Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the role of serum nitric oxide and sialic acid in the development of diabetic nephropathy as disease marker. Total 210 diabetic patients (age and sex matched) were selected followed by informed consent and divided into four groups (70 each) as I: control; II: diabetic; III: diabetic hypertensive; IV: diabetic nephropathy. The blood samples of all subjects were collected and analyzed for serum nitric oxide, sialic acid, fasting blood glucose, serum urea, creatinine, HbA1c and GFR. The BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, blood glucose, HbA1c and serum sialic acid levels were high (p
Abstract: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are known to be
persistent and bioaccumulative toxicants that may cause reproductive
impairments in wildlife as well as human. The current study uses the
snail-eating turtle Malayemys macrocephala, a long-lived animal
commonly distribute in rice field habitat in central part of Thailand,
as a sentinel to monitor OCP contamination in environment. The
nest soil, complete clutch of eggs, and blood of the turtle were
collected from agricultural areas in the Chao Phraya River Basin,
Thailand during the nesting season of 2007-2008. The novel
methods for tissue extraction by an accelerated solvent extractor
(ASE, for egg) and liquid-liquid extraction (for blood) have been
developed. The nineteen OCP residues were analyzed by gas
chromatography with micro-electron captured detector (GC-μECD).
The validated methods have met requirements of the AOAC
standard. The results indicated that significant amounts of OCPs are
still contaminated in nest soil and eggs of the turtle even though the
OCPs had been banned in this area for many years. This suggested
the potential risk to health of wildlife as well as human in the area.
Abstract: This paper presents a controller design technique for
Synchronous Reluctance Motor to improve its dynamic performance
with fast response and high accuracy. The sliding mode control is the
most attractive and suitable method to use for this purpose, since it is
simple in design and for its insensitivity to parameter variations or
external disturbances. When this method implemented it yields fast
dynamic response without overshoot and a zero steady-state error.
The current loop control with decentralized sliding mode is presented
in this paper. The mathematical model for the synchronous machine,
the inverter and the controller is developed. The stability of the
sliding mode controller is analyzed. Simulation of synchronous
reluctance motor and the controller with PWM-inverter has been
curried out, using the SIMULINK software package of MATLAB.
Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the
approach.
Abstract: In this paper we discuss a set of guidelines which
could be adapted when designing an audio user interface for the
visually impaired. It is based on an audio environment that is
focused on audio positioning. Unlike current applications which only
interpret Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the visually impaired,
this particular audio environment bypasses GUI to provide a direct
auditory output. It presents the capability of two dimensional (2D)
navigation on audio interfaces. This paper highlights the significance
of a 2D audio environment with spatial information in the context
of the visually impaired. A thorough usability study has been conducted
to prove the applicability of proposed design guidelines for
these auditory interfaces. While proving these guidelines, previously
unearthed design aspects have been revealed in this study.
Abstract: This paper deals with the problem of thermal and
mechanical shocks, which rising during operation, mostly at
interrupted cut. Here will be solved their impact on the cutting edge
tool life, the impact of coating technology on resistance to shocks
and experimental determination of tool life in heating flame.
Resistance of removable cutting edges against thermal and
mechanical shock is an important indicator of quality as well as its
abrasion resistance. Breach of the edge or its crumble may occur due
to cyclic loading. We can observe it not only during the interrupted
cutting (milling, turning areas abandoned hole or slot), but also in
continuous cutting. This is due to the volatility of cutting force on
cutting. Frequency of the volatility in this case depends on the type
of rising chips (chip size element). For difficult-to-machine materials
such as austenitic steel particularly happened at higher cutting speeds
for the localization of plastic deformation in the shear plane and for
the inception of separate elements substantially continuous chips.
This leads to variations of cutting forces substantially greater than for
other types of steel.
Abstract: This paper presents a new approach for the prob-ability density function estimation using the Support Vector Ma-chines (SVM) and the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithms.In the proposed approach, an advanced algorithm for the SVM den-sity estimation which incorporates the Mean Field theory in the learning process is used. Instead of using ad-hoc values for the para-meters of the kernel function which is used by the SVM algorithm,the proposed approach uses the EM algorithm for an automatic optimization of the kernel. Experimental evaluation using simulated data set shows encouraging results.
