Search results for: increase

Authors: Pawan Kumar Sharma, J. Stephan Sampath Kumar, S. Anand, Chandana B. L.

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Protein is the major component for the success in culture of shrimp and fishes. Apparently, excess dietary protein is undesirable, as it not only enhances the production cost but also leads to water quality deterioration. A field survey was conducted with aqua farmers of Kerala, India, a leading state in coastal aquaculture, to assess the role of protein component in feed that can be efficiently and effectively managed for sustainable aquaculture. The study showed an average feed amount of 13.55 ± 2.16 tonnes per hectare was being used by the farmers of Kerala. The average feed cost percentage of Rs. 57.76 ± 13.46 /kg was invested for an average protein level of 36.26 % ± 0.082 in the feed and Rs.78.95 ± 3.086 per kilogram of feed was being paid by the farmers. Study revealed that replacement of fish meal and fish oil within shrimp aquafeeds with alternative protein, and lipid sources can only be achieved if changes are made in the basic shrimp culturing practices, such as closed farming system through water recycling or zero-water exchange, and by maximizing in-situ, floc and natural food production within the culture system. The upshot of such production systems is that imports of high-quality feed ingredients and aqua feeds can eventually be eliminated, and the utilization of locally available feed ingredients from agricultural by-products can be greatly improved and maximized. The promotion of closed shrimp production systems would also greatly reduce water use and increase shrimp production per unit area but would necessitate the continuous provision of electricity for aeration during production. Alternative energy sources such as solar power might be used, and resource poor farming communities should also explore wind energy for use. The study concluded that farm made feed and closed farming systems are essential for the sustainability and profitability of the aquaculture industry.

Keywords: aqua feeds, floc, fish meal, protein, zero-water exchange

Procedia PDF Downloads 117

Authors: Chia-Ying Lin

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This paper explains how to enhance doctor-patient communication and nurse-patient communication through multiple intelligence signing methods and user-centered. It is hoped that through the implementation of the "electronic consent", the problems faced by the paper consent can be solved: storage methods, resource utilization, convenience, correctness of information, integrated management, statistical analysis and other related issues. Make better use and allocation of resources to provide better medical quality. First, invite the ｍedical records department to assist in the inventory of paper consent in the hospital: organising, classifying, merging, coding, and setting. Second, plan the electronic consent configuration file: set the form number, consent form group, fields and templates, and the corresponding doctor's order code. Next, Summarize four types of rapid methods of electronic consent: according to the doctor's order, according to the medical behavior, according to the schedule, and manually generate the consent form. Finally, system promotion and adjustment: form an "electronic consent promotion team" to improve, follow five major processes: planning, development, testing, release, and feedback, and invite clinical units to raise the difficulties faced in the promotion, and make improvements to the problems. The electronic signature rate of the whole hospital will increase from 4% in January 2022 to 79% in November 2022. Use the saved resources more effectively, including: reduce paper usage (reduce carbon footprint), reduce the cost of ink cartridges, re-plan and use the space for paper medical records, and save human resources to provide better services. Through the introduction of information technology and technology, the main spirit of "lean management" is implemented. Transforming and reengineering the process to eliminate unnecessary waste is also the highest purpose of this project.

Keywords: smart signature, electronic consent, electronic medical records, user-centered, doctor-patient communication, nurse-patient communication

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Z. Wochyński, K. A. Sobiech, Z. Kobos

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To C-Reactive Proteins include ferritin, transferrin, and ceruloplasmin- metalloproteins. The study aimed at assessing an effect of training on the Special Aerial Gymnastics Instruments (SAGI) on changes of serum ferritin, transferrin, and ceruloplasmin and cadets’ physical fitness in comparison with a control group. Fifty-five cadets in the mean age 20 years were included into this study. They were divided into two groups: Group A (N=41) trained on SAGI and Group B (N=14) trained according the standard program of physical education (control group). In both groups, blood was a material for assays. Samples were collected twice before and after training at the start of the program (training I), during (training II), and after education program completion (training III). Commercially available kits were used to assay blood serum ferritin, transferrin, and ceruloplasmin. Cadets’ physical fitness was evaluated with exercise tests before and after education program completion. In Group A, serum post-exercise ferritin decreased statistically insignificantly in training I and II and increased in training III in comparison with pre-exercise values. In Group B, post-exercise serum ferritin decreased statistically insignificantly in training I and III and significantly increased in training II in comparison with the pre-exercise values. In Group A, serum transferrin decreased statistically insignificantly in training I, and significantly increased in training II, whereas in training III it increased insignificantly in comparison with pre-exercise values. In Group B, post-exercise serum transferrin increased statistically significantly in training I, II, and III in comparison with pre-exercise values. I n Group A, serum ceruloplasmin decreased in all three series in comparison with pre-exercise values. In Group B, serum ceruloplasmin increased significantly in training II. It was showed that the training on SAGI significantly decreased serum ceruloplasmin in Group A in all three series of assays and did not produce significant changes in serum ferritin also was showed significant increase in serum transferrin.

Keywords: special aerial gymnastics instruments, ferritin, ceruloplasmin, transferrin

Procedia PDF Downloads 442

Authors: E. N. Vetrova, L.V. Lapochkina, N. V. Nikulina

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In the national economy, entrepreneurship plays the role of a buffer between economy and policy for it contributes to improving budget effectiveness and decreasing dependence of economy on the state. Entrepreneurship in industry makes it possible to increase the added value that is formed in production chains and to decrease dependence on import. Under the current circumstances, when sanctions are being imposed, this is especially relevant for Russia and for the realization of projects in the Russian Arctic. However, development of entrepreneurship in industry requires an enlightened state policy. The purpose of the research is elaboration of recommendations for improving economic effectiveness of the realization of the Arctic projects on the basis of conceptual proposals for the development of entrepreneurship in industry. The paper presents the studies of the extractive industry role in the Russian economy and proves its raw material character. The analysis of production chains in industry on the basis of the conception of the added value global chains demonstrated a low added value formed by Russian companies. The study of changes in the structure of economy based on systemic, statistical and comparative analyses revealed no positive changes in the structure of economy over the period under consideration. This is a manifestation of ineffectiveness of the Russian industrial policy in general and within the Arctic region in particular. The authors identified the problems information and implementation of the state industrial policy in the Arctic region and in the development of national entrepreneurship, analyzed the shortcomings of the current state policy in the sphere of the Russian industry. On the basis of the conducted studies, the authors formulated conceptual approaches to change the state policy in the Arctic. The basic idea of the authors is to substantiate the focus of the state regulation on the development of entrepreneurship in industry in the process of the Russian Arctic exploration. At the same time another problem is solved–that of the development of the manufacturing industry in the southern regions of the northwestern part of Russia. The criterion of effectiveness in this case is the economic effectiveness.

