289 research outputs found
Genetic Characterization of Clinical Acanthamoeba Isolates Using Gene Loci of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA
No full text博士論文本文Full 以下に掲載：The Korean Journal of Parasitology 51(4) pp.401-411 2013. Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine. 共著者：Md Moshiur Rahman, Kenji Yagita, Akira Kobayashi, Yosaburo Oikawa, Amjad I.A. Hussein, Takahiro Matsumura and Masaharu Tokor
Genetic Characterization of Clinical Acanthamoeba Isolates Using Gene Loci of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA
No full text金沢大学博士（医学）博士論文本文Full 以下に掲載：The Korean Journal of Parasitology 51(4) pp.401-411 2013. Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine. 共著者：Md Moshiur Rahman, Kenji Yagita, Akira Kobayashi, Yosaburo Oikawa, Amjad I.A. Hussein, Takahiro Matsumura and Masaharu Tokorodoctoral thesi
Structural hybridization and economical optimization of strengthening systems used for concrete beams / Md. Moshiur Rahman
No full textStrengthening of an existing structure is often necessary to increase its load carrying capacity to meet new strength and serviceability requirements. However, strengthening can lead premature failure and efficient usage of the strengthening materials should be emphasized. Therefore, an efficient strengthening method along with the preparation of relevant design guidelines is urgently required. To address this issue a combination of external bonding reinforcement (EBR) and Near Surface Mounting (NSM) technique was developed and tested in this study. The proposed technique is called the hybrid strengthening method (HSM). In this study, efficient approach of strengthening reinforced concrete beam were also studied along with introduction of HSM. To prevent premature failure the use of end anchorage, shear strengthening and side HSM were employed. In order to make strengthening method efficient, steel bar with cement mortar was also used to replace the fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) and epoxy. Semi-numerical and finite element models were developed and validated with the experimental results to be used in the preparation of design guidelines. To help the designer reduce the strengthening cost further, mathematical design optimization techniques are also presented.
For this study, thirty-three reinforced concrete beams were cast and tested. These were designed to address the objectives described above. The strengthening materials used comprised of steel bars, steel plates and CFRP composites with different dimensions were used for strengthening. The beams were extensively instrumented to monitor loads, deflections, and strains. The beams were subjected to static and fatigue loadings.
Semi-numerical models were formulated to initiate the preparation of the design procedure of the HSM beam. In these models, an analytical approach was made with the help of the genetic algorithm optimization procedure to avoid time-consuming trial and error. In addition, finite element models (FEM) from the ABAQUS package to predict flexural strength and deflection were used to do the parametric study. In the mathematical design optimization method, the strengthening cost was minimized using non-linear programming and genetic algorithms where flexural strength and serviceability requirements were used as the major constraints.
From the experimental results, the HSM beam, in general, gave about 65% higher flexural capacities as compared to the control beam at best. In terms of the efficiency, the HSM beams showed a 36% increase in flexural capacities as compared to the EBR beam. The partial replacement of epoxy adhesive with cement mortar in NSM strengthening reduced costs without significantly affecting the flexure performance. The fatigue performance of the HSM strengthened beam was found to be at least 6.5% higher than that of the NSM strengthened beam. The semi-numerical and finite element models were shown to be able to give consistent results as compared to the experimental results. The application of the optimization method led to savings of up to 8% in the amount of strengthening materials used as compared to classical design solutions
Sperm as moderators of environmentally induced paternal effects in a livebearing fish
No full textUntil recently, paternal effects—the influence of fathers on their offspring due to environmental factors rather than genes—were largely discarded or assumed to be confined to species exhibiting paternal care. It is now recognized that paternal effects can be transmitted through the ejaculate, but unambiguous evidence for them is scarce, because it is difficult to isolate effects operating via changes to the ejaculate from maternal effects driven by female mate assessment. Here, we use artificial insemination to disentangle mate assessment from fertilization in guppies, and show that paternal effects can be transmitted to offspring exclusively via ejaculates. We show that males fed reduced diets produce poor-quality sperm and that offspring sired by such males (via artificial insemination) exhibit reduced body size at birth. These findings may have important implications for the many mating systems in which environmentally induced changes in ejaculate quality have been reported.</jats:p
Design and Implementation of a Web-based Home Energy Management System for Demand Response Applications
No full textThe objective of this work is to design and implement an architectural framework for a web-based demand management system that allows an electric utility to reduce system peak load by automatically managing end-use appliances based on homeowners' preferences. The proposed framework comprises the following components: human user interface, home energy management (HEM) algorithms, web services for demand response communications, selected ZigBee and smart energy profile features for appliance interface, and security aspects for a web-based HEM system.
The proposed web-based HEM system allows homeowners to be more aware about their electricity consumption by allowing visualization of their real-time and historical electricity consumption data. The HEM system enables customers to monitor and control their household appliances from anywhere with an Internet connection. It offers a user-friendly and attractive display panel for a homeowner to easily set his/her preferences and comfort settings.
