Search results for: color tuning

Authors: Muhammad Nawaz, Waqas Ahmad

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Dimension stone is used in construction since prehistoric time; however, its use in the construction has gained significant attention for the last few decades. The present study is designed to investigate the physical and strength properties of volcanic rocks from the Kohistan Island Arc to assess their use as dimension stone. On the basis of the composition, color and texture, five varieties of andesites (MMA, PMA-1, PMA-2, CMA and FMA) and two varieties of agglomerates (AG-1 and AG-2) were identified. These were characterized in terms of their petrography (compositional and textural), physical properties (specific gravity, water absorption, porosity) and strength properties (Unconfined compressive strength and Unconfined tensile strength). Two non-destructive tests (Ultrasonic pulse velocity test and Schmidt Hammer) were conducted and the degree of polishing was evaluated. In addition, correlation analyses were carried out to establish possible relationships among these parameters. The presence of chlorite, epidote, sericite and recrystallized quartz showed the signs of low-grade metamorphism in andesites. The results showed feldspar, amphibole and quartz imparted good physical and strength properties to the samples MMA, CMA, FMA, AG1 and AG2. Whereas, the abundance of alteration products such as chlorite, sericite and epidote in PMA-1 and PMA-2 reduced the physical and strength properties. The unconfined compressive strength showed a strong correlation with ultrasonic pulse velocity, dry density, porosity and water absorption. The values of ultrasonic pulse velocity and Schmidt hammer were considerably affected by the weathering grade. The samples PMA-1 and PMA-2, due to their high water absorption and low strength values, were not recommended for use in load-bearing masonry units and outdoor applications. Whereas, the excellent properties, i.e. high strength and good polishing, the samples, FMA and MMA suggested their use as a decorative and facing stone, in the external pavement, ashlar, rubbles and load-bearing masonry units etc.

Keywords: Physico-mechanical properties, Volcanic rocks, Kohistan Island Arc, Pakistan

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Authors: Talita Kato, Moises Grespan, Elza I. Ida, Massami Shimokomaki, Adriana L. Soares

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White Striping (WS) is becoming a concern for the poultry industry, as it affects the look of breast broiler chicken meat leading it to rejection by the consumers. It is characterized by the appearance of varying degrees of white striations on the Pectoralis major muscle surface following the direction of the muscle fiber. The etiology of this myopathy is still unknown, however it is suggested to be associated with increased weight gain rate and age of the bird, attributing the phenomenon to the genetically bird’s selection for efficiently higher meat production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of Pectoralis major WS in a commercial plant in southern Brazil and its chemical characterization. The breast meat samples (n=660) from birds of 47 days of age, were classified as: Normal NG (no apparent white striations), Moderate MG (when the fillets present thin lines <1 mm) and Severe SG (white striations present ˃1 mm thick covering a large part of the fillet surface). Thirty samples (n = 10 for each level of severity) were analyzed for pH, color (L*, a*, b*), proximate chemical composition (moisture, protein, ash and lipids contents) and hydroxyproline in order to determine the collagen content. The results revealed the occurrence for NG group was 16.97%, 51.67% for MG group and 31.36% for SG group. Although the total protein content did not differ significantly, the collagen index was 42% higher in favor to SG in relation to NG. Also the lipid fraction was 27% higher for SG group. The NG presented the lowest values of the parameters L* and a* (P ≤ 0.05), as there was no white striations on its surface and highest b* value in SG, because of the maximum lipid contents. These results indicate there was a contribution of the SG muscle cells to oversynthesize connective tissue components on the muscle fascia. In conclusion, this study revealed a high incidence of White Striping on broiler commercial line in Brazil thus, there is a need to identify the causes of this abnormality in order to diminish or to eliminate it.

Keywords: collagen content, commercial line, pectoralis major muscle, proximate composition

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Authors: Bashar Dahiru Bashar

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Growing research reveals an unprecedented increase in African applicants for PhD positions across European universities. Meanwhile, a very small percentage is accepted as qualified candidates to marginalize, perpetuate stereotypes, and institute racial discrimination. Candidates of color very often encounter barriers and prejudices that not only diminish their sense of belonging but also hinder their academic progress. Although this issue has existed for quite some time, it attracts little attention, even from the academic community in higher education. Moreover, the focus is mostly on the applicants. In this contribution, concern has been raised that the African applicants for PhD positions in European Universities are the victims rather than the perpetrators. The Universities designed a recruitment process that is in all respects exclusive, biased, and European. The recruitment exercise is a hocus-post in order to cover language and racial and ethnic rejection. Just in the same way legacy admission is practiced in the US. The paper further expressed that the logic is to systematically maintain racial hierarchy and social dominance within the education sector. And because those at an advantage are also the ones that have the media and are predominant in academia, issues like this are not receiving deserved attention. Many people were victims of this recruitment process, while others survived severely wounded as a result of mental, social, and economic trauma. It is not the aim of this paper to provide an armchair solution to this issue but only to showcase the process with the hope of providing something that is needed to improve the present day's literacy and situation. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness within European Universities, emphasizing, amongst others, the need for cultivating an atmosphere where individuals are valued for their contributions rather than assessed based on race and ethnicity is essential for creating a vibrant and equitable global academic community, forging a path towards a just and harmonious educational landscape where everyone irrespective of race or ethnicity can thrive and contribute to the collective pursuit of knowledge.

Keywords: admission and recruitment for PhD position, globalization of education, systemic rejection, European university

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Authors: Pamphile Ndagijimana, Xuejiao Liu, Zhiwei Li, Yin Wang

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The valorization of plastic wastes, as a mitigation strategy, is attracting the researchers’ attention since these wastes have raised serious environmental concerns. Plastic wastes have been reported to adsorb the organic pollutants in the water environment and to be the main vector of those pollutants in the aquatic environment, especially dyes, as a serious water pollution concern. Recycling technologies of plastic wastes such as landfills, incineration, and energy recovery have been adopted to manage those wastes before getting exposed to the environment. However, they are far from being widely accepted due to their related environmental pollution, lack of space for the landfill as well as high cost. Therefore, modification is necessary for green plastic adsorbent in water applications. Current routes for plastic modification into adsorbents are based on the combustion method, but they have weaknesses of air pollution as well as high cost. Thus, the green strategy for plastic modification into adsorbents is highly required. Furthermore, recent researchers recommended that if plastic wastes are combined with other solid carbon materials, they could promote their application in water treatment. Herein, we present new insight into using plastic waste-based materials as future green adsorbents. Magnetic plastic-reduced graphene oxide (MPrGO) composite was synthesized by cross-linking method and applied in removing methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution. Furthermore, the following advantages have been achieved: (i) The density of plastic and reduced graphene oxide were enhanced, (ii) no second pollution of black color in solution, (iii) small amount of graphene oxide (1%) was linked on 10g of plastic waste, and the composite presented the high removal efficiency, (iv) easy recovery of adsorbent from water. The low concentration of MB (10-30mg/L) was all removed by 0.3g of MPrGO. Different characterization techniques such as XRD, SEM, FTIR, BET, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy were performed, and the results confirmed a conjugation between plastic waste and graphene oxide. This MPrGO composite presented a good prospect for the valorization of plastic waste, and it is a promising composite material in water treatment.

