Search results for: survival predictive values
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 8743

Search results for: survival predictive values

5893 Enzyme Treatment of Sorghum Dough: Modifications of Rheological Properties and Product Characteristics

Authors: G. K. Sruthi, Sila Bhattacharya

Abstract:

Sorghum is an important food crop in the dry tropical areas of the world, and possesses significant levels of phytochemicals and dietary fiber to offer health benefits. However, the absence of gluten is a limitation for converting the sorghum dough into sheeted/flattened/rolled products. Chapathi/roti (flat unleavened bread prepared conventionally from whole wheat flour dough) was attempted from sorghum as wheat gluten causes allergic reactions leading to celiac disease. Dynamic oscillatory rheology of sorghum flour dough (control sample) and enzyme treated sorghum doughs were studied and linked to the attributes of the finished ready-to-eat product. Enzymes like amylase, xylanase, and a mix of amylase and xylanase treated dough affected drastically the rheological behaviour causing a lowering of dough consistency. In the case of amylase treated dough, marked decrease of the storage modulus (G') values from 85513 Pa to 23041 Pa and loss modulus (G") values from 8304 Pa to 7370 Pa was noticed while the phase angle (δ) increased from 5.6 to 10.1o for treated doughs. There was a 2 and 3 fold increase in the total sugar content after α-amylase and xylanase treatment, respectively, with simultaneous changes in the structure of the dough and finished product. Scanning electron microscopy exhibited enhanced extent of changes in starch granules. Amylase and mixed enzyme treatment produced a sticky dough which was difficult to roll/flatten. The dough handling properties were improved by the use of xylanase and quality attributes of the chapath/roti. It is concluded that enzyme treatment can offer improved rheological status of gluten free doughs and products.

Keywords: sorghum dough, amylase, xylanase, dynamic oscillatory rheology, sensory assessment

Procedia PDF Downloads 392
5892 Investigation of Ezetimibe Administration on Cell Survival Markers in Kidney Ischemia

Authors: Zahra Heydari

Abstract:

Introduction: One of the major clinical issues is acute renal failure, which is caused by ischemia-reperfusion of the kidney and is associated with high mortality. Despite advances in this area, important issues such as tissue necrosis, cell apoptosis, and so on in damaged tissue are suggestive for more researches and study on this subject. Objective: Evaluation of the potential utility of Ezetimibe in reducing injuries and cell death induced by kidney ischemia/ reperfusion through inducing expression changes of different cellular pathways in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Materials and methods: Forty rats weighing 180-200g were divided into 4 groups. For this purpose, the first right kidneys of the rats were removed during surgery. After 20 days, the left renal artery was closed with a soft clamp and reperfusion was performed. After 24 hours, blood samples were collected and sent to the laboratory with kidneys to measure bax and bcl-2 by Western blotting and histopathological tests. Results: Quantitative damage reviews of Kidney tissue indicates damage Acute and severe tubular lesions were observed in the ischemia group. Also, the amount of injury was significantly reduced in the treatment group. There was also a significant difference between the ischemia and sham groups. In general, the results show that a single dose of 1.2 mg/kg of ezetimibe can reduce the bax/ bcl-2 ratio compared to the ischemia group. In general, the results showed Ezetimibe is effective in reducing cell damage and death due to ischemia/ reperfusion after renal ischemia through changes in the expression of various cellular pathways in rats.

Keywords: acute renal failure, renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, ezetimibe, apoptosis

Procedia PDF Downloads 192
5891 MBES-CARIS Data Validation for the Bathymetric Mapping of Shallow Water in the Kingdom of Bahrain on the Arabian Gulf

Authors: Abderrazak Bannari, Ghadeer Kadhem

Abstract:

The objectives of this paper are the validation and the evaluation of MBES-CARIS BASE surface data performance for bathymetric mapping of shallow water in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The latter is an archipelago with a total land area of about 765.30 km², approximately 126 km of coastline and 8,000 km² of marine area, located in the Arabian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia and west of Qatar (26° 00’ N, 50° 33’ E). To achieve our objectives, bathymetric attributed grid files (X, Y, and depth) generated from the coverage of ship-track MBSE data with 300 x 300 m cells, processed with CARIS-HIPS, were downloaded from the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). Then, brought into ArcGIS and converted into a raster format following five steps: Exportation of GEBCO BASE surface data to the ASCII file; conversion of ASCII file to a points shape file; extraction of the area points covering the water boundary of the Kingdom of Bahrain and multiplying the depth values by -1 to get the negative values. Then, the simple Kriging method was used in ArcMap environment to generate a new raster bathymetric grid surface of 30×30 m cells, which was the basis of the subsequent analysis. Finally, for validation purposes, 2200 bathymetric points were extracted from a medium scale nautical map (1:100 000) considering different depths over the Bahrain national water boundary. The nautical map was scanned, georeferenced and overlaid on the MBES-CARIS generated raster bathymetric grid surface (step 5 above), and then homologous depth points were selected. Statistical analysis, expressed as a linear error at the 95% confidence level, showed a strong correlation coefficient (R² = 0.96) and a low RMSE (± 0.57 m) between the nautical map and derived MBSE-CARIS depths if we consider only the shallow areas with depths of less than 10 m (about 800 validation points). When we consider only deeper areas (> 10 m) the correlation coefficient is equal to 0.73 and the RMSE is equal to ± 2.43 m while if we consider the totality of 2200 validation points including all depths, the correlation coefficient is still significant (R² = 0.81) with satisfactory RMSE (± 1.57 m). Certainly, this significant variation can be caused by the MBSE that did not completely cover the bottom in several of the deeper pockmarks because of the rapid change in depth. In addition, steep slopes and the rough seafloor probably affect the acquired MBSE raw data. In addition, the interpolation of missed area values between MBSE acquisition swaths-lines (ship-tracked sounding data) may not reflect the true depths of these missed areas. However, globally the results of the MBES-CARIS data are very appropriate for bathymetric mapping of shallow water areas.

Keywords: bathymetry mapping, multibeam echosounder systems, CARIS-HIPS, shallow water

Procedia PDF Downloads 376
5890 The Investment of Islamic Education Values toward Children in the Early Age through Story-Telling Method

Authors: Abdul Rofiq Badril Rizal Muzammil

Abstract:

Education is an absolute necessity for human’s life that one must fulfill for the entire life. Without education it is impossible for human to develop her/himself well. The education process is an effort to maintain a good behavior within one’s life. Good behavior will be absolutely achieved if it is taught to early-aged children. This paper focuses on how the story telling method enables teachers to make the students have the construction of good behavior and obtain the goal of national education in Indonesia. The targeted students would involve students in As-Solihin kindergarten, Salafiyah-Syafi’iyah Mumbulsari, Jember, Indonesia. Story is what early-aged children like most. Thus, it is a gorgeous chance to make story telling activity as a method to invest Islamic education values to children. This paper, however, also focuses on some deliberately important aspects which of course teachers need to consider including objectives and strategies of the method’s implementation. The teachers will be in need of knowing each student’s characteristic in the classroom so that it would enable them to select appropriate stories that fit best to early aged students. The selected stories are taken from Islamic stories that tell the life of Prophet and heroes of Islam as well as well-known persons in Islam. In addition, there will be a number of activities done in the classroom after the delivery of the story is over on purpose of leading students to have the fundamental foundation of how to build self-awareness in order they could understand better about the importance of being a well-behaved person. After reviewing relevant theories, secondary research and scholars’ opinion involved in all aspects of early-aged children behavior, the author concludes that by leveraging trusted sources, a proactive, co-operative and creative strategy, the teacher can successfully build up children’s good behavior by instilling the Islamic value toward early-aged children through story telling method.

