American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS)
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Development of the Genotyping Protocol for the Study of Genetic Polymorphisms of CYP450 2C9 (CYP2C9 * 2, * 3) and VKORC1 1639G> A
Get PDFTwo genes are mainly involved in the variability of the response to Acenocoumarol: one encoding the vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1) pharmacological target of AVKs, and the other encoding the cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), responsible for the metabolism of coumarin derivatives to inactive metabolites.The objective of our work is to develop a genotyping technique in order to study this genetic polymorphism within the Algerian population.Genotyping is performed by RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) PCR over 4 steps: DNA extraction, amplification, enzymatic digestion and electrophoresis. The FDA has approved that the use of genetic testing may help healthcare professionals better predict steady-state doses of vitamin k antagonists in order to optimize the management of patients treated with this drug
Probabilistic Load Flow by Monte Carlo Simulation to Determine the Amount of Use of the Transmission System
Get PDFAccess to the transmission network by generators and distributors is essential in the unbundled configuration of the electricity market. Regulatory agents seek to improve the relationship between network users and their operators in order to optimize investments, increase reliability and lower tariffs. In this context, the need arises to foresee the use of transmission networks as accurately as possible to correctly signal to planners and to reduce users\u27 tariff costs. This paper aims to present a methodology for obtaining the amounts of power at the connection points between users and the transmission network, in addition to a search system for the least probable charge. A probabilistic load flow method by numerical method was used, with the search for the lowest charge value. The inputs were modeled as random variables with known probability distribution functions. High concentrations of wind generators were considered and modeled as Weibull distributions. A modified IEEE 14 bus system was used as a case study. The results showed the amounts by risk and by lower value, being the user\u27s option to choose each of the results. The presented method proved to be an interesting proposal for situations that require a forecast of the amounts of use of the transmission system in the medium and long term, with the presence of wind generators
Hatching Egg Image Segmentation Based on Dense Blocks and the Hierarchical Sampling of Pixels
Get PDFFertility detection of hatching eggs is crucial in the manufacturing of vaccines. For hatching egg images, the segmentation results of blood vessels, cracks and air chambers are important for detecting the fertility of hatching eggs. In this paper, we propose an image segmentation method based on dense blocks and the hierarchical sampling of pixels. Dense blocks are used instead of the traditional layer-by-layer structure to improve efficiency and model robustness. The hierarchical sampling of pixels uses small batch sampling to add diversity during batch updates, which can accelerate learning. The sampled features are sparsely arranged and classified using an Multi-layer Perceptron(MLP), which can introduce complex nonlinear predictors and improve accuracy. The experimental results show that the MIoU reaches 90.5%. The proposed method can significantly improve the segmentation performance
Perceptions of Grade 8-12 Mathematics Teachers on Learner Centred Education (LCE)
Get PDFThe Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MEAC) in the Republic of Namibia advocates and encourages teaching in schools through Learner Centred Education (LCE). This call and expectation are evidenced in the vast number of school instructional leadership documents in favour of LCE including the Classroom Observation Instrument (COI), LCE policy [7] and the National Policy Guide for the Junior Primary Phase [15]. However, our 10 years of experience as mentor teachers of Junior Secondary Mathematics teachers suggests that a great number of teachers in schools, including recently trained Mathematics teachers, have a slanted notion of LCE and are subsequently confused as to how to apply this advocated approach in their Mathematics lessons. Thus, the focus of this research project. This research made use of two semi-structured instruments, questionnaires and interviews to explore perceptions of eight Grade 8-12 Mathematics teachers on LCE. All the participating teachers hailed from the two regions of //Kharas and Oshikoto, Namibia. The analysis of data suggests three conclusions with serious implications. First, teacher’s training institutions only practice Teacher Centred Education (TCE). Second, the study also found that Grade 8-12 Mathematics teachers preferred TCE methods to teach Mathematics, in varying Namibian school situations such as large class groups, ill-disciplined learners and even gifted learners, as well as learners who were not eager to learn or ready to perform. However, sometimes TCE does not challenge slower learners to learn and/or think critically and logically. Third, it was found that Grade 8-12 Mathematics teachers needed further training on understanding and applying LCE, as well as training to use technology to teach some topics of Mathematics. Furthermore, the study strongly recommends immediate review of the LCE policy in Namibia
