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Sediment deposition within rainwater: case study comparison of four different sites in Ikorodu, Nigeria
Get PDFYesBuilding roofs represents a critical pathway for sediment mixing with rainwater. This study aims to explore the correlation between roof-top deposited sediment matter in the different areas of the Ikorodu Local Government Area in Lagos, Nigeria. The deposition rate on the roof was studied for 34 weeks in total (i.e., 17 weekly analyses in the rainy season and 17 weekly analyses in the dry season). The total deposition was collected by a 10 inch funnel and directed into a 5 L container, which was partially filled with sterilised water. The roof-top deposition in four different areas was inspected and analysed. The four areas were selected based on the levels of sanitation and vege-tation. The experimental results showed that the enumerated total depositions in different areas were higher in the dry season than the rainy season, with the highest deposition occurring in the Harmattan period. The data obtained from this study have evidenced that the contamination from roof-harvested rainwater can mainly be attributed to atmospheric deposition. Another key factor was the hygiene and sanitation of the harvesting areas, including the gutter, pipes and proximity to animal faeces
Multi-Resonant Class-F Power Amplifier Design for 5G Cellular Networks
Get PDFYesThis work integrates a harmonic tuning mechanism in synergy with the GaN HEMT transistor for 5G mobile transceiver applications. Following a theoretical study on the operational behavior of the Class-F power amplifier (PA), a complete amplifier design procedure is described that includes the proposed Harmonic Control Circuits for the second and third harmonics and optimum loading conditions for phase shifting of the drain current and voltage waveforms. The performance improvement provided by the Class-F configuration is validated by comparing the experimental and simulated results. The designed 10W Class-F PA prototype provides a measured peak drain efficiency of 64.7% at 1dB compression point of the PA at 3.6GHz frequency
A meta-analysis of the UTAUT model in the moblie banking literature: The moderating role of sample size and culture
No full textYesIn the last few years, several studies have examined the predictors of mobile banking (m-banking) adoption using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). However, contradictory results in some of the UTAUT relationships were found in the existing literature. Therefore, we aim to clarify and synthesize the empirical findings from the m-banking studies published since 2004 by conducting weight and meta-analysis with a focus on the UTAUT theory. We also seek to identify the roles of moderating variables on each UTAUT path. A total of 364 path coefficients from 127 studies were relevant for data analysis. CMA software V3 was employed to combine the effect sizes. All UTAUT relationships were found to be significant. Performance expectancy emerged as the strongest antecedent of usage intention. We also find that usage intention is the most critical predictor of use behavior. It was also revealed that sample size and culture significantly moderated the linkages between facilitating conditions and usage intention, effort expectancy and usage intention, and usage intention and use behavior. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are also discussed toward the end
Exploring the case of adopting Lean to potentially enhance the flow of patients with diabetes in Primary Healthcare Centres in Kuwait. Exploring the case of adopting Lean to potentially enhance the flow of patients with diabetes in Primary Healthcare Centres in Kuwait
No full textSimilar to other healthcare systems worldwide, Kuwait faces challenges of increased demand
and cost while trying to operate with constrained resources. There are some data suggesting that
Lean methodology, first used by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota, could improve system
efficiency or flow by waste elimination, may be useful in addressing some of the challenges
found in healthcare. Lean has so far not been used in Kuwaiti primary healthcare centres.
This thesis explores the case for using Lean in Kuwait by examines issues around diabetes, as
Kuwait rank the six highest in the world. In Kuwait, patients with diabetes are mainly managed
in primary healthcare centres. The case for using Lean was explored across five interrelated
studies which are summarised below:
Study 1 involved a review of the literature which found that Lean tools have been used mostly
in hospital settings without any rigorous evaluation and with little or no attention paid to
primary healthcare or in developing countries.
Study 2 was a systematic documentary review of the challenges facing the healthcare system
of Kuwait. In Kuwait, expenditure on healthcare services is expected to double within five
years. Life expectancy is increasing, while the percentage of the elderly population is growing,
leading to increasing demand of services to treat non-communicable disease such as diabetes.
Kuwait still sends many of its patients overseas for treatment. Currently, 10 mega projects worth
approximately 2 billion Kuwaiti Dinar are being constructed in Kuwait that will result in a
doubling of the bed capacity. However, the average occupancy rate between 2006 to 2015 was
63.6%, which is considered low compared to the average occupancy rate in European Union
countries.
Study 3 sought the views of Kuwaiti healthcare leaders about Lean and challenges facing the
healthcare system of Kuwait. The key findings were:
(1) Most leaders agreed that the current healthcare system in Kuwait faces difficult
challenges and needs to change its management approach;
(2) Lean as a management approach is considered a new concept among leaders of
Kuwaiti healthcare organisations;
(3) They did not have adequate knowledge regarding Lean but were willing to support
any future Lean improvement initiatives.
Study 4 explored the knowledge of Healthcare Workers regarding Lean within Kuwait’s
primary healthcare centres through a cross-sectional survey in four primary healthcare centres.
