Hybrid dual mode sensor for simultaneous detection of two serum metabolites

Metabolites are the ultimate readout of disease phenotype that plays a significant role in the study of human disease. Multiple metabolites sometimes serve as biomarkers for a single metabolic disease. Therefore, simultaneous detection and analysis of those metabolites facilitate early diagnostics of the disease. Conventional approaches to detect and quantify metabolites include mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance that require bulky and expensive equipment. Here, we present a disposable sensing platform that is based on complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor process. It contains two sensors: an ion sensitive field-effect transistor and photodiode that can work independently for detection of pH and color change produced during the metabolite-enzyme reaction. Serum glucose and cholesterol have been detected and quantified simultaneously with the new platform, which shows good sensitivity within the physiological range. Low cost and easy manipulation make our device a prime candidate for personal metabolome sensing diagnostics

Development of Entrepreneurship Opportunity Identification Course in Entrepreneurship Education Program for Engineering Students at Jiaxing University

The research objective was to explore the influence of the EOI course on the EOI ability of engineering students and, based on this, develop and validate the EOI course on the EOI ability of engineering students in Jiaxing University. Phase 1 used a post-test quasi-experimental group and control group design. The experimental group took compulsory and elective EEP courses, while the control group only took the compulsory EEP courses. The researcher administered a questionnaire to both groups on the effect of EEP on EOI. In Phase 2, a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used to conduct the developed course intervention experiment with the experimental group. A pretest-posttest questionnaire and a structured interview survey on EOI abilities were administered. The research results showed that Phase 1 confirmed that EEP and EOI are positively correlated, but the current EEP is not significant in improving the EOI ability of engineering students. Phase 2 confirmed that the EOI training course developed with the combination of research results and theoretical basis could effectively improve the EOI ability of students. This research provides multiple avenues for future research, such as the survey methodology that could be used to develop the curriculum. It would be beneficial to conduct further empirical testing on how the developed curriculum influences students' EOI in more specific aspects for future research

An IOT-enabled System for Marine Data Acquisition and Cartography

Current satellite communication remains very expensive and impractical for most small to mid-sized vessels, and at the same time marine wireless networking is lack of network coverage. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel IOT (Internet of Things) enabled system for marine data acquisition and cartography based on Ship Ad-hoc Networks (SANET’s). Ships are equipped with Very High Frequency (VHF) radios and several sensors such as sea depth, temperature, wind speed and direction, etc. The collected sensory data is sent to 5G edge clouds incorporated at sink/base station nodes on shore, and ultimately aggregated at a central cloud on the internet to produce up to date cartography. The routing protocols deployed are DSDV (Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector), AODV (Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector), AOMDV (Ad hoc On-Demand Multipath Distance Vector) and DSR (Dynamic Source Routing) protocols, which are very popular in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANET’s) and compatible with multi hop routing environments and scalability towards increased traffic and mobility. Simulation results verify the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed system that has packet delivery rates of up to 80% at shore base stations

Examining Gender Effects in Technology Acceptance by Arabian Workers: A Survey Study

While information technology is increasingly ubiquitous globally, the pace at which the technology has disseminated varies in different regions. We study technology acceptance by working individuals in the Arabian region, which has recorded substantial growths in technology infrastructure and deployments. We focus on gender because the Arabian region has a long-standing cultural tradition and entrenched social norms that distinctly define the gender roles. We develop a factor model, premised on the theory of planned behavior and the technology acceptance model, which explains the focal technology acceptance phenomenon. We test the model and the hypotheses with the responses from 1,088 Arabian workers from 56 firms that participate in our survey voluntarily. The model accounts for a significant portion of the variances in the workers’ intentions to use computer technology. We find that gender moderates the effect of subjective norms on intention (significantly stronger for males than for female workers) and the influence of perceived usefulness on attitude (significantly stronger for male than for female workers). However, the moderating role of gender appears insignificant on other relationships we hypothesized. Our findings have several important implications for both research and practice, which we will discuss in this paper

Examining the Moderating Role of Gender in Arabian Workers’ Acceptance of Computer Technology

