Present Paper Research Articles

Concreto com gradação funcional: gradação na porosidade para o aumento da durabilidade frente à carbonatação

Abstract The present paper evaluated the potential application of the functionally graded material (FGM) concept to develop more durable concrete to carbonation, one of the main degradation mechanisms of reinforced concrete structures. Accelerated carbonation tests with controlled temperature (27 ( 2°C), CO2 concentration (3 ( 0.5%) and humidity (65 ( 5%) were carried out in homogeneous concretes and with functional gradation in which the porosity of the material was varied across the slices. For the manufacture of graded concrete specimens, concretes with water/cement ratios equal to 0.35, 0.45, and 0.55 were produced, with lower porosity (w/c = 0.35) close to the surface of the specimen. The advance of the carbonation front was evaluated after 8, 9, 10, 14, and 24 weeks of accelerated exposure, using the chemical indicator phenolphthalein. The results show that the functionally graded concrete had a carbonation coefficient (K) slightly higher than that of the concrete with a w/c ratio equal to 0.35 (1.71 and 1.54 mm.week-0.5, respectively) and much lower than concrete with water-cement ratio equal to 0.45 (2.31 mm.week-0.5) and 0.55 (3.78 mm.week-0.5). This demonstrates that functional grading can be an efficient method to increase the durability of concrete elements subject to carbonation.

Arkenstone - II. A model for unresolved cool clouds entrained in galactic winds in cosmological simulations

Abstract Arkenstone is a new scheme that allows multiphase, stellar feedback-driven winds to be included in coarse resolution cosmological simulations. The evolution of galactic winds and their subsequent impact on the circumgalactic medium are altered by exchanges of mass, energy, momentum, and metals between their component phases. These exchanges are governed by complex, small-scale physical processes that cannot be resolved in cosmological simulations. In this second presentation paper, we describe Arkenstone’s novel cloud particle approach for modelling unresolvable cool clouds entrained in hot, fast winds. This general framework allows models of the cloud–wind interaction, derived from state-of-the-art high-resolution simulations, to be applied in a large-scale context. In this work, we adopt a cloud evolution model that captures simultaneous cloud mass loss to and gain from the ambient hot phase via turbulent mixing and radiative cooling, respectively. We demonstrate the scheme using non-cosmological idealized simulations of a galaxy with a realistic circumgalactic medium component, using the Arepo code. We show that the ability of a high-specific energy wind component to perform preventative feedback may be limited by heavy loading of cool clouds coupled into it. We demonstrate that the diverging evolution of clouds of initially differing masses leads to a complex velocity field for the cool phase and a cloud mass function that varies both spatially and temporally in a non-trivial manner. These latter two phenomena can manifest in the simulation because of our choice of a Lagrangian discretisation of the cloud population, in contrast to other proposed schemes.

Medicinal Attributes of Pyrazoline in Drug Discovery

: Pyrazoline are structurally versatile nitrogen-containing heterocycle that has gained more attention owing to its diversified pharmacological activities. This special scaffold serves as a fundamental component in a variety of bioactive chemicals, enabling the creation of new molecules with advantageous biological functions. The present review paper provides a summary of diversified pharmacological activities in particular, anticancer, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antifungal, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antitubercular, anticonvulsant, anti-amoebic, antischistosomal, insecticidal, hypotensive, antiviral, antioxidant and anti-trypanosomal activity. This review also presents numerous simple synthetic techniques for the preparation of pyrazolines and also highlights the applicability of pyrazoline in drug discovery.

Biological Potential and Therapeutic Effectiveness of Artemetin from Traditional to Modern Medicine: An Update on Pharmacological Activities and Analytical Aspects.

