Examining the role of digitalization and technological innovation in promoting sustainable natural resource exploitation

In the era of technological advancement, the potential of digitalization and technical innovation to revolutionize sustainable resource exploitation has become a focal point. The promises of reduced environmental impact, heightened efficiency, and improved socio-economic outcomes underscore the transformative power that digitalization holds for resource management. To this extent, the fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy VIsekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) methods are used to examine challenges and come up with possible solutions for the mining sector in Pakistan to adopt digital transformation. The study identifies several key challenges, sub-challenges, and strategies, giving readers a thorough grasp of digital transformation. These challenges and sub-challenges are evaluated and ranked according to their relative weights using the fuzzy AHP approach. The fuzzy VIKOR method is applied to determine strategies that can help overcome these challenges and promote digitalization and technological innovation in the sustainable exploitation of natural resources. The results of fuzzy AHP show that policy and regulation, infrastructure, and human capital are key challenges. The findings of fuzzy VIKOR indicate that robust policy development, investment in Research and Development (R&D), and leveraging global trends and partnerships are key strategies to overcome the challenges. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, offering new perspectives on integrating digital technology into the natural resource sector to foster sustainable development

Differential microRNA expression in the SH-SY5Y human cell model as potential biomarkers for Huntington’s disease

Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeat in the HTT gene; the exact pathogenesis of HD currently remains unclear. One of the promising directions in the study of HDs is to determine the molecular mechanism underlying the development and role of microRNAs (miRNAs). This study aimed to identify the profile of miRNAs in an HD human cell line model as diagnostic biomarkers for HD. To study HD, the human SH-SY5Y HD cell model is based on the expression of two different forms: pEGFP-Q23 and pEGFP-Q74 of HTT. The expression of Htt protein was confirmed using aggregation assays combined with immunofluorescence and Western blotting methods. miRNA levels were measured in SH-SY5Y neuronal cell model samples stably expressing Q23 and Q74 using the extraction-free HTG EdgeSeq protocol. A total of 2083 miRNAs were detected, and 354 (top 18 miRNAs) miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed (DE) (p < 0.05) in Q23 and Q74 cell lines. A majority of the miRNAs were downregulated in the HD cell model. Moreover, we revealed that six DE miRNAs target seven genes (ATN1, GEMIN4, EFNA5, CSMD2, CREBBP, ATXN1, and B3GNT) that play important roles in neurodegenerative disorders and showed significant expression differences in mutant Htt (Q74) when compared to wild-type Htt (Q23) using RT-qPCR (p < 0.05 and 0.01). We demonstrated the most important DE miRNA-mRNA profiles, interaction binding sites, and their related pathways in HD using experimental and bioinformatics methods. This will allow the development of novel diagnostic strategies and provide alternative therapeutic routes for treating HD

