158 research outputs found
Empowering Technology Enabled Care Using IoT and Smart Devices: A Review
No full textDesigning power aware wearable devices is the main key in building compact size autonomous smart devices to successfully connect health Internet of things solutions. With their ability to perform tasks ranging from simple self-monitoring to complex interactive tasks, these devices hold great promises in providing a large scale cost effective solution to the challenges facing nowadays healthcare systems. Despite the advances in sensing and hardware design, there still remain several technical challenges facing the research community to build devices that meet the computational requirements with a self-powered capability. Overcoming these challenges require major improvements in all the building blocks of wearable devices including sensors, power management, signal processing, computing architectures, and communication. This paper surveys some of the past milestones related to these subsystems and discusses promising research directions addressing their limitations. - 2001-2012 IEEE.Manuscript received October 31, 2017; revised December 13, 2017; accepted December 13, 2017. Date of publication December 22, 2017; date of current version January 31, 2018. This work was supported by National Priorities Research Program under Grant 9-114-2-055 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The associate editor coordinating the review of this paper and approving it for publication was Prof. Subhas C. Mukhopadhyay. (Corresponding author: Hamza Baali.) H. Baali was with the College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar. He is now with the College of Science and Engineering, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar (e-mail: [email protected]).Scopu
Adapting authoritarianism: institutions and co-optation in Egypt and Syria
No full textThis PhD thesis compares Egypt and Syria’s authoritarian political systems. While the tendency in social science political research treats Egypt and Syria as similarly authoritarian, this research emphasizes differences between the two systems with special reference to institutions and co-optation. Rather than reducibly understanding Egypt and Syria as sharing similar histories, institutional arrangements, or ascribing to the oft-repeated convention that “Syria is Egypt but 10 years behind,” this thesis focuses on how events and individual histories shaped each states current institutional strengthens and weaknesses. Specifically, it explains the how varying institutional politicization or de-politicization affects each state’s capabilities for co-opting elite and non-elite individuals.
Beginning with a theoretical framework that considers the limited utility of democratization and transition theoretical approaches, the work underscores the persistence and durability of authoritarianism. Chapter two details the politicized institutional divergence between Egypt and Syria that began in the 1970s. Chapter three and four examines how institutional politicization or de-politicization affects elite and non-elite individual co-optation in Egypt and Syria. Chapter five discusses the study’s general conclusions and theoretical implications.
This thesis’s argument is that Egypt and Syria co-opt elites and non-elites differently because of the varying degrees of institutional politicization in each governance system. Rather than view one country as more politically developed than the other, this work argues that Syria’s political institutions are more politicized than their Egyptian counterparts. Syria’s political arena is, thus, described as politicized-patrimonialism. Syria’s politicized-patrimonial arena produces uneven co-optation of elites and non-elites as they are diffused through competing institutions. Conversely, the Egyptian political arena remains highly personalized as weak institutions and individuals are manipulated and molded according to the president’s ruling clique. This is referred to as personalized-patrimonialism. As a consequence, Egypt’s political establishment demonstrates more flexibility in ad hoc altering and adapting its arena depending on the emergence of crises.
This study’s theoretical implications suggest that, contrary to modernization and democratization theory’s adage that institutions lead to a political development, politicized institutions within a patrimonial order actually hinder regime adaptation because consensus is harder to achieve and maintain. It is within this context that Egypt’s de-politicized institutional framework advantages its top political elite. In this reading of Egyptian and Syrian politics, Egypt’s personalized political arena is more adaptable than Syria’s. These conclusions do not indicate that political reform is a process underway in either state
Clustering of children’s oral diseases in families and villages in a rural setting in Egypt