Only 11% of participants were familiar with Lean. None of the participants were involved or
had an ongoing Lean initiative or project but 80% of participants were willing to be involved
in future Lean initiatives.
Study 5 mapped the flow of patients with type 2 diabetes in primary healthcare centres to
identify potential waste and make recommendations for improvement. Patients with type 2
diabetes typically visit their General Practitioner at least every two months for a review
appointment. When a blood test is required to monitor blood sugar levels, three more visits are
required, involving the blood test, collection of test results by the patient and a review of the
results with the general practitioner. Four potential improvements were identified: using point
of care testing, the posting of laboratory results to general practitioner computer systems, the
introduction of guidelines that standardise the practice for the patient’s visit and permitting the general practitioner to prescribe medication that will last four months. The process map of
patients with type 2 diabetes has highlighted waste and improvement suggestions that may
reduce workload, enhance patient satisfaction, avoid unnecessary visits, enhance the timeliness
of laboratory testing, improve communication between and across departments and minimise
the use of resources without undermining the quality of care. These suggestions, if implemented
on the national level, could bring tremendous benefits but still need to be rigorously evaluated.
The thesis concludes by noting that there is considerable potential in adopting Lean to improve
the healthcare services in Kuwait, but further work is required to implement the changes and
rigorously evaluate them
Overcoming wound healing complications following radiotherapy in human breast dermal fibroblasts, through the influence of preadipocytes from the stromal vascular fraction
Get PDFRadiotherapy has major therapeutic benefits for cancer patients, but ionizing
radiation causes damage of surrounding healthy tissues with poor wound
healing a common side effect. Therefore, further oncoplastic, reconstructive
surgery is challenging and often problematic. Current research models use
normal human dermal fibroblasts irradiated in vitro to mimic radiation
damage, but this is not comparable to ionising radiation and only measures
acute changes. Since radiotherapy may induce epigenetic changes leading
to alterations in dermal fibroblast phenotype, the first aim of this study was to
compare fibroblasts cultured from irradiated skin with non-irradiated skin. As
mesenchymal stem cells isolated from adipose tissue may offer beneficial
effects in the regenerative capacity of irradiated tissue, the second part of
this study was to compare those cultured from non-irradiated and irradiated
breast tissue.
Histological changes in the structural organisation of breast tissue in situ
from donors exposed to radiotherapy was compared to untreated breast.
Primary cultures of dermal fibroblasts from irradiated and non-irradiated
breast skin were established and comparisons quantitated in proliferation
(CyQuant), metabolism (Alamar Blue), migration (scratch-wound assay),
collagen production (Sircol), levels of proteases and protease inhibitors
(human protease/protease inhibitor array) and gene expression of COL1A1,
COL3A1, MMP1, MMP2, TIMP1 and PPAR-γ mRNA (qPCR). Cells from the
stromal vascular fraction (SVF) were cultured and characterised by
immunocytochemistry and compared to human preadipocytes sourced
commercially. The secretion of FGF, adiponectin and VEGF by the preadipocyte and the SVF mesenchymal cells was compared and the ability
of their secretome to modulate dermal fibroblast proliferation, metabolism
and migration was evaluated.
Radiotherapy caused extensive disorganisation of the reticular dermis and
flattening of the epidermal-dermal junction. Dermal fibroblasts cultured from
irradiated skin had a pronounced spindle shaped morphology with longer
thinner projections and took approximately twice as long to explant and grow.
They had a lower proliferative and higher basal metabolic rate and did not
respond to FGF-2. While they secreted similar amounts of total collagen they
demonstrated distinct differences in proteolytic enzyme and protease inhibitor
expression. This is the first report to culture cells from the SVF of irradiated
breast tissue. The cells expressed the preadipocyte markers CD10, CD73 and
CD105 and no CD45 (negative marker). SVF cells cultured displayed a typical
ASC fibroblastoid morphology. Analysis of the secretome identified the
presence of FGF, adiponectin and VEGF, while functional analysis
demonstrated a stimulatory effect on normal dermal fibroblast migration,
although irradiated dermal fibroblasts were unresponsive.
