Strategy &Techniques for Restoration of Healthy Aquaecosystem from Toxic Super Eutrophic Water Body

There are complex river-lake systems in the Taihu Lake catchment with total water surface area of 6174.7 km2, and population density of 1079/km2, including Taihu Lake water surface area of 2338 km2. The water systems in this catchment have healthy aquaecosystems during long history. However, in some riverlets in this catchment the water quality was estimated as “acute toxicity for higher organisms” and over standards for many heavy metal elements content;there were no any living plants and macro organisms in the water body, because there were developed a series of industry with abundant release of heavy metals and difficult decomposition organic chemical components along the riverlets during last decades. The even more serious situation was observed in sediments of the riverlets. How to restore such riverlet into a healthy aquaeosystem with abound plants and higher organisms? The main strategy and techniques are described in this paper as summarizing a report of engineering in a riverlet in Wuxi New District during last years, which leads to restore the aquaecosystem into a healthy one with abundant surface plant cultured on floating islands and observed living fish, lobster, frog, toad, mollusk and others in the riverlet. The main techniques are: 1) softwall buffer technic;2) floating eco-island technic by using which can culture any plant which can be cultured in solution;3) immobilized nitrogen cycle bacteria (INCB) technic;4) tattering esters and other big-molecule organic chemicals by using electronic pulse technic and photosensitization technic;5) mist spray facility technic for improving dissolved oxygen in deep water layers;6) technic for buffering and suppressing H2S release from water;7) the appropriate portion of surface with cultured plant to the total water surface area is about 1/3;8) Cress [Oenanthe Ljavanica (Bl.) DC.] and Myriophyllum verticilatum L. may be cultured in Taihu Lake catchment during the whole year as main plants with mosaic combination of other supplement plants in different seasons.

Application of Different Image Processing Techniques on Aster and ETM+ Images for Exploration of Hydrothermal Alteration Associated with Copper Mineralizations Mapping Kehdolan Area (Eastern Azarbaijan Province-Iran)

The Kehdolan area is located at 20 kilometers to the?south-east of Dozdozan Town (Eastern Azarbaijan Province). According to structural geology, volconic rocks are situated in Alborz-Azarbyjan zone, and faults?are?observed?in?the?same direction to this system with SE-NW trend. The results show that kaolinite alteration trend with Argilic and propylitic veins?is the?same direction with SW-NE faults in this area. Therefore, these faults with these trends can be considered as the mineralization control for determination of the alterations. Different image processing techniques,?such as false color composite?(FCC), band ratios, color ratio composite?(CRC), principal component?analysis?(PCA), Crosta technique, supervised spectral angle mapping?(SAM), are used for?identification of the alteration zones associated with copper mineralization. In this project ASTER?data are process and spectral analysis to fit for recognizing intensity and kind of argillic, propylitic,?philic, and ETM+ data?which?are process and to fit for iron oxide and relation to metal mineralization of the area. For recognizing different alterations of the study area, some chemical and mineralogical analysis data from the samples showed that ASTER data and ETM+ data were?capable of hydrothermal alteration mapping with copper mineralization.?Copper mineralization in the region is in agreement with argillic alteration. SW-NE trending faults controlled the mineralization process.

Adaptable and Dynamic Access Control Decision-Enforcement Approach Based on Multilayer Hybrid Deep Learning Techniques in BYOD Environment

Organizations are adopting the Bring Your Own Device(BYOD)concept to enhance productivity and reduce expenses.However,this trend introduces security challenges,such as unauthorized access.Traditional access control systems,such as Attribute-Based Access Control(ABAC)and Role-Based Access Control(RBAC),are limited in their ability to enforce access decisions due to the variability and dynamism of attributes related to users and resources.This paper proposes a method for enforcing access decisions that is adaptable and dynamic,based on multilayer hybrid deep learning techniques,particularly the Tabular Deep Neural Network Tabular DNN method.This technique transforms all input attributes in an access request into a binary classification(allow or deny)using multiple layers,ensuring accurate and efficient access decision-making.The proposed solution was evaluated using the Kaggle Amazon access control policy dataset and demonstrated its effectiveness by achieving a 94%accuracy rate.Additionally,the proposed solution enhances the implementation of access decisions based on a variety of resource and user attributes while ensuring privacy through indirect communication with the Policy Administration Point(PAP).This solution significantly improves the flexibility of access control systems,making themmore dynamic and adaptable to the evolving needs ofmodern organizations.Furthermore,it offers a scalable approach to manage the complexities associated with the BYOD environment,providing a robust framework for secure and efficient access management.

