Acceptable Size Research Articles

Bolt loading effects on the structural integrity assessment of defects in industrial components

Applied loads in bolted geometries of safety critical components can vary with time and operating conditions. Structural integrity and remaining life assessments of such components in aging industrial plants must consider the resultant changes in damage accumulation rates and acceptable defect sizes. Two case studies are presented that demonstrate the effect of bolt pre-load on creep and fatigue lives as well as on the acceptability assessments of defects. In the first case the sensitivity of creep damage accumulation and crack propagation rates to bolt pre-load in high temperature flanged connections are considered. Predicted results were found to compare well with actual damage quantified on a high pressure turbine loop pipe flange connection. It was shown that decreased pre-loads, in this case, leads to an increase the allowable safe defect size during assembly at room temperature. In contrast to this the second case study of corrosion fatigue cracking in a boiler water circulating pump illustrates that an increase in bolt pre-load leads to an increase in fatigue initiation life, a decrease in fatigue crack propagation rate and an increase in the acceptable defect size. Strain gauge measurements of bolt and casing strain, which correlated well with finite element calculations, indicated the necessity for close control of bolt pre-load during assembly to ensure specified levels are attained. In both cases metallurgical analysis and structural integrity assessments of cracked and excavated geometries were conducted which enabled limited continued operation of the components after which repairs and/or replacements will be implemented.

Surface laser processing of maraging steel parts manufactured by selective laser melting: effect on pass geometry and hardness

Due to the possibility to produce the parts with complex internal and external geometries, selective laser melting (SLM) process attracts growing interest in various fields of engineering segments such as aircraft, aerospace, biomedical, automotive, marine industries and tooling. Maraging steels, having excellent weldability and high resistance to thermal fatigue due to the lack of carbon, has showed good suitability for SLM [1]. However, owing to the limited hardness and wear resistance, maraging steels has limited application at the harsh wear conditions [4]. In this study, the possibility to improve the surface characteristics of DIN 1.2709 steel SLM parts by application of laser alloying technology is evaluated. The surface of SLM part was laser processed at various laser spot diameters and varying laser scanning speeds from 500 to 1500 mm⋅min-1, with and without preposition of alloying element. The power density was provided in the range from ~0.8⋅103 W⋅cm-2 to ~51⋅103 W⋅cm-2 and heat input – from 4 to 12 J⋅mm-1. The effect of laser processing parameters and presence of alloying element on the geometry of obtained processed passes and hardness of surface was evaluated. It was determined, that the application of CO2 continuous laser at the parameters of 1 kW laser power, 0.5 mm laser beam spot diameter and laser scanning speed in the range between 500 mm⋅min-1 and 1250 mm⋅min-1 allows obtaining laser pool of acceptable geometry and sizes directly on as-manufactured SLM part surface without any pre-processing. The increasing scanning speed to 1500 mm⋅min-1 or spot size to 2.0 and 3.0 mm results in too small pool depth and unstable pool geometry. The laser processing with preposition of alloying element layer provided surface alloying effect of the maraging steel SLM part. The hardness of processed surface areas ranged between ~600 HV0.2 at the lowest scanning speed and ~1770 HV0.2 at the highest speed, what is from 18% to ~3.5 times higher, as compared with maximum hardness of 1.2709 maraging steel after aging (~58 HRC or ~510 HV).

Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of a Battery Cell under Impact Load

Impact damage is one of the most critical scenarios for the lithium-ion battery pack of an electrical vehicle, as it involves mechanical abusive loads with serious consequences on electrical and thermal stability. The development of a numerical model for an explicit dynamic simulation of a Li-ion battery pack under impact implies a significant computational effort if detailed models of a single battery cell are employed. The present paper presents a homogenized finite element model of a battery cell, validated by experimental tests of individual materials and an impact test of an entire cell. The macro model is composed of shell elements representing outside casing and elements with a homogenized and isotropic material for the jelly roll. The displacements and deformed shape of the numerical model of the battery cell were compared with those measured on real test specimens; full-field optical scanning was employed to reconstruct the 3D shape of the deformed battery. The overall deformation of the simulation and experimental results are comparable with a deviation of the maximum intrusion of 14.8% for impact direction and 19.5% for the perpendicular direction considering the cumulative effects of simplifying hypotheses of the numerical model and experimental side effects. The results are a starting point for future analyses of a battery pack and its protection systems under impact. The model presented in this paper, considering the low computing power needed for calculation and acceptable mesh size for crash, should be able to be used in bigger resources consuming crash simulation models. In this way, the cells’ deformation and behavior can be tracked more easily for safety management and diagnosis of the crashworthiness of the packs or car batteries.

Influences of inter- and intra-row spacing on the growth and head yield of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) in western Amhara, Ethiopia

Abstract Plant population of 40,000 ha−1 with the respective inter- and intra-row spacing of 50 cm × 50 cm is the blanket recommendation for the production of head cabbage in Ethiopia. However, producers complain that this spacing produces too large head size, which is not the market's preference for household consumption instead for hotels and big institutions like universities. This two-season field experiment was conducted to optimize the head cabbage yield with appropriate head size by adjusting inter- and intra-row spacing. The result of the combined analysis over location and season revealed that all tested parameters were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by the interaction effect of inter- and intra-row spacing. The combinations of 35 cm × 30 cm, 35 cm × 50 cm, and 50 cm × 30 cm inter- and intra-row spacing gave the highest head yield of 45, 43 significantly, and 42 t ha−1, respectively as compared to other treatment combinations. The interaction of the lowest inter- and intra-row spacing of 35 cm × 30 cm gave the lowest average head weight of 923 g of cabbage. The result showed that as intra-row spacing increased from 30 to 50 cm with all possible combinations of inter-row spacing, head-sized cabbage increased linearly. The current study identified that blanket recommendation of 50 cm × 50 cm inter-and intra-row spacing which assures a plant population of 40,000 ha−1 produced more than 1.4 kg individual head weight with a yield penalty of 10.70 t ha−1 compared to 50 cm × 30 cm inter- and intra-row spacing combination which assures a plant population of 66,667 ha−1. The current study confirmed that the earlier blanket recommendation of 40,000 plants ha−1 should be enhanced to a plant population of 66,667 ha−1 with a yield advantage of 131%. Concretely the manifested plant population difference gives an opportunity to producers to harvest a maximum yield with an acceptable head size of 1.2 kg. Therefore, it is concluded that the combination of 50 cm × 30 cm inter- and intra-row spacing assures that a plant population of 66,667 ha−1 is optimum for the production of head cabbage in the study and similar agro-ecologies.

A novel experimental design for boar sperm cryopreservation.

Cryopreservation of sperm is a routine technology in many livestock species, but not in swine. Frozen sperm must result in acceptable conception rates and produce 11 to 12 piglets/litter to be competitive with traditional cooled semen. The development of an extender that results in high post-thaw sperm quality and acceptable litter size requires the identification of factors that markedly affect post-thaw semen quality. The present study aims to first identify factors in boar sperm cryopreservation that significantly affect post-thaw sperm quality using an efficient, cost-effective, and relatively rapid approach. The Plackett-Burman experimental design is ideal for the screening of factors at their extreme, greatly reducing the amount of time and resources needed for a follow-up, full factorial design. Using commercial semen, a 9-factor, 12-run Plackett-Burman design was used on 10 boars split between 12 treatments. Through this method, glycerol concentration, cooling rate, antioxidant supplementation with GameteGuard (Membrane Protective Technologies, Inc. Fort Collins, CO), and straw size were identified as highly influential factors that affect post-thaw sperm quality. Extender type, starting osmolality, sodium dodecyl sulfate addition, and stepwise addition of glycerol were also influential for some but not all post-thaw sperm parameters (P < 0.05). Equilibration time in the straws before freezing was determined to have no impact on post-thaw sperm quality parameters. Using the Plackett-Burman design, it can be concluded that four of the nine factors warrant detailed investigation in full factorial experiments in the development of boar sperm cryopreservation extenders.

