Search results for: recirculating loop

Authors: Akram Rasheed

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Background: Simulation in the health care field has been increasingly used over the last years in the training of resuscitation and life support practices. It has shown the advantage of improving the decision-making and technical skills through deliberate practice and return demonstration. Local Problem: This article reports on the integration of simulation-based training (SBT) in the training program about proper team dynamics and leadership skills during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Method and Intervention: Training of 180 critical care nurses was conducted using SBT between 1st January and 30th 2020. We had conducted 15 workshops, with the integration of SBT using high fidelity manikins and using demonstration and return-demonstration approach to train the nursing staff about proper team dynamics and leadership skills during CPR. Results: After completing the SBT session, all 180 nurses completed the evaluation form. The majority of evaluation items were rated over 95% for the effectiveness of the education; four items were less than 95% (88–94%). Lower rated items considered training and practice time, improved competency, and commitment to apply to learn. The team dynamics SBT was evaluated as an effective means to improve team dynamics and leadership skills during CPR in the intensive care unit (ICU). Conclusion: The use of simulation-based training to improve team dynamics and leadership skills is an effective method for better patient management during CPR. Besides skills competency, closed-loop communication, clear messages, clear roles, and assignments, knowing one’s limitations, knowledge sharing, constructive interventions, re-evaluating and summarizing, and mutual respect are all important concepts that should be considered during team dynamics training. However, participants reported the need for a repeated practice opportunity to build competency.

Keywords: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, high fidelity manikins, simulation-based training, team dynamics

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Authors: Abolfazl Zaraki, Yoshikatsu Hayashi, Harry Thorpe, Vincent Strong, Gisle-Andre Larsen, William Holderbaum

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Thanks to the high maneuverability of the cable-driven hyper-redundant manipulators (HRMs), this class of robots has shown a superior capability in highly confined and unstructured space applications. Although the large number of degrees of freedom (DOF) of HRMs enhances the motion flexibility and the robot’s reachability range, it highly increases the complexity of the kinematic configuration which makes the kinematic control problem very challenging or even impossible to solve. This paper presents our current progress achieved on the development of a kinematic-based leader-follower control system which is designed to control not only the robot’s body posture but also to control the trajectory of the robot’s movement in a semi-autonomous manner (the human operator is retained in the robot’s control loop). To obtain the forward kinematic model, the coordinate frames are established by the classical Denavit–Hartenburg (D-H) convention for a hyper-redundant serial manipulator which has a controlled cables-driven mechanism. To solve the inverse kinematics of the robot, unlike the conventional methods, a leader-follower mechanism, based on the sequential inverse kinematic, is followed. Using this mechanism, the inverse kinematic problem is solved for all sequential joints starting from the head joint to the base joint of the robot. To verify the kinematic design and simulate the robot motion, the MATLAB robotic toolbox is used. The simulation result demonstrated the promising capability of the proposed leader-follower control system in controlling the robot motion and trajectory in our confined space application.

Keywords: hyper-redundant robots, kinematic analysis, semi-autonomous control, serial manipulators

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Authors: Archana Rao R., Deepak P., Chayashree P. D., Darshan H. S.

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Cognitive abilities in bilinguals have been widely studied over the last few decades. Bilingualism has been found to extensively facilitate the ability to store and manipulate information in Working Memory (WM). The mechanism of WM includes primary memory, attentional control, and secondary memory, each of which makes a contribution to WM. Many researches have been done in an attempt to measure WM capabilities through both verbal (phonological) and nonverbal tasks (visuospatial). Since there is a lot of speculations regarding the relationship between WM and bilingualism, further investigation is required to understand the nature of WM in bilinguals, i.e., with respect to sequential and simultaneous bilinguals. Hence the present study aimed to highlight the verbal working memory abilities in sequential and simultaneous bilinguals with respect to the processing and recall abilities of nouns and verbs. Two groups of bilinguals aged between 18-30 years were considered for the study. Group 1 consisted of 20 (10 males and 10 females) sequential bilinguals who had acquired L1 (Kannada) before the age of 3 and had exposure to L2 (English) for a period of 8-10 years. Group 2 consisted of 20 (10 males and 10 females) simultaneous bilinguals who have acquired both L1 and L2 before the age of 3. Working memory abilities were assessed using two tasks, and a set of stimuli which was presented in gradation of complexity and the stimuli was inclusive of frequent and infrequent nouns and verbs. The tasks involved the participants to judge the correctness of the sentence and simultaneously remember the last word of each sentence and the participants are instructed to recall the words at the end of each set. The results indicated no significant difference between sequential and simultaneous bilinguals in processing the nouns and verbs, and this could be attributed to the proficiency level of the participants in L1 and the alike cognitive abilities between the groups. And recall of nouns was better compared to verbs, maybe because of the complex argument structure involved in verbs. Similarly, authors found a frequency of occurrence of nouns and verbs also had an effect on WM abilities. The difference was also found across gradation due to the load imposed on the central executive function and phonological loop.

Keywords: bilinguals, nouns, verbs, working memory

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Authors: Hossein Bazmara, Kaamran Raahemifar, Mostafa Sefidgar, Madjid Soltani

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Angiogenesis is formation of new blood vessels from existing vessels. Due to flow of blood in vessels, during angiogenesis, blood flow plays an important role in regulating the angiogenesis process. Multiple mathematical models of angiogenesis have been proposed to simulate the formation of the complicated network of capillaries around a tumor. In this work, a multi-scale model of angiogenesis is developed to show the effect of blood flow on capillaries and network formation. This model spans multiple temporal and spatial scales, i.e. intracellular (molecular), cellular, and extracellular (tissue) scales. In intracellular or molecular scale, the signaling cascade of endothelial cells is obtained. Two main stages in development of a vessel are considered. In the first stage, single sprouts are extended toward the tumor. In this stage, the main regulator of endothelial cells behavior is the signals from extracellular matrix. After anastomosis and formation of closed loops, blood flow starts in the capillaries. In this stage, blood flow induced signals regulate endothelial cells behaviors. In cellular scale, growth and migration of endothelial cells is modeled with a discrete lattice Monte Carlo method called cellular Pott's model (CPM). In extracellular (tissue) scale, diffusion of tumor angiogenic factors in the extracellular matrix, formation of closed loops (anastomosis), and shear stress induced by blood flow is considered. The model is able to simulate the formation of a closed loop and its extension. The results are validated against experimental data. The results show that, without blood flow, the capillaries are not able to maintain their integrity.