Abstract: In this article we present a methodology which
enables preschool and primary school unlanguaged children to
remember words, phrases and texts with the help of graphic signs -
letters, syllables and words. Reading for a child becomes a support
for speech development. Teaching is based on the principle "from
simple to complex", "a letter - a syllable - a word - a proposal - a
text." Availability of multi-level texts allows using this methodology
for working with children who have different levels of speech
development.
Abstract: A pilot project was carried out in 2007 by the senior
students of Cyprus International University, aiming to minimize the
total cost of waste collection in Northern Cyprus. Many developed
and developing countries have cut their transportation costs – which
lies between 30-40% – down at a rate of 40% percent, by
implementing network models for their route assignments.
Accordingly, a network model was implemented at Göçmenköy
district, to optimize and standardize waste collection works. The
work environment of the employees were also redesigned to provide
maximum ergonomy and to increase productivity, efficiency and
safety. Following the collection of the required data including waste
densities, lengths of roads and population, a model was constructed
to allocate the optimal route assignment for the waste collection
trucks at Göçmenköy district.
Abstract: Energy consumption is one of the indices in
determining the levels of development of a nation. Therefore,
availability of energy supply to all sectors of life in any country is
crucial for its development. These exists shortage of all kinds of
energy, particularly electricity which is badly needed for economic
development. Electricity from the sun which is quite abundant in
most of the developing countries is used in rural areas to meet basic
electricity needs of a rural community. Today-s electricity supply in
Myanmar is generated by fuel generators and hydroelectric power
plants. However, far-flung areas which are away from National Grids
cannot enjoy the electricity generated by these sources. Since
Myanmar is a land of plentiful sunshine, especially in central and
southern regions of the country, the first form of energy- solar energy
could hopefully become the final solution to its energy supply
problem. The direct conversion of solar energy into electricity using
photovoltaic system has been receiving intensive installation not only
in developed countries but also in developing countries. It is mainly
intended to present solar energy potential and application in
Myanmar. It is also wanted to get the benefits of using solar energy
for people in remote areas which are not yet connected to the national
grids because of the high price of fossil fuel.
Abstract: In this paper a novel high output impedance, low input impedance, wide bandwidth, very simple current mirror with input and output voltage requirements less than that of a simple current mirror is presented. These features are achieved with very simple structure avoiding extra large node impedances to ensure high bandwidth operation. The circuit's principle of operation is discussed and compared to simple and low voltage cascode (LVC) current mirrors. Such outstanding features of this current mirror as high output impedance ~384K, low input impedance~6.4, wide bandwidth~178MHz, low input voltage ~ 362mV, low output voltage ~ 38mV and low current transfer error ~4% (all at 50μA) makes it an outstanding choice for high performance applications. Simulation results in BSIM 0.35μm CMOS technology with HSPICE are given in comparison with simple, and LVC current mirrors to verify and validate the performance of the proposed current mirror.
Abstract: Offset Double-Disk Opener (DDO) is a popular
furrow opener in conservation tillage. It has some limitations such as
negative suction to penetrate in the soil, hair pinning and mixing seed
and fertilizer in the slot. Because of importance of separation of seed
and fertilizer in the slot, by adding two horizontal mini disks to DDO
a modified opener was made (MDO) which placed the fertilizer
between and under two rows of seed. To consider performance of
novel opener an indoor comparison test between DDO and MDO was
performed at soil bin. The experiment was conducted with three
working speeds (3, 6 and 8 km h-1), two bulk densities of soil (1.1
and 1.4 Mg m-3) and two levels of residues (1 and 2 ton ha-1). The
experimental design consisted in a (3×2×2) complete randomized
factorial with three replicates for each test. Moisture of seed furrow,
separation of seed and fertilizer, hair pinning and resultant forces
acting on the openers were used as assessing indexes. There was no
significant difference between soil moisture content in slots created
by DDO and MDO at 0-4 cm depth, but at 4-8 cm the in the slot
created by MDO moisture content was higher about 9%. Horizontal
force for both openers increased with increasing speed and soil bulk
density. Vertical force for DDO was negative so it needed additional
weight for penetrating in the soil, but vertical force for MDO was
positive and, which can solve the challenge of penetration in the soil
in DDO. In soft soil with heavy residues some trash was pushed by
DDO into seed furrow (hair pinning) but at MDO seed were placed at
clean groove. Lateral and vertical separation of seed and fertilizer
was performed effectively by MDO (4.5 and 5 cm, respectively)
while DDO put seed and fertilizer close to each other. Overall, the
Modified Offset Double-disks (MDO) had better performance. So by
adapting this opener with no-tillage drillers it would possible to have
higher yield in conservation tillage where the most appropriate
opener is disk type.
