Abstract: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a new worldwide public
health problem. A diagnosis of this disease using creatinine is still a
problem in clinical practice. Therefore, a measurement of biomarkers
responsible for AKI has received much attention in the past couple
years. Cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18) was reported as one of the
early biomarkers for AKI. The most commonly used method to
detect this biomarker is an immunoassay. This study used a planar
platform to perform an immunoassay using fluorescence for
detection. In this study, anti-IL-18 antibody was immobilized onto a
microscope slide using a covalent binding method. Make-up samples
were diluted at the concentration between 10 to 1000 pg/ml to create
a calibration curve. The precision of the system was determined
using a coefficient of variability (CV), which was found to be less
than 10%. The performance of this immunoassay system was
compared with the measurement from ELISA.
Abstract: The paper describes a new approach for fingerprint
classification, based on the distribution of local features (minute
details or minutiae) of the fingerprints. The main advantage is that
fingerprint classification provides an indexing scheme to facilitate
efficient matching in a large fingerprint database. A set of rules based
on heuristic approach has been proposed. The area around the core
point is treated as the area of interest for extracting the minutiae
features as there are substantial variations around the core point as
compared to the areas away from the core point. The core point in a
fingerprint has been located at a point where there is maximum
curvature. The experimental results report an overall average
accuracy of 86.57 % in fingerprint classification.
Abstract: Herein, we report the different types of surface morphology due to the interaction between the pure protein Insulin (INS) and catanionic surfactant mixture of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) at air/water interface obtained by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. We characterized the aggregations by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in LB films. We found that the INS adsorption increased in presence of catanionic surfactant at air/water interface. The presence of small amount of surfactant induces two-stage growth kinetics due to the pure protein absorption and protein-catanionic surface micelle interaction. The protein remains in native state in presence of small amount of surfactant mixture. Smaller amount of surfactant mixture with INS is producing surface micelle type structure. This may be considered for drug delivery system. On the other hand, INS becomes unfolded and fibrillated in presence of higher amount of surfactant mixture. In both the cases, the protein was successfully immobilized on a glass substrate by the LB technique. These results may find applications in the fundamental science of the physical chemistry of surfactant systems, as well as in the preparation of drug-delivery system.
Abstract: This paper presents key challenges reported by a
group of Australian undergraduate Physical Education students in
conducting a program for persons with an intellectual disability.
Strategies adopted to address these challenges are presented together
with representative feedback given by the Physical Education
students at the completion of the program. The significance of the
program’s findings is summarized.
Abstract: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a measure of
kidney function. It is usually estimated from serum concentrations of
cystatin C or creatinine although there has been considerable debate
in the literature about (i) the best equation to use and (ii) the
variability in the correlation between the concentrations of creatinine
and cystatin C. The equations for GFR can be written in a general
form and from these I calculate the error of the GFR estimates
associated with analyte measurement error. These show that the
error of the GFR estimates is such that it is not possible to distinguish
between the equations over much of the concentration range of either
analyte. The general forms of the equations are also used to derive
an expression for the concentration of cystatin C as a function of the
concentration of creatinine. This equation shows that these analyte
concentrations are not linearly related. Clinical reports of cystatin C
and creatinine concentration are consistent with the expression
derived.
Abstract: Recent advances in wireless sensor networks have led
to many routing methods designed for energy-efficiency in wireless
sensor networks. Despite that many routing methods have been
proposed in USN, a single routing method cannot be energy-efficient
if the environment of the ubiquitous sensor network varies. We present
the controlling network access to various hosts and the services they
offer, rather than on securing them one by one with a network security
model. When ubiquitous sensor networks are deployed in hostile
environments, an adversary may compromise some sensor nodes and
use them to inject false sensing reports. False reports can lead to not
only false alarms but also the depletion of limited energy resource in
battery powered networks. The interleaved hop-by-hop authentication
scheme detects such false reports through interleaved authentication.
This paper presents a LMDD (Low energy method for data delivery)
algorithm that provides energy-efficiency by dynamically changing
protocols installed at the sensor nodes. The algorithm changes
protocols based on the output of the fuzzy logic which is the fitness
level of the protocols for the environment.