Application of several optimization techniques for estimating TBM advance rate in granitic rocks

This study aims to develop several optimization techniques for predicting advance rate of tunnel boring machine(TBM)in different weathered zones of granite.For this purpose,extensive field and laboratory studies have been conducted along the 12,649 m of the Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer tunnel in Malaysia.Rock properties consisting of uniaxial compressive strength(UCS),Brazilian tensile strength(BTS),rock mass rating(RMR),rock quality designation(RQD),quartz content(q)and weathered zone as well as machine specifications including thrust force and revolution per minute(RPM)were measured to establish comprehensive datasets for optimization.Accordingly,to estimate the advance rate of TBM,two new hybrid optimization techniques,i.e.an artificial neural network(ANN)combined with both imperialist competitive algorithm(ICA)and particle swarm optimization(PSO),were developed for mechanical tunneling in granitic rocks.Further,the new hybrid optimization techniques were compared and the best one was chosen among them to be used for practice.To evaluate the accuracy of the proposed models for both testing and training datasets,various statistical indices including coefficient of determination(R^2),root mean square error(RMSE)and variance account for(VAF)were utilized herein.The values of R^2,RMSE,and VAF ranged in 0.939-0.961,0.022-0.036,and 93.899-96.145,respectively,with the PSO-ANN hybrid technique demonstrating the best performance.It is concluded that both the optimization techniques,i.e.PSO-ANN and ICA-ANN,could be utilized for predicting the advance rate of TBMs;however,the PSO-ANN technique is superior.

Using Speech Recognition in Learning Primary School Mathematics via Explain, Instruct and Facilitate Techniques

The application of Information and Communication Technologies has transformed traditional Teaching and Learning in the past decade to computerized-based era. This evolution has resulted from the emergence of the digital system and has greatly impacted on the global education and socio-cultural development. Multimedia has been absorbed into the education sector for producing a new learning concept and a combination of educational and entertainment approach. This research is concerned with the application of Window Speech Recognition and Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Integrated/Interactive Development Environment in Multimedia-Assisted Courseware prototype development for Primary School Mathematics contents, namely, single digits and the addition. The Teaching and Learning techniques—Explain, Instruct and Facilitate are proposed and these could be viewed as instructors’ centered strategy, instructors’—learners’ dual communication and learners' active participation. The prototype is called M-EIF and deployed only users' voices;hence the activation of Window Speech Recognition is required prior to a test run.

Effects of Food Diet Preparation Techniques on Radionuclide Intake and Its Implications for Individual Ingestion Effective Dose in Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria

The radioactivity measurements in food crops and their diet derivatives and farm soil samples from Abeokuta, one of the elevated background radiation areas in Nigeria have been carried out in order to determine the concentration levels of natural radionuclides (40K, 226Ra and 232Th). The activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides in the samples were determined via gamma-ray spectrometry using a 76 mm × 76 mm NaI(Tl) detector. Different common food crops representing the major sources of dietary requirements to the local population were collected for the measurements. The collected food crops were prepared into their different derivable composite diets using preparation techniques locale to the population. Using available food consumption data and the activity concentrations of the radionuclides, the ingestion effective doses were evaluated for the food crops and diet types per preparation techniques. For the tuberous food crop samples, the annual ingestion effective doses in the raw and different composite diets were 0.02 - 0.04 μSv and cumulatively 0.04 - 0.05 μSv while in the non-tuberous crops the doses were 0.44 - 0.70 μSv and cumulatively greater than 1 μSv respectively. Results of the study indicate that method of diet preparation is seen to play a major role in population ingestion dose reduction especially for tuberous crops than in non-tuberous crops. The study also showed that more ingestion dose could be incurred in diets prepared by roasting techniques. The result of the study will serve as a useful radiometric data for future epidemiological studies in the area and for food safety regulations and policy implementations in the country.