Keywords: entrepreneurship in industry, global chains of the added value, government regulation, industrial policies, production chains in the arctic region, economic effectiveness

Procedia PDF Downloads 361

Authors: Basant Kumar Singh, S. Subhachandhar, Vineet Ranjan Tripathi, Amit Kumar Singh, Uttam Singh, Santosh Kumar Lal

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Productivity of Blast Furnace is largely impacted by fuel efficiency and controlling heat loss is one of the enabling parameters for achieving lower fuel rate. 'I' Blast Furnace is the latest and largest Blast Furnace of Tata Steel Jamshedpur with working volume of 3230 m³ and with rated capacity of 3.055 million tons per annum. Optimizing heat losses in Belly and Bosh zone remained major challenge for blast furnace operators after its commissioning. 'I' Blast has installed Cast Iron & Copper Staves cooling members where copper staves are installed in Belly, Bosh & Lower Stack whereas cast iron staves are installed in upper stack area. Stave cooled Blast Furnaces are prone to higher heat losses in Belly and Bosh region with an increase in coal injection rate as Bosh gas volume increases. Under these conditions, managing gas flow pattern through proper burden distribution, casting techniques & by maintaining desired raw material qualities are of utmost importance for sustaining high injection rates. This study details, the burden distribution control by Ore & Coke ratio adjustment at wall and center of Blast Furnace as the coal injection rates increased from 140 kg/thm to 210 kg/thm. Control of blowing parameters, casting philosophy, specification for raw materials & devising operational practice for controlling heat losses is also elaborated with the model that is used to visualize heat loss pattern in different zones of Blast Furnace.

Keywords: blast furnace, staves, gas flow pattern, belly/bosh heat losses, ore/coke ratio, blowing parameters, casting, operation practice

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Authors: Sheng Yu Chen, Shi-Heng Wang

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Aim: Based on human, animal experiments, and genetic studies, cysteinyl leukotrienes, LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4, are inflammatory substances that are metabolized by 5-lipooxygenase from arachidonic acid, and these substances trigger asthma. In addition, the synthetic pathway of cysteinyl leukotriene is relevant to the increase in cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial ischemia and stroke. Given the situation, we aim to investigate whether cysteinyl leukotrienes receptor antagonist (LTRA), montelukast which cures those who have asthma has potential protective effects on cardiovascular diseases. Method: We conducted a cohort study, and enrolled participants which are newly diagnosed with asthma (ICD-9 CM code 493. X) between 2002 to 2011. The data source is from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database Patients with a previous history of myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke were excluded. Among the remaining participants, every montelukast user was matched with two randomly non-users by sex, and age. The incident cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, were regarded as outcomes. We followed the participants until outcomes come first or the end of the following period. To explore the protective effect of montelukast on the risk of cardiovascular disease, we use multivariable Cox regression to estimate the hazard ratio with adjustment for potential confounding factors. Result: There are 55876 newly diagnosed asthma patients who had at least one claim of inpatient admission or at least three claims of outpatient records. We enrolled 5350 montelukast users and 10700 non-users in this cohort study. The following mean (±SD) time of the Montelukast group is 5 (±2.19 )years, and the non-users group is 6.2 5.47 (± 2.641) years. By using multivariable Cox regression, our analysis indicated that the risk of incident cardiovascular diseases between montelukast users (n=43, 0.8%) and non-users (n=111, 1.04%) is approximately equal. [adjusted hazard ratio 0.992; P-value:0.9643] Conclusion: In this population-based study, we found that the use of montelukast is not associated with a decrease in incident MI or IS.

Keywords: asthma, inflammation, montelukast, insurance research database, cardiovascular diseases

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Authors: Tamseela Habib, Muhammad Amjad, Muhammad Edokali, Masome Moeni, Olivia Pickup, Ali Hassanpour

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Nanofluid-assisted steam generation is rapidly attracting attention amongst the scientific community since it can be applied in a wide range of industrial processes. Because of its high absorption rate of solar energy, nanoparticle-based solar steam generation could be a major contributor to many applications, including water desalination, sterilization and power generation. Lithium bromide-based iron oxide nanofluids have been previously studied in steam generation, which showed promising results. However, the efficiency of the system could be improved if a more heat-conductive nanofluid system could be utilised. In the current paper, we report on an experimental investigation of the photothermal conversion properties of functionalised Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles used in Lithium Bromide salt solutions. CuO binary nanofluid was prepared by chemical functionalization with polyethyleneimine (PEI). Long-term stability evaluation of prepared binary nanofluid was done by a high-speed centrifuge analyser which showed a 0.06 Instability index suggesting low agglomeration and sedimentation tendencies. This stability is also supported by the measurements from dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer. The fluid rheology is also characterised, which suggests the system exhibits a Newtonian fluid behavior. The photothermal conversion efficiency of different concentrations of CuO was experimentally investigated under a solar simulator. Experimental results reveal that the binary nanofluid in this study can remarkably increase the solar energy trapping efficiency and evaporation rate as compared to conventional fluids due to localized solar energy harvesting by the surface of the nanofluid. It was found that 0.1wt% CuO NP is the optimum nanofluid concentration for enhanced sensible and latent heat efficiencies.

Keywords: nanofluids, vapor absorption refrigeration system, steam generation, high salinity

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Authors: Zeynep Yazicioglu

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Project development is a complex process where many stakeholders work together. Employers and main contractors are the base stakeholders, whereas designers, engineers, sub-contractors, suppliers, supervisors, and consultants are other stakeholders. A combination of the complexity of the building process with a large number of stakeholders often leads to time and cost overruns and irregular resource utilization. Failure to comply with the work schedule and inefficient use of resources in the construction processes indicate that it is necessary to accelerate production and increase productivity. The development of computer software called Building Information Modeling, abbreviated as BIM, is a major technological breakthrough in this area. The use of BIM enables architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical projects to be drawn in coordination. BIM is a tool that should be considered by every stakeholder with the opportunities it offers, such as minimizing construction errors, reducing construction time, forecasting, and determination of the final construction cost. It is a process spreading over the years, enabling all stakeholders associated with the project and construction to use it. The main goal of this paper is to explore the problems associated with the adoption of BIM in multi-stakeholder projects. The paper is a conceptual study, summarizing the author’s practical experience with design offices and construction firms working with BIM. In the transition period to BIM, three of the challenges will be examined in this paper: 1. The compatibility of supplier companies with BIM, 2. The need for two-dimensional drawings, 3. Contractual issues related to BIM. The paper reviews the literature on BIM usage and reviews the challenges in the transition stage to BIM. Even on an international scale, the supplier that can work in harmony with BIM is not very common, which means that BIM's transition is continuing. In parallel, employers, local approval authorities, and material suppliers still need a 2-D drawing. In the BIM environment, different stakeholders can work on the same project simultaneously, giving rise to design ownership issues. Practical applications and problems encountered are also discussed, providing a number of suggestions for the future.