Abstract: The problem of delay-range-dependent exponential synchronization is investigated for Lur-e master-slave systems with delay feedback control and Markovian switching. Using Lyapunov- Krasovskii functional and nonsingular M-matrix method, novel delayrange- dependent exponential synchronization in mean square criterions are established. The systems discussed in this paper is advanced system, and takes all the features of interval systems, Itˆo equations, Markovian switching, time-varying delay, as well as the environmental noise, into account. Finally, an example is given to show the validity of the main result.
Abstract: The fractal-shaped orifices are assumed to have a
significant effect on the pressure drop downstream pipe flow due to
their edge self-similarity shape which enhances the mixing
properties. Here, we investigate the pressure drop after these fractals
using a digital micro-manometer at different stations downstream a
turbulent flow pipe then a direct comparison has been made with the
pressure drop measured from regular orifices with the same flow
area. Our results showed that the fractal-shaped orifices have a
significant effect on the pressure drop downstream the flow. Also
the pressure drop measured across the fractal-shaped orifices is
noticed to be lower that that from ordinary orifices of the same flow
areas. This result could be important in designing piping systems
from point of view of losses consideration with the same flow
control area. This is promising to use the fractal-shaped orifices as
flowmeters as they can sense the pressure drop across them
accurately with minimum losses than the regular ones.
Abstract: Domain-specific languages describe specific solutions to problems in the application domain. Traditionally they form a solution composing black-box abstractions together. This, usually, involves non-deep transformations over the target model. In this paper we argue that it is potentially powerful to operate with grey-box abstractions to build a domain-specific software system. We present parametric code templates as grey-box abstractions and conceptual tools to encapsulate and manipulate these templates. Manipulations introduce template-s merging routines and can be defined in a generic way. This involves reasoning mechanisms at the code templates level. We introduce the concept of Neurath Modelling Language (NML) that operates with parametric code templates and specifies a visualisation mapping mechanism for target models. Finally we provide an example of calculating a domain-specific software system with predefined NML elements.
Abstract: The proper design of RF pulses in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a direct impact on the quality of acquired images, and is needed for many applications. Several techniques have been proposed to obtain the RF pulse envelope given the desired slice profile. Unfortunately, these techniques do not take into account the limitations of practical implementation such as limited amplitude resolution. Moreover, implementing constraints for special RF pulses on most techniques is not possible. In this work, we propose to develop an approach for designing optimal RF pulses under theoretically any constraints. The new technique will pose the RF pulse design problem as a combinatorial optimization problem and uses efficient techniques from this area such as genetic algorithms (GA) to solve this problem. In particular, an objective function will be proposed as the norm of the difference between the desired profile and the one obtained from solving the Bloch equations for the current RF pulse design values. The proposed approach will be verified using analytical solution based RF simulations and compared to previous methods such as Shinnar-Le Roux (SLR) method, and analysis, selected, and tested the options and parameters that control the Genetic Algorithm (GA) can significantly affect its performance to get the best improved results and compared to previous works in this field. The results show a significant improvement over conventional design techniques, select the best options and parameters for GA to get most improvement over the previous works, and suggest the practicality of using of the new technique for most important applications as slice selection for large flip angles, in the area of unconventional spatial encoding, and another clinical use.