Even as information technology becomes globally ubiquitous, the pace of its dissemination varies across regions. For example, technology acceptance by ordinary workers in the Arabian region is generally slow, though its diffusion has recently exhibited substantial improvements. The research model proposed herein, based in the theory of planned behavior and the technology acceptance model, focuses on the effects of gender, because long-standing Saudi Arabian culture traditions and entrenched social norms define distinct gender roles. The test of the model and its associated hypotheses involves voluntary responses from 1,088 Arabian workers of fifty-six firms. The results show that the model can explain a significant portion of variance in workers’ intentions to use computer technology. Perceived usefulness seems to have the strongest impact on intention, followed by perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. In addition, gender moderates the effect of subjective norms on intentions and the influence of perceived usefulness on attitude, more prominently among male than among female workers. Overall, the findings imply relative differences in the explanatory power of prevalent theoretical models across different socio-cultural contexts and point to the important role of gender in technology acceptance. They also offer implications for research and practice

Local Gas Holdup in a Draft Tube Airlift Bioreactor

Airlift Column Bioreactors Are Gas-Liquid Contact Devices Characterized by a Rising Channel and a Down Flow Channel Due to Gas Holdup Differences in These Two Channels. Local Gas Holdup Distribution Strongly Affects the overall Gas-Liquid Flow Dynamics in Airlift Columns. in This Work, Local Gas Holdup Distributions in a Draft Tube Airlift Column Covering Both Bubbly Flow and Churn-Turbulent Flow Regimes Have Been Studied using Computed Tomography (CT) Technique as Well as Conventional Techniques. the Radial and Axial Evolutions of the Gas Holdup Distribution Will Be Discussed, Together with the Effects of Superficial Gas Velocity and Geometry Parameters. the Obtained Gas Holdup Results Will Also Be Used to Verify Various Empirical and Semi-Empirical Correlations in the Literature. Moreover, the Obtained Gas Holdup Information, Combined with Liquid Flow Dynamic Information Reported in Luo and Al-Dahhan (2008a, B), Forms a Benchmark Database for the Design and Scale-Up of Airlift Column Bioreactors and for Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Modeling Validations. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Airlift Column Photobioreactors for Porphyridium Sp. Culturing: Part I. Effects of Hydrodynamics and Reactor Geometry

Photosynthetic Microorganisms Have Been Attracting World Attention for their Great Potential as Renewable Energy Sources in Recent Years. Cost Effective Production in Large Scale, However, remains a Major Challenge to overcome. It is Known to the Field that Turbulence Could Help Improving the Performance of Photobioreactors Due to the So-Called Flashing Light Effects. Better Understanding of the Multiphase Fluid Dynamics and the Irradiance Distribution Inside the Reactor that Cause the Flashing Light Effects, as Well as Quantifying their Impacts on the Reactor Performance, Thus, Are Crucial for Successful Design and Scale-Up of Photobioreactors. in This Study, a Species of Red Marine Microalgae, Porphyridium Sp., Was Grown in Three Airlift Column Photobioreactors (I.e., Draft Tube Column, Bubble Column, and Split Column). the Physical Properties of the Culture Medium, the Local Fluid Dynamics and the Photobioreactor Performances Were Investigated and Are Reported in This Part of the Manuscript. Results Indicate that the Presence of Microalgae Considerably Affected the Local Multiphase Flow Dynamics in the Studied Draft Tube Column. Results Also Show that the Split Column Reactor Works Slightly Better Than the Draft Tube and the Bubble Columns Due to the Spiral Flow Pattern Inside the Reactor. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Get a Word in Edgewise: Post Character Limit and Social Media-Based Customer Service

In this paper, we study the role of extending character limits on firm responses on social media. By leveraging a natural experiment setting: the unexpected increase in post character limit on Twitter, we empirically investigate the impact on the linguistic styles of social media-based customer service responses. Using a Regression Discontinuity in Time Design and leveraging a panel dataset, our results suggest that extending character limits influences firm to change the linguistic styles in their responses which could influence consumers' perceptions. Our results show that extending post-character limits significantly reduces the readability ease of firm responses, on average, while increasing the concreteness and personal closeness scores of these responses, on average. We show that these changes were effective in influencing customer satisfaction