Community pharmacists’ experiences and beliefs towards providing pharmacy services to deaf and hard of hearing patients: a mixed-method study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Introduction Provision of pharmacy services to patients requires the pharmacist to well communicate with the patients. Research has shown that healthcare providers, including community pharmacists, face many challenges while providing services to deaf and hard-of-hearing patients (DHOH). Aim To investigate community pharmacists’ experiences and beliefs about providing pharmacy services to DHOH in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a sequential explanatory mixed-method study involving a survey and semi-structured interviews. At first, a web-based, self-administered survey was disseminated to community pharmacists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the period October to November 2020. The survey was disseminated through the official twitter account of Saudi Pharmaceutical Society. Two reminders were sent. It was made clear that the survey targeted community pharmacists working in Riyadh city. To calculate an appropriate sample size, according to Hair et al, the general rule to have a minimum sample size would be five observations per variable (5:1), and an acceptable sample size would be ten observations per variable (10:1). In this survey, there are 16 items, and hence the acceptable sample size was 160 participants. The semi-structured telephone-based interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of survey respondents to gather in-depth information on experiences, beliefs, and barriers about providing pharmacy services to DHOH. The interviews were conducted until saturation occurred. Survey data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 24), and the semi-structured interviews were analysed by Framework analysis. Results A total of 175 community pharmacists completed the survey. The majority were: male (84.6%), aged between 25 to 35 years (74.9%). Of the respondents, 32.2% and 29.1% had experience in community pharmacy of 1-5 and 6-10 years, respectively. The number of DHOH patients the pharmacists met during the past 6 months were as follows: 68 (38.9%) pharmacists met 1-2 patients, 71 (40.6%) %) pharmacists met 3-4 patients, and 19 (11%) %) pharmacists met ≥ 5 patients. The provided services included: prescription medications (by 82.9%), counselling on prescription medications (by 56.6%), OTC medication dispensing (by 4.3%), and counselling on OTC medications (by 52.6%). Forty participants (22.8%) reported their awareness of the basics of Saudi sign language (SSL). Of the participants, 101 (57.7%) believed that they have handled communication barriers appropriately, while 61(35%) acknowledged unmanageable communication barriers. Among the main barriers identified were the lack of knowledge of the basics of SSL. (70.9%) and the inability to recognize disability (52.6%). The semi-structured interviews further explored pharmacists’ experiences and views on providing such a service. Of the main themes emerged were: (1) Experience; interviewees preferred written communication with DHOH patients regardless of their literacy level, while spontaneous hand gesturing was the least preferred method of communication, and they also acknowledged that their roles in providing services, to the DHOH, need to be improved (2) Beliefs; interviewees believed that awareness of the basics of SSL is important to ensure safe medication use. The barriers emerged from the interview were classified as pharmacist-related, system-related, and patient-related. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to be conducted in Saudi Arabia. The study highlighted that when providing pharmacy services to DHOH patients, community pharmacists encountered multiple barriers. These barriers need to be addressed for better support and provision of pharmacy services to DHOH. Further studies with large sample size, are warranted to better understand the situation. References (1) Hair J, Black W, Babin B, Anderson R. Multivariate data analysis. 7th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited; 2014 (2) Scheier DB. Barriers to health care for people with hearing loss: a review of the literature. J N Y State Nurses Assoc. 2009 Mar 22;40(1):4-11. (3) Ferguson MC, Shan L. Survey evaluation of pharmacy practice involving deaf patients. Journal of pharmacy practice. 2016 Oct;29(5):461-6.