Operation of Circuit Breakers: Data and Analysis

[EN] An attempt has been made for the analysis on Circuit breakers (CBs) this paper. First, the types and arcing phenomenon of Oil and SF6 Circuit breakers were briefly discussed. However, various CBs were analyzed in terms of certain outage frequencies and reliability indices to ascertain the most reliable CB. This was possible using data collected from the 33kV Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) New Haven, Enugu. After the analysis, Emene Industrial CB had the highest value of availability of 0.9999 and the lowest tripping report while Ezillo had the highest failure rate of 0.1032.The authors are immensely grateful for the financial support from “African Centre of Excellence (ACE-SPED) University of Nigeria, Nsukka” to enable us to achieve the research (Muncho J. Mbunwe et al., 2019-2021).Madueme, VC.; Mbunwe, MJ.; Madueme, TC.; Ahmad, MA.; Anghel Drugarin, CV. (2021). Operation of Circuit Breakers: Data and Analysis. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences. 8(2):60-73. https://doi.org/10.4995/muse.2021.12406OJS607382Anyaka, B.O. (2012). Reliability and Maintainability of Power System [Lecture Note]. http://engineering.unn.edu.ngCircuit globe, (n.d.). Circuit breaker, Retrieved June 10, 2017, from open source:- http://circuitglobe.com/circuit-breaker.htmlElectrical concepts, Circuit breaker and Arc Phenomenon, (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2017, from open source: http://electricalbaba.com/circuit-breaker-and-arc-phenomenon/Electrical Systems, (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2017, from open source: http://skm-eleksys.com/2012/02/sf6-circuit-breaker-working.htmlKezunovic, M. Ren, Z. Latisko, G. Sevcik, D.R. Lucey, J.S. Cook, W.E. and Koch, E.A. (2005). Automated Monitoring and Analysis of Circuit Breaker Operation, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 20(3), p. 1910. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPWRD.2005.848466Pinnekamp, F. (2007). The circuit breaker: a showcase of industrial product development, Transmission group R&D and technology, ABB, Switzerland, p.31. https://new.abb.com/docs/default-source/technology/brosch%C3%BCre-chchrc2017final-einseitig-(002).pdf?sfvrsn=e3f37d14_2Saxena, S. Singh, A. Ali, M. Gandhi, K. (2012). Various Types of Circuit Breakers used in Power System for Smooth Working of the Transmission Line, MIT International Journal of Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering, 2(2), p. 106. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/06918326da2b2ac6fd80620d88961b68554b72edSuwanasri, T. Hlaing, M.T. and Suwanasri, C. (2014). Failure Rate Analysis of Power Circuit Breaker in High Voltage Substation, GMSARN International Journal, 8(1), 1-6. http://gmsarnjournal.com/home/journal-vol/journal-vol-8-no-1/Transmission Company of Nigeria. (2016). Tripping reports April - June 2016 [Unpublished Raw data]. New Haven, Enugu, Nigeria. https://www.tcn.org.ng/page_history.phpMuncho J. Mbunwe, M. Ayaz Ahmad, Syed Khalid Mustafa. (2020). An effective energy saving design strategy to maximize the use of electricity, J. Math. Comput. Sci., 10(5), 1808-1833, https://doi.org/10.28919/jmcs/4775Mbunwe Muncho J., Ezema Ejiofor E., Ngwu Anene A., C V Anghel Drugarin, M. Rehan Ajmal, M Ayaz Ahmad. (2021). Characterization of three phase solid state VAR compensation scheme in three phase pulse width modulation voltage source inverter, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Vol. 1781, 012034, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1781/1/012034M. Ayaz Ahmad, Irina Tvoroshenko, Jalal Hasan Baker, Vyacheslav Lyashenko. (2019). Modeling the Structure of Intellectual Means of Decision-Making Using a System Oriented NFO Approach, International Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering Research , Vol. 7(11), 460-465. https://doi.org/10.30534/ijeter/2019/107112019Mykhailo Kopot, M. Ayaz Ahmad, Vyacheslav Lyashenko, Syed Khalid Mustafa. (2020). Prospects for Creating Sub-Millimeter Magnetrons, International Journal of Advanced Trends in Computer Science and Engineering, Vol. 9(4), 6184-6188. https://doi.org/10.30534/ijatcse/2020/294942020M. Ayaz Ahmad, Irina Tvoroshenko, Jalal Hasan Baker, Vyacheslav Lyashenko. (2019). Computational Complexity of the Accessory Function Setting Mechanism in Fuzzy Intellectual Systems, International Journal of Advanced Trends in Computer Science and Engineering, Vol. 8(5), 2370-2377. https://doi.org/10.30534/ijatcse/2019/77852019Muncho J. Mbunwe, Udochukwu B. Akuru, Hilary U. Ezea, Ogbonnaya I. Okoro, M. Ayaz Ahmad. (2020). Some Aspects of Future Energy Generation in Using of Solar Power Satellites, Int. J. Anal. Appl., 18 (1), 117-128. https://doi.org/10.28924/2291-8639-18-2020-11

A problem-solving task specialized for functional neuroimaging: Validation of the Scarborough adaptation of the Tower of London (S-TOL) using near-infrared spectroscopy

Problem-solving is an executive function subserved by a network of neural structures of which the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is central. Whereas several studies have evaluated the role of the DLPFC in problem-solving, few standardized tasks have been developed specifically for use with functional neuroimaging. The current study adapted a measure with established validity for the assessment of problem-solving abilities to design a test more suitable for functional neuroimaging protocols. The Scarborough adaptation of the Tower of London (S-TOL) was administered to 38 healthy adults while hemodynamic oxygenation of the PFC was measured using 16-channel continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Compared to a baseline condition, problems that required two or three steps to achieve a goal configuration were associated with higher activation in the left DLPFC and deactivation in the medial PFC. Individuals scoring higher in trait deliberation showed consistently higher activation in the left DLPFC regardless of task difficulty, whereas individuals lower in this trait displayed less activation when solving simple problems. Based on these results, the S-TOL may serve as a standardized task to evaluate problem-solving abilities in functional neuroimaging studies

Treatment of wastewater by natural systems

Abstract Experimental results from a pilot-scale constructed wetland (CW) treatment plant have been described. The study was conducted at two different systems: continuous and batch. In the continuous system, the treatment yields were monitored in different loading conditions in 1-year period. The pilot plant consists of two serially connected tanks settled up with fillers; Cyperus was used as treatment media and wastewater between the two tanks was recycled periodically. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solid (SS) removal efficiencies were obtained as 90% and 95%, respectively. The effluent COD concentration at an average loading of 122 g COD/m 2 day was satisfactory for the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation. This means that a 0.8 m 2 of garden area per person is required. Other removal values for the same conditions were as follows: total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) was 77%, total nitrogen (TN) was 61%, and PO 4 3 À -P was 39%. The batch experimental systems consist of 12 pairs of serially connected tanks, with each pair having a surface area of 1 m 2 . Each set was filled with sewage once a day, and the wastewater between the paired tanks was recycled periodically by the pump. Each pair of tanks was filled with materials such as gravel, peat, and perlite. Seven of them were vegetated with Phragmites, Cyperus, Rush, Iris, Lolium, Canna, and Paspalum, while the other five were not seeded. The best performances were obtained by Iris for COD (% 94), by Canna for ammonia nitrogen (% 98), and by Iris for total nitrogen (% 90) and phosphorus (% 55) removal.