Keywords: plastic waste, graphene oxide, dye, adsorption

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Authors: Didem Ildırar, Serap Fındık

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Baker’s yeast industry uses molasses as a raw material. Molasses wastewater contains high molecular weight polymers called melanoidins. Melanoidins are obtained after the reactions between the amino acids and carbonyl groups in molasses. The molasses wastewater has high biochemical and chemical oxygen demand and dark brown color. If it is discharged to receiving bodies without any treatment, it prevents light penetration and dissolved oxygen level of the surface water decreases. Melanoidin compounds are toxic effect to the microorganism in water and there is a resistance to microbial degradation. Before discharging molasses wastewater, adequate treatment is necessary. In addition to changing environmental regulations, properties of treated wastewater must be improved. Advanced oxidation processes can be used to improve existing properties of wastewater. Sonochemical oxidation is one of the alternative methods. Sonochemical oxidation employs the use of ultrasound resulting in cavitation phenomena. In this study, decolorization and chemical oxygen demand removal (COD) of baker’s yeast effluent was investigated by using ultrasound. Baker’s yeast effluent was supplied from a factory which is located in the north of Turkey. An ultrasonic homogenizator was used for this study. Its operating frequency is 20kHz. SnO2/TiO2 catalyst has been used as sonocatalyst. The effects of the composite preparation method, mixing time while composite prepared, the molar ratio of SnO2/TiO2, the calcination temperature, and time, the catalyst amount were investigated on the treatment of baker’s yeast effluent. . According to the results, the prepared composite SnO2/TiO2 by using ultrasonic probe gave a better result than prepared composite by using an ultrasonic bath. Prepared composite by using an ultrasonic probe with a 4:1 molar ratio treated at 800°C for 60min gave a better result. By using this composite, optimum catalyst amount was 0.2g/l. At these conditions 26.6% decolorization was obtained. There was no COD removal at the studied conditions.

Keywords: baker’s yeast effluent, COD, decolorization, sonocatalyst, ultrasonic irradiation

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Authors: Bibiana Betancur-Corredor, Juan Carlos Loaiza, Manfred Denich, Christian Borgemeister

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Alluvial gold mining generates a vast amount of deposits that cover the natural soil and negatively impacts riverbeds and valleys, causing loss of livelihood opportunities for farmers of these regions. In Colombia, more than 79,000 ha are affected by alluvial gold mining, therefore developing strategies to return this land to productivity is of crucial importance for the country. A novel restoration strategy has been created by a mining company, where the land is restored through the establishment of agroforestry systems, in which agricultural crops and livestock are combined to complement reforestation in the area. The purpose of this study is to capture the knowledge of farmers who perform agroforestry in areas with deposits created by alluvial gold mining activities. Semi structured interviews were conducted with farmers with regard to the following: indicators of soil fertility, management practices, soil heterogeneity, pest outbreaks and weeds. In order to compare the perceptions of soil fertility of farmers with physicochemical properties of soils, the farmers were asked to identify spots within their farms that have exhibited good and poor yields. Soil samples were collected in order to correlate farmer’s perceptions with soil physicochemical properties. The findings suggest that the main challenge that farmers face is the identification of fertile soil for crop establishment. They identify the fertile soil through visually analyzing soil color and compaction as well as the use of spontaneous growth of specific plants as indicator of soil fertility. For less fertile areas, nitrogen fixing plants are used as green manure to restore soil fertility for crop establishment. The findings of this study imply that if gold mining is followed by reclamation practices that involve the successful establishment of productive farmlands, agricultural productivity of these lands might improve, increasing food security of the affected communities.

Keywords: agroforestry, knowledge, mining, restoration

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Authors: O. J. Akinsola, Yinan Zheng, Rose Anorlu, F. T. Ogunsola, Lifang Hou, Robert Leo-Murphy

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Cervical Cancer (CC) is the 2nd most common cancer among women living in low and middle-income countries, with no associated symptoms during formative periods. With the advancement and innovative medical research, there are numerous preventive measures being utilized, but the incidence of cervical cancer cannot be truncated with the application of only screening tests. The mortality associated with this invasive cervical cancer can be nipped in the bud through the important role of early-stage detection. This study research selected an array of different top features selection techniques which was aimed at developing a model that could validly diagnose the risk factors of cervical cancer. A retrospective clinic-based cohort study was conducted on 178 HIV-associated cervical cancer patients in Lagos University teaching Hospital, Nigeria (U54 data repository) in April 2022. The outcome measure was the automated prediction of the HIV-associated cervical cancer cases, while the predictor variables include: demographic information, reproductive history, birth control, sexual history, cervical cancer screening history for invasive cervical cancer. The proposed technique was assessed with R and Python programming software to produce the model by utilizing the classification algorithms for the detection and diagnosis of cervical cancer disease. Four machine learning classification algorithms used are: the machine learning model was split into training and testing dataset into ratio 80:20. The numerical features were also standardized while hyperparameter tuning was carried out on the machine learning to train and test the data. Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN). Some fitting features were selected for the detection and diagnosis of cervical cancer diseases from selected characteristics in the dataset using the contribution of various selection methods for the classification cervical cancer into healthy or diseased status. The mean age of patients was 49.7±12.1 years, mean age at pregnancy was 23.3±5.5 years, mean age at first sexual experience was 19.4±3.2 years, while the mean BMI was 27.1±5.6 kg/m2. A larger percentage of the patients are Married (62.9%), while most of them have at least two sexual partners (72.5%). Age of patients (OR=1.065, p<0.001**), marital status (OR=0.375, p=0.011**), number of pregnancy live-births (OR=1.317, p=0.007**), and use of birth control pills (OR=0.291, p=0.015**) were found to be significantly associated with HIV-associated cervical cancer. On top ten 10 features (variables) considered in the analysis, RF claims the overall model performance, which include: accuracy of (72.0%), the precision of (84.6%), a recall of (84.6%) and F1-score of (74.0%) while LR has: an accuracy of (74.0%), precision of (70.0%), recall of (70.0%) and F1-score of (70.0%). The RF model identified 10 features predictive of developing cervical cancer. The age of patients was considered as the most important risk factor, followed by the number of pregnancy livebirths, marital status, and use of birth control pills, The study shows that data mining techniques could be used to identify women living with HIV at high risk of developing cervical cancer in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries.

Keywords: associated cervical cancer, data mining, random forest, logistic regression

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Authors: Komala Arsi, Terrel Spencer, Casey M. Owens, Dan J. Donoghue, Ann M. Donoghue

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Organic poultry production is becoming increasingly popular in the United States with approximately 17% increase in the sales of organic meat and poultry in 2016. As per the National Organic Program (NOP), organic poultry production system should operate according to specific standards, including access to outdoors. In the United States, organic poultry farmers are raising both fast growing and slow growing genotypes for alternative productive systems. Even though heritage breed birds grow much slower compared to commercial breeds, many free range producers believe that they are better suited for outdoor production systems. We conducted an on-farm trial on a working pasture poultry farm to compare the performance and meat quality characteristics of a slow-growing heritage breed (Freedom Rangers, FR), and two commonly used fast growing types of chickens (Cornish cross, CC and Naked Neck, NN), raised on pasture, in side by side pens segregated by breed (n=70/breed). CC and NN group birds were reared for eight weeks whereas FR group birds were reared for 10 weeks and all the birds were commercially processed. By the end of the rearing period, the final body weight of FR group birds was significantly lower than both the fast growing genotypes (CC and NN). Both CC and NN birds showed significantly higher live weight, carcass weight as well as fillet, tender and leg yield (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the wing and rack yield among the different groups. Color of the meat was measured using CEILAB method and expressed as lightness (L), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*). The breast meat from FR birds was much redder (higher a* values) and less yellow (lesser b* values) compared to both the fast growing type of chickens (P < 0.05). Overall, fast growing genotypes produced higher carcass weight and meat yield compared to slow growing genotypes and appear to be an economical option for alternative production systems.