Small‐scale estimation of recreational fishing effort and catch from broad‐scale survey data: A case study using multiple‐use Marine Protected Areas in Western Australia

AbstractSustainability assessment and management evaluation of broad‐scale recreational fisheries are routinely informed using effort and catch data sourced from recurring offsite surveys. Similar information is often required for small‐scale recreational fisheries and other spatial management areas. Data from four state‐wide recreational fishing surveys in Western Australia were evaluated using grid‐ and location‐based direct estimation approaches to determine whether effort and total catch could be estimated robustly for small‐scale geographical areas. Marine protected areas (MPAs) were selected as case studies, and robustness of the various approaches was assessed based on acceptable sample size and uncertainty. Effort and total catch (number retained and released across all species) were robustly estimated for 19 MPAs. Total catch was also robustly estimated for 32 teleost species across multiple MPAs. Robust estimates were less likely for offshore MPAs than coastal MPAs, with lower sample sizes associated with greater distance from boat ramps and population centres. Grid‐based approaches were therefore generally more appropriate for offshore MPAs, while location‐based approaches were more appropriate for coastal MPAs. This study demonstrates how existing monitoring of broad‐scale recreational fisheries fulfils a need for similar data in small‐scale recreational fisheries, thereby allowing for the efficient use of resources that benefit fisheries management and conservation objectives.

Optimizing the encapsulation of black seed oil into alginate beads by ionic gelation

Black seed oil (BSO) has various therapeutics effects; however, its unpleasant taste and restricted availability in the market in the form of raw oil or soft/hard gelatine capsules necessitates the need for a new formulation that is more suitable for children and elderlies. This study aimed to optimize the ionic gelation parameters for the large-scale production of BSO-loaded alginate beads. Firstly, alginate concentration, dripping distance, dripping flow rate, and high voltage application were optimized by using the design of experiments. The dripping flow rate was scaled-up using a multi-nozzle from 2 to 24 mL/min. The beads were fabricated spherically with an acceptable uniform size of 1.99 ± 0.06 mm when no voltage was applied. The application of 6 kV on the multi-nozzle resulted in non-uniform bead sizes with a higher standard deviation. The calcium chloride/gelation bath concentration was optimized at 2% w/v to cure the beads for 25–60 min with no significant differences in bead properties pre and post scaling-up of the production. Findings of this study enables the scale-up production of loading BSO and similar bioactive compounds in alginate beads for the first time.

Automatic wound detection and size estimation using deep learning algorithms.

Evaluating and tracking wound size is a fundamental metric for the wound assessment process. Good location and size estimates can enable proper diagnosis and effective treatment. Traditionally, laboratory wound healing studies include a collection of images at uniform time intervals exhibiting the wounded area and the healing process in the test animal, often a mouse. These images are then manually observed to determine key metrics —such as wound size progress— relevant to the study. However, this task is a time-consuming and laborious process. In addition, defining the wound edge could be subjective and can vary from one individual to another even among experts. Furthermore, as our understanding of the healing process grows, so does our need to efficiently and accurately track these key factors for high throughput (e.g., over large-scale and long-term experiments). Thus, in this study, we develop a deep learning-based image analysis pipeline that aims to intake non-uniform wound images and extract relevant information such as the location of interest, wound only image crops, and wound periphery size over-time metrics. In particular, our work focuses on images of wounded laboratory mice that are used widely for translationally relevant wound studies and leverages a commonly used ring-shaped splint present in most images to predict wound size. We apply the method to a dataset that was never meant to be quantified and, thus, presents many visual challenges. Additionally, the data set was not meant for training deep learning models and so is relatively small in size with only 256 images. We compare results to that of expert measurements and demonstrate preservation of information relevant to predicting wound closure despite variability from machine-to-expert and even expert-to-expert. The proposed system resulted in high fidelity results on unseen data with minimal human intervention. Furthermore, the pipeline estimates acceptable wound sizes when less than 50% of the images are missing reference objects.