Keywords: story, Islam, children, early age

Procedia PDF Downloads 299
5889 In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Selected Tanzania Medicinal Plants

Authors: Mhuji Kilonzo, Patrick Ndakidemi, Musa Chacha

Abstract:

Objective: To evaluate antibacterial activity from four selected medicinal plants namely Mystroxylon aethiopicum, Lonchocarpus capassa, Albizia anthelmentica and Myrica salicifolia used for management of bacterial infection in Tanzania. Methods: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of plants extracts against the tested bacterial species was determined by using 96 wells microdilution method. In this method, 50 μL of nutrient broth were loaded in each well followed by 50 μL of extract (100 mg/mL) to make a final volume of 100 μL. Subsequently, 50 μL were transferred from first rows of each well to the second rows and the process was repeated down the columns to the last wells from which 50 μL were discarded. Thereafter, 50 μL of the selected bacterial suspension were added to each well thus making a final volume of 100 μL. The lowest concentration which showed no bacterial growth was considered as MIC. Results: It was revealed that L. capassa leaf ethyl acetate extract exhibited antibacterial activity against Salmonella kisarawe and Salmonella typhi with MIC values of 0.39 and 0.781 mg/mL respectively. Likewise, L. capassa root bark ethyl acetate extracts inhibited growth of S. typhi and E. coli with MIC values of 0.39 and 0.781 mg/mL respectively. The M. aethiopicum leaf and root bark chloroform extracts displayed antibacterial activity against S. kisarawe and S. typhi respectively with MIC value of 0.781 mg/mL. The M. salicifolia stem bark ethyl acetate exhibited antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa with MIC value of 0.39 mg/mL whereas the methanolic stem and root bark of the same plant inhibited the growth of Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae with MIC value of 0.781 mg/mL. Conclusion: It was concluded that M. aethiopicum, L. capassa, A. anthelmentica and M. salicifolia are potential source of antibacterial agents. Further studies to establish structures of antibacterial and evaluate active ingredients are recommended.

Keywords: Albizia anthelmentica, Lonchocarpus capassa, Mystroxylon aethiopicum, Myrica salicifolia

Procedia PDF Downloads 215
5888 The Effect of Recycling on Price Volatility of Critical Metals in the EU (2010-2019): An Application of Multivariate GARCH Family Models

Authors: Marc Evenst Jn Jacques, Sophie Bernard

Abstract:

Electrical and electronic applications, as well as rechargeable batteries, are common in any economy. They also contain a number of important and valuable metals. It is critical to investigate the impact of these new materials or volume sources on the metal market dynamics. This paper investigates the impact of responsible recycling within the European region on metal price volatility. As far as we know, no empirical studies have been conducted to assess the role of metal recycling in metal market price volatility. The goal of this paper is to test the claim that metal recycling helps to cushion price volatility. A set of circular economy indicators/variables, namely, 1) annual total trade values of recycled metals, 2) annual volume of scrap traded and 3) circular material use rate, and 4) information about recycling, are used to estimate the volatility of monthly spot prices of regular metals. A combination of the GARCH-MIDAS model for mixed frequency data sampling and a simple GARCH (1,1) model for the same frequency variables was adopted to examine the potential links between each variable and price volatility. We discovered that from 2010 to 2019, except for Nickel, scrap consumption (Millions of tons), Scrap Trade Values, and Recycled Material use rate had no significant impact on the price volatility of standard metals (Aluminum, Lead) and precious metals (Gold and Platinum). Worldwide interest in recycling has no impact on returns or volatility. Specific interest in metal recycling did have a link to the mean return equation for Aluminum, Gold and to the volatility equation for lead and Nickel.

Keywords: recycling, circular economy, price volatility, GARCH, mixed data sampling

Procedia PDF Downloads 52
5887 Portable Palpation Probe for Diabetic Foot Ulceration Monitoring

Authors: Bummo Ahn

Abstract:

Palpation is widely used to measure soft tissue firmness or stiffness in the living condition in order to apply detection, diagnosis, and treatment of tumors, scar tissue, abnormal muscle tone, or muscle spasticity. Since these methods are subjective and depend on the proficiency level, it is concluded that there are other diagnoses depending on the condition of the experts and the results are not objective. The mechanical property obtained by using the elasticity of the tissue is important to calculate a predictive variable for monitoring abnormal tissues. If the mechanical load such as reaction force on the foot increases in the same region under the same conditions, the mechanical property of the tissue is changed. Therefore, objective diagnosis is possible not only for experts but also for patients using this quantitative information. Furthermore, the portable system also allows non-experts to easily diagnose at home, not in hospitals or institutions. In this paper, we introduce a portable palpation system that can be used to measure the mechanical properties of human tissue, which can be applied to monitor diabetic foot ulceration patients with measuring the mechanical property change of foot tissue. The system was designed to be smaller and portable in comparison with the conventional palpation systems. It is consists of the probe, the force sensor, linear actuator, micro control unit, the display module, battery, and housing. Using this system, we performed validation experiments by applying different palpations (3 and 5 mm) to soft tissue (silicone rubber) and measured reaction forces. In addition, we estimated the elastic moduli of the soft tissue against different palpations and compare the estimated elastic moduli that show similar value even if the palpation depths are different.

Keywords: palpation probe, portable, diabetic foot ulceration, monitoring, mechanical property

Procedia PDF Downloads 117
5886 The Effect of Adhesion on the Frictional Hysteresis Loops at a Rough Interface

Authors: M. Bazrafshan, M. B. de Rooij, D. J. Schipper

Abstract:

Frictional hysteresis is the phenomenon in which mechanical contacts are subject to small (compared to contact area) oscillating tangential displacements. In the presence of adhesion at the interface, the contact repulsive force increases leading to a higher static friction force and pre-sliding displacement. This paper proposes a boundary element model (BEM) for the adhesive frictional hysteresis contact at the interface of two contacting bodies of arbitrary geometries. In this model, adhesion is represented by means of a Dugdale approximation of the total work of adhesion at local areas with a very small gap between the two bodies. The frictional contact is divided into sticking and slipping regions in order to take into account the transition from stick to slip (pre-sliding regime). In the pre-sliding regime, the stick and slip regions are defined based on the local values of shear stress and normal pressure. In the studied cases, a fixed normal force is applied to the interface and the friction force varies in such a way to start gross sliding in one direction reciprocally. For the first case, the problem is solved at the smooth interface between a ball and a flat for different values of work of adhesion. It is shown that as the work of adhesion increases, both static friction and pre-sliding distance increase due to the increase in the contact repulsive force. For the second case, the rough interface between a glass ball against a silicon wafer and a DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating is considered. The work of adhesion is assumed to be identical for both interfaces. As adhesion depends on the interface roughness, the corresponding contact repulsive force is different for these interfaces. For the smoother interface, a larger contact repulsive force and consequently, a larger static friction force and pre-sliding distance are observed.