The Effects of Climate Change on the Existing Environmental Laws and the Impact on Natural Resources
Get PDFSustainable development is meeting the need of the present societal setting without jeopardizing the stability of the future generation through the exploitation of the current elements of survival such as natural resources and destruction of the ecosystem. Developed countries have been spotted to take advantage of both developing countries and underdeveloped countries because they own personnel and equipment that can be useful in the extraction of natural resources. Aspects of humanity understand the need for protecting the environment and natural resources through different environmental laws that aid in governing efficacy in human nature coexistence. Moreover, the efficacy of good governance across developing countries depends on the structure of the governing body and the economic resources available to withstand the population growth within the region. Also, developing countries are on the verge of declining control and management of efficient environment policies that align with the management of the current levels of climatic changes. Some of the concerns covered under environmental laws incorporate different types of pollution, the sustainability of resources such as forestry, minerals, and water, and certain principles and policies related to environmental concerns. Poverty encroachment in developing countries has been steered by the encroachment of land degradation, pollution, and other environmental crisis. In many regions across developing countries, there exists a pressure exerted on the exploitation of natural resources arising from the increased population and meeting the global demand of the ever-growing market. With the continued climatic changes across the world, developing countries are experiencing strains to maintain the ever rising heat on implementation of environmental laws and natural resources policies. The research discusses the effects of climatic changes on the existing environmental laws and impact on natural resource policies
A Sebaceous Cyst Located in the Maxillary Sinus
Get PDFMaxillary sinus cysts are quite common, being most frequently detected on the occasion of radiological investigations. On an OPG (orthopantomogram), these cysts appear as round masses, similar to a dome, in contact with one of the walls or the floor of the maxillary sinus. In this study, authors present the case of a patient with a maxillary cyst involving the maxillary sinus. Removal of the maxillary cyst was performed with the extraction of the causative tooth. Complete removal of the sebaceous cyst is mandatory in order to avoid recurrences and potential infectious complications.
 
China’s Expanding Province in Caribbean Affairs: The Drivers of Port Infrastructure Development in the Caribbean Community under the Aegis of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative
Get PDFPort infrastructure and its affiliated services are the key drivers of economic growth particularly when consideration is given to the reality that over 80 % of the world’s merchandize trade by volume is transshipped by sea. The status quo is especially relevant to Member States of the Caribbean Community (hereinafter, CARICOM). First and foremost, this region is comprised mainly of island states. Secondly, it is nestled at the intersection of the world’s primary North-South and East-West trade flows making it a key maritime highway. Thirdly, it is home to roughly 351 ports, 15 oil refineries and 51 tank terminals while hosting three separate categories of ports - specialized ports that cater for single commodities; public ports which are open to all types of cargo, and by no means the least, transshipment centers. Of late, increasing demands have been placed on the region’s port communities by the booming cruise ship and yachting industries. Nonetheless, despite the exceptional geographic providence of the region, across-the-board low growth rates, fiscal stress, elevated debt levels, and declines in international reserves have placed serious constraints on the economies of CARICOM Member States. Most importantly, inherent structural gaps in port infrastructure in tandem with the undercapitalization of port facilities have been identified as key constraints to trade performance impeding investment opportunities. The Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) promoted by China which is an integral component the country’s ‘Go Global’ policy is an ambitious trans-regional scheme that is specially configured to promote interconnectivity and economic agglomeration which are critical imperatives among Caribbean Community members at this juncture. What’s more, MSRI has a heavy infrastructural dimension. This study argues that MSRI holds reciprocal advantages for China and the Caribbean Community.