Keywords: angiogenesis, endothelial cells, multi-scale model, cellular Pott's model, signaling cascade

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Authors: Andreev V. A., Kovalenko T. N., Privolnev V. V., Chernavin A. V., Knyazeva E. R.

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Aim: To evaluate the antagonistic activity of Streptococcus salivarius K12 (SsK12) against ENT and oral cavity infection pathogens (S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, S. aureus), gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa) and C. albicans. Materials and methods: The probiotic strain SsK12 was isolated from the dietary supplement containing at least 1 × 109 CFU per tablet. The tablet was dissolved in the enrichment broth. The resulting suspension was seeded on 5% blood agar and incubated at 35°C in 4-6% CO2 for 48 hours. The raised culture was identified as Streptococcus salivarius with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry method. The evaluation of SsK12 antagonistic activity was carried out using a perpendicular streak technique. The daily SsK12 culture was inoculated as heavy streaks with a loop at one side of Petri dish with the Muller-Hinton agar (MHA) and incubated for 24 hours at 350 C in anaerobic conditions. It was supposed that bacteriocins would diffuse over the whole area of the agar media. On the next day S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans clinical isolates were streaked at the clear side of MHA Petri dish. MHA Petri dish inoculated with SsK12 (one part) and with the respective clinical isolates (another part) streaked perpendicularly on the same day was used as the control. Results: There was no growth of S. pyogenes on the Petri dish with SsK12 daily culture; the growth of a few colonies of S. pneumonia was noted. The growth of S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans was noted along the inoculated streak. On the control Petri dish with simultaneous inoculating of the SsK12 strain and the test cultures, the growth of all the testes isolates was noted. Conclusions: (1) SsK12 possesses perfect antagonistic activity against S. pyogenes and good activity against S. pneumoniae. (2) There was no antagonistic activity of SsK12 against S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. (3) SsK12 antagonistic properties make it possible to use this probiotic strain for prophylaxis of recurrent ENT infections.

Keywords: probiotics, SsK12, streptococcus salivarius K12, antagonistic activity

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Authors: Ibrahim M. Mehedi, Uzair Ansari, Ubaid M. Al-Saggaf, Abdulrahman H. Bajodah

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This paper presents a methodology for balancing a rotary inverted pendulum system using Robust Generalized Dynamic Inversion (RGDI) under influence of parametric variations and external disturbances. In GDI control, dynamic constraints are formulated in the form of asymptotically stable differential equation which encapsulates the control objectives. The constraint differential equations are based on the deviation function of the angular position and its rates from their reference values. The constraint dynamics are inverted using Moore-Penrose Generalized Inverse (MPGI) to realize the control expression. The GDI singularity problem is addressed by augmenting a dynamic scale factor in the interpretation of MPGI which guarantee asymptotically stable position tracking. An additional term based on Sliding Mode Control is appended within GDI control to make it robust against parametric variations, disturbances and tracking performance deterioration due to generalized inversion scaling. The stability of the closed loop system is ensured by using positive definite Lyapunov energy function that guarantees semi-global practically stable position tracking. Numerical simulations are conducted on the dynamic model of rotary inverted pendulum system to analyze the efficiency of proposed RGDI control law. The comparative study is also presented, in which the performance of RGDI control is compared with Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and is verified through experiments. Numerical simulations and real-time experiments demonstrate better tracking performance abilities and robustness features of RGDI control in the presence of parametric uncertainties and disturbances.

Keywords: generalized dynamic inversion, lyapunov stability, rotary inverted pendulum system, sliding mode control

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Authors: Muhammad Waheed Mushtaq, Shahid bashir, Atta Ur Rehman

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In the past decade, the growing demand for capital and the increased utilization of supercapacitors reflect advancements in energy-producing systems and energy storage devices. Metal oxides and ferrites have emerged as promising candidates for supercapacitors and batteries. In our current study, we synthesized Lithium manganese nanoferrite, denoted as LixMnxFe₂O₄, using the hydrothermal technique. Subsequently, we treated it with sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS) surfactant to create nanocomposites of Lithium manganese nano ferrite (LMFe) with poly pyrrole (LixMnxFe₂O₄-PPY). We employed Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the crystalline nature and spinel phase structure of LMFe nanoparticles, which exhibited a single-phase crystal structure, indicating sample purity. To assess the surface topography, morphology, and grain size of both synthesized LixMnxFe₂O₄ and LixMnxFe₂O₄-PPY, we used atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The average particle size of pure ferrite was found to be 54 nm, while that of its nanocomposite was 71 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed the presence of all required elements, including Li, Mn, Fe, and O, in the appropriate proportions. Saturation magnetization (32.69 emu), remanence (Mr), and coercive force (Hc) were measured using a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). To assess the electrochemical performance of the material, we conducted Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) measurements for both pure LMFe and LMFe-PPY. The CV results for LMFe-PPY demonstrated that specific capacitance decreased with increasing scan rate while the area of the current-voltage loop increased. These findings are promising for the development of supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Keywords: lithium manganese ferrite, poly pyrrole, nanocomposites, cyclic voltammetry, cathode

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Authors: Lorena Coelho, David Ramada, Catarina Nobre, Joaquim Gaião, Juliana Duarte

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The development of processes that allows the valorization of waste and by-products generated by industries is crucial to promote symbiotic relationships between different sectors and is mandatory to “close the loop” in the circular economy paradigm. In recent years, by-products and waste from agro-food and forestry sector have attracted attention due to their potential application and technical characteristics. The extraction of bio-based active compounds to be reused is in line with the circular bioeconomy concept trends, combining the use of renewable resources with the process’s circularity, aiming the waste reduction and encouraging reuse and recycling. Among different types of bio-based materials, which are being explored and can be extracted, proteins fractions are becoming an attractive new raw material. Within this context, BioTrace4Leather project, a collaboration between two Technological Centres – CeNTI and CTIC, and a company of Tanning and Finishing of Leather – Curtumes Aveneda, aims to develop innovative and biologically sustainable solutions for leather industry and accomplish the market circularity trends. Specifically, it aims to the valorisation of waste and by-products from the tannery industry through proteins extraction and the development of an innovative and biologically sustainable materials. The achieved results show that keratin, gelatine, and collagen fractions can be successfully extracted from hair and leather bovine waste. These products could be reintegrated into the industrial manufacturing process to attain innovative and functional textile and leather substrates. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This work has been developed under BioTrace4Leather scope, a project co-funded by Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE) of PORTUGAL2020, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under grant agreement Nº POCI-01-0247-FEDER-039867.