Keywords: boundary element model, frictional hysteresis, adhesion, roughness, pre-sliding

Procedia PDF Downloads 163
5885 Evaluating Urban City Indices: A Study for Investigating Functional Domains, Indicators and Integration Methods

Authors: Fatih Gundogan, Fatih Kafali, Abdullah Karadag, Alper Baloglu, Ersoy Pehlivan, Mustafa Eruyar, Osman Bayram, Orhan Karademiroglu, Wasim Shoman

Abstract:

Nowadays many cities around the world are investing their efforts and resources for the purpose of facilitating their citizen’s life and making cities more livable and sustainable by implementing newly emerged phenomena of smart city. For this purpose, related research institutions prepare and publish smart city indices or benchmarking reports aiming to measure the city’s current ‘smartness’ status. Several functional domains, various indicators along different selection and calculation methods are found within such indices and reports. The selection criteria varied for each institution resulting in inconsistency in the ranking and evaluating. This research aims to evaluate the impact of selecting such functional domains, indicators and calculation methods which may cause change in the rank. For that, six functional domains, i.e. Environment, Mobility, Economy, People, Living and governance, were selected covering 19 focus areas and 41 sub-focus (variable) areas. 60 out of 191 indicators were also selected according to several criteria. These were identified as a result of extensive literature review for 13 well known global indices and research and the ISO 37120 standards of sustainable development of communities. The values of the identified indicators were obtained from reliable sources for ten cities. The values of each indicator for the selected cities were normalized and standardized to objectively investigate the impact of the chosen indicators. Moreover, the effect of choosing an integration method to represent the values of indicators for each city is investigated by comparing the results of two of the most used methods i.e. geometric aggregation and fuzzy logic. The essence of these methods is assigning a weight to each indicator its relative significance. However, both methods resulted in different weights for the same indicator. As a result of this study, the alternation in city ranking resulting from each method was investigated and discussed separately. Generally, each method illustrated different ranking for the selected cities. However, it was observed that within certain functional areas the rank remained unchanged in both integration method. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended utilizing a common platform and method to objectively evaluate cities around the world. The common method should provide policymakers proper tools to evaluate their decisions and investments relative to other cities. Moreover, for smart cities indices, at least 481 different indicators were found, which is an immense number of indicators to be considered, especially for a smart city index. Further works should be devoted to finding mutual indicators representing the index purpose globally and objectively.

Keywords: functional domain, urban city index, indicator, smart city

Procedia PDF Downloads 144
5884 Histopathological Effects of Trichodiniasis in Farmed Freshwater Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, in West of Iran

Authors: Zahra Khoshnood, Reza Khoshnood

Abstract:

The aim of present study was to monitor the presence of Trichodina sp. in Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss collected from various fish farms in the western provinces of Iran during January, 2013- January, 2014. Out of 675 sampled fish 335, (49.16%) were infested with Trichodina. The highest prevalence was observed in the spring and winter followed by autumn and summer. In general, the intensity of infection was low except in cases where outbreaks of Trichodiniasis endangered the survival of fish in some ponds. In light infestation Trichodina is usually present on gills, fins and skin of apparently healthy fish. Clinical signs of Trichodiniasis only appear on fish with heavy infections and cases of moderate ones that are usually exposed to one or more stress factors including, rough handling during transportation from ponds, overcrowdness, malnutrition, high of free ammonia and low of oxygen concentration. Clinical signs of Trichodiniasis in sampled fish were sluggish movement, loss of appetite, black coloration, necrosis and ulcer on different parts of the body, detached scales and excessive accumulation of mucous in gill pouches. The most obvious histopathological changes in diseased fish were sloughing of the epidermal layer, aggregation of leucocytes and melanine-carrying cells (between the dermis and hypodermis) and proliferative changes including hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the epithelial lining cells of gill filaments which resulted in fusion of secondary lamellae. Control of Trichodiniasis, has been achieved by formalin bath treatment at a concentration of 250 ppm for one hour.

Keywords: gill, histopathology, rainbow trout, Trichodina

Procedia PDF Downloads 421
5883 Trauma System in England: An Overview and Future Directions

Authors: Raheel Shakoor Siddiqui, Sanjay Narayana Murthy, Manikandar Srinivas Cheruvu, Kash Akhtar

Abstract:

Major trauma is a dynamic public health epidemic that is continuously evolving. Major trauma care services rely on multi-disciplinary team input involving highly trained pre and in-hospital critical care teams. Pre-hospital critical care teams (PHCCTs), major trauma centres (MTCs), trauma units, and rehabilitation facilities all form an efficient and organised trauma system. England comprises 27 MTCs funded by the National Health Service (NHS). Major trauma care entails enhanced resuscitation protocols coupled with the expertise of dedicated trauma teams and rapid radiological imaging to improve trauma outcomes. Literature reports a change in the demographic of major trauma as elderly patients (silver trauma) with injuries sustained from a fall of 2 metres or less commonly present to services. Evidence of an increasing population age with multiple comorbidities necessitates treatment within the first hour of injury (golden hour) to improve trauma survival outcomes. Staffing and funding pressures within the NHS have subsequently led to a shortfall of available physician-led PHCCTs. Thus, there is a strong emphasis on targeted research and funding to appropriately deploy resources to deprived areas. This review article will discuss the current English trauma system whilst critically appraising present challenges, identifying insufficiencies, and recommending aims for an improved future trauma system in England.

Keywords: trauma, orthopaedics, major trauma, trauma system, trauma network

Procedia PDF Downloads 178
5882 Biosensor: An Approach towards Sustainable Environment

Authors: Purnima Dhall, Rita Kumar

Abstract:

Introduction: River Yamuna, in the national capital territory (NCT), and also the primary source of drinking water for the city. Delhi discharges about 3,684 MLD of sewage through its 18 drains in to the Yamuna. Water quality monitoring is an important aspect of water management concerning to the pollution control. Public concern and legislation are now a day’s demanding better environmental control. Conventional method for estimating BOD5 has various drawbacks as they are expensive, time-consuming, and require the use of highly trained personnel. Stringent forthcoming regulations on the wastewater have necessitated the urge to develop analytical system, which contribute to greater process efficiency. Biosensors offer the possibility of real time analysis. Methodology: In the present study, a novel rapid method for the determination of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) has been developed. Using the developed method, the BOD of a sample can be determined within 2 hours as compared to 3-5 days with the standard BOD3-5day assay. Moreover, the test is based on specified consortia instead of undefined seeding material therefore it minimizes the variability among the results. The device is coupled to software which automatically calculates the dilution required, so, the prior dilution of the sample is not required before BOD estimation. The developed BOD-Biosensor makes use of immobilized microorganisms to sense the biochemical oxygen demand of industrial wastewaters having low–moderate–high biodegradability. The method is quick, robust, online and less time consuming. Findings: The results of extensive testing of the developed biosensor on drains demonstrate that the BOD values obtained by the device correlated with conventional BOD values the observed R2 value was 0.995. The reproducibility of the measurements with the BOD biosensor was within a percentage deviation of ±10%. Advantages of developed BOD biosensor • Determines the water pollution quickly in 2 hours of time; • Determines the water pollution of all types of waste water; • Has prolonged shelf life of more than 400 days; • Enhanced repeatability and reproducibility values; • Elimination of COD estimation. Distinctiveness of Technology: • Bio-component: can determine BOD load of all types of waste water; • Immobilization: increased shelf life > 400 days, extended stability and viability; • Software: Reduces manual errors, reduction in estimation time. Conclusion: BiosensorBOD can be used to measure the BOD value of the real wastewater samples. The BOD biosensor showed good reproducibility in the results. This technology is useful in deciding treatment strategies well ahead and so facilitating discharge of properly treated water to common water bodies. The developed technology has been transferred to M/s Forbes Marshall Pvt Ltd, Pune.