Keywords: BIM opportunities, collaboration, contract issues about BIM, stakeholders of project

Procedia PDF Downloads 91

Authors: T. H. Huang, C. Y. Gao, C. H. Lin, J. L. Kwo, Y. K. Tseng

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The design and reliability of solar photovoltaic modules are crucial to the development of solar energy, and efforts are still being made to extend the life of photovoltaic modules to improve their efficiency because natural aging is time-consuming and does not provide manufacturers and investors with timely information, accelerated aging is currently the best way to estimate the life of photovoltaic modules. In this study, the accelerated aging of different light sources was combined with spectral response measurements to understand the effect of light sources on aging tests. In this study, there are two types of experimental samples: packaged and unpackaged and then irradiated with full-spectrum and UVC light sources for accelerated aging, as well as a control group without aging. The full-spectrum aging was performed by irradiating the solar cell with a xenon lamp like the solar spectrum for two weeks, while the accelerated aging was performed by irradiating the solar cell with a UVC lamp for two weeks. The samples were first visually observed, and infrared thermal images were taken, and then the electrical (IV) and Spectral Responsivity (SR) data were obtained by measuring the spectral response of the samples, followed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results of electrical (IV) and Spectral Responsivity (SR) and material analyses were used to compare the differences between packaged and unpackaged solar cells with full spectral aging, accelerated UVC aging, and unaged solar cells. The main objective of this study is to compare the difference in the aging of packaged and unpackaged solar cells by irradiating different light sources. We determined by infrared thermal imaging that both full-spectrum aging and UVC accelerated aging increase the defects of solar cells, and IV measurements demonstrated that the conversion efficiency of solar cells decreases after full-spectrum aging and UVC accelerated aging. SEM observed some scorch marks on both unpackaged UVC accelerated aging solar cells and unpackaged full-spectrum aging solar cells. Raman spectroscopy examines the Si intensity of solar cells, and XRD confirms the crystallinity of solar cells by the intensity of Si and Ag winding peaks.

Keywords: solar cell, aging, spectral response measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Vakhtang Charaia, Mariam Lashkhi

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Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a vital role in global business. It provides firms with new markets and advertising channels, cheaper production facilities, admission to new technology, products, skills and financing. FDI can provide a recipient country/company with a source of new technologies, capital, practice, products, management skills, and as such can be a powerful drive for economic development. It is one of the key elements of stable economic development in many countries, especially in developing ones. Therefore the size of FDI inflow is one of the most crustal factors for economic perfection in small economy countries (like, Georgia), while most of developed ones are net exporters of FDI. Since, FDI provides firms with new markets; admission to new technologies, products and management skills; marketing channels; cheaper production facilities, and financing opportunities. It plays a significant role in Georgian economic development. Increasing FDI inflows from all over the world to Georgia in last decade was achieved with the outstanding reforms managed by the Georgian government. However, such important phenomenon as world financial crisis and Georgian-Russian war put its consequence on the over amount of FDI inflow in Georgia in the last years. It is important to mention that the biggest investor region for Georgia is EU, which is interested in Georgia not only from the economic points of view but from political. The case studies from main EU investor countries show that Georgia has a big potential of investment in different areas, such as; financial sector, energy, construction, tourism industry, transport and communications. Moreover, signing of Association Agreement between Georgia and EU will further boost all the fields of economy in Georgia in both short and long terms. It will attract more investments from different countries and especially from EU. The last, but not least important issue is the calculation of annual FDI inflow to Georgia, which it is calculated differently by different organizations, based on different methodologies, but what is more important is that all of them show significant increase of FDI in last decade, which gives a positive signal to investors and underlines necessity of further improvement of investment climate in the same direction.

Keywords: foreign direct investment (FDI), Georgia, investment development path, investment climate

Procedia PDF Downloads 241

Authors: Floyd Misheck Mwanza, Paul Boniface Majura

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The paper looked at highways/ roadside waste generation, disposal and the consequent environmental impacts. The dramatic increase in vehicular and paved roads in the recent past in Zambia, has given rise to the indiscriminate disposal of litter that now poses a threat to health and the environment. Primary data was generated by carrying out oral interviews and field observations for holistic and in–depth assessment of the environment and the secondary data was obtained from desk review method, information on effects of roadside wastes on environment were obtained from relevant literatures. The interviews were semi structured and a purposive sampling method was adopted and analyzed descriptively. The results of the findings showed that population growth and unplanned road expansion has exceeded the expected limit in recent time with resultant poor system of roadside wastes disposal. Roadside wastes which contain both biodegradable and non-biodegradable roadside wastes are disposed at the shoulders of major highways in temporary dumpsites and are never collected by a road development agency (RDA). There is no organized highway to highway or street to street collection of the wastes in Zambia by the key organization the RDA. The study revealed that roadside disposal of roadside wastes has serious impacts on the environment. Some of these impacts include physical nuisance of the wastes to the environment, the waste dumps also serve as hideouts for rodents and snakes which are dangerous. Waste are blown around by wind making the environment filthy, most of the wastes are also been washed by overland flow during heavy downpour to block drainage channels and subsequently lead to flooding of the environment. Most of the non- biodegradable wastes contain toxic chemicals which have serious implications on the environmental sustainability and human health. The paper therefore recommends that Government/ RDA should come up with proper orientation and environmental laws should be put in place for the general public and also to provide necessary facilities and arrange for better methods of collection of wastes.

Keywords: biodegradable, disposal, environment, impacts

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Authors: Karen Miner-Romanoff

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Few art programs for incarcerated juveniles exist; however, evaluation results indicate decreased recidivism and behavior problems. This paper reports on an on-going study of a promising art program for incarcerated adolescents with community exhibits and charitable sale of their work. Voices from Inside, a partnership between Franklin University and the Ohio Department of Youth Services, sponsored three exhibits in 2012, 2013, and 2014. In 2013, youth exhibitor survey results (response rate 47%, 16 of 34) showed that 81% cited as benefits cooperation with others, task completion, and increased self-esteem from public recognition and art sales. Community attendee survey results (response rate 29.5%, 59 of 200) showed positive attitude changes toward juvenile offenders, from 40% to 53%. Qualitative responses were similarly positive. The 2014 youth exhibitor sample was larger (response rate 58%, 29 of 50) and showed that 93% cited positive benefits including increase in self-esteem, decrease in stress, pride or recognition of the ability to reach a goal from completing, exhibiting and selling their art to benefit a charity for at-risk youth. This year, the research was able to conduct ten one-on-one interviews inside of the youth facilities, and qualitative responses were even more positive with one youth explaining, “This art represents my joy, my tears, my pain and my hope.” Community attendee survey results (response rate 50%, 86 of 170) were transformative in that that they indicated significant impression on attitudes toward juvenile offenders and their rehabilitative needs with one attendee stating that the event had an, “Immense impact for me bringing into focus the humanity and value these youth still have for us and society.” Future research indicates a need for a correlation study to determine the extent to which these art programs reduce behavioral incidents inside of the facility and long-term reduction in reoffending rates. Generally, further study of juvenile offenders’ art for rehabilitation and restorative justice, the power of art to transform, and university-community partnerships implementing art programs for juvenile offenders should continue.