Screening and early diagnosis of osteoporosis through X-ray and ultrasound based techniques

Effective prevention and management of osteoporosis would require suitable methods for population screenings and early diagnosis. Current clinicallyavailable diagnostic methods are mainly based on the use of either X-rays or ultrasound(US). All X-ray based methods provide a measure of bone mineral density(BMD), but it has been demonstrated that other structural aspects of the bone are important in determining fracture risk, such as mechanical features and elastic properties, which cannot be assessed using densitometric techniques. Among the most commonly used techniques, dual X-ray absorptiometry(DXA) is considered the current 'gold standard' for osteoporosis diagnosis and fracture risk prediction. Unfortunately, as other X-ray based techniques, DXA has specific limitations(e.g., use of ionizing radiation, large size of the equipment, high costs, limited availability) that hinder its application for population screenings and primary care diagnosis. This has resulted in an increasing interest in developing reliable pre-screening tools for osteoporosis such as quantitative ultrasound(QUS) scanners, which do not involve ionizing radiation exposure and represent a cheaper solution exploiting portable and widely available devices. Furthermore, the usefulness of QUS techniques in fracture risk prediction has been proven and, with the last developments, they are also becoming a more and more reliable approach for assessing bone quality. However, the US assessment of osteoporosis is currently used only as a pre-screening tool, requiring a subsequent diagnosis confirmation by means of a DXA evaluation. Here we illustrate the state of art in the early diagnosis of this 'silent disease' and show up recent advances for its prevention and improved management through early diagnosis.

Epileptic brain network mechanisms and neuroimaging techniques for the brain network

Epilepsy can be defined as a dysfunction of the brain network,and each type of epilepsy involves different brain-network changes that are implicated diffe rently in the control and propagation of interictal or ictal discharges.Gaining more detailed information on brain network alterations can help us to further understand the mechanisms of epilepsy and pave the way for brain network-based precise therapeutic approaches in clinical practice.An increasing number of advanced neuroimaging techniques and electrophysiological techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging-based fiber tra ctography,diffusion kurtosis imaging-based fiber tractography,fiber ball imagingbased tra ctography,electroencephalography,functional magnetic resonance imaging,magnetoencephalography,positron emission tomography,molecular imaging,and functional ultrasound imaging have been extensively used to delineate epileptic networks.In this review,we summarize the relevant neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiological techniques for assessing structural and functional brain networks in patients with epilepsy,and extensively analyze the imaging mechanisms,advantages,limitations,and clinical application ranges of each technique.A greater focus on emerging advanced technologies,new data analysis software,a combination of multiple techniques,and the construction of personalized virtual epilepsy models can provide a theoretical basis to better understand the brain network mechanisms of epilepsy and make surgical decisions.

Pre-Drilling Prediction Techniques on the High-Temperature High-Pressure Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Offshore Hainan Island,China

Decreasing the risks and geohazards associated with drilling engineering in high-temperature high-pressure(HTHP) geologic settings begins with the implementation of pre-drilling prediction techniques(PPTs). To improve the accuracy of geopressure prediction in HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs offshore Hainan Island, we made a comprehensive summary of current PPTs to identify existing problems and challenges by analyzing the global distribution of HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs, the research status of PPTs, and the geologic setting and its HTHP formation mechanism. Our research results indicate that the HTHP formation mechanism in the study area is caused by multiple factors, including rapid loading, diapir intrusions, hydrocarbon generation, and the thermal expansion of pore fluids. Due to this multi-factor interaction, a cloud of HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs has developed in the Ying-Qiong Basin, but only traditional PPTs have been implemented, based on the assumption of conditions that do not conform to the actual geologic environment, e.g., Bellotti's law and Eaton's law. In this paper, we focus on these issues, identify some challenges and solutions, and call for further PPT research to address the drawbacks of previous works and meet the challenges associated with the deepwater technology gap. In this way, we hope to contribute to the improved accuracy of geopressure prediction prior to drilling and provide support for future HTHP drilling offshore Hainan Island.