Abstract: A learning management system (commonly
abbreviated as LMS) is a software application for the administration,
documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs,
classroom and online events, e-learning programs, and training
content (Ellis 2009). (Hall 2003) defines an LMS as \"software that
automates the administration of training events. All Learning
Management Systems manage the log-in of registered users, manage
course catalogs, record data from learners, and provide reports to
management\". Evidence of the worldwide spread of e-learning in
recent years is easy to obtain. In April 2003, no fewer than 66,000
fully online courses and 1,200 complete online programs were listed
on the TeleCampus portal from TeleEducation (Paulsen 2003). In the
report \" The US market in the Self-paced eLearning Products and
Services:2010-2015 Forecast and Analysis\" The number of student
taken classes exclusively online will be nearly equal (1% less) to the
number taken classes exclusively in physical campuses. Number of
student taken online course will increase from 1.37 million in 2010 to
3.86 million in 2015 in USA. In another report by The Sloan
Consortium three-quarters of institutions report that the economic
downturn has increased demand for online courses and programs.
Abstract: This paper presents a new optimization technique based on quantum computing principles to solve a security constrained power system economic dispatch problem (SCED). The proposed technique is a population-based algorithm, which uses some quantum computing elements in coding and evolving groups of potential solutions to reach the optimum following a partially directed random approach. The SCED problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem in a way that insures a secure-economic system operation. Real Coded Quantum-Inspired Evolution Algorithm (RQIEA) is then applied to solve the constrained optimization formulation. Simulation results of the proposed approach are compared with those reported in literature. The outcome is very encouraging and proves that RQIEA is very applicable for solving security constrained power system economic dispatch problem (SCED).
Abstract: This paper presents a hand vein authentication system
using fast spatial correlation of hand vein patterns. In order to
evaluate the system performance, a prototype was designed and a
dataset of 50 persons of different ages above 16 and of different
gender, each has 10 images per person was acquired at different
intervals, 5 images for left hand and 5 images for right hand. In
verification testing analysis, we used 3 images to represent the
templates and 2 images for testing. Each of the 2 images is matched
with the existing 3 templates. FAR of 0.02% and FRR of 3.00 %
were reported at threshold 80. The system efficiency at this threshold
was found to be 99.95%. The system can operate at a 97% genuine
acceptance rate and 99.98 % genuine reject rate, at corresponding
threshold of 80. The EER was reported as 0.25 % at threshold 77. We
verified that no similarity exists between right and left hand vein
patterns for the same person over the acquired dataset sample.
Finally, this distinct 100 hand vein patterns dataset sample can be
accessed by researchers and students upon request for testing other
methods of hand veins matching.
Abstract: This paper aims to (1) analyze the profiles of
transgressors (detected evaders); (2) examine reason(s) that triggered a
tax audit, causes of tax evasion, audit timeframe and tax penalty
charged; and (3) to assess if tax auditors followed the guidelines as
stated in the 'Tax Audit Framework' when conducting tax audits. In
2011, the Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRBM) had audited and
finalized 557 company cases. With official permission, data of all the
557 cases were obtained from the IRBM. Of these, a total of 421 cases
with complete information were analyzed. About 58.1% was small and
medium corporations and from the construction industry (32.8%). The
selection for tax audit was based on risk analysis (66.8%), information
from third party (11.1%), and firm with low profitability or fluctuating
profit pattern (7.8%). The three persistent causes of tax evasion by
firms were over claimed expenses (46.8%), fraudulent reporting of
income (38.5%) and overstating purchases (10.5%). These findings
are consistent with past literature. Results showed that tax auditors
took six to 18 months to close audit cases. More than half of tax
evaders were fined 45% on additional tax raised during audit for the
first offence. The study found tax auditors did follow the guidelines in
the 'Tax Audit Framework' in audit selection, settlement and penalty
imposition.