Fluorescent particle image velocimetry using atomized liquid particles

Aerosolized fluorescent particles of Kiton Red 620 dye in a water/glycol fluid are generated using a Venturi-type atomizer and shown to provide effective flow seeding for fluorescent particle image velocimetry (PIV), which can mitigate the detrimental effects of laser reflections from surfaces. Ninety two percent of particles by number concentration were found to be <1 μm in diameter, an acceptable size threshold for gas-flow PIV purposes. A PIV application was conducted in a wind tunnel (freestream velocity U ∞ = 27 m s−1), using the particles for measurement of the boundary layer flow approaching a forward-facing step (approach boundary layer momentum thickness Reynolds number of . Particles were generated from solutions with dye molar concentrations of and mol l−1, and PIV images were obtained for both elastic Mie scattering and filtered, Stokes-shifted fluorescent light. Raw images indicate that the fluorescence yield of the mol l−1 solution provides PIV images with high contrast, even in the near-surface regions where Mie scattering image contrast is highly affected by surface reflections. Boundary layer profiles are processed in the region of adverse pressure gradient leading up to the forward-facing step, where the fluorescent PIV was found to perform comparably to the most optimized Mie scattering PIV; both approaches obtained data as near to the wall as 30 μm, or two viscous wall units in our flow of interest. These results indicate that the new seeding method holds promise for near-surface measurement applications with more complicated three-dimensional geometries, where it is impossible to arrange PIV cameras to reject surface-scattered light.

Fluorescent Particle Image Velocimetry using Atomized Liquid Particles

Abstract Aerosolized fluorescent particles of Kiton Red 620 dye in a water/glycol fluid are generated using a Venturi-type atomizer and shown to provide effective flow seeding for fluorescent PIV, which can mitigate the detrimental effects of laser reflections from surfaces. 92% of particles by number concentration were found to be &lt; 1 μm in diameter, an acceptable size threshold for gas-flow PIV purposes. A PIV application was conducted in a wind tunnel (freestream velocity U∞ = 27 m/s), using the particles for measurement of the boundary layer flow approaching a forward-facing step (approach boundary layer momentum thickness Reynolds number of Re_θ=5930). Particles were generated from solutions with dye molar concentrations of 2.5×10^(-3) and 1.0×10^(-2) mol/L, and PIV images were obtained for both elastic Mie scattering and filtered, Stokes-shifted fluorescent light. Raw images indicate that the fluorescence yield of the 1.0×10^(-2) mol/L solution provides PIV images with high contrast, even in the near-surface regions where Mie scattering image contrast is highly affected by surface reflections. Boundary layer profiles are processed in the region of adverse pressure gradient leading up to the forward-facing step, where the fluorescent PIV was found to perform comparably to the most optimized Mie scattering PIV; both approaches obtained data as near to the wall as 30 μm, or 2 viscous wall units in our flow of interest. These results indicate that the new seeding method holds promise for near-surface measurement applications with more complicated three-dimensional geometries, where it is impossible to arrange PIV cameras to reject surface-scattered light.

Solder void size reduction in semiconductor package by vacuum reflow and pressure cure processes