Keywords: biosensor, biochemical oxygen demand, immobilized, monitoring, Yamuna

Procedia PDF Downloads 272
5881 The Comparison of Personality Background of Volunteer and Non-Volunteer Subjects

Authors: Laszlo Dorner

Abstract:

Background: In the last few decades there has been a significant discussion within the researchers of prosocial behavior about to what extent personality characteristics matter in determining the quality and frequency of helping behaviors. Of these community activities the most important is formal volunteering which mainly realises in civil services and organizations. Recently many researches have been showed up regarding the personality factors and motivations behind volunteering). Most of these researches found strong correlation between Agreeableness and Extraversion as global traits and the time spent on volunteering and its frequency as well. Aims of research: In this research we investigate the relation between formal volunteer activities and global traits in a Hungarian volunteer sample. We hypothetise that the results appeared in the previous researches show the same pattern in Hungary as well: volunteering would be related to Agreeableness and Extraversion. We also assume that the time spent on volunteering is related to these traits, since these traits would serve as an indicator of long-term volunteering. Methods: We applied the Hungarian adaptation of Big Five Questionnaire created by Caprara, Barbaranelli és Borgogni. This self-reported questionnaire contains 132 items, and explore 5 main traits examining the person’s most important emotional and motivational features regarding its personality. This research took into account the most important socio-economical factors (age, gender, religiosity, income) which can determine volunteer activities per se. The data is evaluated by SPSS 19.0 Statistical Software. Sample: 92 volunteer (formal, mainly the volunteers of Hungarian Red Cross and Hospice Organizations)and 92 non volunteer person, with matched subsamples by the factors of age, gender and qualification. Results: The volunteer subsample shows higher values of Energy and significantly higher values of Agreeableness and Openness, however, regarding Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability the differences are not significant between the volunteer and non-volunteer subsamples.

Keywords: Big Five, comparative analysis, global traits, volunteering

Procedia PDF Downloads 342
5880 A Methodology for Seismic Performance Enhancement of RC Structures Equipped with Friction Energy Dissipation Devices

Authors: Neda Nabid

Abstract:

Friction-based supplemental devices have been extensively used for seismic protection and strengthening of structures, however, the conventional use of these dampers may not necessarily lead to an efficient structural performance. Conventionally designed friction dampers follow a uniform height-wise distribution pattern of slip load values for more practical simplicity. This can lead to localizing structural damage in certain story levels, while the other stories accommodate a negligible amount of relative displacement demand. A practical performance-based optimization methodology is developed to tackle with structural damage localization of RC frame buildings with friction energy dissipation devices under severe earthquakes. The proposed methodology is based on the concept of uniform damage distribution theory. According to this theory, the slip load values of the friction dampers redistribute and shift from stories with lower relative displacement demand to the stories with higher inter-story drifts to narrow down the discrepancy between the structural damage levels in different stories. In this study, the efficacy of the proposed design methodology is evaluated through the seismic performance of five different low to high-rise RC frames equipped with friction wall dampers under six real spectrum-compatible design earthquakes. The results indicate that compared to the conventional design, using the suggested methodology to design friction wall systems can lead to, by average, up to 40% reduction of maximum inter-story drift; and incredibly more uniform height-wise distribution of relative displacement demands under the design earthquakes.

Keywords: friction damper, nonlinear dynamic analysis, RC structures, seismic performance, structural damage

Procedia PDF Downloads 221
5879 Cognitive Rehabilitation in Schizophrenia: A Review of the Indian Scenario

Authors: Garima Joshi, Pratap Sharan, V. Sreenivas, Nand Kumar, Kameshwar Prasad, Ashima N. Wadhawan

Abstract:

Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder and is marked by cognitive impairment, which deleteriously impacts the social and professional functioning along with the quality of life of the patients and the caregivers. Often the cognitive symptoms are in their prodromal state and worsen as the illness progresses; they have proven to have a good predictive value for the prognosis of the illness. It has been shown that intensive cognitive rehabilitation (CR) leads to improvements in the healthy as well as cognitively-impaired subjects. As the majority of population in India falls in the lower to middle socio-economic status and have low education levels, using the existing packages, a majority of which are developed in the West, for cognitive rehabilitation becomes difficult. The use of technology is also restricted due to the high costs involved and the limited availability and familiarity with computers and other devices, which pose as an impedance for continued therapy. Cognitive rehabilitation in India uses a plethora of retraining methods for the patients with schizophrenia targeting the functions of attention, information processing, executive functions, learning and memory, and comprehension along with Social Cognition. Psychologists often have to follow an integrative therapy approach involving social skills training, family therapy and psychoeducation in order to maintain the gains from the cognitive rehabilitation in the long run. This paper reviews the methodologies and cognitive retaining programs used in India. It attempts to elucidate the evolution and development of methodologies used, from traditional paper-pencil based retraining to more sophisticated neuroscience-informed techniques in cognitive rehabilitation of deficits in schizophrenia as home-based or supervised and guided programs for cognitive rehabilitation.

Keywords: schizophrenia, cognitive rehabilitation, neuropsychological interventions, integrated approached to rehabilitation

Procedia PDF Downloads 358
5878 Technological Innovation and Efficiency of Production of the Greek Aquaculture Industry

Authors: C. Nathanailides, S. Anastasiou, A. Dimitroglou, P. Logothetis, G. Kanlis

Abstract:

In the present work we reviewed historical data of the Greek Marine aquaculture industry including adoption of new methods and technological innovation. The results indicate that the industry exhibited a rapid rise in production efficiency, employment and adoption of new technologies which reduced outbreaks of diseases, reduced production risk and the price of the farmed fish. The improvements of total quality practices and technological input on the Greek Aquaculture industry include improved survival, growth and body shape of farmed fish, which resulted from development of new aquaculture feeds and the genetic selection of the bloodstock. Also improvements in the quality of the final product were achieved via technological input in the methods and technology applied during harvesting, packaging, and transportation-preservation of farmed fish ensuring high quality of the product from the fish farm to the plate of the consumers. These parameters (health management, nutrition, genetics, harvesting and post-harvesting methods and technology) changed significantly over the last twenty years and the results of these improvements are reflected in the production efficiency of the Aquaculture industry and the quality of the final product. It is concluded that the Greek aquaculture industry exhibited a rapid growth, adoption of technologies and supply was stabilized after the global financial crisis, nevertheless, the development of the Greek aquaculture industry is currently limited by international trade sanctions, credit crunch, and increased taxation and not by limited technology or resources.

