Search results for: biomedical engineering program

Authors: Choon Seong Ng, P. Petrick, C. L. Lau

Abstract:

Background: Carbapenem-resistant isolates have been increasingly reported recently. Carbapenem stewardship is designed to optimize its usage particularly among medical wards with high prevalence of carbapenem prescriptions to combat such emerging resistance. Carbapenem stewardship programmes (CSP) can reduce antibiotic use but clinical outcome of such measures needs further evaluation. We examined this in a prospective manner using feedback mechanism. Methods: Our single-center prospective cohort study involved all carbapenem prescriptions across the medical wards (including medical patients admitted to intensive care unit) in a tertiary university hospital setting. The impact of such stewardship was analysed according to the accepted and the rejected groups. The primary endpoint was safety. Safety measure applied in this study was the death at 1 month. Secondary endpoints included length of hospitalisation and readmission. Results: Over the 19 months’ period, input from 144 carbapenem prescriptions was analysed on the basis of acceptance of our CSP recommendations on the use of carbapenems. Recommendations made were as follows : de-escalation of carbapenem; stopping the carbapenem; use for a short duration of 5-7 days; required prolonged duration in the case of carbapenem-sensitive Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases bacteremia; dose adjustment; and surgical intervention for removal of septic foci. De-escalation, shorten duration of carbapenem and carbapenem cessation comprised 79% of the recommendations. Acceptance rate was 57%. Those who accepted CSP recommendations had no increase in mortality (p = 0.92), had a shorter length of hospital stay (LOS) and had cost-saving. Infection-related deaths were found to be higher among those in the rejected group. Moreover, three rejected cases (6%) among all non-indicated cases (n = 50) were found to have developed carbapenem-resistant isolates. Lastly, Pitt’s bacteremia score appeared to be a key element affecting the carbapenem prescription’s behaviour in this trial. Conclusions: Carbapenem stewardship program in the medical wards not only saves money, but most importantly it is safe and does not harm the patients with added benefits of reducing the length of hospital stay. However, more time is needed to engage the primary clinical teams by formal clinical presentation and immediate personal feedback by senior Infectious Disease (ID) personnel to increase its acceptance.

Keywords: audit and feedback, carbapenem stewardship, medical wards, university hospital

Procedia PDF Downloads 162

Authors: Nesrine Frifita

Abstract:

In recent years, serious interest in underground sources has led to more intensive studies of depth, thickness, geometry and properties of aquifers. Geophysical method is the common technique used in discovering the subsurface. However, determining the exact location of groundwater in subsurface layers is one of problems that needs to be resolved. While the biggest problem is the quality of the groundwater which suffers from pollution risk especially with water shortage in arid regions under a remarkable climate change. The present study was conducted using electrical resistivity tomography at Jeffara coastal area in Southeast Tunisia to image the potential shallow aquifer and studying their physical properties. The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics and depth of the Smar aquifer. Therefore, it can be used as a reference in groundwater drilling in order to guide the farmers and to improve the living of the inhabitants of nearby cities. The use of the Winner-Schlumberger array for data acquisition is suitable to obtain a deeper profile in areas with homogeneous layers. For that, six electrical resistivity profiles were carried out in Smar watershed using 72 electrodes with 4 and 5 m spacing. The resistivity measurements were carefully interpreted by a least-square inversion technique using the RES2DINV program. Findings show that the Smar aquifer has about 31 m thickness and it extends to 36.5 m depth in the downstream area of Oued Smar. The defined depth and geometry of Smar aquifer indicate that the sedimentary cover thins toward the coast, and the Smar shallow aquifer becomes deeper toward the West. While the resistivity values show a significant contrast even reaching < 1 Ωm in ERT1, this resistivity value can be related to the saline water that foretells a risk of pollution and bad groundwater quality. The ERT1 geoelectrical model defines an unsaturated zone, while under ERT3 site, the geoelectrical model presents a saturated zone, which reflect a low resistivity values indicate the locally surface water coming from the nearby Office of the National Sanitation Utility (ONAS) that can be a source of recharge of the studied shallow aquifer and more deteriorate the groundwater quality in this region.

Keywords: electrical resistivity tomography, groundwater, recharge, smar aquifer, southeastern tunisia

Procedia PDF Downloads 51

Authors: Irina Alexandra Paun, Mona Mihailescu, Marian Zamfirescu, Catalin Romeo Luculescu, Adriana Maria Acasandrei, Cosmin Catalin Mustaciosu, Roxana Cristina Popescu, Maria Dinescu

Abstract:

A major concern in bone tissue engineering is to develop complex 3D architectures that mimic the natural cells environment, facilitate the cells growth in a defined manner and allow the flow transport of nutrients and metabolic waste. In particular, porous structures of controlled pore size and positioning are indispensable for growing human-like bone structures. Another concern is to monitor both the structures and the seeded cells with high spatial resolution and without interfering with the cells natural environment. The present approach relies on laser-based technologies employed for fabricating porous biomimetic structures that support the growth of osteoblast-like cells and for their non-invasive 3D imaging. Specifically, the porous structures were built by two photon polymerization –direct writing (2PP_DW) of the commercially available photoresists IL-L780, using the Photonic Professional 3D lithography system. The structures consist of vertical tubes with micrometer-sized heights and diameters, in a honeycomb-like spatial arrangement. These were fabricated by irradiating the IP-L780 photoresist with focused laser pulses with wavelength centered at 780 nm, 120 fs pulse duration and 80 MHz repetition rate. The samples were precisely scanned in 3D by piezo stages. The coarse positioning was done by XY motorized stages. The scanning path was programmed through a writing language (GWL) script developed by Nanoscribe. Following laser irradiation, the unexposed regions of the photoresist were washed out by immersing the samples in the Propylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether Acetate (PGMEA). The porous structures were seeded with osteoblast like MG-63 cells and their osteogenic potential was tested in vitro. The cell-seeded structures were analyzed in 3D using the digital holographic microscopy technique (DHM). DHM is a marker free and high spatial resolution imaging tool, where the hologram acquisition is performed non-invasively i.e. without interfering with the cells natural environment. Following hologram recording, a digital algorithm provided a 3D image of the sample, as well as information about its refractive index, which is correlated with the intracellular content. The axial resolution of the images went down to the nanoscale, while the temporal scales ranged from milliseconds up to hours. The hologram did not involve sample scanning and the whole image was available in one frame recorded going over 200μm field of view. The digital holograms processing provided 3D quantitative information on the porous structures and allowed a quantitative analysis of the cellular response in respect to the porous architectures. The cellular shape and dimensions were found to be influenced by the underlying micro relief. Furthermore, the intracellular content gave evidence on the beneficial role of the porous structures in promoting osteoblast differentiation. In all, the proposed laser-based protocol emerges as a promising tool for the fabrication and non-invasive imaging of porous constructs for bone tissue engineering. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-2534 (contract 97 from 01/10/2015) and by UEFISCDI PN-II-PT-PCCA no. 6/2012. A part of this work was performed in the CETAL laser facility, supported by the National Program PN 16 47 - LAPLAS IV.