PurposeSemiconductor packaging industry has in recent years tightened the tolerance criteria for acceptable solder void size in the semiconductor packages due to the high usage in automotive applications. Semiconductor packaging component makers have strengthened the quality of the solder joint and its electrical conductivity by controlling the maximum solder void size reduction from 10-15% to 5% or below over die size. This paper aims to reduce the solder void size to minimum level that current industry could not achieve and introduce a new soldering processes by combining vacuum reflow and pressure cure to effectively reduce solder void.Design/methodology/approachThis study is using the empirical data collection to prove the feasible in achieve the goal. It is an engineering approach. This research study is even considering sufficient data (>22 units) in each evaluation to represent the actual performance.FindingsSuccessfully eliminate all the hollow solder void that current industry claimed as solder void. EDX analysis showed that the compressed solder voids remained in the solder are filled with solid carbon-based substances which could be originated from the trapped flux residues. It is empirical data proven in feasibility stage.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is able to produce solder void-less. This method is suitable for high volume manufacturing process also. This may lead a new pave way for industry to resolve solder void problem. The current pressure cure machine could not apply more than 200°C temperature which limits medium and high temperature solder paste or alloy testing. Therefore, only low temperature solder alloy Pb37Sn63 was able to be evaluated.Originality/valueThis study is original and has not been published elsewhere to produce high efficiency product in semiconductor packaging performance in electrical path and heat dissipation. It also improves package reliability due to solder joint used as interconnect in semiconductor packaging.

Effects of Organic Cropping on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Globe Artichoke Herbs

Artichoke herb is of great pharmaceutical importance, mainly due to the high content of phenolic compounds. This paper presents the effect of late nitrate (N) fertilization with mineral and organic N on the yield of air-dried herb, the total content of polyphenolic acids (TCQA), the polyphenolic profile as well as on the antioxidant activity (AA). These parameters were measured in organic (ORG) and conventional (CON) cropping systems. The principal outcomes revealed that the highest TCQA content was determined in the herbal extracts of ORG management treatments with late N fertilization of 20 kg ha−1. This result explained the highest AA content of the extract in the ABTS+ (2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power), and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assays. Late N fertilization increased the content of cynarin and ferulic acid in both systems. In addition, chlorogenic acid increased between 37% and 45% in the CON cropping systems depending on the fertilizer dose. In the same treatment, luteolin increased 39% compared to the control. Lastly, in the ORG management system, caffeic acid and apigenin content increased 10% and 30%, respectively. Both treatments showed high collinearity values, where ORG systems were related to ferulic acid and cynarin, and CON systems were associated with chlorogenic acid and AA potential (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP). To sum up, ORG cropping systems can obtain an acceptable yield size with a high-quality content of bioactive compounds, allowing a better understanding of the effect of N fertilization in ORG and CON cropping systems.

PH-Responsive Liposomes of Dioleoyl Phosphatidylethanolamine and Cholesteryl Hemisuccinate for the Enhanced Anticancer Efficacy of Cisplatin.

The current study aimed to develop pH-responsive cisplatin-loaded liposomes (CDDP@PLs) via the thin film hydration method. Formulations with varied ratios of dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) to cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHEMS) were investigated to obtain the optimal particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, in vitro release profile, and stability. The particle size of the CDDP@PLs was in the range of 153.2 ± 3.08–206.4 ± 2.26 nm, zeta potential was −17.8 ± 1.26 to −24.6 ± 1.72, and PDI displayed an acceptable size distribution. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a spherical shape with ~200 nm size. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis showed the physicochemical stability of CDDP@PLs, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed the loss of the crystalline nature of cisplatin in liposomes. In vitro release study of CDDP@PLs at pH 7.4 depicted the lower release rate of cisplatin (less than 40%), and at a pH of 6.5, an almost 65% release rate was achieved compared to the release rate at pH 5.5 (more than 80%) showing the tumor-specific drug release. The cytotoxicity study showed the improved cytotoxicity of CDDP@PLs compared to cisplatin solution in MDA-MB-231 and SK-OV-3 cell lines, and fluorescence microscopy also showed enhanced cellular internalization. The acute toxicity study showed the safety and biocompatibility of the developed carrier system for the potential delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. These studies suggest that CDDP@PLs could be utilized as an efficient delivery system for the enhancement of therapeutic efficacy and to minimize the side effects of chemotherapy by releasing cisplatin at the tumor site.