Keywords: fast growing chickens, meat quality, pasture, slow growing chickens

Procedia PDF Downloads 357

Authors: Yu-Shun Elisa Pong

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American composer John Cage (1912-1992) is an influential figure in musical, visual and performing arts after World War II and has also been claimed as a forerunner of the western avant-garde in the artistic field. However, the crucial factors contributed to his highly acclaimed achievements include the Zen enlightenment, which he mainly got from Japanese Zen master D. T. Suzuki (1870-1966). As a kind of reflection and afterthought of the Zen inspiration, John Cage created various forms of arts in which visual arts have recently attracted more and more attention and discussion, especially from the perspectives of Zen. John Cage had started to create visual art works since he was 66 years old and the activity had lasted until his death. The quality and quantity of the works are worthy of in-depth study— the 667 pieces of print, 114 pieces of water color, and about 150 pieces of sketch. Cage’s stylistic changes during the 14 years of creation are quite obvious, and the Zen elements in the later works seem to be omnipresent. Based on comparative artistic study, a historical and conceptual view of Zen art that was formed initially in the traditional Chinese and Japanese visual arts will be discussed. Then, Chinese and Japanese representative Zen works will be mentioned, and the technique aspect, as well as stylistic analysis, will be revealed. Finally, a comprehensive comparison of the original Oriental Zen works with John Cage’s works and focus on the influence, and art transformation will be addressed. The master pieces from Zen tradition by Chinese artists like Liang Kai (d. 1210) and Ma Yuan (1160-1225) from Southern Sung Dynasty, the Japanese artists like Sesshū (1420-1506), Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) and some others would be discussed. In the current study, these art works from different periods of historical development in Zen will serve as the basis of analogy, interpretation, and criticism to Cage's visual art works. Through the perspectives of the Zen authenticity from Asia, we see how John Cage appropriated the eastern culture to his innovation, which changed the art world forever. And it is believed that through a transition from inter-, cross-, toward trans-cultural inspiration, John Cage set up a unique pathway of art innovations.

Keywords: John Cage, Chinese Zen art, Japanese Zen art, visual art

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Authors: Vasudha Devi, Arul Amuthan, K. Narayanan, Praveen KS, Venkata Rao J

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Background: Siddha Medicine is one of the Indian traditional medical systems, in which the cancer disease is mentioned as 'putrunoi' which literally means the disease of growth like termite mound. There are number of formulations available for the treatment of cancer disease. Neeradi muthu vallathymezugu (NMV) and thamira kattu chendooram (TKC) are two drugs commonly prescribed by Siddha physicians. These drugs have been clinically reported to be safe and effective when given orally. Though these formulations are in practice for centuries, no efforts have been made to standardize them and explore their anti-cancer potential systematically. Objective: To compare the cytotoxic activity of NMV and TKC with doxorubicin using cancer cell lines. Materials and methods: For this study, ethanol extract of NMV was taken, whereas TKC was used as such. In vitro cytotoxic activity was evaluated by sulphorhodamine (SRB) assay against human hepatic cancer cells (HepG2), human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and human cervical cancer cells [KeLa]. Doxorubicin was used as the standard. The SRB assay is based on the ability of cellular proteins to bind with sulphorhodamine-B. The number of live cells in drug treated cell lines directly affects the color formation in the assay, which is estimated calorimetrically by measuring the absorbance at 540 nm to calculate the cytotoxicity (inhibitory concentration - IC50 value) of the drug. Results: The IC50values of NMV, TKC and doxorubicin against HepG2 were 3.08 µg/ml, 20.21 µg/ml and 1.21µg/ml respectively. In MCF-7, it was 11.75 µg/ml, 17.67 µg/ml and 2.8µg/ml. In HeLa, the values were 24.76 µg/ml, 73.35 µg/ml and 1.12µg/ml. Conclusions: The study proves the possible anti-cancer potential of these two formulations. Compared to TKC, NMV showed good cytotoxic effect even at low dose. Human hepatic cancer cells responded well even at very low dose, when compared to other cancer cells. Though, cytotoxic potential of these compounds was found to be less compared to doxorubicin, the isolated lead compound may have the potential to be used as an anticancer drug clinically.

Keywords: Neeradi muthu vallathymezugu (Hydnocarpus laurifolia), thamira kattu chendooram, cytotoxicity, in-vitro, Siddha Medicine

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Authors: Noura Al Akkari, Aurélie Foucquier, Sylvain Lespinats

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Load monitoring is a management process for energy consumption towards energy savings and energy efficiency. Non Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) is one method of load monitoring used for disaggregation purposes. NILM is a technique for identifying individual appliances based on the analysis of the whole residence data retrieved from the main power meter of the house. Our NILM framework starts with data acquisition, followed by data preprocessing, then event detection, feature extraction, then general appliance modeling and identification at the final stage. The event detection stage is a core component of NILM process since event detection techniques lead to the extraction of appliance features. Appliance features are required for the accurate identification of the household devices. In this research work, we aim at developing a new event detection methodology with accurate load disaggregation to extract appliance features. Time-domain features extracted are used for tuning general appliance models for appliance identification and classification steps. We use unsupervised algorithms such as Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). The proposed method relies on detecting areas of operation of each residential appliance based on the power demand. Then, detecting the time at which each selected appliance changes its states. In order to fit with practical existing smart meters capabilities, we work on low sampling data with a frequency of (1/60) Hz. The data is simulated on Load Profile Generator software (LPG), which was not previously taken into consideration for NILM purposes in the literature. LPG is a numerical software that uses behaviour simulation of people inside the house to generate residential energy consumption data. The proposed event detection method targets low consumption loads that are difficult to detect. Also, it facilitates the extraction of specific features used for general appliance modeling. In addition to this, the identification process includes unsupervised techniques such as DTW. To our best knowledge, there exist few unsupervised techniques employed with low sampling data in comparison to the many supervised techniques used for such cases. We extract a power interval at which falls the operation of the selected appliance along with a time vector for the values delimiting the state transitions of the appliance. After this, appliance signatures are formed from extracted power, geometrical and statistical features. Afterwards, those formed signatures are used to tune general model types for appliances identification using unsupervised algorithms. This method is evaluated using both simulated data on LPG and real-time Reference Energy Disaggregation Dataset (REDD). For that, we compute performance metrics using confusion matrix based metrics, considering accuracy, precision, recall and error-rate. The performance analysis of our methodology is then compared with other detection techniques previously used in the literature review, such as detection techniques based on statistical variations and abrupt changes (Variance Sliding Window and Cumulative Sum).

Keywords: electrical disaggregation, DTW, general appliance modeling, event detection

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Authors: Gina Longo

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Social media, internet technology, and affordable travel have created avenues like tourism and internet chatrooms for Western women to meet foreign partners without paid, third-party intermediaries in regions like the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where men from mid-level developing countries meet and marry Western women and try to relocate. Foreign nationals who marry U.S. citizens have an expedited track to naturalization. U.S. immigration officials require that “green card” petitioning couples demonstrate that their relationships are “valid and subsisting” (i.e., for love) and not fraudulent (i.e., for immigration papers). These requirements are ostensibly gender- and racially-neutral, but migration itself is not; black and white women petitioners who seek partners from these regions and solicit advice from similar others about the potential obstacles to their petitions’ success online. Using an online ethnography and textual analysis of conversation threads on a large on-line immigration forum where U.S. petitioners exchange such information, this study examines how gendered and racialized standards of legitimacy are applied to family and sexuality and used discursively online among women petitioners differently to achieve “genuineness” and define “red flags” indicating potential marriage fraud. This paper argues that forum-women members police immigration requests even before cases reach an immigration officer, and use this social media platform to reconstruct gendered and racialized hierarchies of U.S. citizenship. Women petitioners use the formal criteria of U.S. immigration in ways that reveal gender and racial ideologies, expectations for conformity to a gendered hegemonic family ideal, and policing of women’s sexual agency, fertility, and desirability. These intersectional norms shape their online discussions about the suitability of marriages and of the migration of non-citizen male partners of color to the United States.