Keywords: leather by-products, circular economy, sustainability, protein fractions

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Authors: Claudia Schier, Arvid Biallas, Bernd Friedrich

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The demand for Li-ion-batteries owing to their benefits, such as; fast charging time, high energy density, low weight, large temperature range, and a long service life performance is increasing compared to other battery systems. These characteristics are substantial not only for battery-operated portable devices but also in the growing field of electromobility where high-performance energy storage systems in the form of batteries are highly requested. Due to the sharp rising production, there is a tremendous interest to recycle spent Li-Ion batteries in a closed-loop manner owed to the high content of valuable metals such as cobalt, manganese, and lithium as well as regarding the increasing demand for those scarce applied metals. Currently, there are just a few industrial processes using hydrometallurgical methods to recover valuable metals from Li-ion-battery waste. In this study, the extraction of valuable metals from spent Li-ion-batteries is investigated by pretreated and subsequently leached battery wastes using different precipitation methods in a comparative manner. For the extraction of lithium, cobalt, and other valuable metals, pelletized battery wastes with an initial Li content of 2.24 wt. % and cobalt of 22 wt. % is used. Hydrochloric acid with 4 mol/L is applied with 1:50 solid to liquid (s/l) ratio to generate pregnant leach solution for subsequent precipitation steps. In order to obtain pure precipitates, two different pathways (pathway 1 and pathway 2) are investigated, which differ from each other with regard to the precipitation steps carried out. While lithium carbonate recovery is the final process step in pathway 1, pathway 2 requires a preliminary removal of lithium from the process. The aim is to evaluate both processes in terms of purity and yield of the products obtained. ICP-OES is used to determine the chemical content of leach liquor as well as of the solid residue.

Keywords: hydrochloric acid, hydrometallurgy, Li-ion-batteries, metal recovery

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Authors: Trunov V.O., Ryabov A. B., Poddubny I.V

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Introduction: cystic and solid pancreatic tumors have a relevant and disruptive position in many positions. The results of the treatment of children with tumors and pancreatic cysts aged 3 to 17 years for the period from 2008 to 2019 on the basis of the Morozov State Children's Clinical Hospital in Moscow were analyzed. The total number of children with solid tumors was 17, and 31 with cysts. In all children, the diagnosis was made on the basis of ultrasound, followed by CT and MRI. In most patients with solid tumors, they were located in the area of the pancreas tail - 58%, in the body area - 14%, in the area of the pancreatic head - 28%. In patients with pancreatic cysts, the distribution of patients by topography was as follows: head of the pancreas - 10%, body of the pancreas - 16%, tail of the pancreas - 68%, total cystic transformation of the Wirsung duct - 6%. In pancreatic cysts, the method of surgical treatment was based on the results of MRCP, the level of amylase in the contents of the cyst, and the localization of the cyst. Thus, pathogenetically substantiated treatment included: excision of cysts, internal drainage on an isolated loop according to Ru, the formation of pancreatojejunoanastomosis in a child with the total cystic transformation of the Wirsung duct. In patients with solid pancreatic lesions, pancretoduodenalresection, central resection of the pancreas, and distal resection from laparotomy and laparoscopic access were performed. In the postoperative period, in order to prevent pancreatitis, all children underwent antisecretory therapy, parenteral nutrition, and drainage of the omental bursa. Results: hospital stay ranged from 7 to 12 days. The duration of postoperative fermentemia in patients with solid formations lasted from 3 to 6 days. In all cases, according to the histological examination, a pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas was revealed. In the group of children with pancreatic cysts, fermentemia was observed from 2 to 4 days, recurrence of cysts in the long term was detected in 3 children (10%). Conclusions: the treatment of cystic and solid pancreatic neoplasms is a difficult task in connection with the anatomical and functional features of the organ.

Keywords: pancreas, tumors, cysts, resection, laparoscopy, children

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Authors: Despoina Andrioti Bygvraa, Ida-Maja Hassellöv, George Charalambous

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Exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers, are today widely used to allow for the use of High Sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil and still comply with the regulations limiting sulphur content in marine fuels. There are extensive concerns about environmental consequences, especially in the Baltic Sea, from the wide-scale use of scrubbers, as the wash water is acidic (ca pH 3) and contains high concentrations of toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic substances. The aim of this feasibility study is to investigate the potential adverse effects on seafarers’ health with the ultimate goal of raising awareness of chemical-related health and safety issues in the shipping environment. The project got funding from the Swedish Foundation. The team will extend previously compiled data on scrubber wash water concentrations of hazardous substances and pH to include the use of strong base in closed-loop scrubbers, and scoping assessment on handling and disposing practices. Based on the findings (a), a systematic review of risk assessment will follow to show the risk of exposures, the establishment of the hazardous levels for human health as well as the respective prevention practices. In addition, the researchers will perform (b) a systematic review to identify facilitators and barriers of the crew on compliance with the safe handling of chemicals. The study will run for 12 months, delivering (a) a risk assessment inventory with risk exposures and (b) a course description of safe handling practices. This feasibility study could provide valuable knowledge on how pollutants found in scrubbers should be considered from a human health perspective to facilitate evidence-based informed decisions in future technology- and policy development to make shipping a safer, healthier, and more attractive workplace.

Keywords: health and safety, seafarers, scrubbers, chemicals, risk exposures

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Authors: M. Gomaa Abdoelatef, Robert M. Field, Lee, Yong-Kwan

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Growing human populations have placed increased demands on water supplies and a heightened interest in desalination infrastructure. Key elements of the economics of desalination projects are thermal and electrical inputs. With growing concerns over the use of fossil fuels to (indirectly) supply these inputs, coupling of desalination with nuclear power production represents a significant opportunity. Individually, nuclear and desalination technologies have a long history and are relatively mature. For desalination, Reverse Osmosis (RO) has the lowest energy inputs. However, the economically driven output quality of the water produced using RO, which uses only electrical inputs, is lower than the output water quality from thermal desalination plants. Therefore, modern desalination projects consider that RO should be coupled with thermal desalination technologies (MSF, MED, or MED-TVC) with attendant steam inputs to permit blending to produce various qualities of water. A large nuclear facility is well positioned to dispatch large quantities of both electrical and thermal power. This paper considers the supply of thermal energy to a large desalination facility to examine heat balance impact on the nuclear steam cycle. The APR1400 nuclear plant is selected as prototypical from both a capacity and turbine cycle heat balance perspective to examine steam supply and the impact on electrical output. Extraction points and quantities of steam are considered parametrically along with various types of thermal desalination technologies to form the basis for further evaluations of economically optimal approaches to the interface of nuclear power production with desalination projects. In our study, the thermodynamic evaluation will be executed by DE-TOP which is the IAEA desalination program, it is approved to be capable of analyzing power generation systems coupled to desalination systems through various steam extraction positions, taking into consideration the isolation loop between the APR-1400 and the thermal desalination plant for safety concern.