Keywords: biomimetic, holography, laser, osteoblast, two photon polymerization

Procedia PDF Downloads 246

Authors: Laura Simmer, Maria Kalt, Oliver Schauer

Abstract:

Freight transport is growing fast, but many vehicles are empty or just partially loaded. The vision and concepts of the Physical Internet (PI) proposes to eliminate these inefficiencies. Aiming for a radical sustainability improvement, the PI – inspired by the Digital Internet – is a hyperconnected global logistic system, enabling seamless asset sharing and flow consolidation. The implementation of a PI in its full expression will be a huge challenge: the industry needs innovation and implementation support including change management approaches, awareness creation and good practices diffusion, legislative actions to remove antitrust and international commerce barriers, standardization and public incentives policies. In order to take a step closer to this future the project ‘Atropine - Fast Track to the Physical Internet’ funded under the Strategic Economic and Research Program ‘Innovative Upper Austria 2020’ was set up. The two-year research project unites several research partners in this field, but also industrial partners and logistics service providers. With Atropine, the consortium wants to actively shape the mobility landscape in Upper Austria and make an innovative contribution to an energy-efficient, environmentally sound and sustainable development in the transport area. This paper should, on the one hand, clarify the questions what the project Atropine is about and, on the other hand, how a proof of concept will be reached. Awareness building plays an important role in the project as the PI requires a reorganization of the supply chain and the design of completely new forms of inter-company co-operation. New business models have to be developed and should be verified by simulation. After the simulation process one of these business models will be chosen and tested in real life with the partner companies. The developed results - simulation model and demonstrator - are used to determine how the concept of the PI can be applied in Upper Austria. Atropine shall pave the way for a full-scale development of the PI vision in the next few decades and provide the basis for pushing the industry toward a new level of co-operation with more shared resources and increased standardization.

Keywords: Atropine, inter-company co-operation, Physical Internet, shared resources, sustainable logistics

Procedia PDF Downloads 187

Authors: Johnson C. Y. Pang, Bo Pengb, Kara K. L. Reevesc, Allan C. L. Fud

Abstract:

Objective: Dry needling (DN) has long been used as a treatment method for various musculoskeletal pain conditions. However, the evidence level of the studies was low due to the limitations of the methodology. Lack of randomization and inappropriate blinding are potentially the main sources of bias. A method that can differentiate clinical results due to the targeted experimental procedure from its placebo effect is needed to enhance the validity of the trial. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the method as a placebo ultrasound(US)-guided DN for patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Design: This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Ninety subjects (25 males and 65 females) aged between 51 and 80 (61.26±5.57) with radiological KOA were recruited and randomly assigned into three groups with a computer program. Group 1 (G1) received real US-guided DN, Group 2 (G2) received placebo US-guided DN, and Group 3 (G3) was the control group. Both G1 and G2 subjects received the same procedure of US-guided DN, except the US monitor was turned off in G2, blinding the G2 subjects to the incorporation of faux US guidance. This arrangement created the placebo effect intended to permit comparison of their results to those who received actual US-guided DN. Outcome measures, including the visual analog scale (VAS) and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscales of pain, symptoms and quality of life (QOL), were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for time effects and group effects. The data regarding the perception of receiving real US-guided DN or placebo US-guided DN were analyzed by the chi-squared test. The missing data were analyzed with the intention-to-treat (ITT) approach if more than 5% of the data were missing. Results: The placebo US-guided DN (G2) subjects had the same perceptions as the use of real US guidance in the advancement of DN (p<0.128). G1 had significantly higher pain reduction (VAS and KOOS-pain) than G2 and G3 at 8 weeks (both p<0.05) only. There was no significant difference between G2 and G3 at 8 weeks (both p>0.05). Conclusion: The method with the US monitor turned off during the application of DN is credible for blinding the participants and allowing researchers to incorporate faux US guidance. The validated placebo US-guided DN technique can aid in investigations of the effects of US-guided DN with short-term effects of pain reduction for patients with KOA. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the Caritas Institute of Higher Education [grant number IDG200101].

Keywords: reliability, jumping, 3D motion analysis, anterior crucial ligament reconstruction

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Waraporn Boonchieng, Ekkarat Boonchieng, Wilawan Senaratana, Jaras Singkaew

Abstract:

Geographical information system (GIS) is a designated system widely used for collecting and analyzing geographical data. Since the introduction of ultra-mobile, 'smart' devices, investigators, clinicians, and even the general public have had powerful new tools for collecting, uploading and accessing information in the field. Epidemiology paired with GIS will increase the efficacy of preventive health care services. The objective of this study is to apply GPS location services that are available on the common mobile device with district health systems, storing data on our private cloud system. The mobile application has been developed for use on iOS, Android, and web-based platforms. The system consists of two parts of district health information, including recorded resident data forms and individual health recorded data forms, which were developed and approved by opinion sharing and public hearing. The application's graphical user interface was developed using HTML5 and PHP with MySQL as a database management system (DBMS). The reporting module of the developed software displays data in a variety of views, from traditional tables to various types of high-resolution, layered graphics, incorporating map location information with street views from Google Maps. Multi-extension exporting is also supported, utilizing standard platforms such as PDF, PNG, JPG, and XLS. The data were collected in the database beginning in March 2013, by district health volunteers and district youth volunteers who had completed the application training program. District health information consisted of patients’ household coordinates, individual health data, social and economic information. This was combined with Google Street View data, collected in March 2014. Studied groups consisted of 16,085 (67.87%) and 47,811 (59.87%) of the total 23,701 households and 79,855 people were collected by the system respectively, in Saraphi district, Chiang Mai Province. The report generated from the system has had a major benefit directly to the Saraphi District Hospital. Healthcare providers are able to use the basic health data to provide a specific home health care service and also to create health promotion activities according to medical needs of the people in the community.

Keywords: health, public health, GIS, geographic information system

Procedia PDF Downloads 303

Authors: Hany Elsaid Fawaz Abdallah

Abstract:

This study presents a new artificial neural network(ANN) model to predict the Nusselt Number and pressure drop for the turbulent flow in a triangular corrugated plate heat exchanger for forced air and turbulent water flow. An experimental investigation was performed to create a new dataset for the Nusselt Number and pressure drop values in the following range of dimensionless parameters: The plate corrugation angles (from 0° to 60°), the Reynolds number (from 10000 to 40000), pitch to height ratio (from 1 to 4), and Prandtl number (from 0.7 to 200). Based on the ANN performance graph, the three-layer structure with {12-8-6} hidden neurons has been chosen. The training procedure includes back-propagation with the biases and weight adjustment, the evaluation of the loss function for the training and validation dataset and feed-forward propagation of the input parameters. The linear function was used at the output layer as the activation function, while for the hidden layers, the rectified linear unit activation function was utilized. In order to accelerate the ANN training, the loss function minimization may be achieved by the adaptive moment estimation algorithm (ADAM). The ‘‘MinMax’’ normalization approach was utilized to avoid the increase in the training time due to drastic differences in the loss function gradients with respect to the values of weights. Since the test dataset is not being used for the ANN training, a cross-validation technique is applied to the ANN network using the new data. Such procedure was repeated until loss function convergence was achieved or for 4000 epochs with a batch size of 200 points. The program code was written in Python 3.0 using open-source ANN libraries such as Scikit learn, TensorFlow and Keras libraries. The mean average percent error values of 9.4% for the Nusselt number and 8.2% for pressure drop for the ANN model have been achieved. Therefore, higher accuracy compared to the generalized correlations was achieved. The performance validation of the obtained model was based on a comparison of predicted data with the experimental results yielding excellent accuracy.

Keywords: artificial neural networks, corrugated channel, heat transfer enhancement, Nusselt number, pressure drop, generalized correlations

Procedia PDF Downloads 52

Authors: P. Saravanan, A. Vasumathi

Abstract:

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) plays a vital role in formulating the policies and strategies for the company, in order to fulfill the employee’s requirement and to perform the job efficiently within the organisation. Human Resource Management (HRM) functions helps in attracting and motivating the talented workforce for the organisation and by increasing the performance of an individual, will result in achieving the defined goals and objectives for the company. HRM function plays an important role in managing the workers within organisation through a formal communication channel. Since HR functions acts as a mediatory role in between the employee as well as the employers within the organisation that helps in improving the efficacy and skills of the individuals employed within the company. HR manager acts as a change agent, enabling and driving the change management program with respect to business HR functions and its future requirements of the company. Due to change in the business environment, the focus of HR manager is shifting from administrative/personal functions in to a strategic business HR function. HR managers plays a strategic role in managing various HR functions such as recruitment and selection, human resource information system, manpower planning, performance management, conflict management, employee engagement, compensation management, policy formation and retention strategies followed within the industry. Major challenges faced by HR managers at work place are managing the level of engagement for the talented resources within the organisation, reducing the conflicts at workplace, mapping the talented resources through succession planning process, building the effective appraisal process and performance management system and mapping the compensation based on the skills and experience possed by the employee within the company. The authors conducted a study for the sample size of 75 HR managers from an Indian IT company through systematic sampling method. This study identifies that the female employees are facing lesser conflict than the male employees against their managers within the organisation and also the study determines the impact of demographic profile on strategic HRM practices and its challenges faced by HR managers in IT firm, India.