Keywords: marriage fraud, migration, online forums, women

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Authors: Gehan Hussein, Hala Agha, Rasha Abdelraof, Marina George, Antoine Fakhri

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Background: β-Thalassemia major (TM) and sickle cell disease (SCD) are inherited hemoglobin disorders resulting in chronic hemolytic anemia. Cardiovascular involvement is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in these groups of patients. The narrow border is between overt myocardial dysfunction and clinically silent left ventricular (LV) and / or right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in those patients. 3 D Speckle tracking echocardiography (3D STE) is a novel method for the detection of subclinical myocardial involvement. We aimed to study myocardial affection in SCD and TM using 3D STE, comparing it with conventional echocardiography, correlate it with serum ferritin level and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Methodology: Thirty SCD and thirty β TM patients, age range 4-18 years, were compared to 30 healthy age and sex matched control group. Cases were subjected to clinical examination, laboratory measurement of hemoglobin level, serum ferritin, and LDH. Transthoracic color Doppler echocardiography, 3D STE, tissue Doppler echocardiography, and aortic speckle tracking were performed. Results: significant reduction in global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global area strain (GAS) in SCD and TM than control (P value <0.001) there was significantly lower aortic speckle tracking in patients with TM and SCD than control (P value< 0.001). LDH was significantly higher in SCD than both TM and control and it correlated significantly positive mitral inflow E, (p value:0.022 and 0.072. r: 0.416 and -0.333 respectively) lateral E/E’ (p value.<0.001and 0.818. r. 0.618 and -0. 044.respectively) and septal E/E’ (p value 0.007 and 0.753& r value 0.485 and -0.060 respectively) in SCD but not TM and significant negative correlation between LDH and aortic root speckle tracking (value 0.681& r. -0.078.). The potential diagnostic accuracy of LDH in predicting vascular dysfunction as represented by aortic root GCS with a sensitivity 74% and aortic root GCS was predictive of LV dysfunction in SCD patients with sensitivity 100% Conclusion: 3D STE LV and RV systolic dysfunction in spite of their normal values by conventional echocardiography. SCD showed significantly lower right ventricular dysfunction and aortic root GCS than TM and control. LDH can be used to screen patients for cardiac dysfunction in SCD, not in TM

Keywords: thalassemia major, sickle cell disease, 3d speckle tracking echocardiography, LDH

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Authors: Iraj Rezaei, Kamal Al Din Niknami

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Tapeh Zagheh is an important prehistoric site located in the central plateau of Iran, which has settlement layers of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. For this research, 38 soil samples were collected from different parts of the site, as well as two samples from its outside as witnesses. Then the samples were analyzed by XRF. The purpose of this research was to identify some places with special usage for human activities in Tapeh Zagheh by measuring the amount of some special elements in the soil. The result of XRF analysis shows a significant amount of P and K in samples No.3 (fourth floor) and No.4 (third floor), probably due to certain activities such as food preparation and consumption. Samples No.9 and No.10 can be considered suitable examples of the hearths of the prehistoric period in the central plateau of Iran. The color of these samples was completely darkened due to the presence of ash, charcoal, and burnt materials. According to the XRF results, the soil of these hearths has very high amounts of elements such as P, Ca, Mn, S, K, and significant amounts of Ti, Fe, and Na. In addition, the elemental composition of sample No. 14, which was taken from a home waster, also has very high amounts of P, Mn, Mg, Ti, and Fe and high amounts of K and Ca. Sample No. 11, which is related to soil containing large amounts of waster of the kiln, along with a very strong increase in Cl and Na, the amount of elements such as K, Mg, and S has also increased significantly. It seems that the reason for the increase of elements such as Ti and Fe in some Tapeh Zagheh floors (for example, samples number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) was the use of materials such as ocher mud or fire ash in the composition of these floors. Sample No. 13, which was taken from an oven located in the FIX trench, has very high amounts of Mn, Ti, and Fe and high amounts of P and Ca. Sample No. 15, which is related to House No. VII (probably related to a pen or a place where animals were kept) has much more phosphate compared to the control samples, which is probably due to the addition of animal excrement and urine to the soil. Sample No. 29 was taken from the north of the industrial area of Zagheh village (place of pottery kilns). The very low amount of index elements in sample No. 29 shows that the industrial activities did not extend to the mentioned point, and therefore, the range of this point can be considered as the boundary between the residential part of the Zagheh village and its industrial part.

Keywords: prehistory, multi-elemental analysis, Tapeh Zagheh, XRF

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Authors: J. Martin, A. Nominé, T. Czerwiec, G. Henrion, T. Belmonte

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The plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is a particular electrochemical process to produce protective oxide ceramic coatings on light-weight metals (Al, Mg, Ti). When applied to aluminum alloys, the resulting PEO coating exhibit improved wear and corrosion resistance because thick, hard, compact and adherent crystalline alumina layers can be achieved. Several investigations have been carried out to improve the efficiency of the PEO process and one particular way consists in tuning the suitable electrical regime. Despite the considerable interest in this process, there is still no clear understanding of the underlying discharge mechanisms that make possible metal oxidation up to hundreds of µm through the ceramic layer. A key parameter that governs the PEO process is the numerous short-lived micro-discharges (micro-plasma in liquid) that occur continuously over the processed surface when the high applied voltage exceeds the critical dielectric breakdown value of the growing ceramic layer. By using a bipolar pulsed current to supply the electrodes, we previously observed that micro-discharges are delayed with respect to the rising edge of the anodic current. Nevertheless, explanation of the origin of such phenomena is still not clear and needs more systematic investigations. The aim of the present communication is to identify the relationship that exists between this delay and the mechanisms responsible of the oxide growth. For this purpose, the delay of micro-discharges ignition is investigated as the function of various electrical parameters such as the current density (J), the current pulse frequency (F) and the anodic to cathodic charge quantity ratio (R = Qp/Qn) delivered to the electrodes. The PEO process was conducted on Al2214 aluminum alloy substrates in a solution containing potassium hydroxide [KOH] and sodium silicate diluted in deionized water. The light emitted from micro-discharges was detected by a photomultiplier and the micro-discharge parameters (number, size, life-time) were measured during the process by means of ultra-fast video imaging (125 kfr./s). SEM observations and roughness measurements were performed to characterize the morphology of the elaborated oxide coatings while XRD was carried out to evaluate the amount of corundum -Al203 phase. Results show that whatever the applied current waveform, the delay of micro-discharge appearance increases as the process goes on. Moreover, the delay is shorter when the current density J (A/dm2), the current pulse frequency F (Hz) and the ratio of charge quantity R are high. It also appears that shorter delays are associated to stronger micro-discharges (localized, long and large micro-discharges) which have a detrimental effect on the elaborated oxide layers (thin and porous). On the basis of the results, a model for the growth of the PEO oxide layers will be presented and discussed. Experimental results support that a mechanism of electrical charge accumulation at the oxide surface / electrolyte interface takes place until the dielectric breakdown occurs and thus until micro-discharges appear.