Keywords: APR-1400, desalination, DE-TOP, IAEA, MSF, MED, MED-TVC, RO

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Authors: Mohd Sabri Minhat, Nurul Adilla Mohd Subha

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The 1MWth PUSPATI TRIGA Reactor (RTP) in Malaysia Nuclear Agency has been operating more than 35 years. The existing core power control is using conventional controller known as Feedback Control Algorithm (FCA). It is technically challenging to keep the core power output always stable and operating within acceptable error bands for the safety demand of the RTP. Currently, the system could be considered unsatisfactory with power tracking performance, yet there is still significant room for improvement. Hence, a new design core power control is very important to improve the current performance in tracking and regulating reactor power by controlling the movement of control rods that suit the demand of highly sensitive of nuclear reactor power control. In this paper, the proposed Model Predictive Control (MPC) law was applied to control the core power. The model for core power control was based on mathematical models of the reactor core, MPC, and control rods selection algorithm. The mathematical models of the reactor core were based on point kinetics model, thermal hydraulic models, and reactivity models. The proposed MPC was presented in a transfer function model of the reactor core according to perturbations theory. The transfer function model-based predictive control (TFMPC) was developed to design the core power control with predictions based on a T-filter towards the real-time implementation of MPC on hardware. This paper introduces the sensitivity functions for TFMPC feedback loop to reduce the impact on the input actuation signal and demonstrates the behaviour of TFMPC in term of disturbance and noise rejections. The comparisons of both tracking and regulating performance between the conventional controller and TFMPC were made using MATLAB and analysed. In conclusion, the proposed TFMPC has satisfactory performance in tracking and regulating core power for controlling nuclear reactor with high reliability and safety.

Keywords: core power control, model predictive control, PUSPATI TRIGA reactor, TFMPC

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Authors: Sehrish Qayyum

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In this age of constant technology, asymmetrical warfare could not be won. Attuned psychometric study confirms that screaming sometimes is more productive than active retaliation against strong adversaries. Asymmetric warfare is a game of nerves and thoughts with least vigorous participation for large anticipated losses. It creates the condition of paraplegia with partial but permanent immobility, which effects the core warfare operations, being screams rather than active retaliation. When one’s own power is doubted, it gives power to one’s own doubt to ruin all planning either done with superlative cost-benefit analysis. Strategically calculated estimation of asymmetric warfare since the early WWI to WWII, WWII-to Cold War, and then to the current era in three chronological periods exposits that courage makes nations win the battle of warriors to battle of comrades. Asymmetric warfare has been most difficult to fight and survive due to unexpectedness and being lethal despite preparations. Thoughts before action may be the best-assumed strategy to mix Regional Security Complex Theory and OODA loop to develop the Paraplegic Resilience Policy Plan (PRPP) to win asymmetric warfare. PRPP may serve to control and halt the ongoing wave of terrorism, guerilla warfare, and insurgencies, etc. PRPP, along with a strategic work plan, is based on psychometric analysis to deal with any possible war condition and tactic to save millions of innocent lives such that lost in Christchurch New Zealand in 2019, November 2015 Paris attacks, and Berlin market attacks in 2016, etc. Getting tangled into self-imposed epistemic dilemmas results in regret that becomes the only option of performance. It is a descriptive psychometric analysis of war conditions with generic application of probability tests to find the best possible options and conditions to develop PRPP for any adverse condition possible so far. Innovation in technology begets innovation in planning and action-plan to serve as a rheostat approach to deal with asymmetric warfare.

Keywords: asymmetric warfare, psychometric analysis, PRPP, security

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Authors: Othman Elmahdy Othman, Agnés Germot, Daniel Petit, Muhammad Khodary, Abderrahman Maftah

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Recently, the control (D-loop) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) regions of mtDNA have received more attention due to their role in the genetic diversity and phylogenetic studies in different livestock which give important knowledge towards the genetic resource conservation. Studies based on sequencing of sheep mitochondrial DNA showed that there are five maternal lineages in the world for domestic sheep breeds; A, B, C, D and E. By using cytochrome B sequencing, we aimed to clarify the genetic affinities and phylogeny of six Egyptian sheep breeds. Blood samples were collected from 111 animals belonging to six Egyptian sheep breeds; Barki, Rahmani, Ossimi, Saidi, Sohagi and Fallahi. The total DNA was extracted and the specific primers were used for conventional PCR amplification of the cytochrome B region of mtDNA. PCR amplified products were purified and sequenced. The alignment of sequences was done using BioEdit software and DnaSP 5.00 software was used to identify the sequence variation and polymorphic sites in the aligned sequences. The result showed that the presence of 39 polymorphic sites leading to the formation of 29 haplotypes. The haplotype diversity in six tested breeds ranged from 0.643 in Rahmani breed to 0.871 in Barki breed. The lowest genetic distance was observed between Rahmani and Saidi (D: 1.436 and Dxy: 0.00127) while the highest distance was observed between Ossimi and Sohagi (D: 6.050 and Dxy: 0.00534). Neighbour-joining (Phylogeny) tree was constructed using Mega 5.0 software. The sequences of 111 analyzed samples were aligned with references sequences of different haplogroups; A, B, C, D and E. The phylogeny result showed the presence of four haplogroups; HapA, HapB, HapC and HapE in the examined samples whereas the haplogroup D was not found. The result showed that 88 out of 111 tested animals cluster with haplogroup B (79.28%), whereas 12 tested animals cluster with haplogroup A (10.81%), 10 animals cluster with haplogroup C (9.01%) and one animal belongs to haplogroup E (0.90%).