An algorithm to autonomously control appliance operation is incorporated in the proposed web-based HEM system, which makes it possible for residential customers to participate in demand response programs. In this work, the algorithm is demonstrated to manage power-intensive appliances in a single home, keeping the total household load within a certain limit while satisfying preset comfort settings and user preferences. Furthermore, an extended version of the algorithm is demonstrated to manage power-intensive appliances for multiple homes within a neighborhood.
As one of the demand response (DR)-enabling technologies, the web services-based DR communication has been developed to enable households without smart meters or advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to participate in a DR event via the HEM system. This implies that an electric utility can send a DR signal via a web services-enabled HEM system, and appropriate appliances can be controlled within each home based on homeowner preferences. The interoperability with other systems, such as utility systems, third-party Home Area Network (HAN) systems, etc., is also taken into account in the design of the proposed web services-based HEM system. That is, it is designed to allow interaction with authorized third-party systems by means of web services, which are collectively an interface for machine-to-machine interaction.
This work also designs and implements device organization and interface for end-use appliances utilizing ZigBee Device Profile and Smart Energy Profile. Development of the Home Area Network (HAN) of appliances and the HAN Coordinator has been performed using a ZigBee network. Analyses of security risks for a web-based HEM system and their mitigation strategies have been discussed as well.Master of Scienc
Molecular characterization of various Trichomonad s ecies isolated from humans and related mommRls in Indonesia
No full text博士論文本文Full 以下に掲載：The Korean Journal of Parasitology 52(5) pp.471-478 2014. Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine. 共著者：Mudyawati Kamaruddin, Masaharu Tokoro, Md. Moshiur Rahman, Shunsuke Arayama, Anggi P.N. Hidayati, Din Syafruddin, Puji B.S. Asih, Hisao Yoshikawa, Ei Kawahar
Molecular characterization of various Trichomonad s ecies isolated from humans and related mommRls in Indonesia
No full text金沢大学博士(保健学)博士論文本文Full 以下に掲載：The Korean Journal of Parasitology 52(5) pp.471-478 2014. Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine. 共著者：Mudyawati Kamaruddin, Masaharu Tokoro, Md. Moshiur Rahman, Shunsuke Arayama, Anggi P.N. Hidayati, Din Syafruddin, Puji B.S. Asih, Hisao Yoshikawa, Ei Kawaharadoctoral thesi
The expression of pre- and postcopulatory sexually selected traits reflects levels of dietary stress in guppies.
No full textEnvironmental and ecological conditions can shape the evolution of life history traits in many animals. Among such factors, food or nutrition availability can play an important evolutionary role in moderating an animal's life history traits, particularly sexually selected traits. Here, we test whether diet quantity and/or composition in the form of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (here termed 'n3LC') influence the expression of pre- and postcopulatory traits in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a livebearing poeciliid fish. We assigned males haphazardly to one of two experimental diets supplemented with n3LC, and each of these diet treatments was further divided into two diet 'quantity' treatments. Our experimental design therefore explored the main and interacting effects of two factors (n3LC content and diet quantity) on the expression of precopulatory (sexual behaviour and sexual ornamentation, including the size, number and spectral properties of colour spots) and postcopulatory (the velocity, viability, number and length of sperm) sexually selected traits. Our study revealed that diet quantity had significant effects on most of the pre- and postcopulatory traits, while n3LC manipulation had a significant effect on sperm traits and in particular on sperm viability. Our analyses also revealed interacting effects of diet quantity and n3LC levels on courtship displays, and the area of orange and iridescent colour spots in the males' colour patterns. We also confirmed that our dietary manipulations of n3LC resulted in the differential uptake of n3LC in body and testes tissues in the different n3LC groups. This study reveals the effects of diet quantity and n3LC on behavioural, ornamental and ejaculate traits in P. reticulata and underscores the likely role that diet plays in maintaining the high variability in these condition-dependent sexual traits
Clinical and Radiological Characteristics for Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textChronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is one of the most studied clinical entities in the neurosurgical literature. Management of cSDH is complicated by its propensity to recurrence. Various factors for the development of recurrence of cSDH have been described in various clinical, epidemiological, and observational studies, yet the evidence available is limited. A systematic review and meta-analysis as per PRISMA guidelines to identify clinical and radiological factors which can predict the development of recurrence in cSDH. A total of 14 studies were included for the systematic review and meta-analysis after a comprehensive search of the online databases. Eight studies were of high methodological quality. Age, use of anticoagulants, obesity, seizure, and liver disease were found to be statistically significant clinical risk factors for the development of recurrence in cSDH. Among the radiological parameters, the internal structure of the hematoma and the width of the hematoma was found to be significant risk factor predicting the development of recurrence. Age >75 years, use of anticoagulation therapy, liver disease, and obesity were significant risk factors for cSDH recurrence. Pneumocephalus, internal architecture of hematoma, bilateral cSDH, the width of hematoma, and the presence of bilateral cSDH are important radiological parameters of the development of recurrent cSD
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