Fabrication and evaluation of mannose decorated curcumin loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for hepatocyte targeting: In vivo hepatoprotective activity in Wistar rats

Curcumin is a well-recognized antioxidant phytoactive isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa. Numerous landmark investigations have proved the antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential of curcumin. The aim of present study was to target curcumin loaded nanocarriers to hepatocytes using asialoglycoprotein receptors targeting strategy. Mannose, a water-soluble carbohydrate, was hydrophobized by anchoring stearylamine with an objective to conjugate mannose on the surface of curcumin loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for targeting asialoglycoprotein receptors on hepatocytes. Mannose conjugated stearylamine was synthesized and characterized using various analytical techniques. The synthesized targeting ligand was incorporated curcumin loaded nanostructured lipid carriers and characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy. Zeta potential measurement was used to confirm the conjugation of the synthesized ligand to the surface of drug-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers. CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in male Wistar rats was used as an experimental animal model to evaluate the hepatoprotective potential of formulated drug encapsulated nanostructured lipid carriers. The hepatoprotective potential was assessed by measuring serum liver injury markers and oxidative stress parameters in the liver post–mitochondrial supernatant. Mannose conjugated nanostructured lipid carriers showed acceptable particle size which revealed its suitability for hepatocyte targeting. In addition to this, mannose conjugated nanocarriers revealed significantly better (p ​< ​0.05) reduction of serum liver injury markers and proinflammatory cytokines compared to the unconjugated one which confirmed hepatocytes targeting potential of the synthesized ligand. Asialoglycoprotein receptors targeting could be a landmark strategy for hepatocyte targeting. Thus, the synthesized mannose anchored stearylamine could be a promising novel targeting ligand having hepatocyte targeting potential.

Accelerating the Feedback Loop in Scanning Probe Microscopes without Loss of Height Measurement Accuracy by Using Pixel Forecast Methods

Scanning probe microscopes (SPM) are limited in their speed of data acquisition by the mechanical stability of the scanner. Therefore many types of scanners have been developed to achieve a rigid setup while maintaining an acceptable image size. We have followed here a different path to accelerate data acquisition by improving the feedback loop to achieve the same SPM image quality in a shorter time. While the feedback loop in a scanning probe microscope typically starts to probe a new pixel starting from the previous position, we have reduced the total control time by using an improved starting point for the feedback loop at each pixel. By exploiting the information of the already scanned pixels a forecast for the new pixel is created. We have successfully used several simple methods for a prognosis in MATLAB simulations like one dimensional linear or cubic extrapolation and others. Only scanning tunnelling microscope data from real experiments were used to test the forecasts. A doubling of the speed was achieved in the most favourable cases.

The Effect of the Expected Time-to-Purchase on the Acceptable Price Premium for Green Buildings

Green buildings help to mitigate the impacts of construction on the environment by reducing the use of natural resources and limiting the emission of air pollutants associated with building construction and maintenance. Homebuyers who understand the life-cycle benefits of green buildings (such as lower operating costs, better indoor environment and reduced environmental impacts) are often willing to pay an additional price premium for such buildings. Although several studies examined the factors affecting the acceptable size of green building price premium, how the expected time to home purchase might affect the acceptable size of such premium remains unexplored. Here, we attempt to answer this question by using data from a countrywide survey carried out in Israel, in which responses from 390 potential homebuyers were collected and analyzed. We find that the willingness to pay a price premium for green buildings changes significantly with time to purchase and is the lowest for respondents who state that they do not plan to buy a home anytime in the near future. We explain this rather unexpected result by arguing that people who have no immediate home buying intention, might have only limited knowledge about contemporary housing market trends and thus do not consider green building as a viable alternative to traditional construction.

Determination of the Geometric Parameters of Electrode Systems for Electrical Impedance Myography: A Preliminary Study.