Keywords: phylogeny, genetic biodiversity, MtDNA, cytochrome B, Egyptian sheep

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Authors: Magdalena Rusady Goey, Gordon Strathdee, Neil Perkins

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Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most frequent type of childhood malignancy, accounting for 25% of all cases. TWIST2, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, has been implicated in ALL development. Prior studies found that TWIST2 undergoes epigenetic silencing in more than 50% cases of ALL through promoter hypermethylation and suggested that re-expression of TWIST2 may inhibit cell growth/survival of leukaemia cell lines. TWIST2 has also been implicated as a regulator of NF-kappaB activity, which is constitutively active in leukaemia. Here, we use a lentiviral transductions system to confirm the importance of TWIST2 in controlling leukaemia cell growth and to investigate whether this is achieved through altered regulation of NF-kappaB activity. Method: Re-expression of TWIST2 in leukaemia cell lines was achieved using lentiviral-based transduction. The lentiviral vector also expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), allowing transduced cells to be tracked using flow cytometry. Analysis of apoptosis and cell proliferation were done using annexinV and VPD450 staining, respectively. Result and Discussion: TWIST2-expressing cells were rapidly depleted from a mixed population in ALL cell lines (NALM6 and Reh), indicating that TWIST2 inhibited cell growth/survival of ALL cells. In contrast, myeloid cell lines (HL60 and K562) were comparatively insensitive to TWIST2 re-expression. Analysis of apoptosis and cell proliferation found no significant induction of apoptosis, but did find a rapid induction of proliferation arrest in TWIST2-expressing Reh and NALM6 cells. Initial experiment with NF-kappaB inhibitor demonstrated that inhibition of NF-kappaB has similar impact on cell proliferation in the ALL cell lines, suggesting that TWITST2 may induce cell proliferation arrest through inhibition of NF-kappaB. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that epigenetic inactivation of TWIST2 in primary ALL leads to increased proliferation, potentially by altering the regulation of NF-kappaB.

Keywords: leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, NF-kappaB, TWIST2, lentivirus

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Authors: Jin-Siang Shaw, Patricia Moya Caceres, Sheng-Xiang Xu

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This paper aims to integrate the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method with the adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller (AFSMC) to achieve vibration attenuation in a piezoelectric actuator subject to base excitation. The piezoelectric actuator is a complicated system made of ferroelectric materials and its performance can be affected by nonlinear hysteresis loop and unknown system parameters and external disturbances. In this study, an adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller is proposed for the vibration control of the system, because the fuzzy sliding mode controller is designed to tackle the unknown parameters and external disturbance of the system, and the adaptive algorithm is aimed for fine-tuning this controller for error converging purpose. Particle swarm optimization method is used in order to find the optimal controller parameters for the piezoelectric actuator. PSO starts with a population of random possible solutions, called particles. The particles move through the search space with dynamically adjusted speed and direction that change according to their historical behavior, allowing the values of the particles to quickly converge towards the best solutions for the proposed problem. In this paper, an initial set of controller parameters is applied to the piezoelectric actuator which is subject to resonant base excitation with large amplitude vibration. The resulting vibration suppression is about 50%. Then PSO is applied to search for an optimal controller in the neighborhood of this initial controller. The performance of the optimal fuzzy sliding mode controller found by PSO indeed improves up to 97.8% vibration attenuation. Finally, adaptive version of fuzzy sliding mode controller is adopted for further improving vibration suppression. Simulation result verifies the performance of the adaptive controller with 99.98% vibration reduction. Namely the vibration of the piezoelectric actuator subject to resonant base excitation can be completely annihilated using this PSO based adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller.

Keywords: adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller, particle swarm optimization, piezoelectric actuator, vibration suppression

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Authors: Lonna Mabandla, Godfrey Musvoto

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Transportation is a catalytic feature in cities. Transport and land use activity are interdependent and have a feedback loop between how land is developed and how transportation systems are designed and used. This recursive relationship between land use and transportation is reflected in how public transportation routes internal to the inner-city enhance accessibility, therefore creating spaces that are conducive to business activity, while the business activity also informs public transportation routes. It is for this reason that the focus of this research is on public transportation within inner-city areas where the dynamic is evident. Durban is the chosen case study where the dominating form of public transportation within the central business district (CBD) is minibus taxis. The paradox here is that minibus taxis still form part of the informal economy even though they are the leading form of public transportation in South Africa. There have been many attempts to formalise this industry to follow more regulatory practices, but minibus taxis are privately owned, therefore complicating any proposed intervention. The argument of this study is that the application of collaborative planning through a sustainable partnership between the public and private sectors will improve the social and environmental sustainability of public transportation. One of the major challenges that exist within such collaborative endeavors is power dynamics. As a result, a key focus of the study is on power relations. Practically, power relations should be observed over an extended period, specifically when the different stakeholders engage with each other, to reflect valid data. However, a lengthy data collection process was not possible to observe during the data collection phase of this research. Instead, interviews were conducted focusing on existing procedural planning practices between the inner-city minibus taxi association (South and North Beach Taxi Association), the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA), and the eThekwini Town Planning Department. Conclusions and recommendations were then generated based on these data.

Keywords: collaborative planning, sustainability, public transport, minibus taxis

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Authors: F. Viprey, H. Nouira, S. Lavernhe, C. Tournier

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Manufacturing of freeform parts may be achieved on 5-axis machine tools currently considered as a common means of production. In particular, the geometrical quality of the freeform parts depends on the accuracy of the multi-axis structural loop, which is composed of several component assemblies maintaining the relative positioning between the tool and the workpiece. Therefore, to reach high quality of the geometries of the freeform parts the geometric errors of the 5 axis machine should be evaluated and compensated, which leads one to master the deviations between the tool and the workpiece (volumetric accuracy). In this study, a novel hole-bar design was developed and used for the characterization of the geometric errors of a RRTTT 5-axis machine tool. The hole-bar standard design is made of Invar material, selected since it is less sensitive to thermal drift. The proposed design allows once to extract 3 intrinsic parameters: one linear positioning and two straightnesses. These parameters can be obtained by measuring the cylindricity of 12 holes (bores) and 11 cylinders located on a perpendicular plane. By mathematical analysis, twelve 3D points coordinates can be identified and correspond to the intersection of each hole axis with the least square plane passing through two perpendicular neighbour cylinders axes. The hole-bar was calibrated using a precision CMM at LNE traceable the SI meter definition. The reversal technique was applied in order to separate the error forms of the hole bar from the motion errors of the mechanical guiding systems. An inter-comparison was additionally conducted between four NMIs (National Metrology Institutes) within the EMRP IND62: JRP-TIM project. Afterwards, the hole-bar was integrated in RRTTT 5-axis machine tool to identify its volumetric errors. Measurements were carried out in real time and combine raw data acquired by the Renishaw RMP600 touch probe and the linear and rotary encoders. The geometric errors of the 5 axis machine were also evaluated by an accurate laser tracer interferometer system. The results were compared to those obtained with the hole bar.