Keywords: art, juvenile, incarcerated, restorative justice

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Authors: Andreas Aceranti, Stefano Costa

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The aim of this study was to demonstrate that manipulative treatment combined with therapeutic exercisetherapywas more effective than isolated therapeutic exercise in the short-term treatment of eye convergence disorders in boxers. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) pilot trial was performed at our physiotherapy practices. 30 adult subjects who practice the discipline of boxing were selected after an initial skimming defined by the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) test (results greater than or equal to 10) starting from the initial sample of 50 subjects; The 30 recruits were evaluated by an orthoptist using prisms to know the diopters of each eye and were divided into 2 groups (experimental group and control group). The members of the experimental group were subjected to manipulation of the lateral strain of sphenoid from the side contralateral to the eye that had fewer diopters and were subjected to a sequence of 3 ocular motor exercises immediately after manipulation. The control group, on the other hand, received only ocular motor treatment. A secondary outcome was also drawn up that demonstrated how changes in ocular motricity also affected cervical rotation. Analysis of the data showed that the experimental treatment was in the short term superior to the control group to astatistically significant extent both in terms of the prismatic delta of the right eye (0 OT median without manipulation and 10 OT median with manipulation) and that of the left eye (0 OT median without manipulation and 5 OT median with manipulation). Cervical rotation values also showed better values in the experimental group with a median of 4° in the right rotation without manipulation and 6° with thrust; the left rotation presented a median of 2° without manipulation and 7° with thrust. From the results that emerged, the treatment was effective. It would be desirable to increase the sample number and set up a timeline to see if the net improvements obtained in the short term will also be maintained in the medium to long term.

Keywords: boxing, basilar spheno synchondrosis, ocular convergence deficit, osteopathic treatment

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Authors: Mahmood Shamshiri

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While visual sensation is the key gate for human-being to understand the world, visual impairment is one of the common cause of disability around the world. There is no doubt about the importance of eye sight in daily life among people, even it is understood the best gift of God to human-beings in many societies. Blind people are admitted to hospital for different health issues. Nurses and other health professionals who provide care for this group of patients need to understand their patients. Understanding the lived experience of blind people helps nurses to expand their knowledge regarding blind patients in order to provide a holistic care and improve the quality of care for blind patients. This phenomenological inquiry aimed to describe the meaning of discipline in daily life of blind people admitted in hospital. An interpretive phenomenology underpinned the philosophical approach of the study. While the interpretive phenomenology played as an umbrella role in the overall point of the study, the six methodical activities which introduced by van Manen helped the researchers to conduct the study. ‘Disciplined care for disciplined patients’ was the main theme emerged from dialogues of blind patients about their daily life in the hospital. Almost all of participants called themselves as disciplined people. The theme ‘disciplined care for disciplined patients’ appeared from four sub-themes including discipline through careful touching and listening, discipline as the ideal way of existence, discipline the preferred way of being independent, desire to take disciplined and detailed care, reactions to the undisciplined caring culture. This phenomenological inquiry to the experiences of patients with blindness in hospital revealed that they commonly are disciplined people and want to be cared in well-organized caring environment. Furthermore, they need to be familiar with the new caring environment. Well-organized and familiar environment help blind patients to increase the level of independency. In addition, blind patients prefer a detail informed and disciplined caring culture. Health professionals have to consider the concept of disciplined care in order to provide a holistic and comprehensive competent care.

Keywords: disciplined people, disciplined care, lived experience, patient with blindness

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Authors: Said Benaissa, David Plets, Emmeric Tanghe, Jens Trogh, Luc Martens, Leen Vandaele, Annelies Van Nuffel, Frank A. M. Tuyttens, Bart Sonck, Wout Joseph

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The herd monitoring and managing - in particular the detection of ‘attention animals’ that require care, treatment or assistance is crucial for effective reproduction status, health, and overall well-being of dairy cows. In large sized farms, traditional methods based on direct observation or analysis of video recordings become labour-intensive and time-consuming. Thus, automatic monitoring systems using sensors have become increasingly important to continuously and accurately track the health status of dairy cows. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and internet-of-things (IoT) can be effectively used in health tracking of dairy cows to facilitate herd management and enhance the cow welfare. Since on-cow measuring devices are energy-constrained, a proper characterization of the off-body wireless channel between the on-cow sensor nodes and the back-end base station is required for a power-optimized deployment of these networks in barns. The aim of this study was to characterize the off-body wireless channel in indoor (barns) environment at 868 MHz using LoRa nodes. LoRa is an emerging wireless technology mainly targeted at WSNs and IoT networks. Both large scale fading (i.e., path loss) and temporal fading were investigated. The obtained path loss values as a function of the transmitter-receiver separation were well fitted by a lognormal path loss model. The path loss showed an additional increase of 4 dB when the wireless node was actually worn by the cow. The temporal fading due to movement of other cows was well described by Rician distributions with a K-factor of 8.5 dB. Based on this characterization, network planning and energy consumption optimization of the on-body wireless nodes could be performed, which enables the deployment of reliable dairy cow monitoring systems.

Keywords: channel, channel modelling, cow monitoring, dairy cows, health monitoring, IoT, LoRa, off-body propagation, PLF, propagation

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Authors: Saidulu Gadari, Manoj Kumar Yadav, V. K. Satheesh, Debasis Bhattacharyya, S. S. V. Ramakumar, Subhajit Sarkar

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Most Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCUs) are big profit makers and hence, always operated with several constraints. It is the primary source for production of gasoline, light olefins as petrochemical feedstocks, feedstock for alkylate & oxygenates, LPG, etc. in a refinery. Increasing unit capacity and improving product yields as well as qualities such as gasoline RON have dramatic impact on the refinery economics. FCCUs are often debottlenecked significantly beyond their original design capacities. Depending upon the unit configuration, operating conditions, and feedstock quality, the FCC unit can have a variety of bottlenecks. While some of these are aimed to increase the feed rate, improve the conversion, etc., the others are aimed to improve the reliability of the equipment or overall unit. Apart from investment cost, the other factors considered generally while evaluating the debottlenecking options are shutdown days, faster payback, risk on investment, etc. A low-cost solution such as replacement of feed injectors, air distributor, steam distributors, spent catalyst distributor, efficient cyclone system, etc. are the preferred way of upgrading FCCU. It also has lower lead time from idea inception to implementation. This paper discusses various bottlenecks generally encountered in FCCU and presents a case study on improvement of performance of one of the FCCUs in IndianOil through implementation of cost-effective technical solution including use of improved internals in Reactor-Regeneration (R-R) section. After implementation reduction in regenerator air, gas superficial velocity in regenerator and cyclone velocities by about 10% and improvement of CLO yield from 10 to 6 wt% have been achieved. By ensuring proper pressure balance and optimum immersion of cyclone dipleg in the standpipe, frequent formation of perforations in regenerator cyclones could be addressed which in turn improved the unit on-stream factor.

