Search results for: needles

Authors: I. Graur, V. Bria, C. Muntenita

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Recent ecological interests have resulted in scientific concerns regarding natural-organic powder composites. Because natural-organic powders are cheap and biodegradable, green composites represent a substantial contribution in polymer science area. The aim of this study is to point out the effect of natural-organic powder resulting from the grinding of pine needles used as a modifying agent for Epiphen epoxy resin and is focused on friction coefficient behavior. A pin-on-disc setup is used for friction coefficient experiments. Epiphen epoxy resin was used with the different ratio of organic powder from the grinding of pine needles. Because of the challenges of natural organic powder, more and more companies are looking at organic composite materials.

Keywords: epoxy, friction coefficient, organic powder, pine needles

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Fanjun Zhou

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In today's drug-ridden society, drug injection is gradually becoming more popular and has hidden danger to IDUs (injection drug users) such as infectious diseases. According to reports, 67% of IDUs reported improper disposal at some point over the prior 30 days, leading to a proliferation of injection needles on the streets. In recent years, the number of cases of children or ordinary people unintentionally picking up needles have increased. Various needle remover inventions have begun to surface, but the existing ones are either expensive, unportable, or risky for IDUs. In order to effectively alleviate the proliferation of drug injection needles and improve the invention of needle removers, a miniature portable needle remover and receptacle is invented. The device for capturing and storing syringe needles contains an upper lid portion mounted tightly onto the lower box portion through an interlock system on the opposing sides of the device with a breaking-twisting mechanism to remove the needle. The invention is intended to be affordable to the general public, safe enough for IDUs to use, reliable enough not to harm others, and effective in breaking needles from the syringe. This report is conducted in the hope of spreading awareness of the dangers of drug injection and to provide a way to mitigate this drug rampant situation.

Keywords: needle remover, drug injection, injection drug users, portable, receptacle

Procedia PDF Downloads 64

Authors: S. Visetpotjanakit, N. Nakkaew

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Determination of ⁹⁰Sr in environmental samples has been widely developed with several radioanlytical methods and radiation measurement techniques since ⁹⁰Sr is one of the most hazardous radionuclides produced from nuclear reactors. Liquid extraction technique using di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) to separate and purify ⁹⁰Y and Cherenkov counting using liquid scintillation counter to determine ⁹⁰Y in secular equilibrium to ⁹⁰Sr was developed and performed at our institute, the Office of Atoms for Peace. The approach is inexpensive, non-laborious, and fast to analyse ⁹⁰Sr in environmental samples. To validate our analytical performance for the accurate and precise criteria, determination of ⁹⁰Sr using the IAEA-TEL-2016-04 ALMERA proficiency test samples were performed for statistical evaluation. The experiment used two spiked tap water samples and one naturally contaminated spruce needles sample from Austria collected shortly after the Chernobyl accident. Results showed that all three analyses were successfully passed in terms of both accuracy and precision criteria, obtaining “Accepted” statuses. The two water samples obtained the measured results of 15.54 Bq/kg and 19.76 Bq/kg, which had relative bias 5.68% and -3.63% for the Maximum Acceptable Relative Bias (MARB) 15% and 20%, respectively. And the spruce needles sample obtained the measured results of 21.04 Bq/kg, which had relative bias 23.78% for the MARB 30%. These results confirm our analytical performance of ⁹⁰Sr determination in water and spruce needles samples using the same developed method.

Keywords: ALMERA proficiency test, Cerenkov counting, determination of 90Sr, environmental samples

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Authors: Pelin Su Firat, Sohyung Cho

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Biopsy or aspiration procedures are known to be complicated as they involve the penetration of a needle through human tissues, including vital organs. This research presents the design of a force sensor-guided device to be used with syringes and needles for aspiration and biopsy. The development of the device was aimed to help accomplish accurate needle placement and increase the performance of the surgeon in navigating the tool and tracking the target. Specifically, a prototype for a force-sensor embedded syringe has been created using 3D (3-Dimensional) modeling and printing techniques in which two different force sensors were used to provide significant force feedback to users during the operations when needles pernitrate different tissues. From the extensive tests using synthetic tissues, it is shown that the proposed syringe design has accomplished the desired accuracy, efficiency, repeatability, and effectiveness. Further development is desirable through usability tests.

Keywords: biopsy, syringe, force sensors, haptic feedback

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Authors: Debit Datta, Jeffrey J. Coleman, Scott A. Enebak, Lori G. Eckhardt

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Pinus taeda, commonly known as loblolly pine, is a crucial timber species native to the southeastern USA. An emerging problem has been encountered for the past few years, which is better to be known as loblolly pine needle defoliation (LPND), which is threatening the ecological health of southeastern forests and economic vitality of the region’s timber industry. Currently, more than 1000 hectares of loblolly plantations in Alabama are affected with similar symptoms and have created concern among southeast landowners and forest managers. However, it is still uncertain whether LPND results from one or the combination of several fungal pathogens. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to identify and characterize the fungi associated with LPND in the southeastern USA and document the damage being done to loblolly pine as a result of repeated defoliation. Identification of fungi was confirmed using classical morphological methods (microscopic examination of the infected needles), conventional and species-specific priming (SSPP) PCR, and ITS sequencing. To date, 17 species of fungi, either cultured from pine needles or formed fruiting bodies on pine needles, were identified based on morphology and genetic sequence data. Among them, brown-spot pathogen Lecanostica acicola has been frequently recovered from pine needles in both spring and summer. Moreover, Ophistomatoid fungi such as Leptographium procerum, L. terebrantis are associated with pine decline have also been recovered from root samples of the infected stands. Trees have been increasingly and repeatedly chlorotic and defoliated from 2019 to 2020. Based on morphological observations and molecular data, emerging loblolly pine needle defoliation is due in larger part to the brown-spot pathogen L. acoicola followed by pine decline pathogens L. procerum and L. terebrantis. Root pathogens were suspected to emerge later, and their cumulative effects contribute to the widespread mortality of the trees. It is more likely that longer wet spring and warmer temperatures are favorable to disease development and may be important in the disease ecology of LPND. Therefore, the outbreak of the disease is assumed to be expanded over a large geographical area in a changing climatic condition.