Keywords: volumetric errors, CMM, 3D hole-bar, inter-comparison

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Authors: Jongpil La, Jieun Choi

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Optical frequency modulation technology for FMCW LiDAR based on Optical Phase Locked Loop(OPLL) configuration is addressed in this paper. The spectral linewidth measurement method of the linear frequency-modulated laser is also described. The single-frequency laser with narrow spectral linewidth is generated using an external cavity diode laser and the excitation frequency of the laser is adjusted by controlling the injection current of the laser. If the injection current of the laser is increased, the lasing frequency is decreased because of the slight increase in the refractive index of the laser gain chip. Dynamic optical frequency change rate is measured by using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and compared with a proper reference signal. The phase difference between the reference signal and the measured signal using the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is obtained by mixing those two signals. The phase error is used to detect the frequency deviation error from the target value, which is then fed back to the driving current of the laser to compensate for it. The frequency sweep error from the ideal linear frequency waveform will degrade the spectral linewidth of the target spectrum and will degrade the maximum range performance of FMCW LiDAR. Therefore, the spectral linewidth measurement of frequency modulated laser is very important to evaluate the performance of the LiDAR system. However, it is impossible to apply the conventional self-homodyne or self-heterodyne method with a long delay line to evaluate the spectral linewidth of the frequency-modulated laser because the beat frequency generated by the long delay line is too high to measure with a high bandwidth frequency modulated laser. In this article, the spectral linewidth of the frequency-modulated laser is measured by using the newly proposed self-heterodyne method with a short delay line. The theoretical derivation for the proposed linewidth measurement method is provided in this article. The laser's spectral modulation bandwidth and linewidth are measured as 2.91GHz and 287kHz, respectively. LiDAR.

Keywords: FMCW, LiDAR, spectral linewidth, self-heterodyne

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Authors: Deniz Guven, Wil Ward, Jinming Duan, Li Bai

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Over the past two decades or so, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been used to diagnose retina and optic nerve diseases. The retinal nerve fibre layer, for example, is a powerful diagnostic marker for detecting and staging glaucoma. With the advances in optical imaging hardware, the adoption of OCT is now commonplace in clinics. More and more OCT images are being generated, and for these OCT images to have clinical applicability, accurate automated OCT image segmentation software is needed. Oct image segmentation is still an active research area, as OCT images are inherently noisy, with the multiplicative speckling noise. Simple edge detection algorithms are unsuitable for detecting retinal layer boundaries in OCT images. Intensity fluctuation, motion artefact, and the presence of blood vessels also decrease further OCT image quality. In this paper, we introduce a new method for segmenting three-dimensional (3D) OCT images. This involves the use of a Kalman filter, which is commonly used in computer vision for object tracking. The Kalman filter is applied to the 3D OCT image volume to track the retinal layer boundaries through the slices within the volume and thus segmenting the 3D image. Specifically, after some pre-processing of the OCT images, points on the retinal layer boundaries in the first image are identified, and curve fitting is applied to them such that the layer boundaries can be represented by the coefficients of the curve equations. These coefficients then form the state space for the Kalman Filter. The filter then produces an optimal estimate of the current state of the system by updating its previous state using the measurements available in the form of a feedback control loop. The results show that the algorithm can be used to segment the retinal layers in OCT images. One of the limitations of the current algorithm is that the curve representation of the retinal layer boundary does not work well when the layer boundary is split into two, e.g., at the optic nerve, the layer boundary split into two. This maybe resolved by using a different approach to representing the boundaries, such as b-splines or level sets. The use of a Kalman filter shows promise to developing accurate and effective 3D OCT segmentation methods.

Keywords: optical coherence tomography, image segmentation, Kalman filter, object tracking

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Authors: Guannan Ren, Thomas Mazzuchi, Shahram Sarkani

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Electric vehicle battery recycling has emerged as a critical process in the transition toward sustainable transportation. As the demand for electric vehicles continues to rise, so does the need to address the end-of-life management of their batteries. Electric vehicle battery recycling benefits resource recovery and supply chain stability by reclaiming valuable metals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. The reclaimed materials can then be reintroduced into the battery manufacturing process, reducing the reliance on raw material extraction and the environmental impacts of waste. Current battery recycling rates are insufficient to meet the growing demands for raw materials. While significant progress has been made in electric vehicle battery recycling, many areas can still improve. Standardization of battery designs, increased collection and recycling infrastructures, and improved efficiency in recycling processes are essential for scaling up recycling efforts and maximizing material recovery. This work delves into key factors, such as regulatory frameworks, economic incentives, and technological processes, that influence the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of battery recycling systems. A system dynamics model that considers variables such as battery production rates, demand and price fluctuations, recycling infrastructure capacity, and the effectiveness of recycling processes is created to study how these variables are interconnected, forming feedback loops that affect the overall supply chain efficiency. Such a model can also help simulate the effects of stricter regulations on battery disposal, incentives for recycling, or investments in research and development for battery designs and advanced recycling technologies. By using the developed model, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers may gain insights into the effects of applying different policies or process updates on electric vehicle battery recycling rates.

Keywords: environmental engineering, modeling and simulation, circular economy, sustainability, transportation science, policy

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Authors: Fengxia Li, Lufeng Zhang, Haibo Wang

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The tight sandstone gas reservoir in the Xujiahe Formation of the Sichuan Basin has huge reserves, but its utilization rate is low. Fracturing and stimulation are indispensable technologies to unlock their potential and achieve commercial exploitation. Slickwater is the most widely used fracturing fluid system in the fracturing and renovation of tight reservoirs. However, its viscosity is low, its sand-carrying performance is poor, and the risk of sand blockage is high. Increasing the sand carrying capacity by increasing the displacement will increase the frictional resistance of the pipe string, affecting the resistance reduction performance. The variable viscosity slickwater can flexibly switch between different viscosities in real-time online, effectively overcoming problems such as sand carrying and resistance reduction. Based on a self-developed indoor loop friction testing system, a visualization device for proppant transport, and a HAAKE MARS III rheometer, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted on the performance of variable viscosity slickwater, including resistance reduction, rheology, and sand carrying. The indoor experimental results show that: 1. by changing the concentration of drag-reducing agents, the viscosity of the slippery water can be changed between 2~30mPa. s; 2. the drag reduction rate of the variable viscosity slickwater is above 80%, and the shear rate will not reduce the drag reduction rate of the liquid; under indoor experimental conditions, 15mPa. s of variable viscosity and slickwater can basically achieve effective carrying and uniform placement of proppant. The layered fracturing effect of the JiangX well in the dense sandstone of the Xujiahe Formation shows that the drag reduction rate of the variable viscosity slickwater is 80.42%, and the daily production of the single layer after fracturing is over 50000 cubic meters. This study provides theoretical support and on-site experience for promoting the application of variable viscosity slickwater in tight sandstone gas reservoirs.