Among the advantages is development of port communities in the region which will fulfill China’s relentless drive for trade promotion, strengthened connectivity, access to strategically key resources, as well as enhanced regional and global competitiveness given the region’s proximity to the United States and Central and South America. The Chinese business model on which MSRI is built guarantees client governments ease of access to funding while building their respective domestic infrastructural capacities: Chinese ground plans typically take the form of closely coordinated projects facilitated by clusters of inter-related state-controlled corporations and Chinese policy banks which are reputed for high-speed delivery untypical of Western multilateral bodies like the World Bank. The study concludes that if judiciously managed by Caribbean governments, port infrastructure development under the aegis of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative holds transformative potential for the region in light of the dire need for investment, diversification and trade facilitation which are indispensable to economic take-off
Thermo, Electrical and Structural Properties of Solid Electroyte Doped Bi2O3 Binary and Ternary Systems
Get PDFIn this study; production and characterization of Bi2O3 based solid electrolytes used in medium-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC) were performed. Solid electrolyte samples were obtained using compounds Eu2O3, Dy2O3 and Bi2O3. Stable phase which can create the highest power density ?-Bi2O3 (cubic-fcc) was tried to be reached for IT-SOFC. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential thermal analysis and thermal gravimeter (TG/DTA) with binary (Eu2O3-Bi2O3) and ternary (Eu2O3-Dy2O3-Bi2O3) powder materials were analyzed for crystal structure identification. Bi2O3-based compounds with the cubic structure have been identified in those composition regions ((Bi2O3)0,6(Eu2O3)0,3) and ((Bi2O3)1-x-y(Dy2O3)x(Eu2O3)y, 0.25???x???0.35, y=0,05). Four point measurement techniques were used for electrical characterization. The conductivity of the ternary system is higher than the conductivity of the binary system. The highest conductive sample is (Bi2O3)0,7(Dy2O3)0,25(Eu2O3)0,05 0.3 S/cm at 800 oC
Phytochemical Screening and Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of the Ethanolic Extract of the Leaves of Morus alba L.
Get PDFThe search for knowledge of biological activities and phytochemical screening of the species Morus alba L. is non- existent, however the present study came to explore this plant. To perform the phytochemical screening and the evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of the leaves of the species Morus alba L. Experimental analysis, with the collection of leaves of the species to obtain hydroalcoholic extract at 70% and from this extract the main secondary metabolites were identified. And after contributing to the systematic knowledge of the secondary metabolites of Morus alba L., antimicrobial activity was tested from the concentrated extracts of the leaves of the species. Among the extracts tested, the one that presented the most inhibitory activity in S. aureus was the concentrate, then the aqueous and finally the alcoholic.
In E. coli strains the extracts showed no effects. Phytochemical tests were performed using the concentrated extract using the methods of reference [1], where it presented the presence of reducing sugars, phenols and tannins, alkaloids and depsides and depsidones. The research emphasized the microbiological action of the species Morus alba L., as it is a poorly studied plant and may help in the future in the development of new drugs. Phytochemical studies were necessary to confirm this microbiological action, as they were essential for the identification of natural and efficient antibacterial agents
Binary Image Classification Through an Optimal Topology for Convolutional Neural Networks
Get PDFDeep learning applications in computer vision have expanded over the past years. Image classification, which is the fundamental of most algorithms in the field, has been of interest to many researchers. Advances in hierarchical feature extractions using convolutional neural networks as one of the deep learning architectures have enabled experts to improve the performance of classification significantly. In this work, an optimal binary classifier to distinguish cat and dog images was explored where various architectures and parameters were employed to achieve the best results. To design our experiment, we considered the architectures with two and three convolutional layers using two input image size when models were trained with and without Dropout against an identical dataset. The analysis demonstrated that an accuracy rate of 99.26% for the testing dataset was achieved from a three-layer model with an input image size of 32x32 with Dropout. The classification report of any models was produced to explore other metrics such as precision, recall, and F1-score, and they were aligned with the accuracy rates as this experiment was a balanced data situation