Abstract: Two-phase frictional pressure drop data were
obtained for condensation of carbon dioxide in single horizontal
micro tube of inner diameter ranged from 0.6 mm up to 1.6 mm over
mass flow rates from 2.5*10-5 to 17*10-5 kg/s and vapor qualities
from 0.0 to 1.0. The inlet condensing pressure is changed from 33.5
to 45 bars. The saturation temperature ranged from -1.5 oC up to 10
oC. These data have then been compared against three (two-phase)
frictional pressure drop prediction methods. The first method is by
Muller-Steinhagen and Heck (Muller-Steinhagen H, Heck K. A
simple friction pressure drop correlation for two-phase flow in pipes.
Chem. Eng. Process 1986;20:297–308) and that by Gronnerud R.
Investigation of liquid hold-up, flow-resistance and heat transfer in
circulation type evaporators, part IV: two-phase flow resistance in
boiling refrigerants, Annexe 1972. Then the method used by
FriedelL. Improved friction pressures drop in horizontal and vertical
two-phase pipe flow. European Two-Phase Flow Group Meeting,
Paper E2; 1979 June, Ispra, Italy. The methods are used by M.B Ould
Didi et al (2001) “Prediction of two-phase pressure gradients of
refrigerant in horizontal tubes". Int.J.of Refrigeration 25(2002) 935-
947. The best available method for annular flow was that of Muller-
Steinhagen and Heck. It was observed that the peak in the two-phase
frictional pressure gradient is at high vapor qualities.
Abstract: Ten percent of the population will develop plantar
fasciitis (PF) during their lifetime. Two million people are treated
yearly accounting for 11-15% of visits to medical professionals.
Treatment ranges from conservative to surgical intervention. The
purpose of this study was to assess the effects of extracorporeal
shockwave therapy (ECSWT) on heel pain, function, range of motion
(ROM), and strength in patients with PF. One hundred subjects were
treated with ECSWT and measures were taken before and three
months after treatment. There was significant differences in visual
analog scale scores for pain at rest (p=0.0001); after activity (p=
0.0001) and; overall improvement (p=0.0001). There was also
significant improvement in Lower Extremity Functional Scale scores
(p=0.0001); ankle plantarflexion (p=0.0001), dorsiflexion (p=0.001),
and eversion (p=0.017),and first metatarsophalangeal joint flexion
(p=0.002) and extension (p=0.003) ROM. ECSWT is an effective
treatment improving heel pain, function and ROM in patients with
PF.
Abstract: The article analyses historical aspects of the formation
of the Kazakh nation in the conditions of the multicultural society.
The authors underline cultural integration as a significant stage of the
cultural advancement of the Kazakh nation. The transition to the
modern-style houses, the adoption and development of the secular
education gave a rise to the development of the society and culture
on the whole.
Abstract: The shortest path routing problem is a multiobjective nonlinear optimization problem with constraints. This problem has been addressed by considering Quality of service parameters, delay and cost objectives separately or as a weighted sum of both objectives. Multiobjective evolutionary algorithms can find multiple pareto-optimal solutions in one single run and this ability makes them attractive for solving problems with multiple and conflicting objectives. This paper uses an elitist multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA), for solving the dynamic shortest path routing problem in computer networks. A priority-based encoding scheme is proposed for population initialization. Elitism ensures that the best solution does not deteriorate in the next generations. Results for a sample test network have been presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach to generate well-distributed pareto-optimal solutions of dynamic routing problem in one single run. The results obtained by NSGA are compared with single objective weighting factor method for which Genetic Algorithm (GA) was applied.
Abstract: There have been many variations of technologies that helped educators in teaching & learning. From the past research it is evident that Information Technology significantly increases student participation and interactivity in the classrooms. This research started with a aim to find whether adoption of Wi-Fi environment by Malaysian Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) can benefit students and staff equally. The study was carried out in HEI-s of Klang Valley, Malaysia and the data is gathered through paper based surveys. A sample size of 237 units were randomly selected from 5 higher educational institutions in the Klang Valley using the Stratified Random sampling method and from the analysis of the data, it was found that the implementation of wireless technologies in HEIs have created lot of opportunities and also challenges.