Keywords: slickwater, hydraulic fracturing, dynamic sand laying, drag reduction rate, rheological properties

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Authors: Bartosz Kedra, Robert Malkowski

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This paper provides description and presentation of laboratory test unit built basing on 150 kVA power frequency converter and Simulink RealTime platform. Assumptions, based on criteria which load and generator types may be simulated using discussed device, are presented, as well as control algorithm structure. As laboratory setup contains transformer with thyristor controlled tap changer, a wider scope of setup capabilities is presented. Information about used communication interface, data maintenance, and storage solution as well as used Simulink real-time features is presented. List and description of all measurements are provided. Potential of laboratory setup modifications is evaluated. For purposes of Rapid Control Prototyping, a dedicated environment was used Simulink RealTime. Therefore, load model Functional Unit Controller is based on a PC computer with I/O cards and Simulink RealTime software. Simulink RealTime was used to create real-time applications directly from Simulink models. In the next step, applications were loaded on a target computer connected to physical devices that provided opportunity to perform Hardware in the Loop (HIL) tests, as well as the mentioned Rapid Control Prototyping process. With Simulink RealTime, Simulink models were extended with I/O cards driver blocks that made automatic generation of real-time applications and performing interactive or automated runs on a dedicated target computer equipped with a real-time kernel, multicore CPU, and I/O cards possible. Results of performed laboratory tests are presented. Different load configurations are described and experimental results are presented. This includes simulation of under frequency load shedding, frequency and voltage dependent characteristics of groups of load units, time characteristics of group of different load units in a chosen area and arbitrary active and reactive power regulation basing on defined schedule.

Keywords: MATLAB, power converter, Simulink Real-Time, thyristor-controlled tap changer

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Authors: Lars A. L. Giske, Ola J. Mork, Emil Bjoerlykhaug

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The design of fish processing equipment greatly impacts how easy the cleaning process for the equipment is. This is a critical issue in fish processing, as cleaning of fish processing equipment is a task that is both costly and time consuming, in addition to being very important with regards to product quality. Even more, poorly cleaned equipment could in the worst case lead to contaminated product from which consumers could get ill. This paper will elucidate how equipment design changes could improve the work for the cleaners and saving money for the fish processing facilities by looking at a case for product design improvements. The design of fish processing equipment largely determines how easy it is to clean. “Design for cleaning” is the new hype in the industry and equipment where the ease of cleaning is prioritized gets a competitive advantage over equipment in which design for cleaning has not been prioritized. Design for cleaning is an important research area for equipment manufacturers. SeaSide AS is doing continuously improvements in the design of their products in order to gain a competitive advantage. The focus in this paper will be conveyors for internal logistic and a product called the “electro stunner” will be studied with regards to “Design for cleaning”. Often together with SeaSide’s customers, ideas for new products or product improvements are sketched out, 3D-modelled, discussed, revised, built and delivered. Feedback from the customers is taken into consideration, and the product design is revised once again. This loop was repeated multiple times, and led to new product designs. The new designs sometimes also cause the manufacturing processes to change (as in going from bolted to welded connections). Customers report back that the concrete changes applied to products by SeaSide has resulted in overall more easily cleaned equipment. These changes include, but are not limited to; welded connections (opposed to bolted connections), gaps between contact faces, opening up structures to allow cleaning “inside” equipment, and generally avoiding areas in which humidity and water may gather and build up. This is important, as there will always be bacteria in the water which will grow if the area never dries up. The work of creating more cleanable design is still ongoing, and will “never” be finished as new designs and new equipment will have their own challenges.

Keywords: cleaning, design, equipment, fish processing, innovation

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Authors: Hanan. Al Chaghouri, Mohammad Azad Malik, P. John Thomas, Paul O’Brien

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The process of assembling metal nanoparticles at the interface of two liquids has received a great interest over the past few years due to a wide range of important applications and their unusual properties compared to bulk materials. We present a low cost, simple and cheap synthesis of metal nanoparticles, core/shell structures and semiconductors followed by assembly of these particles between immiscible liquids. The aim of this talk is divided to three parts: firstly, to describe the achievement of a closed loop recycling for producing cadmium sulphide as powders and/or nanostructured thin films for solar cells or other optoelectronic devices applications by using a different chain length of commercially available secondary amines of dithiocarbamato complexes. The approach can be extended to other metal sulphides such as those of Zn, Pb, Cu, or Fe and many transition metals and oxides. Secondly, to synthesis significantly cheaper magnetic particles suited for the mass market. Ni/NiO nanoparticles with ferromagnetic properties at room temperature were among the smallest and strongest magnets (5 nm) were made in solution. The applications of this work can be applied to produce viable storage devices and the other possibility is to disperse these nanocrystals in solution and use it to make ferro-fluids which have a number of mature applications. The third part is about preparing and assembling of submicron silver, cobalt and nickel particles by using polyol methods and liquid/liquid interface, respectively. Noble metal like gold, copper and silver are suitable for plasmonic thin film solar cells because of their low resistivity and strong interactions with visible light waves. Silver is the best choice for solar cell application since it has low absorption losses and high radiative efficiency compared to gold and copper. Assembled cobalt and nickel as films are promising for spintronic, magnetic and magneto-electronic and biomedics.

Keywords: assembling nanoparticles, liquid/liquid interface, thin film, core/shell, solar cells, recording media

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Authors: Nicky Wilson, Graeme Ralph

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Legacy aerostructure assembly is defined by large components, low build rates, and manual assembly methods. With an increasing demand for commercial aircraft and emerging markets such as the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) market, current methods of manufacturing are not capable of efficiently hitting these higher-rate demands. This project will look at how legacy manufacturing processes can be rate enabled by taking a holistic view of data usage, focusing on how data can be collected to enable fully integrated digital factories and supply chains. The study will focus on how data is flowed both up and down the supply chain to create a digital thread specific to each part and assembly while enabling machine learning through real-time, closed-loop feedback systems. The study will also develop a bespoke architecture to enable connectivity both within the factory and the wider PLM (product lifecycle management) system, moving away from traditional point-to-point systems used to connect IO devices to a hub and spoke architecture that will exploit report-by-exception principles. This paper outlines the key issues facing legacy aircraft manufacturers, focusing on what future manufacturing will look like from adopting Industry 4 principles. The research also defines the data architecture of a PLM system to enable the transfer and control of a digital thread within the supply chain and proposes a standardised communications protocol to enable a scalable solution to connect IO devices within a production environment. This research comes at a critical time for aerospace manufacturers, who are seeing a shift towards the integration of digital technologies within legacy production environments, while also seeing build rates continue to grow. It is vital that manufacturing processes become more efficient in order to meet these demands while also securing future work for many manufacturers.