Keywords: innovation, aquaculture, total quality, management

Procedia PDF Downloads 367
5877 Sensitivity Analysis of Prestressed Post-Tensioned I-Girder and Deck System

Authors: Tahsin A. H. Nishat, Raquib Ahsan

Abstract:

Sensitivity analysis of design parameters of the optimization procedure can become a significant factor while designing any structural system. The objectives of the study are to analyze the sensitivity of deck slab thickness parameter obtained from both the conventional and optimum design methodology of pre-stressed post-tensioned I-girder and deck system and to compare the relative significance of slab thickness. For analysis on conventional method, the values of 14 design parameters obtained by the conventional iterative method of design of a real-life I-girder bridge project have been considered. On the other side for analysis on optimization method, cost optimization of this system has been done using global optimization methodology 'Evolutionary Operation (EVOP)'. The problem, by which optimum values of 14 design parameters have been obtained, contains 14 explicit constraints and 46 implicit constraints. For both types of design parameters, sensitivity analysis has been conducted on deck slab thickness parameter which can become too sensitive for the obtained optimum solution. Deviations of slab thickness on both the upper and lower side of its optimum value have been considered reflecting its realistic possible ranges of variations during construction. In this procedure, the remaining parameters have been kept unchanged. For small deviations from the optimum value, compliance with the explicit and implicit constraints has been examined. Variations in the cost have also been estimated. It is obtained that without violating any constraint deck slab thickness obtained by the conventional method can be increased up to 25 mm whereas slab thickness obtained by cost optimization can be increased only up to 0.3 mm. The obtained result suggests that slab thickness becomes less sensitive in case of conventional method of design. Therefore, for realistic design purpose sensitivity should be conducted for any of the design procedure of girder and deck system.

Keywords: sensitivity analysis, optimum design, evolutionary operations, PC I-girder, deck system

Procedia PDF Downloads 131
5876 Evaluation of Polymerisation Shrinkage of Randomly Oriented Micro-Sized Fibre Reinforced Dental Composites Using Fibre-Bragg Grating Sensors and Their Correlation with Degree of Conversion

Authors: Sonam Behl, Raju, Ginu Rajan, Paul Farrar, B. Gangadhara Prusty

Abstract:

Reinforcing dental composites with micro-sized fibres can significantly improve the physio-mechanical properties of dental composites. The short fibres can be oriented randomly within dental composites, thus providing quasi-isotropic reinforcing efficiency unlike unidirectional/bidirectional fibre reinforced composites enhancing anisotropic properties. Thus, short fibres reinforced dental composites are getting popular among practitioners. However, despite their popularity, resin-based dental composites are prone to failure on account of shrinkage during photo polymerisation. The shrinkage in the structure may lead to marginal gap formation, causing secondary caries, thus ultimately inducing failure of the restoration. The traditional methods to evaluate polymerisation shrinkage using strain gauges, density-based measurements, dilatometer, or bonded-disk focuses on average value of volumetric shrinkage. Moreover, the results obtained from traditional methods are sensitive to the specimen geometry. The present research aims to evaluate the real-time shrinkage strain at selected locations in the material with the help of optical fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. Due to the miniature size (diameter 250 µm) of FBG sensors, they can be easily embedded into small samples of dental composites. Furthermore, an FBG array into the system can map the real-time shrinkage strain at different regions of the composite. The evaluation of real-time monitoring of shrinkage values may help to optimise the physio-mechanical properties of composites. Previously, FBG sensors have been able to rightfully measure polymerisation strains of anisotropic (unidirectional or bidirectional) reinforced dental composites. However, very limited study exists to establish the validity of FBG based sensors to evaluate volumetric shrinkage for randomly oriented fibres reinforced composites. The present study aims to fill this research gap and is focussed on establishing the usage of FBG based sensors for evaluating the shrinkage of dental composites reinforced with randomly oriented fibres. Three groups of specimens were prepared by mixing the resin (80% UDMA/20% TEGDMA) with 55% of silane treated BaAlSiO₂ particulate fillers or by adding 5% of micro-sized fibres of diameter 5 µm, and length 250/350 µm along with 50% of silane treated BaAlSiO₂ particulate fillers into the resin. For measurement of polymerisation shrinkage strain, an array of three fibre Bragg grating sensors was embedded at a depth of 1 mm into a circular Teflon mould of diameter 15 mm and depth 2 mm. The results obtained are compared with the traditional method for evaluation of the volumetric shrinkage using density-based measurements. Degree of conversion was measured using FTIR spectroscopy (Spotlight 400 FT-IR from PerkinElmer). It is expected that the average polymerisation shrinkage strain values for dental composites reinforced with micro-sized fibres can directly correlate with the measured degree of conversion values, implying that more C=C double bond conversion to C-C single bond values also leads to higher shrinkage strain within the composite. Moreover, it could be established the photonics approach could help assess the shrinkage at any point of interest in the material, suggesting that fibre-Bragg grating sensors are a suitable means for measuring real-time polymerisation shrinkage strain for randomly fibre reinforced dental composites as well.

Keywords: dental composite, glass fibre, polymerisation shrinkage strain, fibre-Bragg grating sensors

Procedia PDF Downloads 146
5875 Data Augmentation for Early-Stage Lung Nodules Using Deep Image Prior and Pix2pix

Authors: Qasim Munye, Juned Islam, Haseeb Qureshi, Syed Jung

Abstract:

Lung nodules are commonly identified in computed tomography (CT) scans by experienced radiologists at a relatively late stage. Early diagnosis can greatly increase survival. We propose using a pix2pix conditional generative adversarial network to generate realistic images simulating early-stage lung nodule growth. We have applied deep images prior to 2341 slices from 895 computed tomography (CT) scans from the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) dataset to generate pseudo-healthy medical images. From these images, 819 were chosen to train a pix2pix network. We observed that for most of the images, the pix2pix network was able to generate images where the nodule increased in size and intensity across epochs. To evaluate the images, 400 generated images were chosen at random and shown to a medical student beside their corresponding original image. Of these 400 generated images, 384 were defined as satisfactory - meaning they resembled a nodule and were visually similar to the corresponding image. We believe that this generated dataset could be used as training data for neural networks to detect lung nodules at an early stage or to improve the accuracy of such networks. This is particularly significant as datasets containing the growth of early-stage nodules are scarce. This project shows that the combination of deep image prior and generative models could potentially open the door to creating larger datasets than currently possible and has the potential to increase the accuracy of medical classification tasks.