Keywords: brown-spot fungi, emerging disease, defoliation, loblolly pine

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Authors: An Guo, Hieyong Jeong, Tianyi Wang, Na Li, Yuko Ohno

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Acupuncture, known as sensory simulation, has been used to treat various disorders for thousands of years. However, present studies had not addressed approaches for noninvasive measurement in order to evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture. The purpose of this study is to propose a noninvasive method to evaluate acupuncture by measuring facial temperature through thermal image. Three human subjects were recruited in this study. Each subject received acupuncture therapy for 30 mins. Acupuncture needles (Ø0.16 x 30 mm) were inserted into Baihui point (DU20), Neiguan points (PC6) and Taichong points (LR3), acupuncture needles (Ø0.18 x 39 mm) were inserted into Tanzhong point (RN17), Zusanli points (ST36) and Yinlingquan points (SP9). Facial temperature was recorded by an infrared thermometer. Acupuncture therapeutic effect was compared pre- and post-acupuncture. Experiment results demonstrated that facial temperature changed according to acupuncture therapeutic effect. It was concluded that proposed method showed high potential to evaluate acupuncture by noninvasive measurement of facial temperature.

Keywords: acupuncture, facial temperature, noninvasive evaluation, thermal image

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Authors: M. Sneha, N. Meenakshi Sundaram

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In recent times, magnetic hyperthermia is used for cancer treatment as a tool for active targeting of delivering drugs to the targeted site. It has a potential advantage over other heat treatment because there is no systemic buildup in organs and large doses are possible. The aim of this study is to develop a suitable magnetic biomaterial that can destroy the cancer cells as well as induce bone regeneration. In this work, the composite material was synthesized in two-steps. First, porous iron oxide nano needles were synthesized by hydrothermal process. Second, the hydroxyapatite, were synthesized from natural calcium (i.e., egg shell) and inorganic phosphorous source using wet chemical method. The crystalline nature is confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Thermal analysis and the surface area of the material is studied by Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett and Teller (BET) technique. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that the particles have nanoneedle-like morphology. The magnetic property is studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) technique which confirms the superparamagnetic behavior. This paper presents a simple and easy method for synthesis of magnetite/hydroxyapatite composites materials.

Keywords: iron oxide nano needles, hydroxyapatite, superparamagnetic, hyperthermia

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Authors: Despina Vamvuka, Despina Pentari

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Forestry wastes are readily available in large quantities around the world. Based on European Green Deal for the deployment of renewable and decarbonized energy by 2050, as well as global energy crisis, energy recovery from such wastes reducing greenhouse gas emissions is very attractive. Gasification has superior environmental performance to combustion, producing a clean fuel gas utilized in internal combustion engines, gas turbines, solid oxide fuel cells, or for synthesis of liquid bio-fuels and value-added chemicals. In this work, pine needles, which are abundantly found in Mediterranean countries, were gasified by either steam or carbon dioxide via a two-step process to improve reactivity and eliminate tar, employing a fixed bed unit and a thermal analysis system. Solid, liquid and gaseous products from the whole process were characterized and their energy potential was determined. Thermal behaviour, reactivity, conversion and energy recovery were examined. The gasification process took place above 650°C. At 950°C conversion and energy recovery were 77% dry and 2 under a flow of steam and 85% dry and 2.9 under a flow of carbon dioxide, respectively. Organic matter was almost completely converted to syngas, the yield of which varied between 89% and 99%. The higher heating values of biochar, bio-oil and pyrolysis gas were 27.8 MJ/kg, 33.5 MJ/kg and 13.6 MJ/m3. Upon steam or carbon dioxide gasification, the higher heating value of syngas produced was 11.5 MJ/m3 and 12.7 MJ/m3, respectively.

Keywords: gasification, biomass, steam, carbon dioxide

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Authors: Boudjahem Ibtissem, Aouati Amel

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Thaumetopoea pityocampa is one of the major insect pests of pine forests in Algeria, the Mediterranean region, and central Europe. This pest is responsible for several natural and human damages these last years. The caterpillar can feed itself during the larval stage on several species of pine or cedar. The forests attack by the insect can reduce their resistance against other forest enemies, fires, or drought conditions. In this case, the tree becomes more vulnerable to other pests. To understand the eating behavior of the insect in its ecological conditions, and its nutritional preference, we realized a study of the abundance of winter nests of the pine processionary caterpillar in four different forests: Pinus halepensis; Pinus pinaster; Pinus pinea, and Cedrus atlantica. A count of the sites affected by the processionary caterpillar was carried out on a hundred trees from the forests in different regions in Algeria; Alkala region, Mila region, Annaba region, and Blida region; the total rate and average abundance are calculated for each forest. Ecological parameters are also estimated for each infestation. The results indicated a higher rate of infestation in Pinus halepensis trees (85%) followed by Cedrus atlantica (66%) and Pinus pinaster (50%) trees. The Pinus pinea forest is the least attacked region by the pine processionary caterpillar (23%). The abundance of the pine processionary caterpillar can be influenced by the height of the trees, the climate of the region, the age of the forest but also the quality of needles.

