Empty Spaces Research Articles

Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Teka Teki Silang Materi Alat Gerak dan Fungsinya pada Hewan untuk Siswa Kelas V Sekolah Dasar

Learning media is one of the visual aids that students really need in learning activities. This can be proven from the function of the learning media itself, which can facilitate the delivery of material in learning. So that students can easily understand or accept the material presented. Learning media must also be designed or developed creatively and innovatively so that students are more interested. One method that can be developed in designing instructional media for elementary school students is using packaged media using games. Students will be interested in something that is conveyed by using games, but also does not fade the learning values. One game that can support students in learning is a crossword puzzle. Namely a game where the players have to fill in the empty spaces both vertically and horizontally with the letters that form a word based on the instructions given. For example, in class V of elementary school, the subject that is suitable for the development of this learning media is science with the arteries of the locomotor and its function in animals.

Smart Parking System Based on Image Processing

Abstract: Successful implementation of smart parking systems can effectively reduce a lot of problems related to traffic congestion in urban areas. Wastage of fuel and time in search of a vacant parking space will be significantly reduced and the complete utilization of the available parking areas can make our cities really smart. Parking slot detection and user notification are the two major sections of a smart parking system. The empty parking space detection was initially done by deploying a number of sensors in the parking lot. It is highly expensive and complicated to install. But the advancement of image processing has enabled us to use images of the parking area to find out empty spaces. In this paper, a comparative study of the various parking space identification techniques has been done. Also, image processing-based system models have been presented as a replacement for sensor-based systems. A very efficient and simple technique for parking slot identification based on optical character recognition (OCR) has been introduced in this paper. The camera installed in the parking lot captures the image of the parking area with specially numbered parking spaces. The OCR system recognizes numbers that are not hidden by a vehicle parked over it and this information is used for identifying the empty spaces.

Testicular Fibrosis, A Setback of Chemotherapy and Ameliorating Role of Ascorbic Acid

Statement of Problem: The struggle for surviving cancer individuals who have undergone chemotherapy is still a dilemma. Chemotherapeutic agent, Doxorubicin (DOX), causing testicular damage, has been a concern of oncologists for many years. As DOX causes oxidative damage on non-tumorous tissues by the foundation of free radicals, the challenges of protection with various antioxidant therapies have been attempted. The foremost objective was to reduce the cytotoxic properties of DOX to healthy cells. Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, based on its antioxidant property, was applied to study its potential protection to the testicular tissues after oxidative damage by DOX. Objectives: To demonstrate fibrotic changes in the interstitium of testes generated by anthracycline DOX on the mice and designed to study the morphometric changes in DOX affected testes with co-administration of antioxidant Vitamin C. Methodolgy: An Experimental study using male mice were separated into 3 groups (A, B & C). A was treated with normal saline 1 ml intraperitoneal (IP), B was given DOX alone (0.003 mg in 0.03ml /gm body weight IP for 3 doses on 6th, 8th and 10th day of study) and DOX (0.003 mg in 0.03ml /gm body weight IP for 3 doses on 6th, 8th and 10th day of study) + Vitamin C (0.5 mg in 0.01ml/gm body weight per orum daily) was delivered to group C. Animals were sacrificed on completion and organs were kept in Bouin’s fluid and later processing and staining of the tissue was done. Result: Statistical analysis was performed, using ANOVA test to evaluate the significance of parameter among three groups. Widening of interstitium with significant interstitial fibrosis and intra tubular empty spaces were evident as compared to controls. However, co-administration of Vitamin C with DOX significantly reduced (P < 0.001) fibrosis indicating protective role of Vitamin C against DOX induced testicular damage. Conclusion: Experimental study suggested that the antioxidant Vitamin C has a potential role in improving the parameter damaged by DOX. Keywords: Doxorubicin, Vitamin C, Mice, Antioxidant, Oxidative damage, Interstitial, Fibrosis

An additive framework for kirigami design.