Ultracompact microinterferometer-based fiber Bragg grating interrogator on a silicon chip

We report an interferometer-based multiplexed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator using silicon photonic technology. The photonic-integrated system includes the grating coupler, active and passive interferometers, interferometers, a 12-channel wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) filter, and Ge photodiodes, all integrated on a 6x8&nbsp;mm2 silicon chip. The system also includes optical and electric interfaces to a printed board, which is connected to a real-time electronic board that actively performs the phase demodulation processing using a multitone mixing (MTM) technique. The device with active demodulation, which uses thermally-based phase shifters, features a noise figure of σ&nbsp; = &nbsp;0.13&nbsp;pm at a bandwidth of 700&nbsp;Hz, which corresponds to a dynamic spectral resolution of 4.9&nbsp;fm/Hz1/2. On the other hand, the passive version of the system, based on a 90º-hybrid coupler, features a noise figure of σ&nbsp; = &nbsp;2.55&nbsp;pm at a bandwidth of 10&nbsp;kHz, also showing successful detection of a 42&nbsp;kHz signal when setting the bandwidth to 50&nbsp;kHz. These results demonstrate the advantage of integrated photonics, which allows the integration of several systems with different demodulation schemes in the same chip and guarantees easy scalability to a higher number of ports without increasing the dimensions or the cost

Status of the differential transformation method

Further to a recent controversy on whether the differential transformation method (DTM) for solving a differential equation is purely and solely the traditional Taylor series method, it is emphasized that the DTM is currently used, often only, as a technique for (analytically) calculating the power series of the solution (in terms of the initial value parameters). Sometimes, a piecewise analytic continuation process is implemented either in a numerical routine (e.g., within a shooting method) or in a semi-analytical procedure (e.g., to solve a boundary value problem). Emphasized also is the fact that, at the time of its invention, the currently-used basic ingredients of the DTM (that transform a differential equation into a difference equation of same order that is iteratively solvable) were already known for a long time by the "traditional"-Taylor-method users (notably in the elaboration of software packages --numerical routines-- for automatically solving ordinary differential equations). At now, the defenders of the DTM still ignore the, though much better developed, studies of the "traditional"-Taylor-method users who, in turn, seem to ignore similarly the existence of the DTM. The DTM has been given an apparent strong formalization (set on the same footing as the Fourier, Laplace or Mellin transformations). Though often used trivially, it is easily attainable and easily adaptable to different kinds of differentiation procedures. That has made it very attractive. Hence applications to various problems of the Taylor method, and more generally of the power series method (including noninteger powers) has been sketched. It seems that its potential has not been exploited as it could be. After a discussion on the reasons of the "misunderstandings" which have caused the controversy, the preceding topics are concretely illustrated.Comment: To appear in Applied Mathematics and Computation, 29 pages, references and further considerations adde

Nitric Oxide Contributes to Vasomotor Tone in Hypertensive African Americans Treated With Nebivolol and Metoprolol

Endothelial dysfunction is more prevalent in African Americans (AAs) compared with whites. The authors hypothesized that nebivolol, a selective β1 -antagonist that stimulates nitric oxide (NO), will improve endothelial function in AAs with hypertension when compared with metoprolol. In a double-blind, randomized, crossover study, 19 AA hypertensive patients were randomized to a 12-week treatment period with either nebivolol 10 mg or metoprolol succinate 100 mg daily. Forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured using plethysmography at rest and after intra-arterial infusion of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside to estimate endothelium-dependent and independent vasodilation, respectively. Physiologic vasodilation was assessed during hand-grip exercise. Measurements were repeated after NO blockade with L-N(G) -monomethylarginine (L-NMMA) and after inhibition of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) with tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA). NO blockade with L-NMMA produced a trend toward greater vasoconstriction during nebivolol compared with metoprolol treatment (21% vs 12% reduction in FBF, P=.06, respectively). This difference was more significant after combined administration of L-NMMA and TEA (P\u3c.001). Similarly, there was a contribution of NO to exercise-induced vasodilation during nebivolol but not during metoprolol treatment. There were significantly greater contributions of NO and EDHF to resting vasodilator tone and of NO to exercise-induced vasodilation with nebivolol compared with metoprolol in AAs with hypertension

Experiences of wearing support garments by people living with a urostomy

BACKGROUND:support garments are commonly worn by people with a urostomy but there are no published data about their experiences of doing so. AIMS:to identify the views of people living with a urostomy on the role of support garments. METHODS:a cross-sectional survey of the stoma population's experiences of support garments was conducted in 2018. Recruitment was by social media. The free-text responses provided by a sub-sample of 58 people out of 103 respondents with a urostomy, were analysed. FINDINGS:thematic analysis revealed four themes: physical self-management; psychosocial self-management; lifestyle; and healthcare advice and support. There were mixed feelings about the value of support garments. Many cited a sense of reassurance and confidence and being able to be more sociable and active; others reported discomfort and uncertainty about their value. CONCLUSION:these findings add new understanding of experiences of support garments and provide novel theoretical insights about life with a urostomy