Comparison of in Clinic-Based Fecal Microbiome Collection Techniques for Increase in Study Participation and Utilization of Microbiome Analysis

We compared the collection techniques of fecal specimens for DNA extraction and fecal microbiome analysis by utilizing the glove from a standard-of-care digital rectal exam (DRE) and the rectal swab from a pre-prostate biopsy bacterial rectal culture collected in clinical care settings. DNA yield from the swab technique compared to the glove technique yielded similar amounts of DNA (18.1 vs. 13.1 ng/μL, p = 0.06), slightly favoring the swab technique. However, utilizing DNA yield cutoffs of 15 ng/μL (37% vs. 29%, p = 0.18) and 30 ng/μL (15% and 9%, p = 0.16), we identified no differences in yield between the swab versus glove technique, respectively. Absorbance values for overall DNA quality were significantly different in favor of the glove technique (mean 1.6 vs. 2.0, p < 0.001). Using an absorbance value of 1.5 as an indication of DNA quality, only 26% (19/91) met the cutoff value using the swab group compared to 47.3% (53/112) if the glove technique was used (p < 0.001). Similar results occurred for the RNA quality with an absorbance value cutoff of 2.0 (2.2% vs. 30.4%, p < 0.001). To increase sampling feasibility and improve population sampling, gloves used from a DRE may be utilized as a consistent and efficient fecal DNA collection technique for fecal microbiome analysis. DNA yield and quality from the glove technique are comparable to—if not better than—rectal swab collection.

Tribological Behaviour of Aluminium/Alumina/Graphite Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite Using Taguchi’s Techniques

Tribological behaviour of aluminium alloy (Al-Si10Mg) reinforced with alumina (9%) and graphite (3%) fabricated by stir casting process was investigated. The wear and frictional properties of the hybrid metal matrix composites was studied by performing dry sliding wear test using a pin-on-disc wear tester. Experiments were conducted based on the plan of experiments generated through Taguchi’s technique. A L27 Orthogonal array was selected for analysis of the data. Investigation to find the influence of applied load, sliding speed and sliding distance on wear rate, as well as the coefficient of friction during wearing process was carried out using ANOVA and regression equations for each response were developed. Objective of the model was chosen as ‘smaller the better’ characteristics to analyse the dry sliding wear resistance. Results show that sliding distance has the highest influence followed by load and sliding speed. Finally, confirmation tests were carried out to verify the experimental results and Scanning Electron Microscopic studies were done on the wear surfaces.

The assessment of time dependent flow of Williamson fluid with radiative blood flow against a wedge

The present pagination reports both Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis aspects subject to magneto hydrodynamic Williamson fluid model.Assuming the flow is unsteady and blood is treated as Williamson fluid over a wedge with radiation.The governing equations are transformed into ordinary differential equations by using similarity variables.The analytical solutions of the transformed governing equations are obtained by using the RK 4th order method along with shooting technique solver.The effects of various physical parameters such as Hartmann number,local Weissenberg number,radiation parameter,unsteadiness parameter,Prandtl number,Lewis number,Brownian diffusion,thermophoresis,wedge angle parameter,moving wedge parameter,on velocity,temperature,concentration,skin friction,heat transfer rate and mass transfer rate have been discussed in detail.The velocity and temperature profile deprives for larger We and an opposite trend is observed for concentration.The radiation parameter is propositional to temperature and a counter behaviour is observed for Pr.