Keywords: Thaumetopoea pityocampa, Pinus halepensis, needles, winter nests

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Authors: Debit Datta, Jeffrey J. Coleman, Scott A. Enebak, Lori G. Eckhardt

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Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) is a leading productive timber species in the southeastern USA. Over the past three years, an emerging threat is expressed by successive needle defoliation followed by stunted growth and tree mortality in loblolly pine plantations. Considering economic significance, it has now become a rising concern among landowners, forest managers, and forest health state cooperators. However, the symptoms of the disease were perplexed somewhat with root disease(s) and recurrently attributed to invasive Phytophthora species due to the similarity of disease nature and devastation. Therefore, the study investigated the potential causal agent of this disease and characterized the fungi associated with loblolly pine needle defoliation in the southeastern USA. Besides, 70 trees were selected at seven long-term monitoring plots at Chatom, Alabama, to monitor and record the annual disease incidence and severity. Based on colony morphology and ITS-rDNA sequence data, a total of 28 species of fungi representing 17 families have been recovered from diseased loblolly pine needles. The native brown-spot pathogen, Lecanosticta acicola, was the species most frequently recovered from unhealthy loblolly pine needles in combination with some other common needle cast and rust pathogen(s). Identification was confirmed using morphological similarity and amplification of translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene region of interest. Tagged trees were consistently found chlorotic and defoliated from 2019 to 2020. The current emergence of the brown-spot pathogen causing loblolly pine mortality necessitates the investigation of the role of changing climatic conditions, which might be associated with increased pathogen pressure to loblolly pines in the southeastern USA.

Keywords: brown-spot needle blight, loblolly pine, needle defoliation, plantation forestry

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Authors: Gagik Ayvazyan, Levon Hakhoyan, Surik Khudaverdyan, Laura Lakhoyan

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Black Si (b-Si) is a nano-structured Si surface formed by a self-organized, maskless process with needle-like surfaces discernible by their black color. The combination of low reflectivity and the semi-conductive properties of Si found in b-Si make it a prime candidate for application in solar cells as an antireflection surface. However, surface recombination losses significantly reduce the efficiency of b-Si solar cells. Surface passivation using suitable dielectric films can minimize these losses. Nowadays some works have demonstrated that excellent passivation of b-Si nanostructures can be reached using Al₂O₃ films. However, the negative fixed charge present in Al₂O₃ films should provide good field effect passivation only for p- and p+-type Si surfaces. HfO2 thin films have not been practically tested for passivation of b-Si. HfO₂ could provide an alternative for n- and n+- type Si surface passivation since it has been shown to exhibit positive fixed charge. Using optical simulation by Finite-Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, the possibility of b-Si passivation by HfO2 films has been analyzed. The FDTD modeling revealed that b-Si layers with HfO₂ films effectively suppress reflection in the wavelength range 400–1000 nm and across a wide range of incidence angles. The light-trapping performance primarily depends on geometry of the needles and film thickness. With the decrease of periodicity and increase of height of the needles, the reflectance decrease significantly, and the absorption increases significantly. Increase in thickness results in an even greater decrease in the calculated reflection coefficient of model structures and, consequently, to an improvement in the antireflection characteristics in the visible range. The excellent surface passivation and low reflectance results prove the potential of using the combination of the b-Si surface and the HfO₂ film for solar cells applications.

Keywords: antireflection, black silicon, HfO₂, passivation, simulation, solar cell

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Authors: M. N. Ervina Efzan, H. J. Kong, C. K. Kok

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The present work deals with a study on the influences of hybrid modifier on LM 6 added through ladle metallurgy. In this study, LM 6 served as the reference alloy while Na2CO3 and Ti powders were used as the hybrid modifier. The effects of hybrid modifier on the micro structural enhancement of LM 6 were investigated using optical microscope (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results showed fragmented Si-rich needles and strength enhanced petal/ globular-like structures without obvious formation of soft primary α-Al and β-Fe-rich inter metallic compound (IMC) after the hybrid modification. Hardness test was conducted to examine the mechanical improvement of hybrid modified LM 6. 10% of hardness improvement was recorded in the hybrid modified LM 6 through ladle metallurgy.