No full textAbstract Background This study assessed the clustering of children’ caries experience, plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation in families and villages in Northwestern Egypt and the factors related to the severity of these conditions. Methods This was a secondary analysis of a 2019 household survey of children in villages around Alexandria, Egypt. Clinical examination assessed primary and permanent teeth caries experience (dmft/ DMFT using the World Health Organization criteria), plaque accumulation (Plaque Index (PlI)) and gingival inflammation (Gingival Index (GI)). A child questionnaire assessed child’s age, sex, the frequency of toothbrushing (at least twice daily versus less) and frequency of consuming eight types of sugary products (daily sugar consumption score, sum of sugary products consumed daily). Mothers’ questionnaire assessed the number of children in the family, mother’s education (at least high school versus less), at least twice daily toothbrushing and daily sugar consumption similar to the child. Multilevel regression analyses assessed clustering, calculated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the three conditions in families and villages. Regression estimates (B) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of individual and family factors were calculated. Results Complete data were available for 450 children (246 families, seven villages], mean = 9.9 years-old and 56% females. The mean caries experience score = 3.6, mean plaque index = 1.5 and mean gingival index = 1.2. Caries experience, plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation were not clustered in villages (ICC 0.05). Child’s age was significantly associated with caries experience (B= -0.48, p < 0.001) and gingival inflammation (B = 0.032, p < 0.001). Children who brushed their teeth twice daily had significantly more caries experience (B = 1.04, p = 0.01). Conclusion The three oral conditions were not clustered in villages but clustered in families. Plaque accumulation showed the greatest within-family clustering. Family factors were not associated with the three conditions and individual factors indicated the need for interventions to promote preventive behaviors and identify families at risk of oral conditions
Microbial attachment to sulfide minerals in a bioleach environment
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 119-125).This research pertains to bioleaching of copper containing ores with particular reference to the copper sulfide mineral chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂). While it is focused on heap bioleaching, it has applications to stirred tank bioleaching operations. Industrial heap bioleaching offers opportunities for processing of low grade ores but poses process operational challenges. These challenges include ineffective heap inoculation, a lag period before effective leaching commences and poor heap performance. These aspects are attributed to several contributing factors, such as heap construction, engineering and microbial activity. To date little attention has been paid to colonisation as a means of mitigating these challenges and effectively improving process operation. Current literature regarding microbial attachment to sulfide minerals is limited to pure culture studies using iron oxidising mesophiles, and the use of sulfide mineral concentrates. In a heap environment, mineral dissolution is accelerated through the presence of a mixed consortium of microbial species; with the contribution of each not yet fully understood. In addition, gangue minerals comprise the bulk of the minerals present and thus cannot be neglected when attempting to better understand microbial attachment and the role of micro-organisms in a heap environment. The predominant methodology employed to study microbial attachment in a bioleach context has used batch agitated systems (shake flasks). This may not adequately represent attachment under heap-like fluid dynamics. The idea of this project stemmed from a requirement to contribute to the mitigation of challenges faced by industry through addressing the aforementioned gaps prevailing in literature and improving understanding of the role of microbial attachment and colonisation under conditions simulating a heap. The aim of this study was to investigate attachment of three bioleach micro-organisms (A. ferrooxidans, L. ferriphilum and S. metallicus)to complex, sulfide-containing minerals ores in a bioleach environment using methodologies simulating heap-like conditions
The Validity of In Vivo Tooth Volume Determinations From Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
No full textObjective: To determine the accuracy of volumetric analysis of teeth in vivo using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).
Materials and Methods: The physical volume (Vw) of 24 bicuspids extracted for orthodontic purposes (16 were imaged with the I-CAT and 8 with the CB MercuRay) were determined using the water displacement technique. Corresponding pretreatment CBCT image data were uploaded into Amira 4.0 for segmentation and radiographic volume (Va). All measurements were performed twice by two observers. The statistical difference between Vw and Va was assessed using a paired Hest. The intraobserver and interobserver reliability were determined by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients.
Results: The overall mean Vw of teeth specimens was 0.553 +/- 0.082 cm(3), while the overall mean Va was 0.548 +/- 0.079 cm(3) (0.529 +/- 0.078 cm(3) for observer 1 and 0.567 +/- 0.085 cm(3) for observer 2). There were statistically significant differences between Va and Vw (P < .05). Between observer 1 and observer 2, Va measurements were statistically significantly different (P < .05). The interobserver and intraobserver correlation coefficient for Vw was high. Lastly, surface smoothing reduced the volume by 3% to 12%.
Conclusions: In vivo determination of tooth volumes from CBCT data is feasible. The measurements slightly deviate from the physical volumes within -4% to 7%. Smoothing operations reduce volume measurements. Currently, no requirements for accuracy of volumetric determinations of tooth volume have been established. (Angle Orthod. 2010;80:160-166.