Keywords: aluminium, micro-discharges, oxidation mechanisms, plasma electrolytic oxidation

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Authors: Nicole M. Martino

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Reinforced concrete bridge deck condition assessments primarily use visual inspection methods, where an inspector looks for and records locations of cracks, potholes, efflorescence and other signs of probable deterioration. Sounding is another technique used to diagnose the condition of a bridge deck, however this method listens for damage within the subsurface as the surface is struck with a hammer or chain. Even though extensive procedures are in place for using these inspection techniques, neither one provides the inspector with a comprehensive understanding of the internal condition of a bridge deck – the location where damage originates from.  In order to make accurate estimates of repair locations and quantities, in addition to allocating the necessary funding, a total understanding of the deck’s deteriorated state is key. The research presented in this paper collected infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar data from reinforced concrete bridge decks without an asphalt overlay. These decks were of various ages and their condition varied from brand new, to in need of replacement. The goals of this work were to first verify that these nondestructive evaluation methods could identify similar areas of healthy and damaged concrete, and then to see if combining the results of both methods would provide a higher confidence than if the condition assessment was completed using only one method. The results from each method were presented as plan view color contour plots. The results from one of the decks assessed as a part of this research, including these plan view plots, are presented in this paper. Furthermore, in order to answer the interest of transportation agencies throughout the United States, this research developed a step-by-step guide which demonstrates how to collect and assess a bridge deck using these nondestructive evaluation methods. This guide addresses setup procedures on the deck during the day of data collection, system setups and settings for different bridge decks, data post-processing for each method, and data visualization and quantification.

Keywords: bridge deck deterioration, ground penetrating radar, infrared thermography, NDT of bridge decks

Procedia PDF Downloads 131

Authors: Noura Al Akkari, Aurélie Foucquier, Sylvain Lespinats

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Load monitoring is a management process for energy consumption towards energy savings and energy efficiency. Non Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) is one method of load monitoring used for disaggregation purposes. NILM is a technique for identifying individual appliances based on the analysis of the whole residence data retrieved from the main power meter of the house. Our NILM framework starts with data acquisition, followed by data preprocessing, then event detection, feature extraction, then general appliance modeling and identification at the final stage. The event detection stage is a core component of NILM process since event detection techniques lead to the extraction of appliance features. Appliance features are required for the accurate identification of the household devices. In this research work, we aim at developing a new event detection methodology with accurate load disaggregation to extract appliance features. Time-domain features extracted are used for tuning general appliance models for appliance identification and classification steps. We use unsupervised algorithms such as Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). The proposed method relies on detecting areas of operation of each residential appliance based on the power demand. Then, detecting the time at which each selected appliance changes its states. In order to fit with practical existing smart meters capabilities, we work on low sampling data with a frequency of (1/60) Hz. The data is simulated on Load Profile Generator software (LPG), which was not previously taken into consideration for NILM purposes in the literature. LPG is a numerical software that uses behaviour simulation of people inside the house to generate residential energy consumption data. The proposed event detection method targets low consumption loads that are difficult to detect. Also, it facilitates the extraction of specific features used for general appliance modeling. In addition to this, the identification process includes unsupervised techniques such as DTW. To our best knowledge, there exist few unsupervised techniques employed with low sampling data in comparison to the many supervised techniques used for such cases. We extract a power interval at which falls the operation of the selected appliance along with a time vector for the values delimiting the state transitions of the appliance. After this, appliance signatures are formed from extracted power, geometrical and statistical features. Afterwards, those formed signatures are used to tune general model types for appliances identification using unsupervised algorithms. This method is evaluated using both simulated data on LPG and real-time Reference Energy Disaggregation Dataset (REDD). For that, we compute performance metrics using confusion matrix based metrics, considering accuracy, precision, recall and error-rate. The performance analysis of our methodology is then compared with other detection techniques previously used in the literature review, such as detection techniques based on statistical variations and abrupt changes (Variance Sliding Window and Cumulative Sum).

Keywords: general appliance model, non intrusive load monitoring, events detection, unsupervised techniques;

Procedia PDF Downloads 50

Authors: Andrew Shugyo Daijo Bonnici

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Core-Self Intelligence (CSI) is an absolutely still, non-verbal, non-cerebral intelligence. Our still core-self intelligence is felt at our body's center point of gravity, just an inch below our navel, deep within our lower abdomen. The still sub-quantum depth of core-Self remains untouched by the conditioning influences of family, society, culture, religion, and spiritual views that shape our personalities and ego-self identities. As core-Self intelligence is inborn and unconditioned, it exists within all human beings regardless of age, race, color, creed, mental acuity, or national origin. Our core-self intelligence functions as a wise and compassionate guide that advances our health and well-being, our mental clarity and emotional resiliency, our fearless peace and behavioral wisdom, and our ever-deepening compassion for self and others. Although our core-Self, with its absolutely still non-judgmental intelligence, operates far beneath the functioning of our ego-self identity and our thinking mind, it effectively coexists with our passing thoughts, all of our figuring and thinking, our logical and rational way of knowing, the ebb and flow of our feelings, and the natural or triggered emergence of our emotions. When we allow our whole inner somatic awareness to gently sink into the intelligent center point of gravity within our lower abdomen, the felt arising of our core- Self’s inborn stillness has a serene and relaxing effect on our ego-self and thinking mind. It naturally slows down the speedy passage of our involuntary thoughts, diminishes our ego-self's defensive and reactive functioning, and decreases narcissistic reflections on I, me, and mine. All of these healthy cognitive benefits advance our innate wisdom and compassion, facilitate our personal and interpersonal growth, and liberate the ever-fresh wonder and curiosity of our beginner's heartmind. In conclusion, by studying, exploring, and researching our core-Self intelligence, psychologists and psychotherapists can unlock new avenues for advancing the farther reaches of our mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being, our innate behavioral wisdom and boundless empathy, our lucid compassion for self and others, and our unwavering confidence in the still guiding light of our core-Self that exists at the abdominal center point of all human beings.

Keywords: intelligence, transpersonal, beginner’s heartmind, compassionate wisdom

Procedia PDF Downloads 36

Authors: Komal Rathore, Kiesha Pierre, Kyle Cogswell, Aaron Driscoll, Andres Tejada Martinez, Gita Iranipour, Luke Mulford, Aydin Sunol

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Modeling of Biological Wastewater Treatment Plants requires several parameters for kinetic rate expressions, thermo-physical properties, and hydrodynamic behavior. The kinetics and associated mechanisms become complex due to several biological processes taking place in wastewater treatment plants at varying times and spatial scales. A dynamic process model that incorporated the complex model for activated sludge kinetics was developed using the BioWin software platform for an Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Valrico, Florida. Due to the extensive number of tunable parameters, an experimental design was employed for judicious selection of the most influential parameter sets and their bounds. The model was tuned using both the influent and effluent plant data to reconcile and rectify the forecasted results from the BioWin Model. Amount of mixed liquor suspended solids in the oxidation ditch, aeration rates and recycle rates were adjusted accordingly. The experimental analysis and plant SCADA data were used to predict influent wastewater rates and composition profiles as a function of time for extended periods. The lumped dynamic model development process was coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of the key units such as oxidation ditches in the plant. Several CFD models that incorporate the nitrification-denitrification kinetics, as well as, hydrodynamics was developed and being tested using ANSYS Fluent software platform. These realistic and verified models developed using BioWin and ANSYS were used to plan beforehand the operating policies and control strategies for the biological wastewater plant accordingly that further allows regulatory compliance at minimum operational cost. These models, with a little bit of tuning, can be used for other biological wastewater treatment plants as well. The BioWin model mimics the existing performance of the Valrico Plant which allowed the operators and engineers to predict effluent behavior and take control actions to meet the discharge limits of the plant. Also, with the help of this model, we were able to find out the key kinetic and stoichiometric parameters which are significantly more important for modeling of biological wastewater treatment plants. One of the other important findings from this model were the effects of mixed liquor suspended solids and recycle ratios on the effluent concentration of various parameters such as total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, etc. The ANSYS model allowed the abstraction of information such as the formation of dead zones increases through the length of the oxidation ditches as compared to near the aerators. These profiles were also very useful in studying the behavior of mixing patterns, effect of aerator speed, and use of baffles which in turn helps in optimizing the plant performance.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics, flow-sheet simulation, kinetic modeling, process dynamics