Abstract: Road crashes not only claim lives and inflict injuries but also create economic burden to the society due to loss of productivity. The problem of deaths and injuries as a result of road traffic crashes is now acknowledged to be a global phenomenon with authorities in virtually all countries of the world concerned about the growth in the number of people killed and seriously injured on their roads. However, the road crash scenario of a developing country like Bangladesh is much worse comparing with this of developed countries. For developing proper countermeasures it is necessary to identify the factors affecting crash occurrences. The objectives of the study is to examine the effect of district wise road infrastructure, socioeconomic and demographic features on crash occurrence .The unit of analysis will be taken as individual district which has not been explored much in the past. Reported crash data obtained from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) from the year 2004 to 2010 are utilized to develop negative binomial model. The model result will reveal the effect of road length (both paved and unpaved), road infrastructure and several socio economic characteristics on district level crash frequency in Bangladesh.
Abstract: This study examines the impact of working capital
management on firms- performance and market value of the firms in
Nigeria. A sample of fifty four non-financial quoted firms in Nigeria
listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange was used for this study. Data
were collected from annual reports of the sampled firms for the
period 1995-2009. This result shows there is a significant negative
relationship between cash conversion cycle and market valuation
and firm-s performance. It also shows that debt ratio is positively
related to market valuation and negatively related firm-s
performance. The findings confirm that there is a significant
relationship between Market valuation, profitability and working
capital component in line with previous studies. This mean that
Nigeria firms should ensure adequate management of working
capital especially cash conversion cycle components of account
receivables, account payables and inventories, as efficiency working
capital management is expected to contribute positively to the firms-
market value.
Abstract: Direct search methods are evolutionary algorithms used to solve optimization problems. (DS) methods do not require any information about the gradient of the objective function at hand while searching for an optimum solution. One of such methods is Pattern Search (PS) algorithm. This paper presents a new approach based on a constrained pattern search algorithm to solve a security constrained power system economic dispatch problem (SCED). Operation of power systems demands a high degree of security to keep the system satisfactorily operating when subjected to disturbances, while and at the same time it is required to pay attention to the economic aspects. Pattern recognition technique is used first to assess dynamic security. Linear classifiers that determine the stability of electric power system are presented and added to other system stability and operational constraints. The problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem in a way that insures a secure-economic system operation. Pattern search method is then applied to solve the constrained optimization formulation. In particular, the method is tested using one system. Simulation results of the proposed approach are compared with those reported in literature. The outcome is very encouraging and proves that pattern search (PS) is very applicable for solving security constrained power system economic dispatch problem (SCED).
Abstract: Saudi Arabia in recent years has seen drastic increase
in traffic related crashes. With population of over 29 million, Saudi
Arabia is considered as a fast growing and emerging economy. The
rapid population increase and economic growth has resulted in rapid
expansion of transportation infrastructure, which has led to increase
in road crashes. Saudi Ministry of Interior reported more than 7,000
people killed and 68,000 injured in 2011 ranking Saudi Arabia to be
one of the worst worldwide in traffic safety. The traffic safety issues
in the country also result in distress to road users and cause and
economic loss exceeding 3.7 billion Euros annually. Keeping this in
view, the researchers in Saudi Arabia are investigating ways to
improve traffic safety conditions in the country. This paper presents a
multilevel approach to collect traffic safety related data required to do
traffic safety studies in the region. Two highway corridors including
King Fahd Highway 39 kilometre and Gulf Cooperation Council
Highway 42 kilometre long connecting the cities of Dammam and
Khobar were selected as a study area. Traffic data collected included
traffic counts, crash data, travel time data, and speed data. The
collected data was analysed using geographic information system to
evaluate any correlation. Further research is needed to investigate the
effectiveness of traffic safety related data when collected in a
concerted effort.
Abstract: This paper reports work done to improve the modeling of complex processes when only small experimental data sets are available. Neural networks are used to capture the nonlinear underlying phenomena contained in the data set and to partly eliminate the burden of having to specify completely the structure of the model. Two different types of neural networks were used for the application of pulping problem. A three layer feed forward neural networks, using the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) methods were used in this investigation. Preconditioning is a method to improve convergence by lowering the condition number and increasing the eigenvalues clustering. The idea is to solve the modified odified problem M-1 Ax= M-1b where M is a positive-definite preconditioner that is closely related to A. We mainly focused on Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient- based training methods which originated from optimization theory, namely Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient with Fletcher-Reeves Update (PCGF), Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient with Polak-Ribiere Update (PCGP) and Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient with Powell-Beale Restarts (PCGB). The behavior of the PCG methods in the simulations proved to be robust against phenomenon such as oscillations due to large step size.