Radiotherapy induces long term, detrimental changes in breast skin. This is
the first quantitative characterisation of dermal fibroblasts and mesenchymal
cells from the SVF, subjected to ionising radiation in situ. Changes in their
phenotype that alter their function will impact on wound healing. Further
characterisation of these cells may explain their dysfunctional behaviour, and
lead to therapies to reverse or reduce this deleterious side-effect and
significantly improve treatments facilitating wound healing following radiation
injury.Plastic Surgery and Burns Research uni
Investigation of the sediment transport capacity in vegetated open channel flow
No full textNoThe suspended sediment transport capacity is important for estimating the suspended load concentration and the ecological environment of the river. So far, few studies have been conducted to investigate the suspended sediment transport capacity in the vegetated sediment-laden flow. In this study, a new formula is derived to predict the sediment transport capacity in a vegetated flow by considering the absolute value of the energy loss between the sediment-laden flow and the clear water flow. Finally, the formula is expressed in a practical form by using the logarithmic matching method
Modelling and Simulation of Humidification-Dehumidification Process for Seawater Desalination Dual Powered by Biomass and Solar Energy
Get PDFYesThe use of solar thermal energy for water desalination processes is increasing rapidly, particularly in areas where these resources are plentiful. However, solar energy plants are highly affected by the intermittency of day -night cycles and by low irradiation seasons. Although biomass fuel can be used as source of energy for thermal desalination processes, these resources are becoming increasingly scarce, expensive and seasonally available. Integration of solar-biomass technologies for water desalination process may provide the solution to these challenges. This work investigates design options of the Humidification-Dehumidification desalination system integration with the solar-biomass energies. The investigation is based on simulation of the process models in gPROMS platform. Results show that the solar-biomass integrated plant with a thermal storage system can save up to 57 % of the daily energy cost compared to conventional biomass plant. The integrated plant also cuts the CO2 emission by 59 %. Moreover, it has higher daily production capacity than conventional solar plants.The authors wish to thank the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) for financial support under PhD Scholarships Plan for Low and Middle Income Countries
Modeling and simulation of a hybrid system of trickle bed reactor and multistage reverse osmosis process for the removal of phenol from wastewater
Get PDFYesPhenol is one of the most toxic and harmful pollutants in industrial wastewater streams, the removal of which is therefore of critical importance. The use of reverse osmosis (RO) systems as a means of treating wastewater is continuously growing. This research investigates the effect of operating parameters on the performance of five different multistage RO configurations coupled with a trickle bed reactor (TBR) using model-based simulation. The results were compared, and an analysis was then performed to identify which hybrid TBR and multistage RO arrangement rejected the most phenol content. The basis for comparison was four performance metrics of permeate concentration, rejection, recovery, and specific energy. The study found that the flow rate and concentration have little effect on the operation unless there is a concurrent increase of both. It was also found that the four-performance metrics used were interlinked and affect the quality and quantity of the final freshwater product
Blockchain adoption in logistics and supply chain: a literature review and research agenda
Get PDFYesThe supply chain is an important source of knowledge that enables potential emerging technologies and, in this ecosystem, logistics are regarded as an intermediary for disseminating innovative solutions in a coordinated manner. As an emerging solution in the supply chain area, blockchain has recently been discussed as a disruptive technology and has received growing attention from academics and practitioners. Despite this interest, insufficient knowledge on the potential benefits and risks of blockchain technology causes vagueness for its successful implementation. Therefore, since effective management of logistics and supply chain operations through advanced solutions is of utmost importance, adopting an innovative approach rather than providing anectodal evidences or narrative expressions plays a critical role in blockchain adoption. Accordingly, this research aims to an in-depth analysis of the blockchain in logistics and supply chain by investigating enablers, barriers, and risks of this adoption. To this end, through employing both the Methodi Ordinatio and the narrative network analyses, the future direction of blockchain adoption is presented in light of the presented current state of knowledge. Consequently, the obtained findings offer academic and practical insights into the ambiguous, insufficiently explained, and conflicted areas in the relationship between blockchain technologies and logistics and supply chain contexts
Translation and validation of the Child Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (CTFEQr17) in French-speaking Canadian children and adolescents
No full textYesTo translate and validate the Child Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (CTFEQr17), assessing cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE) and emotional eating (EE), among French-speaking Canadian young individuals.
Phase 1 comprised a translation and the evaluation of the comprehension of the questionnaire. Phase 2 comprised a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the evaluation of internal consistency (Cronbach's α), test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC)) and construct validity, including correlations among the CTFEQr17 and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), anthropometrics, dietary intake and diet quality.
Primary and secondary schools, Québec City, Canada.
Phases 1 and 2 included 20 (40 % boys, mean age 11·5 (sd 2·4) years) and 145 (48 % boys, mean age 11·0 (sd 1·9) years) participants, respectively.
Phase 1 resulted in the questionnaire to be used in Phase 2. In Phase 2, the CFA revealed that the seventeen item, three-factor model (CTFEQr17) provided an excellent fit. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α: 0·81-0·90). Test-retest reliability was moderate to good (ICC = 0·59, (95 % CI 0·48, 0·70), ICC = 0·78, (95 % CI 0·70, 0·84), ICC = 0·50, (95 % CI 0·38, 0·62) for CR, UE and EE, respectively). CR correlated with EAT-26 score (r = 0·43, P < 0·0001). UE and EE correlated negatively with BMI Z-scores (r = -0;·26, P = 0·003; r = -0;·19, P = 0·03, respectively). CR correlated with the proportion of energy intake from protein and diet quality (r = 0·18, P = 0·04; r = 0·20, P = 0·02, respectively).
The CTFEQr17 is suitable to use among French-speaking Canadian young individuals.Québec Heart and Lung Institut