Keywords: medical technology, artificial intelligence, radiology, lung cancer

Procedia PDF Downloads 62
5874 Baricitinib Lipid-based Nanosystems as a Topical Alternative for Atopic Dermatitis Treatment

Authors: N. Garrós, P. Bustos, N. Beirampour, R. Mohammadi, M. Mallandrich, A.C. Calpena, H. Colom

Abstract:

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a persistent skin condition characterized by chronic inflammation caused by an autoimmune response. It is a prevalent clinical issue that requires continual treatment to enhance the patient's quality of life. Systemic therapy often involves the use of glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants to manage symptoms. Our objective was to create and assess topical liposomal formulations containing Baricitinib (BNB), a reversible inhibitor of Janus-associated kinase (JAK), which is involved in various immune responses. These formulations were intended to address flare-ups and improve treatment outcomes for AD. We created three distinct liposomal formulations by combining different amounts of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), cholesterol (CHOL), and ceramide (CER): (i) pure POPC, (ii) POPC mixed with CHOL (at a ratio of 8:2, mol/mol), and (iii) POPC mixed with CHOL and CER (at a ratio of 3.6:2.4:4.0 mol/mol/mol). We conducted various tests to determine the formulations' skin tolerance, irritancy capacity, and their ability to cause erythema and edema on altered skin. We also assessed the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin hydration of rabbits to evaluate the efficacy of the formulations. Histological analysis, the HET-CAM test, and the modified Draize test were all used in the evaluation process. The histological analysis revealed that liposome POPC and POPC:CHOL avoided any damage to the tissues structures. The HET-CAM test showed no irritation effect caused by any of the three liposomes, and the modified Draize test showed a good Draize score for erythema and edema. Liposome POPC effectively counteracted the impact of xylol on the skin, and no erythema or edema was observed during the study. TEWL values were constant for all the liposomes with similar values to the negative control (within the range 8 - 15 g/h·m2, which means a healthy value for rabbits), whereas the positive control showed a significant increase. The skin hydration values were constant and followed the trend of the negative control, while the positive control showed a steady increase during the tolerance study. In conclusion, the developed formulations containing BNB exhibited no harmful or irritating effects, they did not demonstrate any irritant potential in the HET-CAM test and liposomes POPC and POPC:CHOL did not cause any structural alteration according to the histological analysis. These positive findings suggest that additional research is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of these liposomal formulations in animal models of the disease, including mutant animals. Furthermore, before proceeding to clinical trials, biochemical investigations should be conducted to better understand the mechanisms of action involved in these formulations.

Keywords: baricitinib, HET-CAM test, histological study, JAK inhibitor, liposomes, modified draize test

Procedia PDF Downloads 89
5873 A Statistical Approach to Predict and Classify the Commercial Hatchability of Chickens Using Extrinsic Parameters of Breeders and Eggs

Authors: M. S. Wickramarachchi, L. S. Nawarathna, C. M. B. Dematawewa

Abstract:

Hatchery performance is critical for the profitability of poultry breeder operations. Some extrinsic parameters of eggs and breeders cause to increase or decrease the hatchability. This study aims to identify the affecting extrinsic parameters on the commercial hatchability of local chicken's eggs and determine the most efficient classification model with a hatchability rate greater than 90%. In this study, seven extrinsic parameters were considered: egg weight, moisture loss, breeders age, number of fertilised eggs, shell width, shell length, and shell thickness. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine the most influencing variable on hatchability. First, the correlation between each parameter and hatchability were checked. Then a multiple regression model was developed, and the accuracy of the fitted model was evaluated. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM) with a linear kernel, and Random Forest (RF) algorithms were applied to classify the hatchability. This grouping process was conducted using binary classification techniques. Hatchability was negatively correlated with egg weight, breeders' age, shell width, shell length, and positive correlations were identified with moisture loss, number of fertilised eggs, and shell thickness. Multiple linear regression models were more accurate than single linear models regarding the highest coefficient of determination (R²) with 94% and minimum AIC and BIC values. According to the classification results, RF, CART, and kNN had performed the highest accuracy values 0.99, 0.975, and 0.972, respectively, for the commercial hatchery process. Therefore, the RF is the most appropriate machine learning algorithm for classifying the breeder outcomes, which are economically profitable or not, in a commercial hatchery.

Keywords: classification models, egg weight, fertilised eggs, multiple linear regression

Procedia PDF Downloads 82
5872 The Effects on Abomasal Emtying Rate of Erythromycin and Bethanechol in Healthy, Premature and Diarrheic Calves

Authors: Sebnem Canikli Engin, Mutlu Sevinc, Hasan Guzelbektes

Abstract:

In this study, we aim to define the effects of erythromycin and bethanechol which are prokinetic agents, on the value of abomasal discharge in healthy, diarrhea and premature calves. In the work, 5 healty calves, 12 diarrheaic calves and 12 premature calves, amounting to a total of 29 calves. In healty calves work; the same 5 calves were used for controlled, erythromycin and bethanechol studies (there was a 48-hour waiting period between each work). In diarrheic calves work; 12 diarrheic calves were used during the study (4 of them for control group, 4 of them bethanechol group and last 4 calves erythromycin group). In premature calves works; 12 premature calves were used during the study (4 of them for control group, 4 of them bethanechol group and last 4 calves erythromycin group). 10 mg/kg IM dose of erythromycin were applied to each erythromycin group, 0,07 mg/kg IM dose of bethanechol were applied on bethanechol group. No drugs were applied to the control group and substitution milk was given to all calves. 50 mg/kg acetominophen and 25 gram/L glucose have been added into the substitution milk to evaluate the speed of gastrointestinal motility with the test results of absorptions of acetominophen and glucose. The blood samples have been taken before substitution milk application and 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 300 minutes after substitution milk application. Respiratory rates and number of heartbeats were also recorded during the test time. No changes were observed in the number of heartbeats, respiratory rates and general conditions for all groups after drug application. It is observed that, the feces of some calves became slightly watery and viscous and premature calves generaly defecated after 180 minutes. When Cmax, Tmax and AUC values of acetaminophen and glucose are compared with control group’s after applying erythromycin on the calves in the premature group, we obtain higher Cmax (P<0,05), shorter Tmax and greather AUC (P>0,05) values. In conclusion, according to clinical and laboratory findings, it may be stated that the application of 10 mg/kg doze of erythromycin IM has provided faster abomazal emptying in premature calves.

Keywords: abomazal emptying, bethanechol, calf, erythromycin

Procedia PDF Downloads 334
5871 Evaluating the Dosimetric Performance for 3D Treatment Planning System for Wedged and Off-Axis Fields

Authors: Nashaat A. Deiab, Aida Radwan, Mohamed S. Yahiya, Mohamed Elnagdy, Rasha Moustafa

Abstract:

This study is to evaluate the dosimetric performance of our institution's 3D treatment planning system for wedged and off-axis 6MV photon beams, guided by the recommended QA tests documented in the AAPM TG53; NCS report 15 test packages, IAEA TRS 430 and ESTRO booklet no.7. The study was performed for Elekta Precise linear accelerator designed for clinical range of 4, 6 and 15 MV photon beams with asymmetric jaws and fully integrated multileaf collimator that enables high conformance to target with sharp field edges. Ten tests were applied on solid water equivalent phantom along with 2D array dose detection system. The calculated doses using 3D treatment planning system PrecisePLAN were compared with measured doses to make sure that the dose calculations are accurate for simple situations such as square and elongated fields, different SSD, beam modifiers e.g. wedges, blocks, MLC-shaped fields and asymmetric collimator settings. The QA results showed dosimetric accuracy of the TPS within the specified tolerance limits. Except for large elongated wedged field, the central axis and outside central axis have errors of 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively, and off- planned and off-axis elongated fields the region outside the central axis of the beam errors are 0.2% and 1.1%, respectively. The dosimetric investigated results yielded differences within the accepted tolerance level as recommended. Differences between dose values predicted by the TPS and measured values at the same point are the result from limitations of the dose calculation, uncertainties in the measurement procedure, or fluctuations in the output of the accelerator.