Keywords: Al-Si, hybrid modifier, ladle metallurgy, hardness

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Authors: John Gaber

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Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a medicine or health practice that is used alongside conventional practice. Nowadays, CAM is commonly used in North America and other countries, and there is a need for more scientific study to understand its efficacy in different clinical cases. This retrospective study explores the effectiveness and recovery time of CAMs such as cupping, acupuncture, and sotai to treat cases of non-specific low back pain (ANLBP). Methods: We assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture, cupping, and sotai methods on pain and for the treatment of ANLBP. We have compared the magnitude of pain relief using a pain scale assessment method to compare the efficacy of each treatment. The Face Pain Scale assessment was conducted before and 24 hours post-treatment. This retrospective study analyzed 40 patients and categorized them according to the treatment they received. The study included the control group, and the three intervention groups, each with ten patients. Each of the three intervention groups received one of the intervention methods. The first group received the cupping treatment, where cups were placed on the lower back of both sides on points: BL23, BL25, BL26, BL54, BL37, BL40, and BL57. After vacuuming, the cups will stay for 10-15 minutes under infrared light (IR) heating. IR heating is applied by an infrared heat lamp. The second group received the acupuncture treatment, placing needles on points: BL23, BL25, BL26, BL52BL54, GB30, BL37, BL40, BL57, BL59, BL60, and KI3. The needles will be simulated with IR light. The final group received the sotai treatment, a Japanese form of structural realignment that relieves pain, balance, and mobility -moving the body naturally and spontaneously towards a comfortable direction by focusing on the inner feeling and synchronizing with the patient’s breathing. The SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the data using repeated-measures ANOVA. The data collected demonstrates the change in the FPS assessment method value over the course of treatment. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the cupping, acupuncture, and sotai therapy groups, the mean of the FPS value reduced from 8.7±1.2, 8.8±1.2, 9.0±0.8 before the intervention to 3.5±1.4, 4.3±1.4, 3.3±1.3, 24 hours after the intervention, respectively. The data collected shows that the CAM methods included in this study all show improvements in pain relief 24 hours after treatment. Conclusion: Complementary and alternative medicine were developed to treat injuries and illnesses with the whole body in mind, designed to be used in addition to standard treatments. The data above shows that the use of these treatments can have a pain-relieving effect, but more research should be done on the matter, as finding CAM methods that are efficacious is crucial in the landscape of health sciences.

Keywords: acupuncture, cupping, alternative medicine, rehabilitation, acute injury

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Authors: Tahar Abid, Haoues Ghouss, Abdelhamid Boubertakh

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This present work is focused on the hardening precipitation in two AlMgSi(Cu) automotive body sheets. The effect of pre-aging, aging treatment and 0.10 wt % copper addition on the hardening response was investigated using scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Vickers microhardness measurements (Hv). The results reveal the apparition of α-AlFeSi, α-AlFe(Mn)Si type precipitates frequently present and witch remain stable at high temperature in Al-Mg-Si alloys. Indeed, the hardening response in both sheets is certainly due to the predominance of very fine typical phases β' and β'' as rods and needles developed during aging with and without pre-aging. The effect of pre ageing just after homogenization and quenching is to correct the undesirable effect of aging at ambient temperature by making faster alloy hardening during artificial aging.The addition of 0.10 wt % copper has allowed to refine and to enhance the precipitation hardening after quenching.

Keywords: AlMgSi alloys, precipitation, hardening, activation energy

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Authors: Nader Al-Rashidi, David Greenhalgh

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Mathematical modelling techniques are now being used by health organizations worldwide to help understand the likely impact that intervention strategies treatment options and combinations of these have on the prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the people who inject drugs (PWID) population. In this poster, we develop a deterministic, compartmental mathematical model to approximate the spread of the HCV in a PWID population that has been divided into two groups by time since onset of injection. The model assumes that after injection needles adopt the most infectious state of their previous state or that of the PWID who last injected with them. Using analytical techniques, we find that the model behaviour is determined by the basic reproductive number R₀, where R₀ = 1 is a critical threshold separating two different outcomes. The disease-free equilibrium is globally stable if R₀ ≤ 1 and unstable if R₀ > 1. Additionally, we make some simulations where have confirmed that the model tends to this endemic equilibrium value with realistic parameter values giving an HCV prevalence.

Keywords: hepatitis C, people who inject drugs, HCV, PWID

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Authors: De-Shin Liu, Po-Chun Wen, Zhen-Wei Zhuang, Hsueh-Chih Liu, Pei-Chen Huang

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Wafer probing tests play an important role in semiconductor manufacturing procedures in accordance with the yield and reliability requirement of the wafer after the backend-of-the-line process. Accordingly, the stable physical and electrical contact between the probe and the tested wafer during wafer probing is regarded as an essential issue in identifying the known good die. The probe card can be integrated with multiple probe needles, which are classified as vertical, cantilever and micro-electro-mechanical systems type probe selections. Among all potential probe types, the vertical probe has several advantages as compared with other probe types, including maintainability, high probe density and feasibility for high-speed wafer testing. In the present study, the mechanical response of the wafer probing test with the vertical cobra probe on 720 μm thick silicon (Si) substrate with a 1.4 μm thick aluminum (Al) pad is investigated by the experiment and transient dynamic simulation approach. Because the deformation mechanism of the vertical cobra probe is determined by both bending and buckling mechanisms, the stable correlation between contact forces and overdrive (OD) length must be carefully verified. Moreover, the decent OD length with corresponding contact force contributed to piercing the native oxide layer of the Al pad and preventing the probing test-induced damage on the interconnect system. Accordingly, the scratch depth of the Al pad under various OD lengths is estimated by the atomic force microscope (AFM) and simulation work. In the wafer probing test configuration, the contact phenomenon between the probe needle and the tested object introduced large deformation and twisting of mesh gridding, causing the subsequent numerical divergence issue. For this reason, the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method is utilized in the present simulation work to conquer the aforementioned issue. The analytic results revealed a slight difference when the OD is considered as 40 μm, and the simulated is almost identical to the measured scratch depths of the Al pad under higher OD lengths up to 70 μm. This phenomenon can be attributed to the unstable contact of the probe at low OD length with the scratch depth below 30% of Al pad thickness, and the contact status will be being stable when the scratch depth over 30% of pad thickness. The splash of the Al pad is observed by the AFM, and the splashed Al debris accumulates on a specific side; this phenomenon is successfully simulated in the transient dynamic simulation. Thus, the preferred testing OD lengths are found as 45 μm to 70 μm, and the corresponding scratch depths on the Al pad are represented as 31.4% and 47.1% of Al pad thickness, respectively. The investigation approach demonstrated in this study contributed to analyzing the mechanical response of wafer probing test configuration under large strain conditions and assessed the geometric designs and material selections of probe needles to meet the requirement of high resolution and high-speed wafer-level probing test for thinned wafer application.