Keywords: Industry 4, digital transformation, IoT, PLM, automated assembly, connected factories

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Authors: Evren Isen

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In grid-connected renewable energy systems, input power is controlled by AC/DC converter or/and DC/DC converter depending on output voltage of input source. The power is injected to DC-link, and DC-link voltage is regulated by inverter controlling the grid current. Inverter performance is considerable in grid-connected renewable energy systems to meet the utility standards. In this paper, modelling and simulation of hysteresis current controlled single-phase grid-connected inverter that is utilized in renewable energy systems, such as wind and solar systems, are presented. 2 kW single-phase grid-connected inverter is simulated in Simulink and modeled in Matlab-m-file. The grid current synchronization is obtained by phase locked loop (PLL) technique in dq synchronous rotating frame. Although dq-PLL can be easily implemented in three-phase systems, there is difficulty to generate β component of grid voltage in single-phase system because single-phase grid voltage exists. Inverse-Park PLL with low-pass filter is used to generate β component for grid angle determination. As grid current is controlled by constant bandwidth hysteresis current control (HCC) technique, average switching frequency and variation of switching frequency in a fundamental period are considered. 3.56% total harmonic distortion value of grid current is achieved with 0.5 A bandwidth. Average value of switching frequency and total harmonic distortion curves for different hysteresis bandwidth are obtained from model in m-file. Average switching frequency is 25.6 kHz while switching frequency varies between 14 kHz-38 kHz in a fundamental period. The average and maximum frequency difference should be considered for selection of solid state switching device, and designing driver circuit. Steady-state and dynamic response performances of the inverter depending on the input power are presented with waveforms. The control algorithm regulates the DC-link voltage by adjusting the output power.

Keywords: grid-connected inverter, hysteresis current control, inverter modelling, single-phase inverter

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Authors: Phill-Seung Jung, Dae-Yeon Kim

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Objectives: In young, especially nulliparous women, it is not easy to decide on excisional therapy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). We aimed to evaluate how effective topical imiquimod is in the treatment of high-grade CIN so that excisional therapy can be avoided in young women. Methods: Patients with CIN were allocated to this pilot study. They did not want excisional therapy and agreed with topical imiquimod therapy, which required once-a-week hospital visit for 8 weeks for the application of imiquimod to the cervix by a gynecologic oncologist. If the lesion got worse during treatment, it was decided to convert imiquimod therapy to excisional therapy. Results: A total of 36 patients with a median age of 29 years (range, 22–41 years) agreed to receive topical imiquimod therapy. Of these, 32 patients (88.9%) were positive for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV). Twenty-five patients (69.4%) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and 11 (30.6%) had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) on their initial LBC. Twenty-eight patients underwent punch biopsy, which showed CIN 1 in 7 (19.4%), CIN 2 in 11 (30.6%), and CIN 3 in 10 (27.8%) patients. Twenty patients finished the 8-week imiquimod therapy. Among them, 14 patients had CIN 2 or 3, and 6 patients had CIN 1. HR HPV was positive in 12 patients. On the last examination, 14 patients (70.0%) had negative intraepithelial lesions, 3 (15.0%) had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, and 1 (5.0%) had LSIL. Two patients had persistent HSIL: 1 patient underwent loop electrosurgical excision procedure, resulting in CIN 3 with positive resection margin, and the other patient underwent punch biopsy, resulting in intermediate cells and restarted imiquimod therapy. Only 7 patients were negative for HR HPV. Conclusions: This study showed that topical imiquimod therapy was effective for the treatment of high-grade CIN, with a histologic regression rate of 85.7% (14/20) and HPV eradication rate of 25.0% (8/32). Based on our findings, topical imiquimod therapy might have a successful therapeutic effect in young women with CIN 2-3 so that they can avoid excisional therapy. In addition, it could be a more reassuring treatment option for CIN 1 than just follow-up after few months. To confirm its efficacy, a phase II study with larger cohort would be needed.

Keywords: Imiquimod, Cervical Intraepthelial Neoplasia, Cervical Dysplasia, Human Papillomavirus

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Authors: Diandra Cristache

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The transition of traditional manuscript studies into the digital framework closely affects the methodological premises upon which manuscript descriptions are modeled, created, and questioned for the purpose of research. This paper intends to explore the issue by presenting a methodological investigation into the process of modeling, creating, and questioning manuscript metadata. The investigation is founded on a close observation of the Polonsky Greek Manuscripts Project, a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge and Heidelberg. More than just providing a realistic ground for methodological exploration, along with a complete metadata set for computational demonstration, the case study also contributes to a broader purpose: outlining general methodological principles for making the most out of manuscript metadata by means of research-oriented digital outputs. The analysis mainly focuses on the scholarly approach to manuscript descriptions, in the specific instance where the act of metadata recording does not have a programmatic research purpose. Close attention is paid to the encounter of 'traditional' practices in manuscript studies with the formal constraints of the digital framework: does the shift in practices (especially from the straight narrative of free writing towards the hierarchical constraints of the TEI encoding model) impact the structure of metadata and its capability to respond specific research questions? It is argued that flexible structure of TEI and traditional approaches to manuscript description lead to a proliferation of markup: does an 'encyclopedic' descriptive approach ensure the epistemological relevance of the digital outputs to metadata? To provide further insight on the computational approach to manuscript metadata, the metadata of the Polonsky project are processed with techniques of distant reading and data networking, thus resulting in a new group of digital outputs (relational graphs, geographic maps). The computational process and the digital outputs are thoroughly illustrated and discussed. Eventually, a retrospective analysis evaluates how the digital outputs respond to the scientific expectations of research, and the other way round, how the requirements of research questions feed back into the creation and enrichment of metadata in an iterative loop.

Keywords: digital manuscript studies, digital outputs to manuscripts metadata, metadata interoperability, methodological issues

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