The electrical impedance myography method is widely used in solving bionic control problems and consists of assessing the change in the electrical impedance magnitude during muscle contraction in real time. However, the choice of electrode systems sizes is not always properly considered when using the electrical impedance myography method in the existing approaches, which is important in terms of electrical impedance signal expressiveness and reproducibility. The article is devoted to the determination of acceptable sizes for the electrode systems for electrical impedance myography using the Pareto optimality assessment method and the electrical impedance signals formation model of the forearm area, taking into account the change in the electrophysical and geometric parameters of the skin and fat layer and muscle groups when performing actions with a hand. Numerical finite element simulation using anthropometric models of the forearm obtained by volunteers’ MRI 3D reconstructions was performed to determine a sufficient degree of the forearm anatomical features detailing in terms of the measured electrical impedance. For the mathematical description of electrical impedance relationships, a forearm two-layer model, represented by the skin-fat layer and muscles, was reasonably chosen, which adequately describes the change in electrical impedance when performing hand actions. Using this model, for the first time, an approach that can be used to determine the acceptable sizes of electrode systems for different parts of the body individually was proposed.

Most acceptable and least capable target sizes for zoom-and-click tasks on mobile touchscreens- implications for user performance and applications to interface design

Using mobile devices with small touchscreens to click on icons or links was problematic for users, especially when the layout was dense and full of targets. Most of existing literatures studied proper target sizes in clicking tasks by testing user performance with predetermined options of targets. Larger targets were suggested for elders based on limited number of alternatives in discrete sizes. However, multi-touch technology now allows users to manipulate target sizes by zooming with a pinch gesture in a continuous manner. A speed-accuracy balanced target size (the Most Acceptable Target Size, MATS), i.e. a target not only large enough to ensure accuracy in clicking but also small enough to avoid unnecessary operation in zooming, becomes more relevant in this context. The current study recorded the MATS determined subjectively by young and elder users in a zoom-and-click task on mobile devices using 5-, 7- and 10-inch touchscreens with four levels of display sparsity. User performance was measured together with the Least Capable Target Size (LCTS, the target just large enough for the user to click with above-chance accuracy) indicative of users’ capability. Results showed that young and elder users preferred similar MATS (7.42 mm on average). The 10-inch device required the smallest LCTS but the largest MATS due to greater viewing distance and the unfamiliar 7-inch device required the largest LCTS. Reduction of display density can cause larger MATS required and possibly elicit speed-accuracy trade-offs for elders to adapt.

Analytical setup margin for spinal stereotactic body radiotherapy based on measured errors

BackgroundNo consensus currently exists about the correct margin size to use for spinal SBRT. Margins have been proposed to account for various errors individually, but not with all errors combined to result in a single margin value. The purpose of this work was to determine a setup margin for five-fraction spinal SBRT based on known errors during radiotherapy to achieve at least 90% coverage of the clinical target volume with the prescription dose for at least 90% of patients and not exceed a 30 Gy point dose or 23 Gy to 10% of the spinal cord subvolume.MethodsThe random and systematic error components of intrafraction motion, residual setup error, and end-to-end system accuracy were measured. The patient’s surface displacement was measured to quantify intrafraction motion, the residual setup error was quantified by re-registering accepted daily cone beam computed tomography setup images, and the displacement between measured and planned dose profiles in a phantom quantified the end-to-end system accuracy. These errors and parameters were used to identify the minimum acceptable margin size. The margin recommendation was validated by assessing dose delivery across 140 simulated patient plans suffering from various random shifts representative of the measured errors.ResultsThe errors were quantified in three dimensions and the analytical margin generated was 2.4 mm. With this margin applied in the superior/inferior direction only, at least 90% of the CTV was covered with the prescription dose for 96% of the 140 patients simulated with minimal negative effect on the spinal cord dose levels.ConclusionsThe findings of this work support that a 2.4 mm margin applied in the superior/inferior direction can achieve at least 90% coverage of the CTV for at least 90% of dual-arc volumetric modulated arc therapy spinal SBRT patients in the presence of errors when immobilized with vacuum bags.