Keywords: wafer probing test, vertical probe, probe mark, mechanical response, FEA simulation

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Authors: Johnson C. Y. Pang, Amy S. N. Fu, Ryan K. L. Lee, Allan C. L. Fu

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Dry needling (DN) is one of the puncturing methods that involves the insertion of needles into the tender spots of the human body without the injection of any substance. DN has long been used to treat the patient with knee pain caused by knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), but the effectiveness is still inconsistent. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the intervention methods and effects of DN with and without ultrasound guidance for treating pain and dysfunctions in people with KOA and PFPS. Design: This systematic review adhered to the PRISMA reporting guidelines. The registration number of the study protocol published in the PROSPERO database was CRD42021221419. Six electronic databases were searched manually through CINAHL Complete (1976-2020), Cochrane Library (1996-2020), EMBASE (1947-2020), Medline (1946-2020), PubMed (1966-2020), and Psychinfo (1806-2020) in November 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials were included to examine the effects of DN on knee pain, including KOA and PFPS. The key concepts included were: DN, acupuncture, ultrasound guidance, KOA, and PFPS. Risk of bias assessment and qualitative analysis were conducted by two independent reviewers using the PEDro score. Results: Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria, and eight of them were high-quality papers in accordance with the PEDro score. There were variations in the techniques of DN. These included the direction, depth of insertion, number of needles, duration of stay, needle manipulation, and the number of treatment sessions. Meta-analysis was conducted on eight articles. DN group showed positive short-term effects (from immediate after DN to less than 3 months) on pain reduction for both KOA and PFPS with the overall standardized mean difference (SMD) of -1.549 (95% CI=-0.588 to -2.511); with great heterogeneity (P=0.002, I²=96.3%). In subgroup analysis, DN demonstrated significant effects in pain reduction on PFPS (p < 0.001) that could not be found in subjects with KOA (P=0.302). At 3-month post-intervention, DN also induced significant pain reduction in both subjects with KOA and PFPS with an overall SMD of -0.916 (95% CI=-0.133 to -1.699, and great heterogeneity (P=0.022, I²=95.63%). Besides, DN induced significant short-term improvement in function with the overall SMD=6.069; 95% CI=8.595 to 3.544; with great heterogeneity (P<0.001, I²=98.56%) when analyzed was conducted on both KOA and PFPS groups. In subgroup analysis, only PFPS showed a positive result with SMD=6.089, P<0.001; while KOA showed statistically insignificant with P=0.198 in short-term effect. Similarly, at 3-month post-intervention, significant improvement in function after DN was found when the analysis was conducted in both groups with the overall SMD=5.840; 95% CI=9.252 to 2.428; with great heterogeneity (P<0.001, I²=99.1%), but only PFPS showed significant improvement in sub-group analysis (P=0.002, I²=99.1%). Conclusions: The application of DN in KOA and PFPS patients varies among practitioners. DN is effective in reducing pain and dysfunction at short-term and 3-month post-intervention in individuals with PFPS. To our best knowledge, no study has reported the effects of DN with ultrasound guidance on KOA and PFPS. The longer-term effects of DN on KOA and PFPS are waiting for further study.

Keywords: dry needling, knee osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain syndrome, ultrasound guidance

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Authors: Ugwu Blessing Nkiruka

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This paper seeks to examine Nigerian National Agency for the control of AIDS (NACA) and international response to the control of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The paper adopted the Functionalist theory alongside Liberalism and Idealism, but anchored extensively on functionalism. On the response of HIV/AIDS, Functionalist theory advocated for international corporation of both intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations as the basis for the reduction of the virus. the study adopted secondary source of data i.e journals, articles, newspapers and policy briefs to discuss the reduction of the pandemic (HIV/AIDS).This paper discovered that although HIV/AIDS is a global threat, especially to developing countries where the prevalence rate is still very high, yet international governmental and non-governmental organisation have been able to collaborate with National agencies like NACA in Nigeria and respond speedily through diverse initiatives and action plans to curb the spread of the virus. The study therefore recommends greater awareness on testing and early introduction of antiretroviral therapy, proper screening of blood before transfusion, absolute faithfulness among partners. Similarly, sharing of sharp objects like needles, knives and syringes should be avoided at all cost.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, developing countries, Nigeria, international organizations, NACA

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Authors: Cherak Imen, Sellami Mehdi

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The Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, is endemic to the mountains of North Africa. This is one of the most valuable softwood, both economically, ecologically, aesthetically and culturally. In Algeria, the cedar forests currently have worrying symptoms of decline which therefore require special monitoring. Fungal endophytes are involved in various diseases of the Atlas cedar. They attack all organs on which they cause many symptoms. These microflora live in complex interaction with plants. In this study, we identified a total of 09 mycotaxons collected needles Cedarwood at three stations with different degrees of decline (Talmet, Boumerzoug and Tuggurt) in the National Park Belezma (Batna, Algeria). The study conducted on a total of 12 trees were identified 08 mycoendophytes in Talmet station, 04 species in the Boumerzoug station and 03 in Tuggurt station. The total species richness mycoendophytes depending on the types of cedar forests showed that the largest diversity was recorded at the cedar forest healthy, Alternaria is the most common type in all stations. This work should be completed by further detailed studies to identify other endophyte species and better know its interactions with the Atlas cedar.