Plant products derived from natural sources have been used in medicine as a raw material and newer kinds of drug molecules in pharmaceuticals and other allied health sectors. Phytochemicals have numerous medicinal potentials, including anti- ageing, anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity in medicine. Development and biological application of herbal products in modern medicine signified the value of traditional medicinal plants in health care systems. The objective of the present study was to explore the scientific knowledge of the medicinal importance and therapeutic potential of artemetin in medicine. However, scientific investigations for their pharmacological activities in medicine have been done through scientific data analysis of different scientific research work collected from PubMed, Google, Science Direct and Google Scholar in order to know the biological importance of artemetin in medicine. Moreover, analytical data of artemetin have also been discussed in the present work. The present work and scientific data signified the biological potential of artemetin in medicine. Artemetin has been derived from numerous medicinal plants and dietary herbs, including Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia argyi, Achillea millefolium, and Vitex trifolia. Artemetin has anti-malarial, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-microbial, antitumoral, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive and hepatoprotective effects. Further, the biological role of artemetin on lipid oxidation, cytokine production, lipoxygenase, and estrogen-like effects was also investigated in the present work. Analytical data on artemetin in the present paper signified their important role in the isolation, separation, and identification of different classes of pure phytochemicals, including artemetin in medicine. Scientific data analysis of artemetin signified its therapeutic potential in medicine for the development of newer scientific approaches for different human disorders.

Body integrity dysphoria and moral responsibility: an interpretation of the scepticism regarding on-demand amputations

A patient who requests an amputation deemed medically unnecessary by professionals is disqualified per se from being regarded as having medical decision-making capacity. This decision is based on the assumption...

Cross-sectional study of child malnutrition and associated risk factors among children aged under five in West Bengal, India

Using a cross-sectional study of 485 sample households in 2013, the present paper examines the prevalence and risk factors of child malnutrition among children under the age of five in West Bengal, India. As a part of this investigation, children’s underweight status, wasting, and stunting were examined in order to determine child nutritional status using the WHO growth standard. We performed bivariate analyses in order to elucidate differentials in nutritional indices and fitted multinomial logistic regression models to examine the net effect of different socio-economic factors on the likelihood of child malnutri-tion. Analysis results revealed stunting (51%) as the most common form of malnutrition among children aged under five, followed by underweight status (41%), and wasting (22%).Gender discrimination among children increases with age, whereby girls are more deprived (as measured by nutritional indic-es) compared to boys later in childhood relative to younger ages. Results from multinomial analyses re-veal age, religion, caste, and birth-order of the child as significant predictors of child’s nutritional status.

The complex Ginzburg-Landau equation perturbed by a force localised both in physical and Fourier spaces

In the paper arXiv:1802.03250, a criterion for exponential mixing is established for a class of random dynamical systems. In that paper, the criterion is applied to PDEs perturbed by a noise localised in the Fourier space. In the present paper, we show that, in the case of the complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation, that criterion can be used to consider even more degenerate noise that is localised both in physical and Fourier spaces. This is achieved by checking that the linearised equation is almost surely approximately controllable. We also study the problem of controllability of the nonlinear CGL equation. Using Agrachev-Sarychev type arguments, we prove an approximate controllability property in the case of a control force which is again localised in physical and Fourier spaces.

Preface

Organized by Wuhan Institute of Technology and International Association of Applied Science and Technology (IAAST), 2024 International Conference on Electronics, Electrical and Control System (EECS2024) has been successfully held both face to face & virtually in Dalian, China on April 12-14, 2024. Some participants who were unable to actually attend due to travel and their schedules also delivered their speeches online through VooV Meeting. During the conference, the keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches. After the excellent keynote speeches, there were the oral sessions, some scholars presented their latest research results and exchanged views with the participating scholars on cutting-edge hot issues, showed their research results, and shared their learning and research experiences. All of the papers included in the proceedings were subjected to peer-review by conference committee members and international reviewers. 35 papers were accepted as full papers for presentation on the conference and publication in EECS2024 Proceedings. These papers provide excellent advances in current research in the fields of electronics, circuits and systems, electrical appliances, control systems, and other related areas. The conference cannot be successful without the efforts of all conference committees, organizers, participants. We would like to express our deep gratitude and appreciation to the efforts of all conference committees, organizers and participants. Many thanks go as well to all of the reviewers who have helped us to maintain the high quality of manuscripts included in the Proceedings published by IOP Publishing. Finally, we sincerely hope you enjoy the scientific and technical contents of the conference and find a good opportunity to discuss ideas and future collaborations with other researchers and practitioners from institutions around the world. List of Conference Committees are available in this Pdf.