Keywords: FCC, low-cost, revamp, debottleneck, internals, distributors, cyclone, dipleg

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Authors: Pramika J. Muthya

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This paper investigates the impact of web graphics and interface design on building visitor trust in websites. A quantitative survey approach was used to examine how aesthetic and usability elements of website design influence user perceptions of trustworthiness. 133 participants aged 18-25 who live in urban Bangalore and engage in online transactions were recruited via convenience sampling. Data was collected through an online survey measuring trust levels based on website design, using validated constructs like the Visual Aesthetic of Websites Inventory (VisAWI). Statistical analysis, including ordinal regression, was conducted to analyze the results. The findings show a statistically significant relationship between web graphics and interface design and the level of trust visitors place in a website. The goodness-of-fit statistics and highly significant model fitting information provide strong evidence for rejecting the null hypothesis of no relationship. Well-designed visual aesthetics like simplicity, diversity, colorfulness, and craftsmanship are key drivers of perceived credibility. Intuitive navigation and usability also increase trust. The results emphasize the strategic importance for companies to invest in appealing graphic design, consistent with existing theoretical frameworks. There are also implications for taking a user-centric approach to web design and acknowledging the reciprocal link between pre-existing user trust and perception of visuals. While generalizable, limitations include possible sampling and self-report biases. Further research can build on these findings to deepen understanding of nuanced cultural and temporal factors influencing online trust. Overall, this study makes a significant contribution by providing empirical evidence that reinforces the crucial impact of thoughtful graphic design in fostering lasting user trust in websites.

Keywords: web graphics, interface design, visitor trust, website design, aesthetics, user experience, online trust, visual design, graphic design, user perceptions, user expectations

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Authors: Marah Joy A. Nanglegan

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A survey was conducted to describe knowledge, attitude, practices, information needs, and information seeking behavior of small-scale farmers on Organic Agriculture Production (OAP) in a rural community in Ifugao, Philippines. Respondents’ age ranged from 23-67 years old. Most of them are male, married, and have reached high school level. The major source of income is farming with an average monthly income of less than Php 5,000 for a household size of seven. More than fifty percent of the respondents are members of a farmer’s organization. Farm size is less than one hectare. Majority of them own their farms and have been farming for more than twenty years. Very few attended training on Organic Agriculture Production (OAP). Most of them are not aware of any OAP program in their community. Hence, their farming practices are mostly conventional. The overall level of knowledge on OAP among all respondents was below the average. On attitude, most of the respondents agreed that organic farming would decrease production costs by reducing input purchases. They believe it benefits both the consumer and the producer. In fact, they are aware of the many benefits of organic farming, especially on health. Likewise, many of them agreed on the benefits of organic farming to soil fertility, to the environment, and to increase the income of farmers. Many of them, however, see organic farming as troublesome and difficult in terms of time and effort, obtaining organic inputs, limited production, and marketing aspects. They also have heavy reliance on pesticides and herbicides to control pests and diseases. On practices, majority of the respondents stated that they practiced crop rotation, manual weeding, and the use of animal manure. Most of them desired to do organic farming but needed information such as production techniques, costs, and marketing opportunities. Their most preferred communication channel is through extension agents and contact farmers. Their most preferred communication method is through trainings and seminars as well as through farm demonstrations. Results of this study will serve as a basis for developing appropriate communication strategies to improve knowledge, attitude, and practices of respondents on organic agriculture as well as enhance the promotion of organic agriculture production in the community.

Keywords: Ifugao, knowledge attitude practices, organic agriculture, Philippines

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Sina Alimohammadi, Mahnaz Banihashemi, Maryam Poursharif

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Demodex is a mandatory parasite of pilosebaceous. D. folliculorum lives as a single parasite or as a number of parasites in hair follicles, and D. brevis as a single parasite living in sebaceous glands. Transmission of Demodex from one person to another requires direct skin contact; it also has a greater density in the forehead, cheeks, nose, and nasolabial folds. Demodex can cause some clinical symptoms such as follicular pityriasis, rosacea-like demodicosis, postural folliculitis, papules, seborrheic dermatitis, blepharitis, dermatitis around the lips, and hyperpigmented spots. In this study, the prevalence of Demodex species in patients referred to the dermatology department of Sayad Shirazi Hospital Gorgan, Iran, in the years 2019-2020 was investigated. Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 242 samples taken from the people referred to the dermatology department of Sayad Shirazi Hospital during the years 2019-2020, which were sampled by adhesive tape. All of the participants completed the questionnaires. The samples were examined microscopically for the presence of Demodex. Results: Out of 242 participants, 67 (27.68%) were infected with Demodex. Most cases of infection were observed in the group of 21 to 30 years (28 people; 11.57%) and then in the group of 31 to 40 years (21 people; 8.67%). Also, in the group of people under 10 years and over 60 years, no positive cases (0%) of Demodex were observed in microscopic examinations. Out of 11 variables, there was a statistically significant difference in relation to the three variables of age (P = 0.000003), use of cleansing solutions (P = 0.002), and the presence of acne (P = 0.0013). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it was found that the incidence of Demodex in one group of acne patients is higher than in others, which emphasizes the possible role of Demodex in the pathogenesis of acne. In this study, there was an inverse relationship between the incidence of Demodex and the use of skin cleansing solutions. Also, the prevalence of Demodex is higher in the group of 20-30 years, and its prevalence does not increase with age. Due to the possibility of drug resistance in the future, regular studies on genotyping and drug resistance are recommended.