Keywords: Cedrus atlantica, endophytic fungi, microflora, mycotaxons, mycoendophyte

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Authors: Fagner Luiz P. Salles, Janaina C. Oliveira, Ivair P. Cesar

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Statement of the Problem: Auriculotherapy (AT) is a TCM technique, which uses seeds instead of needles, based physiologically on the mechanical stimulation of the cranial nerves. In the context of understanding the new concept of health of the WHO, the AT is an integrative approach for achieving Global Health Care so as to achieve the global health care concerns. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of auriculotherapy on pain and sleep quality in patients with chronic pain. Methodology and Theoretical Orientation: This study was performed between February and March 2017 at the Faculdade Estácio de Sá de Vitória, Brazil. The pain evaluation was through VAS in 4 periods: maximum, minimum, average and at the time of evaluation; the evaluation of sleep quality was used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Socio-demographic data included: gender, age, use of medication and BMI. All data are presented as mean (standard deviation), Teste Mann-Whitney and T-student with P-values < 0.05 were regarded as significant. Findings: Participated in this study thirty-two individuals with age (M = 43.18, SD = 17.86), the time with pain in years (M = 3.67, SD = 3.68), 81.7% were female, 75% of the individuals used medication and BMI (M = 26.67; SD = 6.20). The pain presented improvement in the maximum level and the average of the pain and sleep quality before did not have statistically significant results. Conclusion and Significance: This study showed that TA is efficacy for reduction levels of pain. However, AT was not effective in improving sleep quality.

Keywords: auriculotherapy, chronic pain, sleep quality, integrative approach

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Authors: Erdem Elibol, Musa Cadırcı, Nedim Tutkun

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Recently, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have drawn increasing attention due to their unique size tunability, which makes them potential candidates for numerous applications including photovoltaic, LEDs, and imaging. However, the main challenge to exploit CQDs properly is that there has not been an effective method to produce them with highly crystalline form and narrow size dispersion. Hot injection method is one of the widely used techniques to produce high-quality nanoparticles. In this method, the key parameter is to reduce the time for injection of the precursors into each other, which yields fast and constant nucleation rate and hence to highly monodisperse QDs. In conventional hot injection method, the injection of precursors is carried out using standard lab syringes with long needles. However, this technique is relatively slow and thus will result in poor optical properties in QDs. In this work, highly luminescent CdTe QDs were synthesised by transferring hot precursors into each other using cannula method. Unlike regular syringe technique, with the help of high pressure difference between two precursors’ flasks and wide cross-section of cannula, the hot cannulation process is too short which yields narrow size distribution and high quantum yield of CdTe QDs. Here QDs with full width half maximum (FWHM) of 28 nm was achieved. In addition, the photoluminescence quantum yield of our samples was measured to be about 21 ± 0.9 which is at least twice the previous record values for CdTe QDs wherein syringe was used to transfer precursors.

Keywords: CdTe, hot injection method, luminescent, quantum dots

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Authors: F. O. Oboite, P. G. Comeau

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Advance regeneration is present in many lodgepole pine stands in Alberta. When the overstory pine canopy is killed by Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) the growth of this advance is likely to increase. Understanding the growth response of these understory tree species is needed to improve mid-term timber supply projections and management decisions. To quantify the growth (diameter, height, height/diameter ratio) responses of black spruce and white spruce to lodgepole pine mortality, sample trees of black and white spruce advance regeneration were selected from 7 lodgepole pine dominated stands (5 attacked; 2 control) in the Foothills Region of western Alberta. Measurements were collected 7-8 years after MPB attack across a wide range of spruce height and stand densities. Analysis was done using mixed model linear regression. Result indicates that there was an increase in both diameter and height growth after MPB attack; however, this increase in growth was delayed for about four years. Both spruce species had similar height response and their height/diameter ratio decreased after release, partly as a result of increased understory light associated with loss of needles in the pine canopy. In addition, the diameter and height growth responses of both spruce species were strongly related to density, prerelease growth and initial size.

Keywords: mountain pine beetle, forest regeneration, lodgepole pine, growth response

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Authors: Ruth Muturi Wanjiku

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HIV/AIDS in Kenya for unborn and young kids. HIV/AIDS is a significant health concern in Kenya, with an estimated 1.5 million people living with the disease. Unfortunately, many of these individuals are unaware of their HIV status, and the disease continues to spread among the population or unborn kids. HIV/AIDS can be transmitted from an infected mother during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. However, with early testing and treatment, the risk of mother-to-child transmission can be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is crucial for pregnant women to get tested and receive appropriate medical care. For young kids, HIV/AIDS education is critical to preventing the spread of the disease. It is essential to teach children about the importance of safe sex practices, avoiding risky behaviors such as sharing needles and getting tested regularly. Additionally, children should be taught about the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and encouraged to treat individuals living with the disease with compassion and respect. In conclusion, HIV/AIDS is a significant health concern in Kenya that affects individuals of all ages. For unborn kids, early testing and treatment are critical to reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission. For young kids, education about HIV/AIDS and safe sex practices is essential to preventing the spread of the disease and reducing stigma. It is essential to promote awareness and encourage individuals to get tested and seek medical care if they believe they may be infected with HIV/AIDS.