The Agronomic Techniques as Determinants of the Phenolic Content and the Biological Antioxidant Effect of Palm-Tree Kale

The content of phytochemicals in vegetables is strongly affected by genetic, agronomic, and environmental factors, and by transportation and storage conditions, potentially affecting the sensory and putative health-promoting properties. In this study the impact of different agricultural techniques on the phenolics content and antioxidant activity of extracts from a traditional Italian kale landrace, called palm-tree kale (Brassica oleracea L., ssp. acephala DC, var. sabellica L.) was evaluated. Furthermore, the antioxidant effects of the different extracts were assessed in a biological system using primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. The final aim was to evidence whether and how the agronomic practices can affect the antioxidant properties of kale not only in vitro but also in cells. Results herein reported underline the influence of the crop production strategies in establishing the potential health benefits of a vegetable. This research approach could be useful for the selection of production techniques that are able to provide edible vegetables with higher functional activity, and evidences the need to study the food domain as a whole with the nutrition domain, and to integrate all results in order to have an overall “foodomics” vision allowing the improvement of health and well-being.

Classification of Multi-User Chirp Modulation Signals Using Wavelet Higher-Order-Statistics Features and Artificial Intelligence Techniques

Higher order statistical features have been recently proved to be very efficient in the classification of wideband communications and radar signals with great accuracy. On the other hand, the denoising properties of the wavelet transform make WT an efficient signal processing tool in noisy environments. A novel technique for the classification of multi-user chirp modulation signals is presented in this paper. A combination of the higher order moments and cumulants of the wavelet coefficients as well as the peaks of the bispectrum and its bi-frequencies are proposed as effective features. Different types of artificial intelligence based classifiers and clustering techniques are used to identify the chirp signals of the different users. In particular, neural networks (NN), maximum likelihood (ML), k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVMs) classifiers as well as fuzzy c-means (FCM) and fuzzy k-means (FKM) clustering techniques are tested. The Simulation results show that the proposed technique is able to efficiently classify the different chirp signals in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels with high accuracy. It is shown that the NN classifier outperforms other classifiers. Also, the simulations prove that the classification based on features extracted from wavelet transform results in more accurate results than that using features directly extracted from the chirp signals, especially at low values of signal-to-noise ratios.

Visualization Techniques in Smart Grid

Visualization is an established methodology in scientific computing. It has been used in many fields because of its strong capability in large data management and information display. However, its applications in power systems, especially in Smart Grid are still in infancy stage. Besides, while there were a lot of researches working on visualizing data in transmission power system, the study on displaying distribution power system data was limited. Therefore, in this paper, author proposed some techniques to visualize the Smart Grid data at distribution. They are classified in three categories, which are low dimensional techniques, multivariate high dimensional techniques and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques.

Cartilage repair techniques of the talus: An update

Symptomatic chondral or osteochondral defects of the talus reduce the quality of life of many patients.Although their pathomechanism is well understood,it is well known that different aetiologic factors play a role in their origin.Additionally,it is well recognised that the talar articular cartilage strongly differs from that in the knee.Despite this fact,many recommendations for the management of talar cartilage defects are based on approaches that were developed for the knee.Conservative treatment seems to work best in paediatric and adolescent patients with osteochondritis dissecans.However,depending on the size of the lesions,surgical approaches are necessary to treat many of these defects.Bone marrow stimulation techniques may achieve good results in small lesions.Large lesions may be treated by open procedures such as osteochondral autograft transfer or allograft transplantation.Autologous chondrocyte transplantation,as a restorative procedure,is well investigated in the knee and has been applied in the talus with increasing popularity and promising results but the evidence to date is poor.The goals of the current article are to summarise the different options for treating chondral and osteochondral defects of the talus and review the available literature.