Keywords: strategic human resource management, change agent, employee engagement, performance management, succession planning and conflict management

Procedia PDF Downloads 271

Authors: Carolina S. Correia, Thalita V. Thomé, Andersen Boniolo, Dhayana I. Veiga

Abstract:

Evidence-based practices (EBP) in education is a set of principles and practices used to raise educational policy, it involves the integration of professional expertise in education with the best empirical evidence in making decisions about how to deliver instruction. The purpose of this presentation is to describe and characterize studies about EBP in education in elementary classroom setting. Data here presented is part of an ongoing systematic review research. Articles were searched and selected from four academic databases: ProQuest, Scielo, Science Direct and Capes. The search terms were evidence-based practices or program effectiveness, and education or teaching or teaching practices or teaching methods. Articles were included according to the following criteria: The studies were explicitly described as evidence-based or discussed the most effective practices in education, they discussed teaching practices in classroom context in elementary school level. Document excerpts were extracted and recorded in Excel, organized by reference, descriptors, abstract, purpose, setting, participants, type of teaching practice, study design and main results. The total amount of articles selected were 1.185, 569 articles from Proquest Research Library; 216 from CAPES; 251 from ScienceDirect and 149 from Scielo Library. The potentially relevant references were 178, from which duplicates were removed. The final number of articles analyzed was 140. From 140 articles, are 47 theoretical studies and 93 empirical articles. The following research design methods were identified: longitudinal intervention study, cluster-randomized trial, meta-analysis and pretest-posttest studies. From 140 articles, 103 studies were about regular school teaching and 37 were on special education teaching practices. In several studies, used as teaching method: active learning, content acquisition podcast (CAP), precision teaching (PT), mediated reading practice, speech therapist programs and peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS). The countries of origin of the studies were United States of America, United Kingdom, Panama, Sweden, Scotland, South Korea, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Brunei. The present study in is an ongoing project, so some representative findings will be discussed, providing further acknowledgment on the best teaching practices in elementary classroom setting.

Keywords: best practices, children, evidence-based education, elementary school, teaching methods

Procedia PDF Downloads 306

Authors: Tarek K. Jalouta, Jolietta R. Holliman, Kathryn R. Burke, Kathleen M. Bewley-Thomas

Abstract:

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the United States, HCV screening awareness, treatment, and linkage to care are under continues ascending progress. However, still millions of people are asymptomatically infected and undiagnosed yet. Through this community mission, we sought to identify the best and the newest strategies to identify those infected people to educate them, link them to care and cure them. Methods: We have identified patients that did not have a prior HCV screening in our Electronic medical record (EMR) including all our different hospital locations (South Suburban Chicago, Northern, Western and Central Indiana). Providing education to all Primary care/Gastroenterology/Infectious diseases providers and staff in the clinic to increase awareness of the HCV screening. Health-related quality of life, chronic clinical complications, and demographics data were collected for each patient. All outcomes of HCV antibody-reactive and HCV RNA–positive results were identified and statistically analyzed. Results: From July 2016 to July 2018 we screened 35,720 individuals of birth cohort in our different Franciscan’s health medical centers. Of the screened population, 986 (2.7%) individuals were HCV AB-reactive. Of those, 319 (1%) patients were HCV RNA-positive, and 264 patients were counseled and linked to providers. 34 patients initiated anti-HCV therapy with successful treatment. Conclusions: Our HCV screening augmentation project considered the largest screening program in the Midwest. Augmenting the HCV screening process through creating a Best Practice Alert (BPA) in the EMR (Epic Sys.) and point of care testing could be helpful. Although continued work is required, our team is working on increase screening through adding HCV test to CBC-Panels in Emergency Department settings, phone calls to all birth cohort individuals through Robo-Calling System aimed to reach 75,000 individuals by 2019. However, a better linkage to care and referral monitoring system to all HCV RNA positive patients is still needed, and access to therapy, especially for uninsured patients, is challenging.

Keywords: chronic hepatitis C, chronic hepatitis C treatment, chronic hepatitis C screening, chronic hepatitis C prevention, liver cancer

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: Nateepat Srivarom, Weng Jingnong, Serm Chinnarat

Abstract:

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique is use to improve accuracy by using precise satellite orbit and clock correction data, but this technique is complicated methods and high costs. Currently, there are several online processing service providers which offer simplified calculation. In the first part of this research, we compare the efficiency and precision of four software. There are three popular online processing service providers: Australian Online GPS Processing Service (AUSPOS), CSRS-Precise Point Positioning and CenterPoint RTX post processing by Trimble and 1 offline software, RTKLIB, which collected data from 10 the International GNSS Service (IGS) stations for 10 days. The results indicated that AUSPOS has the least distance root mean square (DRMS) value of 0.0029 which is good enough to be calculated for monitoring the movement of tectonic plates. The second, we use AUSPOS to process the data of geodetic network of Thailand. In December 26, 2004, the earthquake occurred a 9.3 MW at the north of Sumatra that highly affected all nearby countries, including Thailand. Earthquake effects have led to errors of the coordinate system of Thailand. The Royal Thai Survey Department (RTSD) is primarily responsible for monitoring of the crustal movement of the country. The difference of the geodetic network movement is not the same network and relatively large. This result is needed for survey to continue to improve GPS coordinates system in every year. Therefore, in this research we chose the AUSPOS to calculate the magnitude and direction of movement, to improve coordinates adjustment of the geodetic network consisting of 19 pins in Thailand during October 2013 to November 2017. Finally, results are displayed on the simulation map by using the ArcMap program with the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method. The pin with the maximum movement is pin no. 3239 (Tak) in the northern part of Thailand. This pin moved in the south-western direction to 11.04 cm. Meanwhile, the directional movement of the other pins in the south gradually changed from south-west to south-east, i.e., in the direction noticed before the earthquake. The magnitude of the movement is in the range of 4 - 7 cm, implying small impact of the earthquake. However, the GPS network should be continuously surveyed in order to secure accuracy of the geodetic network of Thailand.

Keywords: precise point positioning, online processing service, geodetic network, inverse distance weighting

Procedia PDF Downloads 166

Authors: Tahsina Sadeque Kapil Ahmed

Abstract:

Context: The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Tobacco use is a widespread phenomenon in Bangladesh, and that causes numerous deaths and disabilities in a year. The studies conducted elsewhere have strengthened the evidence that mass media campaigns conducted in the context of comprehensive tobacco control programs can promote quitting and reduce smoking, as well as smokeless tobacco prevalence. Awareness building campaigns in mass-media against tobacco use should be prioritized more, and this paper will be an initiative towards enhancing mass-media’s role in controlling tobacco in Bangladesh. Objective: the main objective of this study is to investigate the role of mass-media in controlling tobacco in Bangladesh. Methods: This is a qualitative study and both primary, as well as secondary data were used where information gathered through the Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and media contents. The employees of media houses (five national papers, two online news portals and six TV channels) were selected as study respondent. Media Content Analysis is used through the broad range of ‘texts’ from transcripts of interviews and discussions along with the materials like reports, footages, advertisements, talk-shows, articles etc. Results: The study result documented several opinions of discussants where Mass media was found to play a strong role in support of the amended tobacco control law and its implication that could be created public support against tobacco farming, exposing to companies’ tactics and other tobacco control activities. The study results also revealed that in controlling tobacco supply and demand effectively, media has been assisting the government and anti-tobacco activities productively. Majority of the Key Informants opined spontaneously on tobacco control program publicity, organizational interference, and influence of other activities on media. They also emphasized role of media for activities of anti-tobacco organizations, awareness building actions, popularization of tobacco control law and its amendment. Conclusion and Recommendation: The study shows evidence that mass media coverage of tobacco control issues is influencing the context of comprehensive tobacco control programs. To reduce tobacco consumption, along with strict enforcement efforts, media should be used to assist with the implementation of the tobacco control law. A sustained nationwide campaign to educate the masses against the dangers of smoking and smokeless tobacco is needed, and media can play an important role in creating further awareness about the dangers associated with tobacco consumption.