Keywords: AIDS, HIV, children, pregnant

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Authors: Stavros Palavouzis, Alexandra Triantafyllopoulou, Aliki Tzima, Epaminondas Paplomatas

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Mating-type genes are present in most filamentous fungi, even though teleomorphs for all species have not been recorded. Our study tries to explore the effect of different growth conditions on the expression of MAT genes in Neofusicoccum mediterraneum. As such, selected isolates were grown in potato dextrose broth or in water agar supplemented with pine needles under a 12 h photoperiod, as well as in constant darkness. Mycelia and spores were collected at different time points, and RNA extraction was performed, with the extracted product being used for cDNA synthesis. New primers for MAT gene expression were designed while qPCR results are underway. The second part of the study involved the isolation and cloning in a selected pGEM-T vector of the Botryosphaeria dothidea MAT1 1 1 and MAT1 2 1 mating genes, including flanking regions. As a next step, the genes were amplified using newly designed primers with engineered restriction sites. Amplicons were excised and subsequently sub-cloned in appropriate binary vectors. The constructs were afterward inserted into Agrobacterium tumefaciens and utilized for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (ATMT) of Neofusicoccum mediterraneum. At the same time, the transformation of a Verticillium dahliae tomato race 1 strain (70V) was performed as a control. While the procedure was successful in regards to V. dahliae, transformed strains of N. mediterraneum could not be obtained. At present, a new transformation protocol, which utilizes a combination of protoplast and Agro transformation, is being evaluated.

Keywords: anamorph, heterothallism, perithecia, pycnidia, sexual stage

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Authors: Ainolnaim Azizol, Valerie Ross

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Music is as old as mankind and rituals using music such as Kavadi have been associated with social, cultural, and spiritual practices in many traditional and modern societies. Recent literature has provided scientific evidence that music affects psychological and physical changes through stimulation of brainwave. Despite such advances, the scientific study of the sonic qualities peculiar to traditional instruments and how it impacts on ritualistic activities is still lacking. This study addresses one such phenomenon. Devotees in Kavadi rituals are known to be in a state of trance state and do not experience pain nor suffer injury despite the hundreds of needles pierced through their skins. Although scientists have sought to understand how this is possible, lesser is known about the music that is used to prepare devotees to enter into the trance state. This study fills this gap of knowledge by providing scientific evidence through the identification and mapping of the sonic spectrum or sound fingerprint of the instruments and the repertoire used in these ritualistic forms in their ethnographic environment and in audio-controlled situations. The objectives are to identify and categorize the different types of traditional music used in Kavadi rituals; to record, transcribe and digitally score the musical repertoire used in the oral tradition of Kavadi rituals; to map the sonic spectrum of ritual music using spectromography and advanced music analytical software a mixed methodology will be used. This comprises ethnographic field studies using interviews, participant observation, audio-video recordings and audio-methodology using spectromography and advanced audio-technology for sonic mapping and the transcription of audio recordings into digital scores.

Keywords: sonic, traditional, ritual, Kavadi, music

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Authors: Pavel A. Strizhak, Geniy V. Kuznetsov, Ivan S. Voytkov, Dmitri V. Antonov

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This paper presents the results of experiments carried out at a specialized test site for establishing macroscopic patterns of heat and mass transfer processes at localizing model combustion sources of ground forest fires with the use of barrier lines in the form of a wetted lay of material in front of the zone of flame burning and thermal decomposition. The experiments were performed using needles, leaves, twigs, and mixtures thereof. The dimensions of the model combustion source and the ranges of heat release correspond well to the real conditions of ground forest fires. The main attention is paid to the complex analysis of the effect of dispersion of water aerosol (concentration and size of droplets) used to form the barrier line. It is shown that effective conditions for localization and subsequent suppression of flame combustion and thermal decomposition of forest fuel can be achieved by creating a group of barrier lines with different wetting width and depth of the material. Relative indicators of the effectiveness of one and combined barrier lines were established, taking into account all the main characteristics of the processes of suppressing burning and thermal decomposition of forest combustible materials. We performed the prediction of the necessary and sufficient parameters of barrier lines (water volume, width, and depth of the wetted lay of the material, specific irrigation density) for combustion sources with different dimensions, corresponding to the real fire extinguishing practice.

Keywords: forest fire, barrier water lines, pyrolysis front, flame front

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Authors: Subodh Nath Patel, Raja Raman, Mananshi Adhikary, Jitendra Mathur, Sandip Bhattacharyya

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The composition adjustment by sealed argon bubbling–oxygen blowing (CAS-OB) process is a process designed for adjusting steel composition and temperature during secondary metallurgy. One of the equipment in the said process is a snorkel or bell, fixed to a movable bracket. Snorkel serves the purpose of feeding ferroalloys into the liquid metal simultaneously removing gases to the gas cleaning system through its port at its top. The bell-shaped snorkel consists of two parts. The upper part has an inside liner, and the lower part is lined on both side with high-alumina castable reinforced with 2% stainless steel needles. Both the parts are coupled with a flange bolt system. These flanges were found to get buckled during operation, and the gap was generating between them. This problem was chronic since its. It was expected to give a life of 80 heats, but it was failing within 45-50 heats. After every 25-30 heats, it had to be repaired by changing and/or tightening its nuts and bolts. Visual observation, microstructural analysis through optical microscopes and SEM, hardness measurement and thermal strain calculation were carried out to find out the root cause of this problem. The calculated thermal strain was compared with actual thermal strain; comparison of the two revealed that thermal strain was responsible for buckling. Finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to reaffirm the effect temperature on the flanges. FEA was also used in the modification in the design of snorkel flange to accommodate thermal strain. Thermal insulation was also recommended which increased its life from 45 heats to 65 heats, impacting business process positively.

