MODEL-BASED DIAGNOSTICS OF SIMULTANEOUS TOOTH CRACKS IN SPUR GEARS

This study aims at developing a numerical model that could be used to simulate the effect of tooth cracks on the vibration behavior of spur gears. Gears are a key component that is widely used in various rotating equipment in order to transmit power and change speed. Any failure of this vital component may cause severe disturbance to production and incur heavy financial losses. The tooth fatigue crack is amongst the most common causes of gear failure. Early detection of tooth cracks is crucial for effective condition-based monitoring and decision making. The scope of this work was widened to include the influence of multiple simultaneous tooth cracks on the time and frequency domain responses at various locations and with different severity levels. As cracks significantly alter the gear mesh stiffness, a finite element analysis was performed to determine the stiffness variation with respect to the angular position for different combinations of crack lengths. A simplified six degrees of freedom nonlinear lumped parameter model of a one-stage gearbox was developed to simulate the vibration response of faulty spur gears with the consideration of inter-tooth friction. Four different multiple crack scenarios were proposed and studied. The performances of various statistical fault detection indicators were investigated. The vibration simulation results of the gearbox obtained using MATLAB were verified with those stated in the published research articles. It was observed that as the severity of a single crack increased, the values of the time-domain statistical indicators increased, with different rates. However, the number of cracks had an adverse effect on the values of all the performance indicators, except the RMS indicator. The number and amplitude of the sidebands in the frequency spectrum were also utilized to detect the severity of the faults in each scenario. It was observed that, in the case of consecutive tooth cracks, the number of spectrum peaks and the number of cracks were well consistent in the frequency range of 4 to 5 kHz. The main finding of this study was that the peak spectral amplitude is the most sensitive indicator to the number and severity of cracks

Unconventional TV Detection using Mobile Devices

Recent studies show that the TV viewing experience is changing giving the rise of trends like "multi-screen viewing" and "connected viewers". These trends describe TV viewers that use mobile devices (e.g. tablets and smart phones) while watching TV. In this paper, we exploit the context information available from the ubiquitous mobile devices to detect the presence of TVs and track the media being viewed. Our approach leverages the array of sensors available in modern mobile devices, e.g. cameras and microphones, to detect the location of TV sets, their state (ON or OFF), and the channels they are currently tuned to. We present the feasibility of the proposed sensing technique using our implementation on Android phones with different realistic scenarios. Our results show that in a controlled environment a detection accuracy of 0.978 F-measure could be achieved.Comment: 4 pages, 14 figure

The Relationship between Serum Procalcitonin and Dialysis Adequacy in Hemodialysis Patients

Introduction: In hemodialysis (HD) patients procalcitonin (PCT) considered as an early predictor of acute infection. It represents a new and potential marker of inflammation and may correlate with dialysis adequacy. This makes procalcitonin a potential biomarker for obesity-related low-grade inflammation.Objective: The aim of the work was to assess procalcitonin level in obese prevalent hemodialysis patients and its relation to hemodialysis adequacy. Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 90 patients divided into 3 groups, 40 obese (BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2) ESRD patients on regular hemodialysis (group A), 40 non obese (BMI < 25 Kg/m2) ESRD patients on regular hemodialysis (group B) attending at Dialysis Unit, El-Sahel Teaching Hospital and 10 healthy individuals with BMI < 25 Kg/m2 as a control group (group C). All patients were subjected to detailed history taking and general examination. All patients were laboratory investigated for CBC, serum urea, creatinine, CRP, urea reduction ratio (URR), equilibrated Kt/v. All controls were subjected to written informed consent, full history, examination and CRP level. Procalcitonin level was done by ELISA technique for all patients and controls.Results: In our study, we found that there was a higher level of procalcitonin (PCT) in obese hemodialysis patient than non-obese. We also found that there was no correlation between PCT and hemodialysis adequacy in our study population.Conclusion: It could be concluded that procalcitonin is a potential biomarker for obesity-related low-grade inflammation, but not related to hemodialysis adequacy

HYPERSPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF DATE PALM TREES (PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA L.)

The goal of this study is to classify the Date Palm varieties based on hyperspectral signature technology since it is difficult to identify the Date Palm cultivars without fruits. It will also help to obtain the hyperspectral signature for different types of date palm trees. Moreover, it also assists to determine the wavelength fingerprint of each cultivar and to recommend the best classification protocol differentiating among different cultivars based on spectral signature. Utilizing the Hyperspectral imaging technology precisely on the leaves of different Date Palm cultivars, thus facilitating identification of date palm cultivars without the fruits and make the spatial classification. Hyperspectral benefits enable to detect mixtures of materials within same pixel, to identify specific materials with high degree of accuracy, to get some measure of relative abundance based on depth of absorption features and, to produce the quantitative (rather than qualitative) results. For the treatments, in this study, the six cultivars of Date Palm trees (Barhi, Khadrawi, Khenaizi, Khalas, Fard and Helali) were tested. Ten samples for each cultivar from tissue culture were taken and tested considering the same age and identical conditions (control). Later, the samples were analyzed by using the RGB bands. Analyzing the tissue culture samples, the overall results indicate that, each cultivar of the Date Palm tree has the different spectral signatur

THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SOFT POWER IN THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CONTEXT