Keywords: Bangladesh media, mass media, role of media, tobacco control

Procedia PDF Downloads 180

Authors: Omar Pillaca-Pullo, Arturo Alejandro-Paredes, Carol Flores-Fernandez, Marijuly Sayuri Kina, Amparo Iris Zavaleta

Abstract:

Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is an interesting alternative for separating industrial enzymes due to it is easy to scale-up and low cost. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixed with potassium phosphate or magnesium sulfate is one of the most frequently polymer/salt ATPS used, but the consequences of its use is a high concentration of phosphates and sulfates in wastewater causing environmental issues. Citrate could replace these inorganic salts due to it is biodegradable and does not produce toxic compounds. On the other hand, statistical design of experiments is widely used for ATPS optimization and it allows to study the effects of the involved variables in the purification, and to estimate their significant effects on selected responses and interactions. The 24 factorial design with four central points (20 experiments) was employed to study the partition and purification of proteases produced by Pseudomonas sp. in PEG/citrate ATPS system. ATPS was prepared with different sodium citrate concentrations [14, 16 and 18% (w/w)], pH values (7, 8 and 9), PEG molecular weight (2,000; 4,000 and 6,000 g/mol) and PEG concentrations [18, 20 and 22 % (w/w)]. All system components were mixed with 15% (w/w) of the fermented broth and deionized water was added to a final weight of 12.5 g. Then, the systems were mixed and kept at room temperature until to reach two-phases separation. Volumes of the top and bottom phases were measured, and aliquots from both phases were collected for subsequent proteolytic activity and total protein determination. Influence of variables such as PEG molar mass (MPEG), PEG concentration (CPEG), citrate concentration (CSal) and pH were evaluated on the following responses: purification factor (PF), activity yield (Y), partition coefficient (K) and selectivity (S). STATISTICA program version 10 was used for the analysis. According to the obtained results, higher levels of CPEG and MPEG had a positive effect on extraction, while pH did not influence on the process. On the other hand, the CSal could be related with low values of Y because of the citrate ions have a negative effect on solubility and enzymatic structure. The optimum values of Y (66.4 %), PF (1.8), K (5.5) and S (4.3) were obtained at CSal (18%), MPEG (6,000 g/mol), CPEG (22%) and pH 9. These results indicated that the PEG/citrate system is accurate to purify these Pseudomonas sp. proteases from fermented broth as a first purification step.

Keywords: citrate, polyethylene glycol, protease, Pseudomonas sp

Procedia PDF Downloads 168

Authors: Hoda Rahmani, Gary Weckman

Abstract:

The body of research examining the integration of drones into various industries is expanding rapidly. Despite progress made in addressing the cybersecurity concerns for commercial drones, knowledge deficits remain in determining potential occupational hazards and risks of drone use to employees’ well-being and health in the workplace. This creates difficulty in identifying key approaches to risk mitigation strategies and thus reflects the need for raising awareness among employers, safety professionals, and policymakers about workplace drone-related accidents. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of and possible risk factors for drone-related mishaps by comparing the application of drones in construction with manufacturing industries. The chief reason for considering these specific sectors is to ascertain whether there exists any significant difference between indoor and outdoor flights since most construction sites use drones outside and vice versa. Therefore, the current research seeks to examine the causes and patterns of workplace drone-related mishaps and suggest possible ergonomic interventions through data collection. Potential ergonomic practices to mitigate hazards associated with flying drones could include providing operators with professional pieces of training, conducting a risk analysis, and promoting the use of personal protective equipment. For the purpose of data analysis, two data mining techniques, the random forest and association rule mining algorithms, will be performed to find meaningful associations and trends in data as well as influential features that have an impact on the occurrence of drone-related accidents in construction and manufacturing sectors. In addition, Spearman’s correlation and chi-square tests will be used to measure the possible correlation between different variables. Indeed, by recognizing risks and hazards, occupational safety stakeholders will be able to pursue data-driven and evidence-based policy change with the aim of reducing drone mishaps, increasing productivity, creating a safer work environment, and extending human performance in safe and fulfilling ways. This research study was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health through the Pilot Research Project Training Program of the University of Cincinnati Education and Research Center Grant #T42OH008432.

Keywords: commercial drones, ergonomic interventions, occupational safety, pattern recognition

Procedia PDF Downloads 176

Authors: James P. Takona

Abstract:

In a world that is experiencing sharp digital transformations guided by digital technologies, the potential of technology to drive transformation and evolution in the higher is apparent. Higher education is facing a paradigm shift that exposes susceptibilities and threats to fully online programs in the face of post-Covid-19 trends of commodification. This historical moment is likely to be remembered as a critical turning point from analog to digital degree-focused learning modalities, where the default became the pivot point of competition between higher education institutions. Fall 2020 marks a significant inflection point in higher education as students, educators, and government leaders scrutinize higher education's price and value propositions through the new lens of traditional lecture halls versus multiple digitized delivery modes. Online education has since tiled the way for a pedagogical shift in how teachers teach and students learn. The incremental growth of online education in the west can now be attributed to the increasing patronage among students, faculty, and institution administrators. More often than not, college instructors assume paraclete roles in this learning mode, while students become active collaborators and no longer passive learners. This paper offers valuable discernments into the threats, challenges, and opportunities of a massive digital revolution in servicing degree programs. To view digital instruction and learning demands for instructional practices that revolve around collaborative work, engaging students in learning activities, and an engagement that promotes active efforts to solicit strong connections between course activities and expected learning pace for all students. Appropriate digital technologies demand instructors and students need prior solid skills. Need for the use of digital technology to support instruction and learning, intelligent tutoring offers great promise, and failures at implementing digital learning may not improve outcomes for specific student populations. Digital learning benefits students differently depending on their circumstances and background and those of the institution and/or program. Students have alternative options, access to the convenience of learning anytime and anywhere, and the possibility of acquiring and developing new skills leading to lifelong learning.