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Authors: Aleksandr S. Demin, Anastasiia V. Ivanova

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Purpose: The current economy tends to increase the influence of digital technologies and diminish the human role in management. However, it is impossible to deny that a person still leads a business with its own set of values and priorities. The article presented aims to incorporate the peculiarities of the national culture and the characteristics of the supply chain using the quantitative values of the national culture obtained by the scholars of comparative management (Hofstede, House, and others). Design/Methodology/Approach: The conducted research is based on the secondary data in the field of cross-country comparison achieved by Prof. Hofstede and received in the GLOBE project. The data mentioned are used to design different aspects of the supply chain both on the cross-functional and inter-organizational levels. The connection between a range of principles in general (roles assignment, customer service prioritization, coordination of supply chain partners) and in comparative management (acknowledgment of the national peculiarities of the country in which the company operates) is shown over economic and mathematical models, mainly linear programming models. Findings: The combination of the team management wheel concept, the business processes of the global supply chain, and the national culture characteristics let a transnational corporation to form a supply chain crew balanced in costs, functions, and personality. To elaborate on an effective customer service policy and logistics strategy in goods and services distribution in the country under review, two approaches are offered. The first approach relies exceptionally on the customer’s interest in the place of operation, while the second one takes into account the position of the transnational corporation and its previous experience in order to accord both organizational and national cultures. The effect of integration practice on the achievement of a specific supply chain goal in a specific location is advised to assess via types of correlation (positive, negative, non) and the value of national culture indices. Research Limitations: The models developed are intended to be used by transnational companies and business forms located in several nationally different areas. Some of the inputs to illustrate the application of the methods offered are simulated. That is why the numerical measurements should be used with caution. Practical Implications: The research can be of great interest for the supply chain managers who are responsible for the engineering of global supply chains in a transnational corporation and the further activities in doing business on the international area. As well, the methods, tools, and approaches suggested can be used by top managers searching for new ways of competitiveness and can be suitable for all staff members who are keen on the national culture traits topic. Originality/Value: The elaborated methods of decision-making with regard to the national environment suggest the mathematical and economic base to find a comprehensive solution.

Keywords: logistics integration, logistics services, multinational corporation, national culture, team management, service policy, supply chain management

Procedia PDF Downloads 85

Authors: Sonja Djilas, Gordana Ćetković, Jasna Čanadanović-Brunet, Vesna Tumbas Šaponjac, Slađana Stajčić, Jelena Vulić, Milica Vinčić

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In recent years, interest in food rich in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, increased the advantages of the functional food products. Bioactive components help to maintain health and prevention of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and many other degenerative diseases. Recent research has shown that the fruit pomace, a byproduct generated from the production of juice, can be a potential source of valuable bioactive compounds. The use of fruit industrial waste in the processing of functional foods represents an important new step for the food industry. Sour cherries have considerable nutritional, medicinal, dietetic and technological value. According to the production volume of cherries, Serbia ranks seventh in the world, with a share of 7% of the total production. The use of sour cherry pomace has so far been limited to animal feed, even though it can be potentially a good source of polyphenols. For this study, local variety of sour cherry cv. ‘Feketićka’ was chosen for its more intensive taste and deeper red color, indicating high anthocyanin content. The contents of total polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins, as well as radical scavenging activity on DPPH radicals and reducing power of sour cherry juice and pomace were compared using spectrophotometrical assays. According to the results obtained, 66.91% of total polyphenols, 46.77% of flavonoids, 46.77% of total anthocyanins and 47.88% of anthocyanin monomers from sour cherry fruits have been transferred to juice. On the other hand, 29.85% of total polyphenols, 33.09% of flavonoids, 53.23% of total anthocyanins and 52.12% of anthocyanin monomers remained in pomace. Regarding radical scavenging activity, 65.51% of Trolox equivalents from sour cherries were exported to juice, while 34.49% was left in pomace. However, reducing power of sour cherry juice was much stronger than pomace (91.28% and 8.72% of Trolox equivalents from sour cherry fruits, respectively). Based on our results it can be concluded that sour cherry pomace is still a rich source of natural antioxidants, especially anthocyanins with coloring capacity, therefore it can be used for dietary supplements development and food fortification.

Keywords: antioxidants, polyphenols, pomace, sour cherry

Procedia PDF Downloads 299

Authors: J. C. Colmenares, M. Paszkiewicz-Gawron, D. Lomot, S. R. Pradhan, A. Qayyum

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This work is a report of recent selected experiments of photocatalysis intensification using flow microphotoreactors (fabricated by an ultrasound-based technique) for photocatalytic selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BnOH) to benzaldehyde (PhCHO) (in the frame of the concept of lignin valorization), and the proof of concept of intensifying a flow selective photocatalytic oxidation process by acoustic cavitation. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by using different techniques such as UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption, thermal gravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. More specifically, the work will be on: a Design and development of metal-containing TiO₂ coated microflow reactor for photocatalytic partial oxidation of benzyl alcohol: The current work introduces an efficient ultrasound-based metal (Fe, Cu, Co)-containing TiO₂ deposition on the inner walls of a perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFA) microtube under mild conditions. The experiments were carried out using commercial TiO₂ and sol-gel synthesized TiO₂. The rough surface formed during sonication is the site for the deposition of these nanoparticles in the inner walls of the microtube. The photocatalytic activities of these semiconductor coated fluoropolymer based microreactors were evaluated for the selective oxidation of BnOH to PhCHO in the liquid flow phase. The analysis of the results showed that various features/parameters are crucial, and by tuning them, it is feasible to improve the conversion of benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde selectivity. Among all the metal-containing TiO₂ samples, the 0.5 at% Fe/TiO₂ (both, iron and titanium, as cheap, safe, and abundant metals) photocatalyst exhibited the highest BnOH conversion under visible light (515 nm) in a microflow system. This could be explained by the higher crystallite size, high porosity, and flake-like morphology. b. Designing/fabricating photocatalysts by a sonochemical approach and testing them in the appropriate flow sonophotoreactor towards sustainable selective oxidation of key organic model compounds of lignin: Ultrasonication (US)-assitedprecipitaion and US-assitedhydrosolvothermal methods were used for the synthesis of metal-oxide-based and metal-free-carbon-based photocatalysts, respectively. Additionally, we report selected experiments of intensification of a flow photocatalytic selective oxidation through the use of ultrasonic waves. The effort of our research is focused on the utilization of flow sonophotocatalysis for the selective transformation of lignin-based model molecules by nanostructured metal oxides (e.g., TiO₂), and metal-free carbocatalysts. A plethora of parameters that affects the acoustic cavitation phenomena, and as a result the potential of sonication were investigated (e.g. ultrasound frequency and power). Various important photocatalytic parameters such as the wavelength and intensity of the irradiated light, photocatalyst loading, type of solvent, mixture of solvents, and solution pH were also optimized.