Keywords: acne, demodex, mite, prevalence

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Authors: Mireya Mateo Gomez

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The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions first-generation Mexican origin mothers living in San Diego have on postpartum depression (PPD), with a special focus on social influences and cultural beliefs towards those meanings. This study also aimed to examine possible PPD help-seeking behaviors that first-generation Mexican origin mothers can perform. The Health Belief Model (HBM) and Social Ecological Model (SEM) were the guiding theoretical frameworks for this study. Data for this study were collected from three focus groups, four in-depth interviews, and the distribution of an acculturation survey (ARSMA II). There were a total of 15 participants, in which participant’s mean age was 45, and the mean age migrated to the United States being 22. Most participants identified as being married, born in Southern or Western Mexico, and with a strong Mexican identity in relation to the ARSMA survey. Participants identified four salient PPD perceptions corresponding to the interpersonal level of SEM. These four main perceptions were: 1) PPD affecting the identity of motherhood; 2) PPD being a natural part of a mother’s experience but mitigated by networks; 3) PPD being a U.S. phenomenon due to family and community breakdown; and 4) natural remedies as a preferred PPD treatment. In regard to themes relating to help seeking behaviors, participants identified seven being: 1) seeking help from immediate family members; 2) practicing home remedies; 3) seeking help from a medical professional; 4) obtaining help from a clinic or organization; 5) seeking help from God; 6) participating in PPD support groups; and 7) talking to a friend. It was evident in this study that postpartum depression is not a well discussed topic within the Mexican immigrant population. In relation to the role culture and social influences have on PPD perceptions, most participants shared hearing or learning about PPD from their family members or friends. Participants also stated seeking help from family members if diagnosed with PPD and seeking out home remedies. This study as well provides suggestions to increase the awareness of PPD among the Mexican immigrant community.

Keywords: cultural beliefs, health belief model, Mexican origin mothers, perceptions, postpartum depression social ecological model

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Authors: Daniel Mokatsanyane, Johnny Jansen Van Rensburg

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The integral role oil-crushing companies play in sunflower oil production is often overlooked to offer high-quality oil to refineries and end consumers. Sunflower oil crushing companies in South Africa are exposed to price fluctuations resulting from the local and international markets. Hedging instruments enable these companies to hedge themselves against unexpected prices spikes and to ensure sustained profitability. A crushing company is a necessary middleman, and as such, these companies have exposure to the purchasing and selling sides of sunflower. Sunflower oil crushing companies purchase sunflower seeds from farmers or agricultural companies that provide storage facilities. The purchasing price is determined by the supply and demand of sunflower seed, both national and international. When the price of sunflower seeds in South Africa is high but still below import parity, then the crush margins realised by these companies are reduced or even negative at times. There are three main products made by sunflower oil crushing companies, oil, meal, and shells. Profits are realised from selling three products, namely, sunflower oil, meal and shells. However, when selling sunflower oil to refineries, sunflower oil crushing companies needs to hedge themselves against a reduction in vegetable oil prices. Hedging oil prices is often done via futures and is subject to specific volume commitments before a hedge position can be taken in. Furthermore, South African oil-crushing companies hedge sunflower oil with international, Over-the-counter contracts as South Africa is a price taker of sunflower oil and not a price maker. As such, South Africa provides a fraction of the world’s sunflower oil supply and, therefore, has minimal influence on price changes. The advantage of hedging using futures ensures that the sunflower crushing company will know the profits they will realise, but the downside is that they can no longer benefit from a price increase. Alternative hedging instruments like options might pose a solution to the opportunity cost does not go missing and that profit margins are locked in at the best possible prices for the oil crushing company. This paper aims to investigate the possibility of employing options alongside futures to simulate different scenarios to determine if options can bridge the opportunity cost gap.

Keywords: derivatives, hedging, price risk, sunflower, sunflower oil, South Africa

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Authors: Nuri Onat, Omer Tatari, Gokhan Egilmez

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The U.S. buildings consume significant amount of energy and natural resources and they are responsible for approximately 40 % of the greenhouse gases emitted in the United States. Awareness of these environmental impacts paved the way for the adoption of green building movement. The green building movement is a rapidly increasing trend. Green Construction market has generated $173 billion dollars in GDP, supported over 2.4 million jobs, and provided $123 billion dollars in labor earnings. The number of LEED certified buildings is projected to be almost half of the all new, nonresidential buildings by 2015. National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) aims to increase number of net-zero energy buildings (NZB). The ultimate goal is to have all commercial NZB by 2050 in the US (NSTC 2008). Green Building Initiative (GBI) became the first green building organization that is accredited by American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which will also boost number of green buildings certified by Green Globes. However, there is much less focus on greening the residential buildings, although the environmental impacts of existing residential buildings are more than that of commercial buildings. In this regard, current research aims to model the residential green building movement with a dynamic model approach and assess the possible strategies to stabilize the carbon footprint of the U.S. residential building stock. Three aspects of sustainable development are considered in policy making, namely: high performance green building (HPGB) construction, NZB construction and building retrofitting. 19 different policy options are proposed and analyzed. Results of this study explored that increasing the construction rate of HPGBs or NZBs is not a sufficient policy to stabilize the carbon footprint of the residential buildings. Energy efficient building retrofitting options are found to be more effective strategies then increasing HPGBs and NZBs construction. Also, significance of shifting to renewable energy sources for electricity generation is stressed.

Keywords: green building movement, residential buildings, carbon footprint, system dynamics

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Authors: Nicholas Bayfield, Liam Bibo, Charley Budgeon, Robert Larbalestier, Tom Briffa

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Introduction: Stress hyperglycaemia is common following cardiac surgery. Its optimal management is uncertain and may differ by diabetic status. This study assesses the in-hospital glycaemic management of cardiac surgery patients and associated postoperative outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of all patients undergoing cardiac surgery at Fiona Stanley Hospital from February 2015 to May 2019 was undertaken. Management and outcomes of hyperglycaemia following cardiac surgery were assessed. Follow-up was assessed to 1 year postoperatively. Multivariate regression modelling was utilised. Results: 1050 non-diabetic patients and 689 diabetic patients were included. In the non-diabetic cohort, patients with mild (peak blood sugar level [BSL] < 14.3), transient stress hyperglycaemia managed without insulin were not at an increased risk of wound-related morbidity (P=0.899) or mortality at 1 year (P=0.483). Insulin management was associated with wound-related readmission to hospital (P=0.004) and superficial sternal wound infection (P=0.047). Prolonged or severe stress hyperglycaemia was predictive of hospital re-admission (P=0.050) but not morbidity or mortality (P=0.546). Diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor 1-year mortality (OR; 1.972 [1.041–3.736], P=0.037), graft harvest site wound infection (OR; 1.810 [1.134–2.889], P=0.013) and wound-related readmission (OR; 1.866 [1.076–3.236], P=0.026). In diabetics, postoperative peak BSL > 13.9mmol/L was predictive of graft harvest site infections (OR; 3.528 [1.724-7.217], P=0.001) and wound-related readmission OR; 3.462 [1.540-7.783], P=0.003) regardless of modality of management. A peak BSL of 10.0-13.9 did not increase the risk of morbidity/mortality compared to a peak BSL of < 10.0 (P=0.557). Diabetics with a peak BSL of 13.9 or less did not have significantly increased morbidity/mortality outcomes compared to non-diabetics (P=0.418). Conclusion: In non-diabetic patients, transient mild stress hyperglycaemia following cardiac surgery does not uniformly require treatment. In diabetic patients, postoperative hyperglycaemia with peak BSL exceeding 13.9mmol/L was associated with wound-related morbidity and hospital readmission following cardiac surgery.