Keywords: digi̇tized learning, digital education, collaborative work, high education, online education, digitize delivery

Procedia PDF Downloads 58

Authors: Martina Santobuono, Wing Sze Chan, Elettra D'Amico, Henriette Selck

Abstract:

Chemicals in modern society are fundamental in many different aspects of daily human life. We use a wide range of substances, including polychlorinated compounds, pesticides, plasticizers, and pharmaceuticals, to name a few. These compounds are excessively produced, and this has led to their introduction to the environment and food resources. Municipal and industrial effluents, landfills, and agricultural runoffs are a few examples of sources of chemical pollution. Many of these compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, have been proven to mimic or alter the performance of the hormone system, thus disrupting its normal function and altering the behavior and reproductive capability of non-target organisms. Antidepressants are pharmaceuticals commonly detected in the environment, usually in the range of ng L⁻¹ and µg L⁻¹. Since they are designed to have a biological effect at low concentrations, they might pose a risk to the native species, especially if exposure lasts for long periods. Hydrophobic antidepressants, like the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Sertraline, can sorb to the particles in the water column and eventually accumulate in the sediment compartment. Thus, deposit-feeding organisms may be at particular risk of exposure. The polychaete Capitella teleta is widespread in estuarine organically enriched sediments, being a key deposit-feeder involved in geochemistry processes happening in sediments. Since antidepressants are neurotoxic chemicals and endocrine disruptors, the aim of this work was to test if sediment-associated Sertraline impacts burrowing- and feeding behavior as well as reproduction capability in Capitella teleta in a chronic exposure set-up, which could better mimic what happens in the environment. 7 days old juveniles were selected and exposed to different concentrations of Sertraline for an entire generation until the mature stage was reached. This work was able to show that some concentrations of Sertraline altered growth and the time of first reproduction in Capitella teleta juveniles, potentially disrupting the population’s capability of survival. Acknowledgments: This Ph.D. position is part of the CHRONIC project “Chronic exposure scenarios driving environmental risks of Chemicals”, which is an Innovative Training Network (ITN) funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

Keywords: antidepressants, Capitella teleta, chronic exposure, endocrine disruption, sublethal endpoints, neurotoxicity

Procedia PDF Downloads 57

Authors: Subramanyam Devarakonda Hanumantharao, Udayendu Prakash Sharma, Mahesh Garg

Abstract:

Introduction: Gomabai Netralaya a reputed eye hospital is located in Neemuch a small city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The hospital is established in 1992 by Late. G.D Agrawal a renowned educationist, freedom fighter and philanthropist. The eye hospital was established to serve all sections of the society in affordable manner. To provide comprehensive eye care services to the rural poor the hospital started organizing outreach camps since 1994. Purpose: To study the cost effectiveness of outreach eye camps for addressing the sustainability issues of the outreach program. Methods: One year statistics of outreach eye camps were collected from Hospital Management Information System software to analyze the productivity of camps. Income and expenses report was collected from outreach department records to analyze per camp expenses and per patient expenses against the income generated. All current year records were analyzed to have accuracy of information and results. Information was collected in two ways: 1)Actual camp performance records and expenses from book of accounts. 2)Cross verification was done through one to one discussion with outreach staff. Results: Total 17534 outpatients were examined through 52 outreach eye camps. Total 6042 (34% of total outpatients) patients were advised with cataracts and 4651 (77% of advice) operations were performed. The average OPD per camp was 337 and per camp 116 patients was advised for cataract surgery and 89 surgeries were performed per camp. Total 18200 US$ incurred on organizing 52 outreach camps in the radius of 100 k.ms. Considering the total outpatients screened through camps the screening cost per patient was 1.00 US$ and considering the surgical output the per surgery expenses was 4.00 US$. The cost recovery of the total expenses was through Government grant of US$ 16.00 per surgery (that includes surgical grant). All logistics cost of camps and patients transportation cost was taken care by local donors. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that with people’s participation, successful high volume outreach eye camps can be organized. The cost effectiveness of the outreach camps is totally depended on volume of outpatient’s turn-up at camp site and per camp surgical output. The only solution to sustainability of outreach eye camps is sharing of cost with local donors and increasing productivity.

Keywords: camps, outreach, productivity, sustainable

Procedia PDF Downloads 143

Authors: Henrie Yunianto, Dermawan Wibisono

Abstract:

PT. XYZ is a family business (private company) in Indonesia that provide an educational program and consultation services. Since its establishment in 2011, the company has run without any strategic management system implemented. Though the company could survive until now. The management of PT. XYZ sees the business opportunity for such product is huge, even though the targeted market is very specific (niche), the volume is large (due to large population of Indonesia) and numbers of competitors are low (now). It can be said if the product life cycle is in between ‘Introduction stage’ and ‘growth’ stage. It is observed that nowadays the new entrants (competitors) are increasing, thus PT. XYZ consider reacting in facing the intense business rivalry by conducting the business in an appropriate manner. A Performance Management System is important to be implemented in accordance with the business sustainability and growth. The framework of Performance Management System chosen is Integrated Performance Management System (IPMS). IPMS framework has the advantages of its simplicity, linkage between its business variables and indicators where the company can see the connections between all factors measured. IPMS framework consists of perspectives: (1) Business Result, (2) Internal Processes, (3) Resource Availability. Variables and indicators were examined through deep analysis of the business external and internal environments, Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat (SWOT) analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis was then used to quantify the weight of each variable/indicators. AHP is needed since in this study, PT. XYZ, the data of existing performance indicator was not available. Later, where the IPMS is implemented, the real data measured can be examined to determine the weight factor of each indicators using correlation analysis (or other methods). In this study of IPMS design for PT. XYZ, the analysis shows that with current company goals, along with the AHP methodology, the critical indicators for each perspective are: (1) Business results: Customer satisfaction and Employee satisfaction, (2) Internal process: Marketing performance, Supplier quality, Production quality, Continues improvement; (3) Resources Availability: Leadership and company culture & value, Personal Competences, Productivity. Company and/or organization require performance management system to help them in achieving their vision and mission. Company strategy will be effectively defined and addressed by using performance management system. Integrated Performance Management System (IPMS) framework and AHP analysis help us in quantifying the factors which influence the business output expected.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process, business strategy, differentiation strategy, integrated performance management system

Procedia PDF Downloads 282

Authors: Mark De Ste Croix, Jonathan Hughes, Francisco Ayala, Michal Lehnert

Abstract:

There are well-known challenges to implementing injury prevention training for youth players but no data are available on the knowledge and understanding of deliverers of such programmes at grass root level. To increase adoption and adherence to such programmes coach knowledge and understanding of injury risk and prevention is essential. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine grass-root coaches knowledge and understanding of injury risk and prevention in youth players. 68 grass root coaches (18 females and 50 males) who were attending a one-day injury prevention workshop completed a modified validated questionnaire exploring knowledge and understanding of injury risk and prevention in youth players. Only 59% of coaches agreed that youth players are at a high risk of suffering an injury. There were high levels of agreement that injuries can have negative impacts on team performance (75%) and can cause physical problems in later life (85%), however only around half of coaches felt that injuries affect youth players current quality of life (59%). There was strong agreement that it is possible to prevent injuries in youth players (84%), but coaches were generally unaware of programs to help prevent injuries (84%), and only 9% used some form of injury prevention program. Despite this, nearly all coaches felt that their coaching could benefit from a greater understanding of growth and maturation (91%), injury prevention programmes (91%) and specific exercises (93%) for youth athletes. 17% of coaches rated their knowledge of injury prevention as good/very good at the start of the workshop and this increased to 94% at the end of the workshop. 62% of coaches identified their attitude towards injury prevention as indifferent at the start of the workshop compared with only 1% at the end. Only 14% of coaches at the start of the workshop were confident to deliver an injury prevention session but 83% stated they were confident by the end of the workshop. Finally, 98% of coaches felt that the workshop provided them with the confidence and the knowledge to deliver an injury prevention session and 98% suggested that they would implement injury prevention into their coaching. These data suggest that there is a lack of understanding of grass root coaches that children are a high-risk group for injuries, and that such injuries impact on current quality of life. Despite understanding that injuries can be prevented most grass root coaches do not have the knowledge to implement injury prevention into their coaching and very few do. There is a common consensus amongst these coaches that a greater understanding of such programmes will enhance their coaching. The injury prevention workshop appears to have increased the knowledge and changed the attitude of coaches towards injury prevention. All coaches felt that the workshop provided them with the tools to adopt, implement and deliver injury prevention in their coaching. These data highlight that there is a clear need for education regarding injury risk and prevention to be embedded within the coach education pathway, especially at grass root level.