Keywords: heterogeneous photo-catalysis, metal-free carbonaceous materials, selective redox flow sonophotocatalysis, titanium dioxide

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Authors: Manpreet Kaur, Cheol-Hong Min

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The increasing advancement in the robotics equipped with machine vision sensors applied to precision agriculture is a demanding solution for various problems in the agricultural farms. An important issue related with the machine vision system concerns crop row and weed detection. This paper proposes an automatic furrow detection system based on real-time processing for identifying crop rows in maize fields in the presence of weed. This vision system is designed to be installed on the farming vehicles, that is, submitted to gyros, vibration and other undesired movements. The images are captured under image perspective, being affected by above undesired effects. The goal is to identify crop rows for vehicle navigation which includes weed removal, where weeds are identified as plants outside the crop rows. The images quality is affected by different lighting conditions and gaps along the crop rows due to lack of germination and wrong plantation. The proposed image processing method consists of four different processes. First, image segmentation based on HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) decision tree. The proposed algorithm used HSV color space to discriminate crops, weeds and soil. The region of interest is defined by filtering each of the HSV channels between maximum and minimum threshold values. Then the noises in the images were eliminated by the means of hybrid median filter. Further, mathematical morphological processes, i.e., erosion to remove smaller objects followed by dilation to gradually enlarge the boundaries of regions of foreground pixels was applied. It enhances the image contrast. To accurately detect the position of crop rows, the region of interest is defined by creating a binary mask. The edge detection and Hough transform were applied to detect lines represented in polar coordinates and furrow directions as accumulations on the angle axis in the Hough space. The experimental results show that the method is effective.

Keywords: furrow detection, morphological, HSV, Hough transform

Procedia PDF Downloads 207

Authors: Vaishali Sharma

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The research is an attempt to hunt a scientific and objective method to transform Ajmer's traditional walled city into a living cultural heritage space, exploring urban management methods to elevate local economy and social space in relation to specific cultural-based initiatives. Ajmer is among the oldest and religiously diverse settlements in Rajasthan, that has seen superimposed developments through the eras. With numerous agencies operating towards the development of the town core of Ajmer, it becomes essential to structure development changes in tune with the transformations and the existing heritage. The study was radio-controlled by the subsequent analysis question: What is the way to overcome the genetic social and economic stress inside the communities and revive public life? In order to create necessary interventions at the neighbourhood level, fifteen neighbourhoods were identified. Each of those was analyzed relatively on three major dimensions: Heritage, Social and Local Economy. Each dimension was further broken down into multiple sub-aspects for an overall and exhaustive understanding. The average median values of the responses were used to develop a color-coded matrix to represent the scores in an exceedingly structured quantified manner, moreover, linking it to the spatial structure. Respondent perceptions on numerous dimensions were additionally recorded, so that the proposals are inclusive in nature. The goals are targeted at Ajmer's traditional walled towns, which will make it easier for the community to regulate the rapid transformations and commercialization occurring within the space. The study recommends the necessity for accrued support in methods and policies from the non-public sector, businesses as well as local stakeholders. An expansion, revitalization and maintenance of the major business and heritage corridors, for an increased local and visitor experience, can produce an impetus for promotion of the intangible heritage, to spur the local economic processes, conservation of heritage precincts and upward development.

Keywords: cultural heritage, economic revitalization, neighbourhoods in walled cities, social space, tangible and intangible heritage

Procedia PDF Downloads 127

Authors: Tulika Malviya, Ritesh Chandra Shukla, Praveen Kumar Tandon

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Traditional methods of synthesis are hazardous for the environment and need nature friendly processes for the treatment of industrial effluents and contaminated water. Use of plant parts for the synthesis provides an efficient alternative method. In this paper, we report an ecofriendly and nonhazardous biobased method to prepare zerovalent iron nanoparticles (ZVINPs) using the liquor of commercially available tea. Tea liquor as the reducing agent has many advantages over other polymers. Unlike other polymers, the polyphenols present in tea extract are nontoxic and water soluble at room temperature. In addition, polyphenols can form complexes with metal ions and thereafter reduce the metals. Third, tea extract contains molecules bearing alcoholic functional groups that can be exploited for reduction as well as stabilization of the nanoparticles. Briefly, iron nanoparticles were prepared by adding 2.0 g of montmorillonite K10 (MMT K10) to 5.0 mL of 0.10 M solution of Fe(NO3)3 to which an equal volume of tea liquor was then added drop wise over 20 min with constant stirring. The color of the mixture changed from whitish yellow to black, indicating the formation of iron nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were adsorbed on montmorillonite K10, which is safe and aids in the separation of hazardous arsenic species simply by filtration. Particle sizes ranging from 59.08±7.81 nm were obtained which is confirmed by using different instrumental analyses like IR, XRD, SEM, and surface area studies. Removal of arsenic was done via batch adsorption method. Solutions of As(III) of different concentrations were prepared by diluting the stock solution of NaAsO2 with doubly distilled water. The required amount of in situ prepared ZVINPs supported on MMT K10 was added to a solution of desired strength of As (III). After the solution had been stirred for the preselected time, the solid mass was filtered. The amount of arsenic [in the form of As (V)] remaining in the filtrate was measured using ion chromatograph. Stirring of contaminated water with zerovalent iron nanoparticles supported on montmorillonite K10 for 30 min resulted in up to 99% removal of arsenic as As (III) from its solution at both high and low pH (2.75 and 11.1). It was also observed that, under similar conditions, montmorillonite K10 alone provided only <10% removal of As(III) from water. Adsorption at low pH with precipitation at higher pH has been proposed for As(III) removal.

Keywords: arsenic removal, montmorillonite K10, tea liquor, zerovalent iron nanoparticles

Procedia PDF Downloads 99

Authors: Vichai Tienthavorn

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Background: Recently, the patients of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in Thailand; especially hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension and Diabetes patients were found to be of 3.7 million in 2008. The varieties of human behaviors have been extensively changed in health. Hence, Thai Government has a policy to reduce NCDs. Generally, primary care plays an important role in treatment using medical process. However, NCDs patients have not been decreased. Objectives: This study not only reduce the patient and mortality rate but also increase the quality of life, could apply in different areas and propose to be the national policy, effectively for a long term operation. Methods: Here we report that primary health care (PHC), which is a primary process to screening, rapidly seek the person's risk. The screening tool of the study was Vichai's 7 color balls model, the medical education tool to transfer knowledge from student health team to community through health volunteers, creating community engagement in terms of social participation. It was found that people in community were realized in their health and they can evaluate the level of risk using this model. Results: Projects implementation (2015) in Nong Lom Health Center in Phayao (target group 15-65 years, 2529); screening hypertension coveraged 99.01%, risk group (light green) was decreased to normal group (white) from 1806 to 1893, significant severe patient (red) was decreased to moderate (orange) from 10 to 5. Health Program in behaving change with best practice of 3Es (Eating, Exercise, Emotion) and 3Rs (Reducing tobacco, alcohol, obesity) were applied in risk group; and encourage strictly medication, investigation in severe patient (red). Conclusion: This is the first demonstration of knowledge transfer to community engagement by student, which is the sustainable education in PHC.