Keywords: quality assurance, dose calculation, wedged fields, off-axis fields, 3D treatment planning system, photon beam

Procedia PDF Downloads 435
5870 Exploring the Visual Representations of Neon Signs and Its Vernacular Tacit Knowledge of Neon Making

Authors: Brian Kwok

Abstract:

Hong Kong is well-known for its name as "the Pearl of the Orient", due to its spectacular night-view with vast amount of decorative neon lights on the streets. Neon signs are first used as the pervasive media of communication for all kinds of commercial advertising, ranging from movie theatres to nightclubs and department stores, and later appropriated by artists as medium of artwork. As a well-established visual language, it displays texts in bilingual format due to British's colonial influence, which are sometimes arranged in an opposite reading order. Research on neon signs as a visual representation is rare but significant because they are part of people’s collective memories of the unique cityscapes which associate the shifting values of people's daily lives and culture identity. Nevertheless, with the current policy to remove abandoned neon signs, their total number dramatically declines recently. The Buildings Department found an estimation of 120,000 unauthorized signboards (including neon signs) in Hong Kong in 2013, and the removal of such is at a rate of estimated 1,600 per year since 2006. In other words, the vernacular cultural values and historical continuity of neon signs will gradually be vanished if no immediate action is taken in documenting them for the purpose of research and cultural preservation. Therefore, the Hong Kong Neon Signs Archive project was established in June of 2015, and over 100 neon signs are photo-documented so far. By content analysis, this project will explore the two components of neon signs – the use of visual languages and vernacular tacit knowledge of neon makers. It attempts to answer these questions about Hong Kong's neon signs: 'What are the ways in which visual representations are used to produce our cityscapes and streetscapes?'; 'What are the visual languages and conventions of usage in different business types?'; 'What the intact knowledge are applied when producing these visual forms of neon signs?'

Keywords: cityscapes, neon signs, tacit knowledge, visual representation

Procedia PDF Downloads 296
5869 Factors Associated with Non-Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment among HIV Infected Patients in Ukraine

Authors: Larissa Burruano, Sergey Grabovyj, Irina Nguen

Abstract:

The study aimed to assess the level of adherence to anti retroviral therapy (ART) and to examine the relationship between adherence and risk behavior factor (drug use) among patients infected with HIV. The patients with newly diagnosed or established HIV infection under follow-up at the Sumskij Regional Centre for AIDS Prevention in Ukraine were eligible for this study. Medical records were used to measure the patient’s adherence to medication. Measurements were obtained at month 6 and at month 12 to calculate the number of medication omission during the past 30 days: (on a 2-point scale – once until three in a month – were considered adherent, three and more in a month – were considered non-adherent). Of the 50 study participants, 27 (54.0%) were men and 23 (46.0%) women. The mean age is 35.2 years (SD= 5.1). A majority of the patients (82.0%) is in the age group of 25-30 years. The main level of adherence was 74.0% and 66.0% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. The main routes of HIV transmission were drug injection among men 12 (44.4%) and sexual contact among women 11 (47.8%). Univariate analyses indicated that patients who had lower level of education were more likely to have been non-adherent at month 6- (X2 =5.1, n=50, p < .05) and at month 12 (X2 = 4.34, n=50, p < .05). Multivariate tests showed that only age (OR= 1.163 [95% CI 0.98–1.370]) was significant independent predictor of treatment adherence, while gender, education, employment status were not predictive for the risk of developing non-compliance. There was not a significant interaction between non-adherence and intravenous drug use. Consistent with these findings, younger people were more likely to have missed a dose of their medication because they had a greater sense of invulnerability than older patients. The study indicates that the socio demographic characteristic should be taken into an account in the future research regarding adherence in the case of HIV infection. If the patient anti retroviral adherence can be improved by qualitatively better medical care in all regions of the Ukraine, behavioral changes in the population can to be expected in the long term.

Keywords: HIV, antiretroviral therapy, adherence, Ukraine, Eastern Europe

Procedia PDF Downloads 283
5868 Rehabilitation Approach for Cancer Patients: Indication, Management and Outcome

Authors: Juliani Rianto, Emma Lumby, Tracey Smith

Abstract:

Cancer patients’ survival are growing with the new approach and therapy in oncology medicine. Cancer is now a new chronic disease, and rehabilitation program has become an ongoing program as part of cancer care. The focus of Cancer rehabilitation is maximising person’s physical and emotional function, stabilising general health and reducing unnecessary hospital admission. In Australia there are 150000 newly diagnosed cancer every year, and the most common Cancer are prostate, Breast, Colorectal, Melanoma and Lung Cancer. Through referral from the oncology team, we recruited cancer patient into our cancer rehabilitation program. Patients are assessed by our multi-disciplinary team including rehabilitation specialist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician, exercise physiologist, and psychologist. Specific issues are identified, including pain, side effect of chemo and radiation therapy and mental well-being. The goals were identified and reassessed every fortnight. Common goals including nutritional status, improve endurance and exercise performance, working on balance and mobility, improving emotional and vocational state, educational program for insomnia and tiredness, and reducing hospitalisation are identified and assessed. Patients are given 2 hours exercise program twice a week for 6 weeks with focus on aerobic and weight exercises and education sessions. Patients are generally benefited from the program. The quality of life is improved, support and interaction from the therapist has played an important factor in directing patient for their goals.

Keywords: cancer, exercises, benefit, mental health

Procedia PDF Downloads 58
5867 The Assessment Groundwater Geochemistry of Some Wells in Rafsanjan Plain, Southeast of Iran

Authors: Milad Mirzaei Aminiyan, Abdolreza Akhgar, Farzad Mirzaei Aminiyan

Abstract:

Water quality is the critical factor that influence on human health and quantity and quality of grain production in semi-humid and semi-arid area. Pistachio is a main crop that accounts for a considerable portion of Iranian agricultural exports. Give that pistachio tree is a tolerant type of tree to saline and alkaline soil and water conditions, but groundwater and irrigation water quality play important roles in main production this crop. For this purpose, 94 well water samples were taken from 25 wells and samples were analyzed. The results showed give that region’s geological, climatic characteristics, statistical analysis, and based on dominant cations and anions in well water samples (piper diagram); four main types of water were found: Na-Cl, K-Cl, Na-SO4, and K-SO4. It seems that most wells in terms of water quality (salinity and alkalinity) and based on Wilcox diagram have critical status. The analysis suggested that more than eighty-seven percentage of the well water samples have high values of EC that these values are higher than into critical limit EC value for irrigation water, which may be due to the sandy soils in this area. Most groundwater were relatively unsuitable for irrigation but it could be used by application of correct management such as removing and reducing the ion concentrations of Cl‾, SO42‾, Na+ and total hardness in groundwater and also the concentrated deep groundwater was required treatment to reduce the salinity and sodium hazard. Given that irrigation water quality in this area was relatively unsuitable for most agriculture production but pistachio tree was adapted to this area conditions. The integrated management of groundwater for irrigation is the way to solve water quality issues not only in Rafsanjan area, but also in other arid and semi-arid areas.