Keywords: cardiac surgery, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary embolectomy, cardiopulmonary bypass

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Authors: P. Saha, R. Ganguly, N. K .Singha, A. Pich

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Microgel, a smart class of material, has drawn attention in the past few years due to its response to external stimuli like temperature, pH, and ionic strength of the solution. Among them, one type of polymer becomes soluble, and the other becomes insoluble in water upon heating displaying upper critical solution temperature (UCST) (e.g., polysulfobetaine, PSB) and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) (e.g., poly(N-vinylcaprolactam, PVCL)) respectively. Polyzwitterions, electrically neutral polymers are biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-cytotoxic in nature, and presence of zwitterionic pendant group in the main backbone makes them stable against temperature and pH variations and strong hydration capability in salt solution promotes them to be used as interfacial bio-adhesion resistance material. Majority of zwitterionic microgels have been synthesized in mini- emulsion technique using free radical polymerization approach. Here, a new route to synthesize dual thermo-responsive PVCL microgels decorated with appreciable amount of zwitterionic PSB chains was developed by a purely water-based surfactant-free reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization. PSB macro-RAFTs having different molecular weights were synthesized and utilized for surface-grafting with PVCL microgels varying the macro-RAFT concentration using N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BIS) as cross-linker. Increasing the PSB concentration in the PVCL microgels resulted in a linear increase in UCST but decrease in hydrodynamic radius due to strong intrachain coulombic attraction forces acting between the opposite charges present in the zwitterionic groups. Anti- fouling effect was observed on addition of BSA protein solution on the microgel-coated membrane surfaces as studied by fluorescence spectrophotoscopy.

Keywords: microgels, polyzwitterions, upper critical solution temperature-lower critical solution temperature, UCST-LCST, ionic crosslinking

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Authors: Hoai Nam Huynh, Edouard Rivière-Lorphèvre, Olivier Verlinden

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Manufacturing technologies are becoming continuously more diversified over the years. The increasing use of robots for various applications such as assembling, painting, welding has also affected the field of machining. Machining robots can deal with larger workspaces than conventional machine-tools at a lower cost and thus represent a very promising alternative for machining applications. Furthermore, their inherent structure ensures them a great flexibility of motion to reach any location on the workpiece with the desired orientation. Nevertheless, machining robots suffer from a lack of stiffness at their joints restricting their use to applications involving low cutting forces especially finishing operations. Vibratory instabilities may also happen while machining and deteriorate the precision leading to scrap parts. Some researchers are therefore concerned with the identification of optimal parameters in robotic machining. This paper continues the development of a virtual robotic machining simulator in order to find optimized cutting parameters in terms of depth of cut or feed per tooth for example. The simulation environment combines an in-house milling routine (DyStaMill) achieving the computation of cutting forces and material removal with an in-house multibody library (EasyDyn) which is used to build a dynamic model of a 3-DOF planar robot with flexible links. The position of the robot end-effector submitted to milling forces is controlled through an inverse kinematics scheme while controlling the position of its joints separately. Each joint is actuated through a servomotor for which the transfer function has been computed in order to tune the corresponding controller. The output results feature the evolution of the cutting forces when the robot structure is deformable or not and the tracking errors of the end-effector. Illustrations of the resulting machined surfaces are also presented. The consideration of the links flexibility has highlighted an increase of the cutting forces magnitude. This proof of concept will aim to enrich the database of results in robotic machining for potential improvements in production.

Keywords: control, milling, multibody, robotic, simulation

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Authors: Dharminder Singh, Sanjeev Yadav, Pravakar Mohanty

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In this work, study of temperature profile in a pilot scale air bubbling fluidized bed (ABFB) gasifier for rice husk gasification was carried out. Effects of different factors such as multiple cyclones, gas cooling system, ventilate gas pipe length, and catalyst on temperature profile was examined. ABFB gasifier used in this study had two sections, one is bed section and the other is freeboard section. River sand was used as bed material with air as gasification agent, and conventional charcoal as start-up heating medium in this gasifier. Temperature of different point in both sections of ABFB gasifier was recorded at different ER value and ER value was changed by changing the feed rate of biomass (rice husk) and by keeping the air flow rate constant for long durational of gasifier operation. ABFB with double cyclone with gas coolant system and with short length ventilate gas pipe was found out to be optimal gasifier design to give temperature profile required for high gasification performance in long duration operation. This optimal design was tested with different ER values and it was found that ER of 0.33 was most favourable for long duration operation (8 hr continuous operation), giving highest carbon conversion efficiency. At optimal ER of 0.33, bed temperature was found to be stable at 700 °C, above bed temperature was found to be at 628.63 °C, bottom of freeboard temperature was found to be at 600 °C, top of freeboard temperature was found to be at 517.5 °C, gas temperature was found to be at 195 °C, and flame temperature was found to be 676 °C. Temperature at all the points showed fluctuations of 10 – 20 °C. Effect of catalyst i.e. dolomite (20% with sand bed) was also examined on temperature profile, and it was found that at optimal ER of 0.33, the bed temperature got increased to 795 °C, above bed temperature got decreased to 523 °C, bottom of freeboard temperature got decreased to 548 °C, top of freeboard got decreased to 475 °C, gas temperature got decreased to 220 °C, and flame temperature got increased to 703 °C. Increase in bed temperature leads to higher flame temperature due to presence of more hydrocarbons generated from more tar cracking at higher temperature. It was also found that the use of dolomite with sand bed eliminated the agglomeration in the reactor at such high bed temperature (795 °C).

Keywords: air bubbling fluidized bed gasifier, bed temperature, charcoal heating, dolomite, flame temperature, rice husk

Procedia PDF Downloads 249

Authors: George B. Abaka-Wood, Massimiliano Zanin, Jonas Addai-Mensah, William Skinner

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The versatility of froth flotation has made it vital in the beneficiation of rare earth elements minerals from either high or low-grade ores. There has been a significant increase in the quantity of iron oxide silicate-rich tailings generated from the extraction of primary commodities such as copper and gold in Australia, which have been identified to contain very low-grade rare earth oxides (≤ 1%). There is a vast knowledge gap in the beneficiation of rare earth oxides from such tailings. The aim of this research is to investigate the feasibility of using fatty acids as collectors for the flotation recovery and upgrade of rare earth oxides from selected iron-oxide silicate-rich tailings. Two forms of fatty acid collectors (oleic acid and sodium oleate) were tested in this investigation. Flotation tests were carried out using a 1.2 L Denver D-12 cell. The effects of pulp pH, fatty acid dosage, particle size distribution (-150 +75 µm, -75 +38 µm and -38 µm) and conventional depressants (sodium silicate and starch) dosage on flotation recovery of rare earth oxides were investigated. A comparison of the flotation results indicated that sodium oleate was the more efficient fatty acid for rare earth oxides flotation at all the pulp pH investigated. The flotation performance was found to be particle size-dependent. Both sodium silicate and starch were unselective in decreasing the recovery of iron oxides and silicate minerals, respectively with the corresponding decrease in rare earth oxides recovery. Generally, iron oxides and silicate minerals formed the substantial fraction of the flotation concentrates obtained, both in the absence and presence of depressants, resulting in a generally low rare earth oxides upgrade, even though rare earth oxides recoveries were high. The flotation tests carried out on the tailings sample suggest the feasibility of rare earth oxides recovery using fatty acids, although particle size distribution and minerals liberation are key limiting factors in achieving selective rare earth oxides upgrade.