Motivated or inhibited? – an analysis of the predisposition to adopt technological implements in Personal Financial Planning

The adoption of technology in Personal Financial Planning (PFP) is permeated by motivating and inhibiting factors, with the predisposition to adoption being strongly influenced by personal traits. The present paper analyzed this predisposition among 366 higher education students in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Using primary data and applying Logit and Probit regression models with Maximum Likelihood estimators, the study combined sociodemographic variables with constructs from a validated psychometric scale, assessing individuals in relation to their adoption of financial technology tools. Contrary to the notion that people avoid technology tools due to insecurity, the results showed that the inhibitors “Discomfort” and “Insecurity” did not play a relevant role in the intention to use technology in the PFP. The motivators “Optimism” and “Innovativeness” are considered statistically significant in the intention of use. Those who don't use it are quite disinterested and unconvinced of the benefits, therefore averse to technology, while those who use it highlight the benefits of technology in the PFP.

ALCYONE: the fuel performance code of the PLEIADES platform dedicated to PWR fuel rods behavior

The aim of this contribution is to deeply introduce the ALCYONE Fuel Performance Code. ALCYONE is being implemented within the PLEIADES numerical framework and is dedicated to the multiphysics behavior of fuel rods in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). It has been a joint development between CEA, EDF and Framatome since 2005 and has been used since then for numerous studies covering normal, off-normal and accidental conditions. However, a detailed description of ALCYONE’s physical and numerical foundations has never been published. In this sense, this paper is intended to be the reference presentation paper for ALCYONE. On the first hand, it provides a comprehensive description of the modeling features and associated multiphysics and multiscale computational schemes. On the other hand, focuses are made on advanced modeling features showing enhanced capabilities of simulation of ALCYONE.

Application and testing of RFID Software-Based Shielding in real fashion retail stores

PURPOSE: The present paper investigates the real performances of Software-Based Shielding (SBS) in two different stores of fashion retailers located in Northern Italy. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study is based on a double case study analysis. Six different factors have been chosen, with two levels each. Namely, we investigated two different (i) stores; (ii) reader models; (iii) power levels; (iv) classification methods; (v) training data sets and (vi) settings of reference tags. The results have been evaluated in terms of overall and specific accuracies, and in percentage of false front (i.e., tags wrongly located in the sales floor area). FINDINGS: SBS proves to be a sound method for classifying tags’ location during normal operations in real-life stores, with overall accuracy up to 0.95. Of the two readers, reader A shows better results in terms of both overall and front accuracy, whereas reader B performs better in terms of rear accuracy and percentage of false front. With respect to the classification method, the combination of Method 2 with reads from reader A provides the best results. With respect to the training data, the use of front and back reads for training performs mostly better than the training with sole front data. ORIGINALITY: We are not aware of any other study that performed and reported results of SBS testing under normal operations in real stores. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first one to report such results. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS: Main limitations of our research are the limited set of factors and levels, and the specific classification methods that we used, labelled as Method 1 and Method 2. Also, we did not consider tags disposition and density in our study. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: We prove that SBS is a feasible option that could replace physical shielding in retail stores. We call to action for further research on this topic, and for retailers to test it in different store locations.

The Impact of HAPPY (Humanity Assurance Protocol in Interventional Radiotherapy) on the Psychological Well-being of Gynecological Cancer Patients.