Keywords: coach education, injury prevention, knowledge, and understanding, youth

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Azin Zargham, Gholamreza Rouhi, Allahyar Geramy

Abstract:

One of the most prevalent types of alveolar bone loss is horizontal bone loss (HBL) in which the bone height around teeth is reduced homogenously. In the presence of HBL the magnitudes of forces during orthodontic treatment should be altered according to the degree of HBL, in a way that without further bone loss, desired tooth movement can be obtained. In order to investigate the appropriate orthodontic force system in the presence of HBL, a three-dimensional numerical model capable of the simulation of orthodontic tooth movement was developed. The main goal of this research was to evaluate the effect of different degrees of HBL on a long-term orthodontic tooth movement. Moreover, the effect of different force magnitudes on orthodontic tooth movement in the presence of HBL was studied. Five three-dimensional finite element models of a maxillary lateral incisor with 0 mm, 1.5 mm, 3 mm, 4.5 mm and 6 mm of HBL were constructed. The long-term orthodontic tooth tipping movements were attained during a 4-weeks period in an iterative process through the external remodeling of the alveolar bone based on strains in periodontal ligament as the bone remodeling mechanical stimulus. To obtain long-term orthodontic tooth movement in each iteration, first the strains in periodontal ligament under a 1-N tipping force were calculated using finite element analysis. Then, bone remodeling and the subsequent tooth movement were computed in a post-processing software using a custom written program. Incisal edge, cervical, and apical area displacement in the models with different alveolar bone heights (0, 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6 mm bone loss) in response to a 1-N tipping force were calculated. Maximum tooth displacement was found to be 2.65 mm at the top of the crown of the model with a 6 mm bone loss. Minimum tooth displacement was 0.45 mm at the cervical level of the model with a normal bone support. Tooth tipping degrees of models in response to different tipping force magnitudes were also calculated for models with different degrees of HBL. Degrees of tipping tooth movement increased as force level was increased. This increase was more prominent in the models with smaller degrees of HBL. By using finite element method and bone remodeling theories, this study indicated that in the presence of HBL, under the same load, long-term orthodontic tooth movement will increase. The simulation also revealed that even though tooth movement increases with increasing the force, this increase was only prominent in the models with smaller degrees of HBL, and tooth models with greater degrees of HBL will be less affected by the magnitude of an orthodontic force. Based on our results, the applied force magnitude must be reduced in proportion of degree of HBL.

Keywords: bone remodeling, finite element method, horizontal bone loss, orthodontic tooth movement.

Procedia PDF Downloads 317

Authors: Valentin Nicorescu, Nicoleta C. Predescu, Camelia Papuc, Iuliana Gajaila, Carmen D. Petcu

Abstract:

The oxidation of the fresh muscle oxymyoglobin (bright red colour) to metmyoglobin (brown colour) leads to discoloration of red meats. After slaughter, enzymatic systems involved in metmyoglobin reduction are continually depleted as time post-mortem progresses, thus the meat colour is affected. Phenolic compounds are able to scavenge reactive species involved in oxymyoglobin oxidation and to reduce metmyoglobin to oxymyoglobin. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of polyphenols extracted from hawthorn fruits on the stability of oxymyoglobin and myofibrillar proteins in ground pork subject to refrigeration for 6 days. Hawthorn polyphenols (HP) were added in ground pork in 100, 200 and 300 ppm concentrations. Oxymyoglobin and metmyoglobin were evaluated spectrophotometrically at every 2 days and electrophoretic pattern of myofibrillar proteins was investigated at days 0 and 6 by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). For all meat samples, oxymyoglobin concentration significantly decreased during the first 4 days of refrigeration. After 6 days, the significant decrease of oxymyoglobin concentration continued only in the negative control samples. In samples treated with HP and butylated hydroxylanisole (BHA - positive control), oxymyoglobin concentration increased after 6 days of refrigeration, the highest levels complying with the following order: 100 ppm HP > 200 ppm HP > 300 ppm HP > 100 ppm BHA. The increase in metmyoglobin was coincidental with the decrease in oxymyoglobin; metmyoglobin concentration progressively increased during the first 4 days of refrigeration in all meat samples. After 6 days, in meat samples treated with HP and BHA, lower metmyoglobin concentrations were found (compared to day 4), respecting the following order: 100 ppm HP < 200 ppm HP < 300 ppm HP < 100 ppm BHA. These results showed that hawthorn polyphenols and BHA reduced metmyoglobin (MbFe3+) to oxymyoglobin (MbFe2+), and the strongest reducing character was recorded for 100 ppm HP. After 6 days of refrigeration, electrophoretic pattern of myofibrillar proteins showed minor changes compared to day 0, indicating that HP prevent protein degradation as well as synthetic antioxidant BHA. Also, HP did not induce cross-links in the myofibrillar proteins, to form protein aggregates, and no risk of reducing their ability to retain water was identified. The pattern of oxymyoglobin and metmyoglobin concentrations determined in this study showed that hawthorn polyphenols are able to reduce metmyoglobin to oxymyoglobin and to delay oxymyoglobin oxidation, especially when they are added to ground meat in concentration of 100 ppm. This work was carried out through Partnerships in priority areas Program – PN II, implemented with the support of MEN – UEFISCDI (Romania), project nr. 149/2014.

Keywords: Hawthorn polyphenols, metmyoglobin, oxymyoglobin, proteins stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 193

Authors: Zeynep Aykul Yavuz

Abstract:

Misconception about design is about making a product pretty. However, the holistic approaches such as design thinking or human-centered design could take the design from making things nice to things inspired by real people and work with real-world limitations. Design thinking helps companies to understand not only problem area but also opportunities. It can be used by any people from any background which provide a space for companies where employees from different departments work together to solve the same problem. While demanding skills changing year to year into the market, previous technical skills are commons anymore. The frontier companies in the sectors look for interactive methods to solve problems. Moreover, the recruiter aims to understand the candidate’s design thinking skills (. The study includes a case study where a 21st century creative services company “ATÖLYE” offers innovation transformation with design thinking to a banking company. Both companies are located in İstanbul in Turkey. The banking company contacted with the ATÖLYE in January 2018 because they heard design thinking in different markets and how it transformed the way of working. The transformation process had 3 phases which were basic training of teams while getting coaching from ATÖLYE’s employees, coaching training with graduates of basic training, facilitator training. Employees built new skills while solving the banking company’s strategic problems. ATÖLYE offered experiential learning which helped employees’ making sense of new skills and knowledge. One day workshops were organized to create awareness about the practice of design thinking. In addition to these, a community of practice was built to create an environment to make reflections and discuss good practice. Not only graduates from the training program but also other employees from the company participated in the community gatherings. ATÖLYE did not train some employees in the company. Rather than that, its aim was to build a contemporary organization for the company. This provided a sustainable system in terms of human resources and motivation. At the beginning of 2020, employees from the first cohort in the basic training who took coaching training and facilitator training have started to design training for different groups in the company. They have considered what could be better in their training experience and designed new ones according to that, so they have been using design thinking to design the design training. This is one of the outcomes which shows the impact of all process clearly.