In the modern world, soft power is a significant concept referring to nations’ ability to influence others without the need to use force or threats. Developed nations have made a great effort to enhance their soft power practices in order to utilize this power to influence fellow nations. The United Arab Emirates’ soft power is still considered a relatively new area of practical academic discipline. Nonetheless, the UAE\u27s soft power practices remain essential in determining its position on the global scale. To develop a soft-power strategy, objectives and needs must be outlined. To address these objectives and needs, mixed-method research was conducted to (1) determine the UAE’s citizens’ perception of the effect of soft-power practices (humanitarian aid, economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, academic diplomacy) and media framing on international relations, and (2) explore the best soft-power practices to improve the UAE’s image internationally from the point of view of UAE’s diplomats and citizens. First, a quantitative survey of 300 citizens stratified from seven Emirates from the UAE was administered online using SurveyMonkey. Data analysis for the main hypothesis was tested using the Spearman’s Rho correlation and indicated that citizens perceived that a higher level of soft power practices will promote the UAE internationally and that media framing increases the level of soft power. However, the relationship between cultural diplomacy and international relations, as well as framing and cultural diplomacy, were higher than the other factors examined. At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to suggest the best soft power policies to strengthen the UAE\u27s image internationally. The responses were analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti. The following factors were ranked based on effectiveness: (1) cultural diplomacy, (2) media mediation effect, (3) foreign diplomacy, (4) nation branding, (5) economic diplomacy, (6) educational diplomacy, (7) humanitarian aids, and (8) sports diplomacy were explored using a thematic analysis of citizens\u27 point of view. Second, a qualitative study was conducted through an interview with twenty diplomats to rate the generated factors. Applying thematic analysis using the ATLAS.ti, shows that all diplomats agreed that cultural diplomacy is one of the most effective forms of soft power, which confirms the citizens\u27 point of view. The diplomats were also asked to rate the effectiveness of the eight factors of soft power extracted from the survey, of which the results show that all were rated as highly effective. However, among the eight factors, the foreign diplomacy initiatives were rated as most effective, and the media mediation factors were rated as least effective. In conclusion, the UAE must continuously measure its citizens’ perception to continuously stay informed about which areas require focus concerning its soft-power strategy

ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION NORMAL FLORA BACTERIA FROM DIFFERENT AREAS OF NINAVA GOVERNORATE

ABSTRACT: In this study, different types of bacteria were isolated and diagnosed from soils collected from different areas of Ninava governorate, new strain of bacteria was discovered, based on biochemical tests and genetic examination (16S rRNA) and the strain was recorded under accession number (MW690182) in the Gene Bank (NCBI). The isolated bacteria were Bacillus Subtilis strain that given new name (AHM1976) it was positive for gram stain, motility, hemolytic, beta type. Keywords: isolation; identification; normal flora bacteria.   Isolamento e identificação de bactérias da flora normal de diferentes áreas da província de Ninava, Iraque   RESUMO: Neste estudo, diferentes tipos de bactérias foram isolados e diagnosticados em solos coletados em diferentes áreas da Província de Ninava, Iraque. Foi descoberta uma nova cepa de bactéria, com base em testes bioquímicos e exame genético (16S rRNA), sendo essa cepa registrada sob o número de acesso (MW690182) no Gene Bank (NCBI). A bactéria isolada foi a cepa Bacillus Subtilis, que recebeu novo nome (AHM1976), testando de forma positiva para coloração de gram, motilidade, hemolítica, tipo beta. Palavras-chave: isolamento; identificação; bactérias da flora normal.   ABSTRACT: In this study, different types of bacteria were isolated and diagnosed from soils collected from different areas of Ninava governorate, new strain of bacteria was discovered, based on biochemical tests and genetic examination (16S rRNA) and the strain was recorded under accession number (MW690182) in the Gene Bank (NCBI). The isolated bacteria were Bacillus Subtilis strain that given new name (AHM1976) it was positive for gram stain, motility, hemolytic, beta type. Keywords: isolation; identification; normal flora bacteria.   Isolamento e identificação de bactérias da flora normal de diferentes áreas da província de Ninava, Iraque   RESUMO: Neste estudo, diferentes tipos de bactérias foram isolados e diagnosticados em solos coletados em diferentes áreas da Província de Ninava, Iraque. Foi descoberta uma nova cepa de bactéria, com base em testes bioquímicos e exame genético (16S rRNA), sendo essa cepa registrada sob o número de acesso (MW690182) no Gene Bank (NCBI). A bactéria isolada foi a cepa Bacillus Subtilis, que recebeu novo nome (AHM1976), testando de forma positiva para coloração de gram, motilidade, hemolítica, tipo beta. Palavras-chave: isolamento; identificação; bactérias da flora normal.

Large-signal model of the Metal-Insulator-Graphene diode targeting RF applications

We present a circuit-design compatible large-signal compact model of metal-insulator-graphene (MIG) diodes for describing its dynamic response for the first time. The model essentially consists of a voltage-dependent diode intrinsic capacitance coupled with a static voltage-dependent current source, the latter accounts for the vertical electron transport from/towards graphene, which has been modeled by means of the Dirac-thermionic electron transport theory through the insulator barrier. Importantly, the image force effect has been found to play a key role in determining the barrier height, so it has been incorporated into the model accordingly. The resulting model has been implemented in Verilog A to be used in existing circuit simulators and benchmarked against an experimental 6-nm TiO2 barrier MIG diode working as a power detector.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Shock-Capturing techniques for Euler equations in the framework of Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin

The solution of the compressible Euler equations involves, in some problems, development of discontinuities such as shock waves. To this end, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate some shock-capturing techniques based on artificial viscosity method. This is done in the framework of high-order Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin finite element method

Part 4: Pre and Post Test Probabilities and Fagan’s Nomogram

Emergency physicians face numerous questions regarding proper management of patients and selection of the best laboratory test or imaging every day. Knowledge on screening performance characteristics of the diagnostic tools used in this department plays an important role in finding the answers to these questions. We assessed these characteristics in the previous parts of educational article series in Emergency journal. In the present manuscript, we will describe how to use these screening characteristics for selecting the right diagnostic tools.