HAPPY (Humanity Assurance Protocol in Interventional Radiotherapy) reports the necessity for gynecological cancer patients to undergo interventional radiotherapy (IRT, also called brachytherapy). The present paper has evaluated how some precautions may improve the psychological well-being of the patients during IRT. Patients with gynecological cancer undergoing IRT-HDR were analyzed. Patients answered three questionnaires before the IRT procedure (T0) and at the end of IRT (T1): Distress Thermometer (DT), Numerical Rating Scale for IRT procedure distress (NRS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Correlations have been calculated pairwise through pandas. corrwith with a Pearson algorithm, and the p-values have been calculated through scipy.stats.pearsonr. Plots have been generated through seaborn and matplotlib. A Wilcoxon test was used. 55 patients were selected for this study. The median age of the patients was 64 (range, 39-84) years. 52 patients were with stage I endometrial cancer, whereas 3/3 patients with cervical cancer had locally advanced stages (IIB-IVA). 26 patients had a high education level (47.3%), and 38 were married or with a partner (69.1%). Only 14/55 (25.45%) patients were working. The HADS, DT, and NRS averages before the IRT procedure (T0) were 10.2, 3.8, and 4.3, respectively. After applying the HAPPY protocol, the HADS, DT, and NRS averages after IRT (T1) were 9.4, 3.4, and 2.6, respectively. The Wilcoxon signed rank test analysis showed a significant improvement in NRS (p < 0.00001) and HADS (p = 0.034). Living with a partner, parents or relatives was the only parameter statistically significantly associated with better DT pre-IRT (p = 0.04), HADS pre-IRT (p = 0.01), DT post-IRT (p = 0.01), and HADS post-IRT (p = 0.04). In our study, the HAPPY protocol was associated with a significant reduction in patients' distress, anxiety, and discomfort.

A Brief Insight into Nanotherapeutic Approaches in the Management of Analgesia

Background: Growing public awareness of chronic pain resulting from illness and injury has prompted pharmaceutical researchers and drug corporations to create better, more targeted painkillers. For effective pain management, prolonged analgesic medication delivery at the intended areas continues to be a major problem such as addiction, tolerance and other serious side effects, which can prolong suffering and decrease painkiller effectiveness. Objective: The present paper focuses on review of current advances in the field of pain treatment by different nanoparticles formulations of various drugs, by enhancing their pharmacokinetic factors and diminishing associated adverse effects. Results: According to literature survey, usage of nano-carriers enables the delivery of these drugs to target locations with less systemic toxicity. Nanotechnology for varied therapeutic purposes, different analgesics have been loaded onto different nano carriers, including those that are natural, synthetic, and polymeric and proven to be beneficial in pain management. Conclusion: Overall, new nano based preparations and new ways to utilize existing medications in a variety of circumstances is a multimodal approach to pain relief, have resulted in recent advancements in the pharmacological management of pain.

Asclepiadaceae of Maharashtra

Family Asclepiadaceae is represented by 250 genera and ca 3000 species mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is represented by 43 genera and ca 243 species in India, of which, 31 genera, 82 species, 2 subspecies and 7 varieties are known from the State of Maharashtra. The family is well known for endemism, most elaborate complicated flower of all the dicots and contrivances for pollination. Most of the members of the family are restricted in distribution and many of them fall under some IUCN categories of rare plants. Many of the species are not available for taxonomic studies due to rarity of plant materials. Similarly fleshy nature of flowers makes it difficult to study floral structure in dried herbarium specimens. During last decade, deliberate attempts were made to collect asclepiads of Maharashtra and study their characters in fresh and prickled liquid preserved materials. During 10 years intensive survey of asclepiads of Maharashtra, about 63 species of the total 82 species reported for the State have been collected, documented, photographed, studied and reported in the present paper. The genus Ceropegia alone accounts for 24 species and 2 varieties for the state. Photographs of asclepiad flowers are found to be of paramount value in easy identifications than their descriptions. The paper gives an account of Asclepiads of Maharashtra, their distribution and present field status.

