr Essalam gas-condensate field is located off the Libyan coast and is currently being produced by Mellitah Oil and Gas (MOG). Gas and condensate are produced from the Bahr Essalam reservoir through a mixture of platform and subsea wells, with the subsea wells being gathered at the western manifolds and delivered to the Sabratha platform via a 22-inch pipeline. Gas is gathered and dehydrated on the Sabratha platform and then delivered to the Mellitah gas plant via an existing 36-inch gas export pipeline. The condensate separated on the Sabratha platform will be delivered to the Mellitah gas plant via an existing 10-inch export pipeline. The Bahr Essalam Phase II project includes 2 production wells (CC16 & CC17) at C-Central A connected to the Sabratha platform via a new 10.9 km long 10”/14” production pipeline. Production rates from CC16 and CC17 have exceeded the maximum planned rate of 40 MMSCFD per well. A hydrothermal analysis was conducted to review and Verify input data, focusing on the variation of flowing well head as a function of flowrate.as well as Review available input data against the previous design input data to determine the extent of change. The steady-state and transient simulations performed with Olga yielded coherent results and confirmed the possibility of achieving flow rates of up to 60MMSCFD per well without exceeding the design temperatures, pressures, and velocities.

Keywords: Bahr Essalam, Mellitah Oil and Gas, production flow rates, steady and transient

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7181 Assessment of Alteration in High Density Lipo Protein, Apolipoprotein A1, Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase and Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase in Oral Submucous Fibrosis Patients

Authors: Marina Lazar Chandy, N. Kannan, Rajendra Patil, Vinod Mathew, Ajmal Mohamed, P. K. Sreeja, Renju Jose

Abstract:

Introduction- Arecoline, a major constituent of arecanut has shown to have some effect on liver. The use of arecanut is found to be the most common etiological factor for the development of Oral Submucous fibrosis (O.S.M.F). The effect of arecanut usage on liver in patients with O.S.M.F needs to be assessed. Lipids play a role in structural maintenance of cell. Alterations of lipid profile were noted in cancer patients. O.S.M.F being a precancerous lesion can have some effect on the level of lipids in the body. Objectives: This study was done to assess the alterations in liver enzymes (Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase(S.G.P.T ,Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase(S.G.O.T)) and lipid metabolism (High Density Lipoprotien(H.D.L) and Apo Lipoprotien A1 (Apo A1)) in patients with O.S.M.F. Methods-130 patients were taken for the study,100 patients with O.S.M.F and 30 as control group without O.S.M.F. Fasting blood sugar levels were taken, centrifuged and analyzed for S.G.P.T,S.G.O.T, H.D.L and Apo A1 using semi automated spectrophotometer. Results: After statistical analysis, it was concluded that there is an elevation of levels of S.G.P.T, S.G.O.T, and decreased levels of H.D.L, Apo A1 for O.S.M.F group when compared with control group. With increased grade of O.S.M.F. and duration of habit, S.G.P.T. & S.G.O.T. increased whereas, H.D.L. & Apo A1 decreased. All the values were statistically significant at p<0.01.

Keywords: apolipoprotien A1, high density lipoprotien, oral submucous fibrosis, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase

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7180 Functional Profiling of a Circular RNA from the Huntingtin (HTT) Gene

Authors: Laura Gantley, Vanessa M. Conn, Stuart Webb, Kirsty Kirk, Marta Gabryelska, Duncan Holds, Brett W. Stringer, Simon J. Conn

Abstract:

Trinucleotide repeat disorders comprise ~20 severe, inherited human neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders, which are a result of an abnormal expansion of repetitive sequences in the DNA. The most common of these, Huntington’s disease, results from the expansion of the CAG repeat region in exon 1 of the HTT gene via an unknown mechanism. Non-coding RNAs have been implicated in the initiation and progression of many diseases; thus, we focus on one circular RNA (circRNA) molecule arising from non-canonical splicing (back splicing) of HTT pre-mRNA. This circRNA and its mouse orthologue were transgenically overexpressed in human cells (SHSY-5Y and HEK293T) and mouse cells (Mb1), respectively. High-content imaging and flow cytometry demonstrated the overexpression of this circRNA reduces cell proliferation, reduces nuclear size independent of cellular size, and alters cell cycle progression. Analysis of protein by western blot and immunofluorescence demonstrated no change to HTT protein levels but altered nuclear-cytoplasmic distribution without impacting the expansion of the HTT repeat region. As these phenotypic and genotypic changes are found in Huntington’s disease patients, these results may suggest that this circRNA may play a functional role in the progression of Huntington’s disease.