Thyroid Function among Children with Iron Deficiency Anaemia: Pre and Post Iron Replacement Therapy
No full textSafety method, Spectrophotometric Determination of Sulfamethaxazole drug in bulk and Pharmaceutical Preparations
No full textA simple, cheap, fast, accurate, Safety and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of sulfamethaxazole (SFMx), in pure form and pharmaceutical dosage forms. has been described The Method is based on the diazotization of the drug by sodium nitrite in acidic medium at 5Cº followed by coupling with salbutamol sulphate (SBS) drug to form orange color the product was stabilized and measured at 452 nm Beer’s law is obeyed in the concentration range of 2.5-87.5 ?g ml-1 with molar absorptivity of 2.5x104 L mole-1 cm-1. All variables including the reagent concentration, reaction time, color stability period, and sulfamethaxazole /salbutamol ratio were studied in order to optimize the reaction conditions. No interferences were observed Results of analysis were validated statistically and by recovery studies. These methods are successfully employed for the determination of sulfamethaxazole in some pharmaceutical preparations.. The developed method is easy to use and accurate for routine studies relative to HPLC and other techniques
Mutual Coupling Reduction with a novel Fractal Electromagnetic Band Gap Structure
No full textThis work shows the effect of a novel Fractal based Electromagnetic Band Gap (FEBG) structure between dual PIFAs antenna elements. The FEBG structure without any shorting pins builds on a well-known fractal structure called Sierpinski carpet, where two iterations have been applied as a uniplanar EBG between dual PIFAs elements to increase the isolation. The proposed antenna can operate at approximately 2.65 GHz for wireless Long Term Evolution (LTE) application with compact design dimensions. The simulations are carried out with Ansoft HFSS ver 17.0. The second iterative order FEBG band-gap characteristic is verified using more computationally efficient analysis. An investigation on coupling reduction showed more than 27 dB, and 40 dB in E-plane and H-plane; respectively between the dual antenna elements is achieved for an antenna spacing less than half wavelength. The proposed antennas with and without second iterative order FEBG are fabricated and measured. The measurement results are in good agreement with the simulated results. Moreover, the envelope correlation of antenna elements with the proposed FEBG is quite smaller than that of antenna elements without FEBG, which gives the proposed system an excellent diverse performance and suitable for the use in low-frequency narrow-band MIMO applications
Detection and measurement of artificial periapical lesions by cone-beam computed tomography
No full textAim To test the ability of periapical radiography (PA) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to determine the presence/absence of periapical lesions and examine the reliability of volumetric measurements of periapical lesions on CBCT scans. Methodology After tooth extractions in human mandibles, bone defects were cut at the base of extraction sockets to mimic periapical bone lesions. The teeth were then returned into the extraction sockets. Sixty-three roots of anterior teeth, premolars and molars with artificial periapical lesions and 37 roots without lesions were examined with PA and CBCT. Presence/absence of periapical lesion was noted. The CBCT-based volume of each lesion (Vct) was measured using Amira software 5.4 (Visage Imaging GmbH, Berlin, Germany). A replica of each lesion was created using silicone impression material, and the volume of the replica was measured using a water displacement method, representing the physical volume of the lesion (Vp). Regression analysis was used to test the correlation between the Vp and Vct values. Results The positive and negative predictive values and accuracy for CBCT in diagnosing periapical lesions were all 1, compared with 1, 0.64 and 0.79 for PA diagnosis. Twenty-one (33%) lesions were undetected by PA. The Vp (21.5 ± 11.0 mm3) and Vct (21.4 ± 11.5 mm3) values of 63 lesions were highly correlated (R2 = 96.9%, P < 0.001). Conclusion Cone-beam computed tomography is more accurate than PA in diagnosing periapical lesions associated with mandibular teeth. The volumes of artificial mandibular periapical lesions were accurately measured with CBCT data
Interphase chromosome positioning in in vitro porcine cells and ex vivo porcine tissues
No full textCopyright @ 2012 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and 85 reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The article was made available through the Brunel University Open Access Publishing Fund.BACKGROUND: In interphase nuclei of a wide range of species chromosomes are organised into their own specific locations termed territories. These chromosome territories are non-randomly positioned in nuclei which is believed to be related to a spatial aspect of regulatory control over gene expression. In this study we have adopted the pig as a model in which to study interphase chromosome positioning and follows on from other studies from our group of using pig cells and tissues to study interphase genome re-positioning during differentiation. The pig is an important model organism both economically and as a closely related species to study human disease models. This is why great efforts have been made to accomplish the full genome sequence in the last decade. RESULTS: This study has positioned most of the porcine chromosomes in in vitro cultured adult and embryonic fibroblasts, early passage stromal derived mesenchymal stem cells and lymphocytes. The study is further expanded to position four chromosomes in ex vivo tissue derived from pig kidney, lung and brain. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that porcine chromosomes are also non-randomly positioned within interphase nuclei with few major differences in chromosome position in interphase nuclei between different cell and tissue types. There were also no differences between preferred nuclear location of chromosomes in in vitro cultured cells as compared to cells in tissue sections. Using a number of analyses to ascertain by what criteria porcine chromosomes were positioned in interphase nuclei; we found a correlation with DNA content.This study is partly supported by Sygen International PLC
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