Keywords: depressants, flotation, oleic acid, sodium oleate

Procedia PDF Downloads 162

Authors: Q. B. Maria de la Luz Ortega Juárez, Saúl Rojas Hernández, Itzel Berenice Rodríguez Mera, María Maricela Carrasco Yépez, Mara Gutierrez Sánchez

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Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba found mainly in temperate freshwater and is the etiologic agent of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a fatal acute disease with a mortality rate greater than 95%. At present, there are no treatments available for MAP, and the development of effective vaccines that generate long-term immunological memory allowing protection against MAP would be of great importance. The objective of this work was to analyze the effector and memory immune response in BALB/c mice immunized with total extract of N. fowleri co-administered with cholera toxin. In this study, BALB/c mice were immunized four times intranasally with ET of N. fowleri adjuvanted with CT with or without booster at three months and were challenged or not with the lethal dose of N. fowleri, determining survival, the humoral, effector and memory response, by ELISA and flow cytometry techniques. The results obtained showed that the survival of mice immunized with booster had 60% protection compared to the group without booster, which obtained 20% protection. Evaluating the humoral response, it was found that both IgG and IgA levels were higher in sera than in nasal washes in both treatments. In the cellular response, the increase in the percentage of positive cells was found for effector T and B lymphocytes in the nasal passages (NP) in the group with boost and nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) in the group without boost and lymphocytes only. B in both treatments, as well as in memory cells treatment with boost T lymphocytes in PN and NALT and without boost in cervical lymph nodes (CG) with respect to B lymphocytes, in PN, GC and NALT in treatment with boost and NALT in treatment without booster. Therefore, the involvement of the effector immune response and memory play a fundamental role for protection against N. fowleri and for the development of vaccine candidates.

Keywords: immune response, immunological memory, naegleria fowleri, primary amebic meningoencephalitis

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Authors: Soukat Kumar Das

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Rapid industrialization and increase in population has resulted in the scarcity of suitable ground conditions. It has driven the need of ground improvement by means of reinforcement with geosynthetics with the minimum possible settlement and with maximum possible safety. Prestressing the geosynthetics offers an economical yet safe method of gaining the goal. Commercially available software PLAXIS 3D has made the analysis of prestressed geosynthetics simpler with much practical simulations of the ground. Attempts have been made so far to analyse the effect of prestressing geosynthetics and the effect of interference of footing on Unreinforced (UR), Geogrid Reinforced (GR) and Prestressed Geogrid Reinforced (PGR) soil on the load bearing capacity and the settlement characteristics of prestressed geogrid reinforced soil using the numerical analysis by using the software PLAXIS 3D. The results of the numerical analysis have been validated and compared with those given in the referred paper. The results have been found to be in very good agreement with those of the actual field values with very small variation. The GR soil has been found to be improve the bearing pressure 240 % whereas the PGR soil improves it by almost 500 % for 1mm settlement. In fact, the PGR soil has enhanced the bearing pressure of the GR soil by almost 200 %. The settlement reduction has also been found to be very significant as for 100 kPa bearing pressure the settlement reduction of the PGR soil has been found to be about 88 % with respect to UR soil and it reduced to up to 67 % with respect to GR soil. The prestressing force has resulted in enhanced reinforcement mechanism, resulting in the increased bearing pressure. The deformation at the geogrid layer has been found to be 13.62 mm for GR soil whereas it decreased down to mere 3.5 mm for PGR soil which certainly ensures the effect of prestressing on the geogrid layer. The parameter Improvement factor or conventionally known as Bearing Capacity Ratio for different settlements and which depicts the improvement of the PGR with respect to UR and GR soil and the improvement of GR soil with respect to UR soil has been found to vary in the range of 1.66-2.40 in the present analysis for GR soil and was found to be vary between 3.58 and 5.12 for PGR soil with respect to UR soil. The effect of prestressing was also observed in case of two interfering square footings. The centre to centre distance between the two footings (SFD) was taken to be B, 1.5B, 2B, 2.5B and 3B where B is the width of the footing. It was found that for UR soil the improvement of the bearing pressure was up to 1.5B after which it remained almost same. But for GR soil the zone of influence rose up to 2B and for PGR it further went up to 2.5B. So the zone of interference for PGR soil has increased by 67% than Unreinforced (UR) soil and almost 25 % with respect to GR soil.

Keywords: bearing, geogrid, prestressed, reinforced

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Authors: Diana C. El Assal, Fatima Monteiro, Caroline May, Peter Barbuti, Silvia Bolognin, Averina Nicolae, Hulda Haraldsdottir, Lemmer R. P. El Assal, Swagatika Sahoo, Longfei Mao, Jens Schwamborn, Rejko Kruger, Ines Thiele, Kathrin Marcus, Ronan M. T. Fleming

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Degeneration of substantia nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. These neurons have a highly complex axonal arborisation and a high energy demand, so any reduction in ATP synthesis could lead to an imbalance between supply and demand, thereby impeding normal neuronal bioenergetic requirements. Synaptic mitochondria exhibit increased vulnerability to dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. After biogenesis in and transport from the cell body, synaptic mitochondria become highly dependent upon oxidative phosphorylation. We applied a systems biochemistry approach to identify the metabolic pathways used by neuronal mitochondria for energy generation. The mitochondrial component of an existing manual reconstruction of human metabolism was extended with manual curation of the biochemical literature and specialised using omics data from Parkinson's disease patients and controls, to generate reconstructions of synaptic and somal mitochondrial metabolism. These reconstructions were converted into stoichiometrically- and fluxconsistent constraint-based computational models. These models predict that Parkinson's disease is accompanied by an increase in the rate of glycolysis and a decrease in the rate of oxidative phosphorylation within synaptic mitochondria. This is consistent with independent experimental reports of a compensatory switching of bioenergetic pathways in the putamen of post-mortem Parkinson's disease patients. Ongoing work, in the context of the SysMedPD project is aimed at computational prediction of mitochondrial drug targets to slow the progression of neurodegeneration in the subset of Parkinson's disease patients with overt mitochondrial dysfunction.

Keywords: bioenergetics, mitochondria, Parkinson's disease, systems biochemistry

Procedia PDF Downloads 267