Keywords: non-communicable disease, surveillance control and prevention systems, community engagement, primary health care

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Authors: María Graciela Aguayo, Laura Reyes, Claudia Oviedo, José Navarrete, Liset Gómez, Hugo Torres

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Most wood species used in construction deteriorate when exposed to environmental conditions that favor wood-degrading organisms’ growth. Therefore, chemical protection by impregnation allows more efficient use of forest resources extending the wood useful life. A wood protection treatment which has attracted considerable interest in the scientific community during the last decade is wood impregnation with nano compounds. Radiata pine is the main wood species used in the Chilean construction industry, with total availability of 8 million m³ sawn timber. According to the requirements of the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) and the Chilean Standards (NCh) radiata pine timber used in construction must be protected due to its low natural durability. In this work, the impregnation with copper nanoparticles (CuNP) was studied in terms of penetration and its protective effect against wood rot fungi. Two concentrations: 1 and 3 g/L of NPCu were applied by impregnation on radiata pine sapwood. Test penetration under AWPA A3-91 standard was carried out, and wood decay tests were performed according to EN 113, with slight modifications. The results of penetration for 1 g/L CuNP showed an irregular total penetration, and the samples impregnated with 3 g/L showed a total penetration with uniform concentration (blue color in all cross sections). The impregnation wood mass losses due to fungal exposure were significantly reduced, regardless of the concentration of the solution or the fungus. In impregnated wood samples, exposure to G. trabeum resulted ML values of 2.70% and 1.19% for 1 g/L and 3 g/L CuNP, respectively, and exposure to P. placenta resulted in 4.02% and 0.70%-ML values for 1 g/L and 3 g/L CuNP, respectively. In this study, the penetration analysis confirmed a uniform distribution inside the wood, and both concentrations were effective against the tested fungi, giving mass loss values lower than 5%. Therefore, future research in wood preservatives should focus on new nanomaterials that are more efficient and environmentally friendly. Acknowledgments: CONICYT FONDEF IDeA I+D 2019, grant number ID19I10122.

Keywords: copper nanoparticles, fungal degradation, radiata pine wood, wood preservation

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Authors: Hurtado Zuñiga Yonel Marcos, Ferreira Joao Tiago

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Introduction: Leiomyoma is a benign smooth muscle tumor. It is predominantly found between 40-49 years with a small prevalence in men. It is commonly found in the uterus, stomach, and in areas with smooth muscle. It presents as nodular, solitary, variable size, slow growing, and asymptomatic. It is classified into solid, vascular, and epithelioid leiomyoma. Vascular leiomyoma is the most common in the oral cavity. Oral leiomyomas are very rare because a smooth muscle in the oral cavity isn’t common. The most frequent areas of this pathologyaretongue, lip, buccal mucosa, and palate. It may be derived from the vascular walls or excretory ducts of the salivary glands. The diagnosis is made by histologically analysis. The treatment of choice is complete excision. Recurrence is rare. Objective: To report the case of a solid leiomyoma on the dorsum of the tongue and review the literature. Case description: A 78-year-old female patient presented a nodular (ovoid) elevation of 8x6mm, brownish color, with irregular limits and firm consistency located in the dorsal part of the tongue with slight symptoms. An excisional biopsy was performed, photographic record, and 3 weeks post-surgical follow-up. Result: The surgical specimen was submitted to an anatomopathological analysis, resulting in a benign nodule with defined limits compatible with solid leiomyoma of the tongue. Discussion: It is a pathology that presents in a solitary, nodular, well-defined, asymptomatic form; in the oral cavity, leiomyomas are found in the tongue, lip, buccal mucosa, and palate; as in our patient, it was nodular and, in the tongue, with a difference only in the symptomatology. The most prevalent age is 40-49 years and with small predominance in men, unlike our female patient with 78 years. Conclusions: Oral leiomyoma is a rare benign lesion that presents as a solitary nodular nodule; for its diagnosis, an anatomopathological analysis should be performed, and the treatment of choice is total excision with little recurrence.

Keywords: tongue, bening tumor, oral leiomyoma, leiomyoma

Procedia PDF Downloads 200

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

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Introduction: Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn (SCFN) is a rare acute hypodermatitis characterized by skin lesions in the form of infiltrated, hard plaques and subcutaneous nodules, with a purplish-red color, occurring between the first and sixth week of life. SCFN is generally a benign condition that spontaneously regresses without sequelae, but it can be complicated by severe hypercalcemia. Methodology: This is a retrospective case report of neonatal subcutaneous fat necrosis complicated with severe hypercalcemia and nephrocalcinosis. Results: This is a case of a female newborn with a family history of a hypothyroid mother on Levothyrox, born to non-consanguineous parents and from a well-monitored pregnancy. The newborn was delivered by cesarean section at 39 weeks gestation due to severe preeclampsia. She was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at 1 hour of life for the management of grade 1 perinatal asphyxia and immediate neonatal respiratory distress related to transient respiratory distress. Hospitalization was complicated by a healthcare-associated infection, requiring intravenous antibiotics for ten days, with a good clinical and biological response. On the 20th day of life, she developed skin lesions in the form of indurated purplish-red nodules on the back and on both arms. A SCFN was suspected. A calcium level test was conducted, which returned a result of 3 mmol/L. The rest of the phosphocalcic assessment was normal, with early signs of nephrocalcinosis observed on renal ultrasound. The diagnosis of SCFN complicated by nephrocalcinosis associated with severe hypercalcemia was made, and the condition improved with intravenous hydration and corticosteroid therapy. Conclusion: SCFN is a rare and generally benign hypodermatitis in newborns with an etiology that is still poorly understood. Despite its benign nature, SCFN can be complicated by hypercalcemia, which can sometimes be life-threatening. Therefore, it is important to conduct a thorough skin examination of newborns, especially those with risk factors, to detect and correct any potential hypercalcemia.

Keywords: subcutaneous fat necrosis, newborn, hypercalcemia, nephrocalcinosis

Procedia PDF Downloads 35

Authors: René A. Sørensen, Søren Skovsen, Peter Christiansen, Henrik Karstoft

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Autonomous agricultural machines act in stochastic surroundings and therefore, must be able to perceive the surroundings in real time. This perception can be achieved using image sensors combined with advanced machine learning, in particular Deep Learning. Deep convolutional neural networks excel in labeling and perceiving color images and since the cost of high-quality RGB-cameras is low, the hardware cost of good perception depends heavily on memory and computation power. This paper investigates the possibility of designing lightweight convolutional neural networks for semantic segmentation (pixel wise classification) with reduced hardware requirements, to allow for embedded usage in autonomous agricultural machines. Using compression techniques, a lightweight convolutional neural network is designed to perform real-time semantic segmentation on an embedded platform. The network is trained on two large datasets, ImageNet and Pascal Context, to recognize up to 400 individual classes. The 400 classes are remapped into agricultural superclasses (e.g. human, animal, sky, road, field, shelterbelt and obstacle) and the ability to provide accurate real-time perception of agricultural surroundings is studied. The network is applied to the case of autonomous grass mowing using the NVIDIA Tegra X1 embedded platform. Feeding case-specific images to the network results in a fully segmented map of the superclasses in the image. As the network is still being designed and optimized, only a qualitative analysis of the method is complete at the abstract submission deadline. Proceeding this deadline, the finalized design is quantitatively evaluated on 20 annotated grass mowing images. Lightweight convolutional neural networks for semantic segmentation can be implemented on an embedded platform and show competitive performance with regards to accuracy and speed. It is feasible to provide cost-efficient perceptive capabilities related to semantic segmentation for autonomous agricultural machines.

Keywords: autonomous agricultural machines, deep learning, safety, visual perception

Procedia PDF Downloads 365