Ethno-Taxonomical Studies of some Ayurvedic Drugs

Ethno-taxonomical explanation of some plants forming constituents of Ayurvedic drugs has been provided in the present paper.

Botany of Mt. Saramati and its Environs

The paper gives a brief account of botany of Mt. Saramati in Nagaland, India which represents the state's highest mountain peak (3841m), the remotest and the botanically unexplored area. A brief note on topography, geology, climate and vegetation together with a comprehensive analysis of the floristic compositions of the vegetation types and is followed by enumeration of the species of angiosperms and gymnosperms. Analysis of the species collected established the following five families as the richest ones on the basis of the number of the species. Orchidaceae (25), Poaceae (24), Asteraceae (17), Ericaceae (13), Cyperaceae (9). These together represent about 40% of the total number of species collected. All the species recorded in this paper, except Deyeuxia pulchella (Griseb.) Hook. f. (Poaceae) are new additions to the Kanjilal's Herbarium (ASSAM) from the area. There is also no record of any representation of plant species from there by Clarke (1886, 1889), Hooker (1872-97), Kanjilal et al. (1934-40), Bor (1942), Jamir and Rao (1088). The present paper, therefore, represents the first source of information regarding botany of the Mt. Saramati.

Correct Identity of some Folk Medicines of South Western Maharashtra

Sixty nine samples folk medicines produced from local market have been characterized botanically and pharmacognostically. Botanical characterization has been done by actual comparison of authentic samples with that of market samples. The present paper deals with enumeration of these species used in folk medicine and gives correct botanical identity of plant materials, their common names, local names, parts used and botanical diagnostic characters.

Reproductive Tract Infections among Women in Pakistan: An Urban Case Study

Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among women—despite being common and having grave consequences—are not given much attention by policy-makers and health planners. The asymptomatic nature of most infections makes their detection and diagnosis difficult, making laboratory testing the most accurate method of bio-medical diagnosis. The present paper assesses the magnitude and nature of infections as diagnosed through laboratory testing and looks into the variation in magnitude and the nature of RTIs among women with different socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The aetiological rate of infection among women is found to be 24 percent, with the majority of these women testing positive for endogenous infections. Factors significantly increasing the likelihood of having an infection include intrauterine device use or getting a tubectomy, short inter-pregnancy intervals, and lower economic status of women.

Quicklib: A Rapid Library Management Solution

QuickLib is a new kind of library management system that puts special focus on remote access features while streamlining resource monitoring, user administration, and cataloging. User convenience and accessibility are limited by the frequent lack of effective remote access options in traditional library management systems. QuickLib fills this need by enabling users to access library resources from any location with an internet connection. In comparison to conventional systems, QuickLib's efficiency, usability, and performance are highlighted in this paper's presentation of its architecture, implementation, and assessment. Findings show that QuickLib is more efficient in terms of speed, responsiveness, and user satisfaction than other solutions, which makes it a great tool for libraries and educational establishments looking to update their library services. Keywords— Library Management System, Remote Access, Efficiency, User-Centric Design

Energy consumption reduction in a building by free cooling using phase change material (PCM)

It is significantly important to implement energy storage systems nowadays. Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems contain numerous advantages as a result of their small temperature variation and higher energy storage densities during storage. The present paper deals with the cooling load of a room in Zanjan, Iran using Carrier software. Then, a free cooling system using commercial paraffin RT25 was numerically analyzed as phase change material (PCM) while investigating the effects of the flow rate of the storage tank and inlet air temperature overcharging and discharging procedures. Based on cold energy storage simulation, by airflow with the temperature of 20°C at night, the paraffin is solidified in 4 h. Stored cold energy of 1.4 kW in PCM releases energy through a free cooling system within 2.1 h of July afternoon in the room.