Keywords: design thinking, learning community, professional development, training, organizational transformation

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: Maria Campos, Alain Massart, Hugo Sarmento

Abstract:

The Meter Matters Erasmus Sport European Project (ID: 101050372) explores the field of social inclusion in and through sports with the aim of a) proposing appropriate criteria for co-funding sports programs involving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other more vulnerable people, primarily in mainstream sports organizations and b) proposing a model for co-funding social inclusion in and through sports at the national level. This European project (2022-2024) involves 6 partners from 3 countries: Univerza V Ljubljani – coordinator and Drustvo Specialna Olimpiada Slovenije (Slovenia); Magyar Specialis Olimpia Szovetseg and Magyar Testnevelesi Es Sporttudomanyi Egyetem (Hungary) and APPDA Coimbra - Associação Portuguesa para as Perturbações do Desenvolvimento e Autismo and Universidade De Coimbra, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education (Portugal). Equal involvement of all people in sports activities is, in terms of national and international guidelines, enshrined in some conventions and strategies in the field of sports, as well as human rights, social security, physical and mental health, architecture, environment and public administration. However, there is a gap between the practice and EU guidelines in terms of sustainable support for socially inclusive sports programs in the form of co-funding by state and local (municipal) resources. We observe considerable opacity in the regulation of the field. Given that there are both relevant programs and inclusive legislation and policies, we believe that the reason for the missing article is reflected in the undeveloped criteria for measuring social inclusion in sports. Major sports programs are usually co-funded based on crowds (number of involved athletes) and performance (sports score). In the field of social inclusion in sports, the criteria cannot be the same, as it is a smaller population. Therefore, the goals of inclusion in sports should not be the focused on competitive results but on opening equal opportunities for all, regardless of their psychophysical abilities. In the Meter Matters program, we are searching for criteria for co-funding social inclusion in sports through focus groups with coaches, social workers, psychologists and others professionals involved in inclusive sports programs in regular sports clubs and with athletes and their parents or guardians. Moreover, experts in the field of social inclusion in sports were also interviewed. Based on the proposals for measuring social inclusion in sports, we developed a model for co-funding socially inclusive sports programs.

Keywords: European project, meter matters, inclusion, sport

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: Elvis Enowbeyang Tarkang

Abstract:

Background: Since students in high schools in Cameroon fall within the age group hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, it is assumed that these students might be exposed to sexual risk behaviours. Sexual risk behaviours include engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse, early sexual debut, multiple sexual partners and coerced or forced sex, and these behaviours might predispose youth to HIV transmission. However, little has been explored on the sexual risk behaviours of high school learners in Cameroon. This study aimed at examining the sexual risk behaviours of high school students in an urban town of Cameroon. Method: A quantitative cross sectional design was adopted, using a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from a disproportional stratified simple random sample of 480 (240 male and 240 female) grade 10 to grade 12 students from two participating secondary school in Limbe in the Southwest region of Cameroon August 2014. Descriptive and Chi square statistics were calculated using statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software program at the level 0.05. Results: Majority of the respondents, 63.4% reported being sexually active, of whom only 33.2% used condoms consistently. Up to 37% of the sexually active respondents had multiple sexual partners in the past one year before the study, while 23% had multiple sexual partners during the study period. The mean age of first sex was 15.4 years. Among Christians, Pentecostals, 17 (58.6%) were more likely to have experienced sexual coercion than non-Pentecostals, 111 (42.2%) (p= 0.000). Christians, 41 (10.3%) were more likely to have been forced into first sex than Muslims, 0 (0.0%); while among the Christians, Pentecostals, 6 (15.0%) were more likely to have been forced into first sex than non-Pentecostals, 35 (10.9%) (p=0.004). Among the Christians, Pentecostals, 16 (66.7%) were more likely to have experienced sex by age 16 years than non-Pentecostals, 125 (64.1%) (p= 0.000). Students who lived in rented places, 32 (22.7%) were more likely to have had multiple sexual partners than those who lived in their parents’ houses, 35 (18.1%) (p= 0.000). Males, 36 (16.0%) were likely to have had multiple concurrent sexual partners than females, 14 (6.0%) (p=0.002). Students who used condoms consistently, 25 (33.3%) were more likely to have a higher perception of risk of contracting HIV than those who did not use condoms consistently, 38 (29.9%) (p=0.002). Students who lived in their parents’ houses, 35 (35.4%) were more likely to use condoms consistently during sex, than those who lived in rented places, 31 (29.8%) (p=0.021). Students who passed their examinations, 57 (30.9%) were more likely to have used condoms consistently than those with low academic profiles, 24 (27.9%) (p= 0.034). Conclusions and Recommendations: Gender, lack of parental control, religion, academic profile, poverty, place of residence and perception of risk of HIV infection were the main factors associated with sexual risk behaviours among students in urban Cameroon. The findings indicate that sexual risk behaviours exist among high school students in Limbe urban town of Cameroon. There is need for campaigns and interventions to bring about sexual behaviour change.

Keywords: Cameroon, high school students, HIV/AIDS, Limbe urban town, sexual risk behaviours

Procedia PDF Downloads 302

Authors: Bing–Jing Zhao, Chang-Kui Liu, Hong Wang, Min Hu

Abstract:

Electron beam rapid manufacturing (EBRM) or Selective laser melting is an additive manufacturing process that uses 3D CAD data as a digital information source and energy in the form of a high-power laser beam or electron beam to create three-dimensional metal parts by fusing fine metallic powders together.Object:The present study was conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties ,the phase transformation,the corrosivity and the biocompatibility of Ti-6Al-4V by EBRM,SLM and forging technique.Method: Ti-6Al-4V alloy standard test pieces were manufactured by EBRM, SLM and forging technique according to AMS4999,GB/T228 and ISO 10993.The mechanical properties were analyzed by universal test machine. The phase transformation was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The corrosivity was analyzed by electrochemical method. The biocompatibility was analyzed by co-culturing with mesenchymal stem cell and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and alkaline phosphatase assay (ALP) to evaluate cell adhesion and differentiation, respectively. Results: The mechanical properties, the phase transformation, the corrosivity and the biocompatibility of Ti-6Al-4V by EBRM、SLM were similar to forging and meet the mechanical property requirements of AMS4999 standard. a­phase microstructure for the EBM production contrast to the a’­phase microstructure of the SLM product. Mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and differentiation were well. Conclusion: The property of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy manufactured by EBRM and SLM technique can meet the medical standard from this study. But some further study should be proceeded in order to applying well in clinical practice.

Keywords: 3D printing, Electron Beam Rapid Manufacturing (EBRM), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Procedia PDF Downloads 431

Authors: Orkide Donma, Mustafa M. Donma

Abstract:

Morbid obesity is a health threatening condition particularly in children. Generally, it leads to the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) characterized by central obesity, elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TRG), blood pressure values and suppressed high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. However, some ambiguities exist during the diagnosis of MetS in children below 10 years of age. Therefore, clinicians are in the need of some surrogate markers for the laboratory assessment of pediatric MetS. In this study, the aim is to develop an index, which will be more helpful during the evaluation of further risks detected in morbid obese (MO) children. A total of 235 children with normal body mass index (N-BMI), with varying degrees of obesity; overweight (OW), obese (OB), MO as well as MetS participated in this study. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Informed consent forms were obtained from the parents of the children. Obesity states of the children were classified using BMI percentiles adjusted for age and sex. For the purpose, tabulated data prepared by WHO were used. MetS criteria were defined. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were measured. Parameters related to glucose and lipid metabolisms were determined. FBG, insulin (INS), HDL-C, TRG concentrations were determined. Diagnostic Obesity Notation Model Assessment Laboratory (DONMA_LAB) Index [ln TRG/HDL-C*INS] was introduced. Commonly used insulin resistance (IR) indices such as Homeostatic Model Assessment for IR (HOMA-IR) as well as ratios such as TRG/HDL-C, TRG/HDL-C*INS, HDL-C/TRG*INS, TRG/HDL-C*INS/FBG, log, and ln versions of these ratios were calculated. Results were interpreted using statistical package program (SPSS Version 16.0) for Windows. The data were evaluated using appropriate statistical tests. The degree for statistical significance was defined as 0.05. 35 N, 20 OW, 47 OB, 97 MO children and 36 with MetS were investigated. Mean ± SD values of TRG/HDL-C were 1.27 ± 0.69, 1.86 ± 1.08, 2.15 ± 1.22, 2.48 ± 2.35 and 4.61 ± 3.92 for N, OW, OB, MO and MetS children, respectively. Corresponding values for the DONMA_LAB index were 2.17 ± 1.07, 3.01 ± 0.94, 3.41 ± 0.93, 3.43 ± 1.08 and 4.32 ± 1.00. TRG/HDL-C ratio significantly differed between N and MetS groups. On the other hand, DONMA_LAB index exhibited statistically significant differences between N and all the other groups except the OW group. This index was capable of discriminating MO children from those with MetS. Statistically significant elevations were detected in MO children with MetS (p < 0.05). Multiple parameters are commonly used during the assessment of MetS. Upon evaluation of the values obtained for N, OW, OB, MO groups and for MO children with MetS, the [ln TRG/HDL-C*INS] value was unique in discriminating children with MetS.