Abstract: Grid composite structures have many applications in aerospace industry in which deal with transverse loadings abundantly. In present paper a stiffened composite cylindrical shell with clamped-free boundary condition under transverse end load experimentally and numerically was studied. Some electrical strain gauges were employed to measure the strains. Also a finite element analysis was done for validation of experimental result. The FEM software used was ANSYS11. In addition, the results between stiffened composite shell and unstiffened composite shell were compared. It was observed that intersection of two stiffeners has an important effect in decrease of stress in the shell. Fairly good agreements were observed between the numerical and the measured results. According to recent studies about grid composite structures, it should be noted that any investigation like this research has not been reported.
Abstract: In this competitive age, one of the key tools of most successful organizations is knowledge management. Today some organizations measure their current knowledge and use it as an indicator for rating the organization on their reports. Noting that the universities and colleges of medical science have a great role in public health of societies, their access to newest scientific research and the establishment of organizational knowledge management systems is very important. In order to explore the Application of Knowledge Management Factors, a national study was undertaken. The main purpose of this study was to find the rate of the application of knowledge management factors and some ways to establish more application of knowledge management system in Esfahan University-s Medical College (EUMC). Esfahan is the second largest city after Tehran, the capital city of Iran, and the EUMC is the biggest medical college in Esfahan. To rate the application of knowledge management, this study uses a quantitative research methodology based on Probst, Raub and Romhardt model of knowledge management. A group of 267 faculty members and staff of the EUMC were asked via questionnaire. Finding showed that the rate of the application of knowledge management factors in EUMC have been lower than average. As a result, an interview with ten faculty members conducted to find the guidelines to establish more applications of knowledge management system in EUMC.
Abstract: This work considered the thermodynamic feasibility
of scrubbing volatile organic compounds into biodiesel in view of
designing a gas treatment process with this absorbent. A detailed
vapour – liquid equilibrium investigation was performed using the
original UNIFAC group contribution method. The four biodiesels
studied in this work are methyl oleate, methyl palmitate, methyl
linolenate and ethyl stearate. The original UNIFAC procedure was
used to estimate the infinite dilution activity coefficients of 13
selected volatile organic compounds in the biodiesels. The
calculations were done at the VOC mole fraction of 9.213x10-8. Ethyl
stearate gave the most favourable phase equilibrium. A close
agreement was found between the infinite dilution activity coefficient
of toluene found in this work and those reported in literature.
Thermodynamic models can efficiently be used to calculate vast
amount of phase equilibrium behaviour using limited number of
experimental data.
Abstract: Recent years have seen a growing trend towards the
integration of multiple information sources to support large-scale
prediction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks in model
organisms. Despite advances in computational approaches, the
combination of multiple “omic" datasets representing the same type
of data, e.g. different gene expression datasets, has not been
rigorously studied. Furthermore, there is a need to further investigate
the inference capability of powerful approaches, such as fullyconnected
Bayesian networks, in the context of the prediction of PPI
networks. This paper addresses these limitations by proposing a
Bayesian approach to integrate multiple datasets, some of which
encode the same type of “omic" data to support the identification of
PPI networks. The case study reported involved the combination of
three gene expression datasets relevant to human heart failure (HF).
In comparison with two traditional methods, Naive Bayesian and
maximum likelihood ratio approaches, the proposed technique can
accurately identify known PPI and can be applied to infer potentially
novel interactions.
Abstract: The authors report a case of swine urolithiasis caused
by improper administration of sulfamonomethoxine and which was
diagnosed by examination of urinary sediments and analyzing the
composition of the uroliths. The chemical composition of urinary
calculi obtained from affected pigs with urolithiasis was further
confimed as sulfamonomethoxine by fourier transform infrared
(FTIR). It is suggested that appearance of typical fanlike or wheat
bunchy crystals in urinary sediments under observation of lightmicroscope
and determination by FTIR for the crystals are helpful in
diagnosing sulfa calculi causced swine urolithiasis.