Keywords: CAS OB process, finite element analysis, snorkel, thermal strain

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Authors: Bertilia L. Bartley, Ledjane S. Barreto

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As a preliminary investigation on the control of microcracking in composite cement pastes, this study explores and compares the compatibility of Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS), Ethylene Glycol (EG) and Silicone Resin (SIL) in cement pastes cured at high temperature. Pastes were prepared by incorporating ordinary Portland cement (OPC) into an additive solution, using a solution/cement ratio of 0.45. Specimens were molded for 24h at 21 ± 2°C, then cured in deionized water for another 24h at 74 ± 1°C. TEOS and EG influence on fresh paste properties were similar to the reference OPC paste yet disintegration was observed in EG and SIL specimens after the first 12h of curing. X-Ray Diffraction analysis (XRD) coupled with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) verified that SIL addition impedes portlandite formation significantly. Backscatter Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques were therefore performed on selected areas of each sample to investigate the morphology of the hydration products detected. Various morphologies of portlandite crystals were observed in pastes with EG and TEOS addition, as well as dense morphologies of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel and fibers, and ettringite needles. However, the formation of portlandite aggregate and clusters of C-S-H was highly favored by TEOS addition. Furthermore, the microstructural details of composite pastes were clearly visible at low magnifications i.e. 500x, as compared to the OPC paste. The results demonstrate accelerated hydration within composite pastes, a uniform distribution of hydration products, as well as an adhesive interaction with the products and polymer additive. Overall, TEOS demonstrated the most favorable influence, which indicates the potential of TEOS as a compatible polymer additive within the cement system at high temperature.

Keywords: accelerated curing, cement/polymer composite, hydration, microstructural properties, morphology, portlandite, scanning electron microscopy (sem)

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Authors: Abdelmessih Malak Sadek Labib

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The Stability in harsh environments thanks to excellent electrical, mechanical and thermal properties is what ceramics are all about selected materials for many applications despite advent of new materials such as plastics and composites. However, ceramic materials have disadvantages, including brittleness. Fragility is often attributed to pottery strong covalent and ionic bonds in the ceramic body. There is still much to learn about brittle cracks in a attention to detail, hence the fragility of the ceramic and its catastrophic failure of a frequently studied topic, particularly in charging applications. One of the most commonly used ceramics for load-bearing applications such as veneers is porcelain. Porcelain is a type of traditional pottery. Traditional pottery consists mainly of three basic ingredients: clay, which gives plasticity; silica which maintains the shape and stability of the ceramic body over temperature high temperature; and feldspar affecting glazing. In traditional pottery, the inversion of quartz during cooling the process can create microcracks that act as a stress concentration centers. Consequently, subcritical crack growth is caused due to quartz inversion origins unpredictable catastrophic failure of the work of ceramic bodies when reloading. In the case of porcelain, however, this is what the mullite hypothesis says the strength of porcelain can be significantly increased with felt Interlocking of mullite needles in the ceramic body.in this way realistic assessment of the role of quartz and mullite Porcelain with a strength of is needed to grow stronger and smaller fragile porcelain. Currently,the lack of reports on Young's moduli in the literature leads to erroneous conclusions in this regard mechanical behavior of porcelain. Therefore, the current project uses the Young's modulus approach for the investigation the role of quartz and mullite on the mechanical strength of various porcelains, in addition to reducing particle size, flexural strength fractographic forces and techniques.

Keywords: materials, technical, ceramics, properties, thermal, stability, advantages

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Authors: María Magdalena Méndez-González, Miguel García Rocha, Carlos Manuel Yermo De la Cruz

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Calcium phosphate (Ca5(PO4)3(X)) is widely used in orthopedic applications and is widely used as powder and granules. However, their presence in bone is in the form of nanometric needles 60 nm in length with a non-stoichiometric phase of apatite contains CO3-2, Na+, OH-, F-, and other ions in a matrix of collagen fibers. The crystal size, morphology control and interaction with cells are essential for the development of nanotechnology. The structural results of calcium phosphate, synthesized by chemical precipitation with crystal size of 22.85 nm are presented in this paper. The calcium phosphate powders were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), infrared spectroscopy and FT-IR transmission electron microscopy. Network parameters, atomic positions, the indexing of the planes and the calculation of FWHM (full width at half maximum) were obtained. The crystal size was also calculated using the Scherer equation d (hkl) = cλ/βcosѲ. Where c is a constant related to the shape of the crystal, the wavelength of the radiation used for a copper anode is 1.54060Å, Ѳ is the Bragg diffraction angle, and β is the width average peak height of greater intensity. Diffraction pattern corresponding to the calcium phosphate called hydroxyapatite phase of a hexagonal crystal system was obtained. It belongs to the space group P63m with lattice parameters a = 9.4394 Å and c = 6.8861 Å. The most intense peak is obtained 2Ѳ = 31.55 (FWHM = 0.4798), with a preferred orientation in 121. The intensity difference between the experimental data and the calculated values is attributable to the temperature at which the sintering was performed. The intensity of the highest peak is at angle 2Ѳ = 32.11. The structure of calcium phosphate obtained was a hexagonal configuration. The intensity changes in the peaks of the diffraction pattern, in the lattice parameters at the corners, indicating the possible presence of a dopant. That each calcium atom is surrounded by a tetrahedron of oxygen and hydrogen was observed by infrared spectra. The unit cell pattern corresponds to hydroxyapatite and transmission electron microscopic crystal morphology corresponding to the hexagonal phase with a preferential growth along the c-plane was obtained.

Keywords: structure, nanoparticles, calcium phosphate, metallurgical and materials engineering

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