We present an additive approach for the inverse design of kirigami-based mechanical metamaterials by focusing on the empty (negative) spaces instead of the solid tiles. By considering each negative space as a four-bar linkage, we identify a simple recursive relationship between adjacent linkages, yielding an efficient method for creating kirigami patterns. This allows us to solve the kirigami design problem using elementary linear algebra, with compatibility, reconfigurability and rigid-deployability encoded into an iterative procedure involving simple matrix multiplications. The resulting linear design strategy circumvents the solution of a non-convex global optimization problem and allows us to control the degrees of freedom in the deployment angle field, linkage offsets and boundary conditions. We demonstrate this by creating a large variety of rigid-deployable, compact, reconfigurable kirigami patterns. We then realize our kirigami designs physically using two simple but effective fabrication strategies with very different materials. Altogether, our additive approaches present routes for efficient mechanical metamaterial design and fabrication based on ori/kirigami art forms.

Smart Parking System for Institute

As the number of vehicles on roads continues to rise, businesses are more likely to encounter a range of issues. To address such challenges, the "Smart Parking System" has been developed as an intelligent and automatic solution for parking vehicles. This system is designed to alleviate problems faced by urban areas on their roads. However, precisely tracking the availability of parking spots across different locations and times remains a significant difficulty. Nonetheless, the Smart Parking System enables parking attendants to easily locate empty parking spaces. Moreover, implementing this smart parking system can help minimize energy consumption and pollution levels in cities, ultimately contributing toward the country's economic growth.

BATTLING A SUPERBUG: A CASE OF ACUTE NECROTIZING PNEUMONIA CAUSED BY ENTEROBACTER CLOACAE

We describe a 35-year-old woman who experienced fever and chills for three days, along with coughing up blood, a dry cough, and pain in her right lower chest and back. Imaging revealed a mass with central empty spaces, which was later identied as acute necrotizing pneumonia (ANP) using a CT scan. Testing using bronchoalveolar lavage revealed the presence of Enterobacter cloacae, a microorganism that can cause pneumonia. The patient was rst treated with Ceftazidime for two days, but as her condition did not improve, the treatment was changed to Colistin after amplication results indicated a resistant strain of E. cloacae. The patient improved with this medication and the mass decreased in size. This case emphasizes the importance of prompt action and appropriate treatment in the recovery of a patient. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only three reported cases of ANP caused by Enterobacter cloacae, and this is the rst reported case of a female patient

Smart Parking System Based On Image Processing

Abstract: Successful implementation of smart parking systems can effectively reduce a lot of problems related to traffic congestion in urban areas. Wastage of fuel and time in search of a vacant parking space will be significantly reduced and the complete utilization of the available parking areas can make our cities really smart. Parking slot detection and user notification are the two major sections of a smart parking system. The empty parking space detection was initially done by deploying a number of sensors in the parking lot. It is highly expensive and complicated to install. But the advancement of image processing has enabled us to use images of the parking area to find out empty spaces. In this paper, a comparative study of the various parking space identification techniques has been done. Also, image processing-based system models have been presented as a replacement for sensor-based systems. A very efficient and simple technique for parking slot identification based on optical character recognition (OCR) has been introduced in this paper. The camera installed in the parking lot captures the image of the parking area with specially numbered parking spaces. The OCR system recognizes numbers that are not hidden by a vehicle parked over it and this information is used for identifying the empty spaces.

Nectar guides and floral nectary in Lamium album L. subsp. album: structure and histochemistry in light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy

Lamium album is a native common plant growing in Eurasia. It is used in medicine and cosmetics and is highly valued in apiculture. The aim of the study was to investigate the structure of the floral nectary in three stages of flower development. Additionally, histochemical studies of the nectary and nectar guides present on the lower corolla lobe were carried out. No detailed analyses of nectary tissues in this species have been conducted to date. The present analyses were performed with the use of light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. The nectary gland in the flowers of Lamium album subsp. album formed an incomplete ring at the ovary base. The nectarostomata were arranged in clusters only in the adaxial epidermis of the anterior part of the nectary. During the secretory activity of the nectary (1st day of flowering), numerous small vacuoles and cells with large lobulate nuclei with surrounding plastid clusters were observed in the epidermis and glandular parenchyma cells. The vascular bundles contained xylem and phloem elements. Corolla wilting (3rd day of flowering) was accompanied by destructive changes in the nectary parenchyma, leading to the formation of empty spaces and appearance of cell remnants on the nectary surface. The histochemical analyses revealed the presence of starch and phenolic compounds as well as acidic and neutral lipids, which are characteristic of essential oils, in the nectary tissues. The nectar guides were composed of large yellow papillae containing phenolic compounds and acidic and neutral lipids, which were also present in glandular trichomes and abaxial parenchyma cells. The present study has demonstrated that the scent of Lamium album subsp. album flowers is produced with the involvement of essential oils contained in adaxial and abaxial epidermis cells, glandular trichomes, and nectary tissues.

OPTIMIZATION OF THE 3D PRINTING AND TEST OF MATERIALS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

The article presents the studies and steps followed to optimize the 3D printing of an inclusive material, the “Adapted Multiplication Domino”. This material is a game that follows the same rules as a traditional domino, but with numerical representation at the ends of each piece with mathematical operations (multiplication and division), so that students can calculate, play, and fix math contents, which can be played by students with and without Visual Impairment. During the printing of the first prototype of this material, the printed pieces contained stringings (traces of filament in empty spaces of the piece), which made it difficult for blind students to read the braille operations. A literature review about problems in 3D printing was realized, using databases and platforms such as SciELO, Google Scholar, and Capes Periodical Portal, to be able to identify and solve the problem that was occurring. With that done, the complete game was printed and tested, to collect feedback, and based on that, making the necessary changes and obtaining a satisfactory and adequate result.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0009/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Vegetation Cover Change Analysis during 1989-2020 of Coastal Barguna District, Bangladesh Using Remote Sensing and GIS Technology

This paper represents an advanced assessment of a satellite imagery-based vegetation transition detection method for Bangladesh's southern district of Barguna. Bangladesh has been identified as the most vulnerable country to the effects of climate change due to deteriorating vegetative cover and urbanization pushing forces. This paper aims to use GIS and remote sensing techniques to estimate vegetation change and determine the conversion pattern in the coastal district of Barguna, Bangladesh, from 1989 to 2020. The major methodology used in this research is NDVI differencing and supervised image classification to validate the conversion over time. With a combination of satellite imagery bands, NDVI uses multi-spectral remote sensing techniques to discover vegetation index, water, empty spaces, and forests. To categorize the canopy into distinct kinds, we use NDVI threshold values of 0, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2. Our findings reveal significant geographical variations in bare regions, sparse, moderate, and thick vegetation types. We discovered that over the last 31 years, a total of 412.90 km2 (49.25 percent) of land has been deforested, with the transition rate being particularly high in dense vegetation. This research of vegetation cover change can help predict the recurrence of natural disasters, give humanitarian assistance, and enable innovative protection tactics.

New perspective to improve the sulfate attack resistance of mortar by coral sand

Sulfate attack is one of several chemical mechanisms of concrete deterioration. It can cause expansion, crack and mechanical property degradation of concrete due to the formation of ettringite and gypsum. A new perspective is proposed in this study to improve the sulfate attack resistance of mortar by considering the porosity characteristic of coral sand. The role of coral sand in the cement mortar when it is exposed to sulfate solution is explored comprehensively. Two kinds of sands, standard sand and coral sand, are used. The mortar sample is exposed to 5 wt % Na2SO4 solution after a hydration period of 28 days. Some supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as coral sand powder, limestone powder, fly ash, are used in this study to replace cement partially. After a certain exposure time, the visual appearance, mechanical properties, length and mass change, phase composition and microstructure development of the cement mortar are investigated. The results show that the cement mortar made with coral sand has a much better resistance to sulfate attack than that made with standard sand. Although sulfate attack happens inevitably in coral mortar, the use of coral sand can largely mitigate the loss of properties of mortar, such as strength, mass and linear change, etc. In particular, after 1 year of exposure, the use of coral sand in mortar largely reduces the expansion of mortar due to sulfate attack; the linear change of coral mortar is only one-seventh in that of normal mortar. Formation of ettringite in empty spaces of coral sand and other voids explains why coral mortar has better properties than normal mortar under accelerated sulfate attack. The achievement of this study can largely improve the resistance of marine concrete to chemical attack.