Keywords: children, index, laboratory, metabolic syndrome, obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 118

Authors: Sareh Edalati, Nasrin Omidvar, Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari, Delaram Ghodsi, Azizollaah Zargaran

Abstract:

Background and aim: Improving consumer’s food choices and providing a healthy food environment by governments is one of the essential approaches to prevent non-communicable diseases and to fulfill the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The present study aimed to provide an analysis of the nutrition labeling policy as one of the main components of the healthy food environment to provide learning lessons for the country and other low and middle-income countries. Methods: Data were collected by reviewing documents and conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders. Respondents were selected through purposive and snowball sampling and continued until data saturation. MAXQDA software was used to manage data analysis. A deductive content analysis was used by applying the Kingdon multiple streams and the policy triangulation framework. Results: Iran is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region, which has implemented nutrition traffic light labeling. The implementation process has gone through two phases: voluntary and mandatory. In the voluntary labeling, volunteer food manufacturers who chose to have the labels would receive an honorary logo and this helped to reduce the food-sector resistance gradually. After this phase, the traffic light labeling became mandatory. Despite these efforts, there has been poor involvement of media for public awareness and sensitization. Also, the inconsistency of nutrition traffic light colors which are based on food standard guidelines, lack of consistency between nutrition traffic light colors, the healthy/unhealthy nature of some food products such as olive oil and diet cola and the absence of a comprehensive evaluation plan were among the pitfalls and policy challenges identified. Conclusions: Strengthening the governance through improving collaboration within health and non-health sectors for implementation, more transparency of truthfulness of nutrition traffic labeling initiating with real ingredients, and applying international and local scientific evidence or any further revision of the program is recommended. Also, developing public awareness campaigns and revising school curriculums to improve students’ skills on nutrition label applications should be highly emphasized.

Keywords: nutrition labeling, policy analysis, food environment, Iran

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Syed Asif Hassan, Tabrej Khan

Abstract:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disorder, of the central nervous system (CNS). In the present scenario, the current therapies either do not halt the progression of the disease or have side effects which limit the usage of current Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) for a longer period of time. Therefore, keeping the current treatment failure schema, we are focusing on screening novel analogues of the available DMTs that specifically bind and inhibit the Sphingosine1-phosphate receptor1 (S1PR1) thereby hindering the lymphocyte propagation toward CNS. The novel drug-like analogs molecule will decrease the frequency of relapses (recurrence of the symptoms associated with MS) with higher efficacy and lower toxicity to human system. In this study, an integrated approach involving ligand-based virtual screening protocol (Ultrafast Shape Recognition with CREDO Atom Types (USRCAT)) to identify the non-toxic drug like analogs of the approved DMTs were employed. The potency of the drug-like analog molecules to cross the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) was estimated. Besides, molecular docking and simulation using Auto Dock Vina 1.1.2 and GOLD 3.01 were performed using the X-ray crystal structure of Mtb LprG protein to calculate the affinity and specificity of the analogs with the given LprG protein. The docking results were further confirmed by DSX (DrugScore eXtented), a robust program to evaluate the binding energy of ligands bound to the ligand binding domain of the Mtb LprG lipoprotein. The ligand, which has a higher hypothetical affinity, also has greater negative value. Further, the non-specific ligands were screened out using the structural filter proposed by Baell and Holloway. Based on the USRCAT, Lipinski’s values, toxicity and BBB analysis, the drug-like analogs of fingolimod and BG-12 showed that RTL and CHEMBL1771640, respectively are non-toxic and permeable to BBB. The successful docking and DSX analysis showed that RTL and CHEMBL1771640 could bind to the binding pocket of S1PR1 receptor protein of human with greater affinity than as compared to their parent compound (Fingolimod). In this study, we also found that all the drug-like analogs of the standard MS drugs passed the Bell and Holloway filter.

Keywords: antagonist, binding affinity, chemotherapeutics, drug-like, multiple sclerosis, S1PR1 receptor protein

Procedia PDF Downloads 233

Authors: Isabel Gouveia

Abstract:

Antimicrobial textile materials may significantly reduce the risk of infections and because they are able to absorb substances from the skin and release therapeutic compounds to the skin, they can also find applications as complementary therapy of skin-diseases as part of standard management. Although functional textiles may be a promising area in skin disease/injury management, as part of standard management, few offer complementary treatment even though they are well known to reduce scratching and aiding emollient absorption, reducing infection, and alleviating pruritus. The reason for this may rely on the low quality of supporting evidence and negative effect that antimicrobial agents may exert on skin microbiome, as for example additional irritation of the vulnerable skin, and by causing resistant bacteria. Several antimicrobial agents have been tested in textiles: quaternary ammonium compounds, silver, polyhexamethylene-biguanides and triclosan have been used, with success. They have powerful bactericidal activity but the majority have a reduce spectrum of microbial inhibition and may cause skin irritation, ecotoxicity and bacteria resistance. Furthermore, the rising flow of strains resistant to last-resort antibiotics rekindles interest in alternative strategies. In this regard, new functional textiles incorporating highly specific antimicrobial agents towards pathogenic bacteria, are required. Recent research has been conducted on naturally occurring antimicrobials as novel alternatives to antibiotics. Conscious of this need our team firstly reported new approaches using L-cysteine and antimicrobial peptides (AMP). Briefly, we were able to develop different immobilization processes towards 6 Log Reduction against bacteria such as S. aureus and K. pneumoniae. Therefore, here we present several innovative antimicrobial textiles incorporating AMP and L-Cysteine which may open new avenues for the medical textiles market and biomaterials in general. Team references will be discussed as an overview and for comparison purposes in terms of potential therapeutic applications.

Keywords: Antimicrobials, Antimicrobial Textiles, Biomedical Textiles, Biomimetic surface functionalization

Procedia PDF Downloads 97

Authors: Sheila Shahidi, Hootan Rezaee, Abosaeed Rashidi, Mahmood Ghoranneviss

Abstract:

Plasma treatment has an explosive increase in interest and use in industrial applications as for example in medical, biomedical, automobile, electronics, semiconductor and textile industry. A lot of intensive basic research has been performed in the last decade in the field of textiles along with technical textiles. Textile manufacturers and end-users alike have been searching for ways to improve the surface properties of natural and man-made fibers. Specifically, there is a need to improve adhesion and wettability. Functional groups may be introduced onto the fiber surface by using gas plasma treatments, improving fiber surface properties without affecting the fiber’s bulk properties. In this research work, ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were insitue synthesized by sonochemical method at room temperature on both untreated and plasma pretreated cotton woven fabric. Oxygen and nitrogen plasmas were used for pre-functionalization of cotton fabric. And the effect of oxygen and nitrogen pre-functionalization on adhesion properties between ZnO nanoparticles and cotton surface were studied. The results show that nanoparticles with average sizes of 20-100 nm with different morphologies have been created on the surface of samples. Synthesis of ZnO-NPs was varied in the morphological transformation by changes in zinc acetate dehydrate concentration. Characterizations were carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Inductive coupled plasma (ICP) and Spectrophotometery. The antibacterial activities of the fabrics were assessed semi-quantitatively by the colonies count method. The results show that the finished fabric demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus in antibacterial test. The wash fastness of both untreated and plasma pretreated samples after 30 times of washing was investigated. The results showed that the parameters of plasma reactor plays very important role for improving the antibacterial durability.

Keywords: antibacterial activity, cotton, fabric, nanoparticles, plasma

Procedia PDF Downloads 506