Keywords: cell biology, circular RNAs, Huntington’s disease, molecular biology, neurodegenerative disorders

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7179 An In Situ Exploration of Practising Rugby Coaches’ Cognitions, Higher Psychological Functions and Actions Using Think Aloud Protocol

Authors: Simon Quick, John Lyle

Abstract:

Psychology-based research has been a characteristic of empirical enquiry in sport coaching for over fifty years and cognitive function is widely accepted as a fundamental component of sport coaching expertise. Within the academic literature, much empirical research on coaches’ cognitions has tended to adopt retrospective approaches, such as post-session interviews or stimulated recall, thus capturing coaches’ cognitions after the incident, training session or competition. Such methods are prone to a variety of issues, including memory decay and the reordering of accounts. The aim of this research was to overcome the limitations that exist with retrospective approaches and, rather, to capture coaching cognitions in situ using Think Aloud Protocol. Data that were captured was broken down into meaning units and analysed using a Thematic Analysis. Situated in the practice of 6 experienced rugby coaches, findings revealed that Think Aloud Protocol generated rich data, although problematic in a site of enquiry confounded by multiple social interactions and requiring coaches to provide frequent instruction and feedback. The resultant interaction between cognition and action is conceptualised by the tentative offering of a model that situates these elements in conjunction with cognitive triggers and thresholds. The implications of these findings can help academics and coaches to understand the dynamic relationship between types of coaching cognitions and the complexity of the coaching environment.

Keywords: sports coaching, Psychology, Pedagogy, cognition

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7178 Higher Relative Humidity from Pipping Increases Physical Problems in the Broiler Chicks

Authors: M. A. Nogueira, M. Thimotheo, G. C. Ripamonte, S. C. C. Aguiar, M. H. S. Ulian, J. C. Goncalves Netto, I. C. Boleli

Abstract:

Increasing in the relative humidity during the last incubation day is a usual practice in the commercial hatchery to facilitate hatching. This study analyzed whether higher relative humidity improves eclodibility as well as chick quality, and alters the hatch window. Fertile eggs (65- 67g) produced by 53 weeks old broiler breeders (Cobb 500®) were incubated at 37.5°C and 31°C in the wet bulb in incubators with automatic control of temperature and egg turning (1 each hour). Two-hundred ten were distributed randomly in three treatments: 31°C in the wet bulb from internal pipping (BI-31), 33°C from internal pipping (BI-33), and 33°C from external pipping (BE-33), all three hatchers maintained at 37.5°C and without egg turning. For this, eggs were checked for internal pipping by ovoscopy and external pipping by visual observation through the transparent cover of the incubators each hour from day 18 of incubation. No significant differences in the hatchability (BI-31:79.61%, BI-33:77.63%, BE-33:80.77%; by Q-square test, P > 0.05). Absence of significant effects of the treatments were also observed for incubation duration (BI-31:488.58 h, BI-33:488.30 h, BE-33:489.04 h), and chick body weight (BI-31: 49.40g, BI-33: 49.74g, BE-33: 49.34g) and quality scores (BI-31: 90.02, BI-33: 87.56, BE-33: 92.28 points), by variance analysis (P > 0.05). However, BI-33 increased the incidence of feathering and leg problems and remaining of alantoic membrane, and BE-33 increased the incidence of problems with feathering, navel and yolk sac and reduced the leg problems, compared to BI-31. In sum, the results show higher relative humidity from internal or external pipping did not influence hatchability and incubation duration, but reduced chick quality, affecting the incubation efficiency.

Keywords: chick quality, hatchability, hatcher humidity, incubation duration

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7177 Shark Detection and Classification with Deep Learning

Authors: Jeremy Jenrette, Z. Y. C. Liu, Pranav Chimote, Edward Fox, Trevor Hastie, Francesco Ferretti

Abstract:

Suitable shark conservation depends on well-informed population assessments. Direct methods such as scientific surveys and fisheries monitoring are adequate for defining population statuses, but species-specific indices of abundance and distribution coming from these sources are rare for most shark species. We can rapidly fill these information gaps by boosting media-based remote monitoring efforts with machine learning and automation. We created a database of shark images by sourcing 24,546 images covering 219 species of sharks from the web application spark pulse and the social network Instagram. We used object detection to extract shark features and inflate this database to 53,345 images. We packaged object-detection and image classification models into a Shark Detector bundle. We developed the Shark Detector to recognize and classify sharks from videos and images using transfer learning and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We applied these models to common data-generation approaches of sharks: boosting training datasets, processing baited remote camera footage and online videos, and data-mining Instagram. We examined the accuracy of each model and tested genus and species prediction correctness as a result of training data quantity. The Shark Detector located sharks in baited remote footage and YouTube videos with an average accuracy of 89\%, and classified located subjects to the species level with 69\% accuracy (n =\ eight species). The Shark Detector sorted heterogeneous datasets of images sourced from Instagram with 91\% accuracy and classified species with 70\% accuracy (n =\ 17 species). Data-mining Instagram can inflate training datasets and increase the Shark Detector’s accuracy as well as facilitate archiving of historical and novel shark observations. Base accuracy of genus prediction was 68\% across 25 genera. The average base accuracy of species prediction within each genus class was 85\%. The Shark Detector can classify 45 species. All data-generation methods were processed without manual interaction. As media-based remote monitoring strives to dominate methods for observing sharks in nature, we developed an open-source Shark Detector to facilitate common identification applications. Prediction accuracy of the software pipeline increases as more images are added to the training dataset. We provide public access to the software on our GitHub page.

Keywords: classification, data mining, Instagram, remote monitoring, sharks

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7176 Dimensional Investigation of Food Addiction in Individuals Who Have Undergone Bariatric Surgery

Authors: Ligia Florio, João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia

Abstract:

Background: Food addiction (FA) emerged in the 1990s as a possible contributor to the increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight, in conjunction with changing food environments and mental health conditions. However, FA is not yet listed as one of the disorders in the DSM-5 and/or the ICD-11. Although there are controversies and debates in the literature about the classification and construct of FA, the most common approach to access it is the use of a research tool - the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) - which approximates the concept of FA to the concept diagnosis of dependence on psychoactive substances. There is a need to explore the dimensional phenotypes accessed by YFAS in different population groups for a better understanding and scientific support of FA diagnoses. Methods: The primary objective of this project was to investigate the construct validity of the FA concept by mYFAS 2.0 in individuals who underwent bariatric surgery (n = 100) at the Hospital Estadual Mário Covas since 2011. Statistical analyzes were conducted using the STATA software. In this sense, structural or factor validity was the type of construct validity investigated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and item response theory (IRT) techniques. Results: EFA showed that the one-dimensional model was the most parsimonious. The IRT showed that all criteria contributed to the latent structure, presenting discrimination values greater than 0.5, with most presenting values greater than 2. Conclusion: This study reinforces a FA dimension in patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Within this dimension, we identified the most severe and discriminating criteria for the diagnosis of FA.

Keywords: obesity, food addiction, bariatric surgery, regain

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7175 Value of Willingness to Pay for a Quality-Adjusted Life Years Gained in Iran; A Modified Chained-Approach

Authors: Seyedeh-Fariba Jahanbin, Hasan Yusefzadeh, Bahram Nabilou, Cyrus Alinia, Cyrus Alinia

Abstract:

Background: Due to the lack of a constant Willingness to Pay per one additional Quality Adjusted Life Years gained based on the preferences of Iran’s general public, the cost-efectiveness of health system interventions is unclear and making it challenging to apply economic evaluation to health resources priority setting. Methods: We have measured this cost-efectiveness threshold with the participation of 2854 individuals from fve provinces, each representing an income quintile, using a modifed Time Trade-Of-based Chained-Approach. In this online-based empirical survey, to extract the health utility value, participants were randomly assigned to one of two green (21121) and yellow (22222) health scenarios designed based on the earlier validated EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. Results: Across the two health state versions, mean values for one QALY gain (rounded) ranged from $6740-$7400 and $6480-$7120, respectively, for aggregate and trimmed models, which are equivalent to 1.35-1.18 times of the GDP per capita. Log-linear Multivariate OLS regression analysis confrmed that respondents were more likely to pay if their income, disutility, and education level were higher than their counterparts. Conclusions: In the health system of Iran, any intervention that is with the incremental cost-efectiveness ratio, equal to and less than 7402.12 USD, will be considered cost-efective.

Keywords: willingness to Pay, QALY, chained-approach, cost-efectiveness threshold, Iran

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