How Civil Society Organizations Drive Innovative Cultural Strategies in Shrinking Cities: A Comparative Case Study of Oberhausen, Germany and Riga, Latvia

In a context where planning strategies were conceived to accommodate urban growth, urban shrinkage urges scholars and practitioners to develop innovative approaches. This paper aims to explore the role of culture in qualitative transformations in shrinking cities. The focus of this analysis is governance networks with key actors, their resources, challenges, and mutual dependencies. In this comparative case study, the data was collected in a qualitative way via in-depth interviews with representatives of local governments and cultural NGOs, as well as politicians, private actors, and residents from neighborhood organizations. The results show that municipalities in shrinking cities lack crucial qualities such as creativity, trust, and knowledge of local communities to efficiently govern shrinking cities. Local governments increasingly rely on civil society organizations that utilize culture as a tool to innovate new methods for community development and to provide social services for vulnerable groups. Two approaches to governance through culture are presented which differ significantly between two shrinking cities: the economically prosperous Latvian capital, Riga, and a peripheral German city, Oberhausen, with one of the largest financial debts in the country. This paper debunks the image of shrinking cities as citadels of empty spaces for arts, emphasizes the role of strategic planning, highlights the crucial role of civil society organizations in civic engagement and maintenance of cultural provision, and reflects on their precarious position ‘in the shadow of hierarchy’. Several policy implications for a community-focused cultural development of shrinking cities are provided.

A Comparison of the Human Umbilical Cord's Histomorphometric and Histological Structure in Pregnant Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Women

This study aimed to explore the histomorphometrical and histopathological alterations of umbilical cord (UC) vessels caused by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM). A total of thirty UC samples were obtained from full term pregnant women without any complications. Ten out of thirty UCs were obtained from non-diabetic pregnant women (normal group), 10 from GDM and 10 from PGDM pregnant women. Segments from the placental attachment, center and fetal side of UCs were taken for each group. These segments were processed for paraffin blocks, sectioned, and stained with H&E, Masson trichrome (MT) and Periodic Acid Shift (PAS). The results of the histomorphometric study showed no significant differences in the UC mean weight among these three groups. In three different segments, GDM resulted in a significant decrease in artery and vein wall thickness compared to the control group. GDM and PGDM resulted in a non-significant difference in the diameter of artery and vein in fetal segment, the vein in placental segment, and artery in the central segment compared with normal. All the UCs in the three groups contained two arteries and one vein but only one cord recorded in the GDM group contained one artery and one vein. Histological study of diabetic UC segments showed extravasation of blood, artery discordance, degeneration of Warton’s jelly (WJ) fibers with formation of honeycomb like empty spaces, formation of multiple spaces between smooth muscle cells of tunica media and detachment of the umbilical arteries from surrounding WJ. In both diabetic groups, there was a marked decrease in collagen fibers in tunica intima and media with their irregular arrangement in both arteries and vein especially in placental segment. The results also showed there was a rich carbohydrate content in the intima and media in all three groups. In conclusion, the current results proved that GDM and PGDM have an adverse effect on the structure of UC and its vessels. Keywords: Umbilical cord; Diabetes mellitus; Histological study; Special stains; Blood vessels DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/13-6-04 Publication date: April 30 th 2023

Detection of Empty/Occupied States of Parking Slots in Multicamera system using Mask R-CNN Classifier

A fast growth of vehicles in big cities has an impact of arising road loads and difficulty of finding empty parking spaces. One solution to cope with the problem is to develop a parking management system which can provide useful information of available parking spaces to the potential users. This paper discusses about a new multicamera arrangement and the function to evaluate the empty/occupied states of the parking slots, as an alternative solution to the existing single camera system, The system adopted Mask R-CNN for its classifier, because of its capability to provide the polygon outputs for its detected objects, compared with the existing bounding box outputs provided by other classifiers. The proposed function has optimized the available information from all cameras, by considering the relative position of each camera to the parking spaces, and also capable of overcoming occlusion problem occurs in some cameras, The experiment shows that the capability of overcoming the occlusion problem has been validated, and its performance to evaluate the empty/occupied states of the parking slots was better than the single camera system to a certain threshold.