Keywords: groundwater quality, irrigation water quality, salinity, alkalinity, Rafsanjan plain, pistachio

Procedia PDF Downloads 411
5866 Constructing the Cult of the Self: on White, Working-class Males And The Neoliberalisation Of Identities – An Autoethnographic Study

Authors: Dane Morace-Court

Abstract:

This paper offers a reflective and reflexive examination of the lived experience of a group of young, white, working-class males engaging in secondary-education in England at a time when this population is widely recognised as the lowest attaining ethnic group within British schools. The focus of the paper is an exploration of the development of identities and aspirations, alongside contemporary demographic and ideological shifts in the British population, in their intersection with neoliberal education policies and the emerging ideological conflict between identity conservatism and liberalism. The construction and performance of intersecting social-class, gender, ethnic and national identities is considered as well as the process through which socially constructed narratives inform identities, values, and aspirations. Evocative autoethnography is then employed to offer reflections on working-class habitus and, in particular, classed and gendered codes that underpin expectations of manhood in post-industrial culture within an education system which seemingly requires the abandonment of aspects of a working-class background. Findings from the study identify the emergence of a culture of hyper-individualisation amongst white, working-class males in schools and a belief in the meritocratic ideologies of the New Right. In particular, the breakdown of the social contract, including notions of political and civic responsibility, coupled with the symbolic violence perpetrated against working-class culture and solidarity in British schools, have all informed the construction of a working-class masculinity which values the individual entrepreneur over the collective, and depoliticizes students to an extent where a focus on the spectacle and performance of success has replaced individual and collective investment in community.

Keywords: education, identity, masculinity, neoliberalism, working-class, intersectionality, autoethnography

Procedia PDF Downloads 102
5865 Diversified Farming and Agronomic Interventions Improve Soil Productivity, Soybean Yield and Biomass under Soil Acidity Stress

Authors: Imran, Murad Ali Rahat

Abstract:

One of the factors affecting crop production and nutrient availability is acidic stress. The most important element decreasing under acidic stress conditions is phosphorus deficiency, which results in stunted growth and yield because of inefficient nutrient cycling. At the Agriculture Research Institute Mingora Swat, Pakistan, tests were carried out for the first time throughout the course of two consecutive summer seasons in 2016 (year 1) and 2017 (year 2) with the goal of increasing crop productivity and nutrient availability under acidic stress. Three organic supplies (peach nano-black carbon, compost, and dry-based peach wastes), three phosphorus rates, and two advantageous microorganisms (Trichoderma and PSB) were incorporated in the experimental treatments. The findings showed that, in conditions of acid stress, peach organic sources had a significant impact on yield and yield components. The application of nano-black carbon produced the greatest thousand seed weight of 164.6 g among organic sources, however the use of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) for seed inoculation increased the thousand seed weight of beneficial microbes when compared to Trichoderma soil application. The thousand seed weight was significantly impacted by the quantities of phosphorus. The treatment of 100 kg P ha-1 produced the highest thousand seed weight (167.3 g), which was followed by 75 kg P ha-1 (162.5 g). Compost amendments provided the highest seed yield (2,140 kg ha-1) and were comparable to the application of nano-black carbon (2,120 kg ha-1). With peach residues, the lowest seed output (1,808 kg ha-1) was observed.Compared to seed inoculation with PSB (1,913 kg ha-1), soil treatment with Trichoderma resulted in the maximum seed production (2,132 kg ha-1). Applying phosphorus to the soybean crop greatly increased its output. The highest seed yield (2,364 kg ha-1) was obtained with 100 kg P ha-1, which was comparable to 75 kg P ha-1 (2,335 kg ha-1), while the lowest seed yield (1,569 kg ha-1) was obtained with 50 kg P ha-1. The average values showed that compared to control plots (3.3 g kg-1), peach organic sources produced greatest SOC (10.0 g kg-1). Plots with treated soil had a maximum soil P of 19.7 mg kg-1, while plots under stress had a maximum soil P of 4.8 mg kg-1. While peach compost resulted in the lowest soil P levels, peach nano-black carbon yielded the highest soil P levels (21.6 mg kg-1). Comparing beneficial bacteria with PSB to Trichoderma (18.3 mg/kg-1), the former also shown an improvement in soil P (21.1 mg kg-1). Regarding P treatments, the application of 100 kg P per ha produced significantly higher soil P values (26.8 mg /kg-1), followed by 75 kg P per ha (18.3 mg /kg-1), and 50 kg P ha-1 produced the lowest soil P values (14.1 mg /kg-1). Comparing peach wastes and compost to peach nano-black carbon (13.7 g kg-1), SOC rose. In contrast to PSB (8.8 g kg-1), soil-treated Trichoderma was shown to have a greater SOC (11.1 g kg-1). Higher among the P levels.

Keywords: acidic stress, trichoderma, beneficial microbes, nano-black carbon, compost, peach residues, phosphorus, soybean

Procedia PDF Downloads 64
5864 Using Crude Actinidin Protease Extract of Kiwifruit to Improve Some Quality Attributes of Awassi Rams Meats

Authors: Hatem H.Saleh

Abstract:

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of different concentrations of crude actinidin enzyme extract from kiwifruit juice and distilled water on some quality attributes of Awassi rams meats. Twelve Awassi rams were divided into four groups, After exsanguinations of rams carcasses they were infused (10% body weight) with crude of actinidin enzyme extract of kiwifruit juice with 10 and 15% of extract, and other group was infused with distilled water and were compared with other groups a non infusion treatment which were acted as a control. Thereafter samples from two main muscles, namely longissimus dorsi (LD) and Semimembranosus (SM) of the carcasses was chilled then stored in freezing, until testing time . The results showed a decrease in the rate pH decline on LD and SM muscle which was measured at time (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 hours) postmortem among different treatments, It also reported lower values of the rate pH on the LD and SM muscle during the first of 12 hrs postmortem. No significant differences of the rate internal meat temperature in LD and SM muscle were observed among treatments postmortem except decreased of internal meat temperature during 3 hours postmortem when treated with enzyme extract. The results recorded higher values of glycolysis rate (R-value) in LD and SM muscle when treated with enzyme extract. Treated LD and LM muscle samples with 10 and 15% of crude actinidin enzyme extract of kiwifruit juice led to improve water holding capacity and higher significant differences in total tyrosine/ tryptophan index (T.T/T) in LD and SM muscles comparison with treatment control. It could be concluded that extract of kiwifruit juice infusion is could be used to improve of meat tenderization.

Keywords: extract of kiwifruit, decline of pH and Temperature , R-value, tyrosine / tryptophan index, sheep meat

Procedia PDF Downloads 534