Techniques of microwave permeability characterization for thin films

We review the microwave methods to characterize the material properties, including the established and the emerging techniques in material characterization, especially the permeability spectra of the magnetic thin films.Almost all aspects of the microwave techniques for characterizing the permeability of thin films at microwave frequencies, including the new methods developed by our group, are presented.Firstly, the introduction part is presented.Secondly, the coaxial-line with transmission/reflection methods and the pickup coil with electromagnetic induction method are presented.Thirdly, the most widely used shorted microstrip technique is discussed in detail by the equivalent circuit method, transmission line method,and electromagnetic induction method.Fourthly, the coplanar waveguide method and the near-field probe method are also introduced.Finally, the high temperature permeability characterization by using the shorted microstrip line, the near-field microwave probe, and the shorted microstrip line probe are described in detail.This paper may be useful for researchers or engineers who will build up such measurement fixture to make full use of the existing methods or to develop original methods to meet the requirements for ever-rising measurements.

Evolving screening and surveillance techniques for Barrett's esophagus

Barrett's esophagus(BE) is a change in the esophageal lining and is known to be the major precursor lesion for most cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma(EAC).Despite an understanding of its association with BE for many years and the falling incidence rates of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, the incidence for EAC continues to rise exponentially. In association with this rising incidence, if the delay in diagnosis of EAC occurs after the onset of symptoms,then the mortality at 5 years is greater than 80%. Appropriate diagnosis and surveillance strategies are therefore vital for BE. Multiple novel optical technologies and other advanced approaches are being utilized to assist in making screening and surveillance more cost effective. We review the current guidelines and evolving techniques that are currently being evaluated.

Effects of Gas Metal Arc Welding Techniques on the Mechanical Properties of Duplex Stainless Steel

The study has compared the effect of gas metal arc welding techniques on some mechanical properties of duplex stainless steel. The samples after welded were given post weld heat treatment (quenching in engine and neem oil). After the analyses, it was established that duplex stainless steel can be weld successfully using gas metal arc welding process (GMAW). Both Lubricating oil and neem oil can serve as quenching medium for post welding heat treatment of duplex stainless steel. The results of the studies also show that welding and heat treatment really affect the mechanical properties of the alloy;the control strength was 811.47 MN/m2 while that of the welded samples ranged from 177.07 to 257.32 MN/m2. The control impact energy was 162.70 J, while that of the welded samples ranged from 38.64 J to 56.20 J. The research also shows that the stress relief heat treatment gives better strength (A3 = 331 MN/m2) compared to those that were quenched in lubricating oil (A2 = 329 MN/m2) and neem oil (A1 = 222 MN/m2), but the reverse is the case in terms of toughness.

Effectiveness and safety of a laparoscopic training system combined with modified reconstruction techniques for total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy

BACKGROUND Total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy(TLDG)is increasing due to some advantages over open surgery,which has generated interest in gastrointestinal surgeons.However,TLDG is technically demanding especially for lymphadenectomy and gastrointestinal reconstruction.During the course of training,trainee surgeons have less chances to perform open gastrectomy compared with that of senior surgeons.AIM To evaluate an appropriate,efficient and safe laparoscopic training procedures suitable for trainee surgeons.METHODS Ninety-two consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent TLDG plus Billroth I reconstruction using an augmented rectangle technique and involving trainees were reviewed.The trainees were taught a laparoscopic view of surgical anatomy,standard operative procedures and practiced essential laparoscopic skills.The TLDG procedure was divided into regional lymph node dissections and gastrointestinal reconstruction for analyzing trainee skills.Early surgical outcomes were compared between trainees and trainers to clarify the feasibility and safety of TLDG performed by trainees.Learning curves were used to assess the utility of our training system.RESULTS Five trainees performed a total of 52 TLDGs(56.5%),while 40 TLDGs were conducted by two trainers(43.5%).Except for depth of invasion and pathologic stage,there were no differences in clinicopathological characteristics.Trainers performed more D2 gastrectomies than trainees.The total operation time was significantly longer in the trainee group.The time spent during the lesser curvature lymph node dissection and the Billroth I reconstruction were similar between the two groups.No difference was found in postoperative complications between the two groups.The learning curve of the trainees plateaued after five TLDG cases.CONCLUSION Preparing trainees with a laparoscopic view of surgical anatomy,standard operative procedures and practice in essential laparoscopic skills enabled trainees to perform TLDG safely and feasibly.