Contributions of Diet and Age to Ulcerative Dermatitis in Female C57BL/6J Mice.

C57BL/6J (B6) mice are commonly affected by ulcerative dermatitis (UD), a disease of unknown etiology with poor response to treatment. To study the possible role of diet in UD, we compared skin changes in B6 female mice fed a high-fat diet with those of mice fed a control diet. In addition, skin samples from mice with no, mild, moderate, and severe clinical signs of UD were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mice fed a high-fat diet for 2 mo had more skin mast cell degranulation than did mice fed the control diet for the same period. Regardless of diet, older mice had more skin mast cells and more of these cells were degranulating as compared with younger mice. Microscopic changes in very early lesions were characterized by an increase in dermal mast cells and degranulation with focal areas of epidermal hyperplasia with or without hyperkeratosis. As the condition progressed, a mixed but predominantly neutrophilic inflammatory cell infiltrate appeared in the dermis, with or without epidermal erosion and scab formation. TEM showed that dermal mast cell membranes had disrupted and released of large number of electron dense granules, whereas degranulated mast cells were filled with isolated and coalescing empty spaces due to fusion of granule membranes. Ulceration appeared to occur very quickly, probably as result of intense scratching due to the pruritogenic properties of the histamine released from mast cell granules. This study showed a direct correlation between dietary fat and skin mast cell degranulation in female B6 mice. In addition, the number of skin mast cells and degranulation rates was higher in older mice. Treatments directed at preventing mast cell degranulation may result in better outcomes when applied early in UD cases. As noted previously in studies using caloric restriction, lower fat content in rodent diets may help prevent UD.

Microphase transitions of Langmuir-Blodgett lipid-assembled monolayers with new types of ceramides, ultra-long-chain ceramide and 1-O-acylceramide

HypothesisIntercellular lipid lamellae, consisting of ceramide, cholesterol, and free fatty acids, are the primary pathways for substances in the stratum corneum (SC). The microphase transition of lipid-assembled monolayers (LAMs), mimicking an initial layer of the SC, would be affected by new types of ceramides: ceramide with ultra-long chain (CULC) and 1-O-acylceramide (CENP) with three chains in different direction. ExperimentsThe LAMs were fabricated with varying the mixing ratio of CULC (or CENP) against base ceramide via Langmuir-Blodgett assembly. Surface pressure-area isotherms and elastic modulus-surface pressure plots were obtained to characterize π-dependent microphase transitions. The surface morphology of LAMs was observed by atomic force microscopy. FindingsThe CULCs favored lateral lipid packing, and the CENPs hindered the lateral lipid packing by lying alignment, which was due to their different molecular structures and conformations. The sporadic clusters and empty spaces in the LAMs with CULC were presumably due to the short-range interactions and self-entanglements of ultra-long alkyl chains following the freely jointed chain model, respectively, which was not noticeably observed in the neat LAM films and the LAM films with CENP. The addition of surfactants disrupted the lateral packing of lipids, thus weakening the LAM elasticity. These findings allowed us to understand the role of CULC and CENP in the lipid assemblies and microphase transition behaviors in an initial layer of SC.

Real estate in the home country: Why Polish migrants keep properties in Poland

AbstractReal estate is often the most visible contribution that emigrants add to their home country's landscape. Such properties serve different functions, from rental investments, through migrant families' homes, to holiday homes or empty spaces. Economists often view real estate through financial lens, frowning upon vacant houses. I argue that keeping vacant houses is often caused by social and emotional factors rather than financial ones. This article uses data from 120 qualitative interviews with Polish EU migrants and juxtaposes them with the typology of remittance houses proposed by Boccagni and Erdal. The data, combined with the theoretical perspective of Neoclassical Economics, New Economics of Labour Migration, and Grzymała‐Kazłowska's concept of social anchoring, allow me to improve the typology. The updated typology systematises the functions of and reasons why migrants keep properties in their home countries and provides a sound frame for future research and policymaking.

Morpho-anatomical characterization, gene expression and protein cell wall modifications associated with natural finger drop in bananas

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the main fruits consumed worldwide. However, finger drop, is a physiological disorder that causes many postharvest problems, which eventually reduces market value and consumer acceptance. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the anatomical changes that occur in the pedicel rupture area (drop zone) of bananas diploids (BB França) and tetraploid (BRS Pioneira) in three ripening stages. The levels of gene expression involved in the natural ripening process and in the development of finger drop, was also investigated. The accumulation of their mRNAs and those of expansin (EXP1), pectate lyase (PEL1) and xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase protein (XTH4) genes already isolated from bananas were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in three ripening stages. BB França presented a higher resistance to finger drop due to the presence of some specific morphoanatomical characteristics, such as larger parenchymal cells and greater deposition of lignin. In contrast, there was degeneration of the pedicel parenchymal tissue of the BRS Pioneira genotype, forming large empty spaces during the ripening of the fruits, mainly in stage 6, which contributed to the finger drop. The diploid BB França is a strong candidate for use in banana breeding programs aimed at fruit drop resistance. This will certainly improve the quality of banana varieties. Moreover, PEL1 proved to be an excellent candidate gene for functional studies of finger drop in bananas.

Predicting hydrogen microporosity in long solidification range ternary Al-Cu-Li alloys by coupling CALPHAD and cellular automata model

Aluminum-lithium alloys have wide applications in aerospace industries in the 21st century but their manufacturing is extremely difficult due to the 10 times more equilibrium hydrogen concentration in the liquid than the solubility limit in traditional Al alloys (0.036 mL/100gSTP). The reduction of solubility from liquid to solid by 95% leads to hydrogen porosity being hard to control. In this work, a three-dimensional multicomponent cellular automaton (CA) model is coupled with CALPHAD calculations to simulate the nucleation and growth of hydrogen porosity and its interaction with surrounding dendritic structures during the solidification of Al-Cu-Li alloys. By quantifying the effects of hydrogen concentration, cooling rate, and Li content, it was found the solidification conditions can effectively reduce porosity size. To validate the model, X-ray computed tomography (XCT) has been used to obtain not only the size but also the morphology of porosity as a function of cooling conditions. It was found that porosity grows elongated and tortuous shape at slow cooling rates between columnar dendrites, filling up the empty spaces of secondary arms, while it tends to be dispersed spherical shape when its surrounding grains are refined to equiaxed structures at high cooling rates.

Decoration of the [Nb6O19]8– cluster shell with six Cu2+-centred complexes generates the [(Cu(cyclen))6Nb6O19]4+ moiety: room temperature synthesis, crystal structure and selected properties

Abstract Mixing an aqueous solution of K8[Nb6O19]⋅16H2O with a DMSO/H2O solution of Cu(ClO4)2 · 6 H2O and cyclen at room temperature afforded crystallization of blue crystals of [(Cu(cyclen))6Nb6O19]⋅[ClO4]4·≈4H2O after slow evaporation of the solvents. The crystal structure contains the Lindqvist anion [Nb6O19]8– which is covalently expanded by six symmetry-related [Cu(cyclen)]2+ complexes via Nb-μ 2-O-Cu bridges yielding the positively charged [(Cu(cyclen))6Nb6O19]4+ cluster shell. The ClO4 − anions and crystal water molecules reside in the empty spaces of the packed clusters. The compound shows two electronic d-d transitions at energetic positions explaining the blue color.