Influence of shock wave propagation on dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator performance

Interest in plasma actuators as active flow control devices is growing rapidly due to their lack of mechanical parts, light weight and high response frequency. Although the flow induced by these actuators has received much attention, the effect that the external flow has on the performance of the actuator itself must also be considered, especially the influence of unsteady high-speed flows which are fast becoming a norm in the operating flight envelopes. The primary objective of this study is to examine the characteristics of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator when exposed to an unsteady flow generated by a shock tube. This type of flow, which is often used in different studies, contains a range of flow regimes from sudden pressure and density changes to relatively uniform high-speed flow regions. A small circular shock tube is employed along with the schlieren photography technique to visualize the flow. The voltage and current traces of the plasma actuator are monitored throughout, and using the well-established shock tube theory the change in the actuator characteristics are related to the physical processes which occur inside the shock tube. The results show that not only is the shear layer outside of the shock tube affected by the plasma but the passage of the shock front and high-speed flow behind it also greatly influences the properties of the plasma

Exploring the dark side of online social networks: A taxonomy of negative effects on users

© 26th European Conference on Information Systems: Beyond Digitization - Facets of Socio-Technical Change, ECIS 2018. All Rights Reserved. The use of online social networks (OSNs) has grown substantially over the past few years and many studies have reported the benefits and positive effects of using these platforms. However, the negative effects of OSNs have received little attention. Given the lack of a comprehensive picture of the dark side of using OSNs, we conducted a systematic literature review of the top information systems journals to categorise negative effects and develop a taxonomy of the dark side of OSNs use. Our review of 20 papers identified 43 negative effects of OSNs use, which we grouped into six categories: cost of social exchange, annoying content, privacy concerns, security threats, cyber bullying and low performance that formed the holistic view of dark side of OSNs use. This paper discusses implications of the findings, identifies gaps in the literature and provides a roadmap for future research

Social media adoption framework for aged care service providers in Australia

© 2017 IEEE. The aged care sector has been a late adopter of social media platforms for communicating, collaborating, marketing and creating brand awareness. There is little research that examines the adoption of social media by aged care service providers for these purposes. This paper reviews the status of social media adoption in the Australian aged care industry, to understand in what ways social media can serve older people's needs, and to develop recommendations for aged-care service providers to adopt social media applications to empower older people. Through a review of the literature and interviews with Australian experts, this paper suggests aged care providers use a three-phase framework when adopting social media in the aged care sector. The first phase is to adopt a popular public social media platform such as Facebook followed by Instagram and Twitter. The second phase supports interaction by encouraging posts and feedback by locally hosted member forums. The third phase is the adoption of specialised social applications for closed groups and specific functions. The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of the framework and proposes directions for future research

A Smartphone Health Application To Facilitate Falls Prevention Practices For Older Adults

Falls pose a serious threat to older adults’ health and their quality of life. Web-based technologies such as smartphones have emerged as vital tools for health-related behavioural interventions, but little is known about the potential benefits of a smartphone health application (app) in applying falls prevention practices for older adults. The research presented in this paper sought to answer the question: what are the key features needed in a smartphone health app intended to support falls prevention practices for older adults, increase their autonomy and improve their quality of life? A comprehensive literature review of studies conducted in public health, aged care, mobile health and mobile app design disciplines was undertaken and a conceptual framework for a smartphone app was proposed. The framework depicts the features of a smartphone app that can facilitate the implementation of falls prevention practices, including exercise programs; establishing a healthy diet and falls prevention education. Translation of the conceptual framework into a practical app will reduce falls in older adults, improve their sense of belongingness, and consequently enable better autonomy and quality of life

Histomorphometrical study of silver carp fish testis in two age classes

In this research, morphological and histomorphometrical structure of testis of 20 silver male carp fish were studied in two classes or groups. Group1 was composed of 10 fish with average (±SD) weight of 1.247+0.656kg and average(±SD) length of 43.675+1.414cm with about 2 years age, Group2 was composed of 10 fish with average(±SD) weight of 5.716+0.519kg and average(±SD) length of 81.5+1.643cm. Average (±SD) weight of testis were 2.34+1.47gr and 83.33+25.81gr with average (±SD) GSI of 0.187+0.224 and 1.457+4.974 in groups 1 and 2 respectively. Samples from testis were taken by maximum thickness of 0.5cm and after fixation in bouin , s fixative and 5-6µm thickness section were made routine paraffin embedding method and stained by Hematoxylin-Eosin and PAS staining. The microscopic results showed that the silver carp testis was lobular and cystic type in two groups. In group 1, there was no spermatozoon activity and PGCs were only germ cells in the cysts. But in group2, the numbers of PGCs were decreased significantly and spermatogenic cells were seen in different phases including spermatogonia, primary and secondary spermatocysts, early and late spermatid, and spermatozoa which each one was located in a separated cyst. There was no significant difference in nucleus diameter of PGCs in testis of group1 (6.97+0.438µ) and group (6.13+0.438µ). In group2, the nucleolus diameter of spermatogonia was 2.97+0.112µm, primary spermatocyt 3.59+0.107µ, early spermatid 1.59+0.761µ, late spermatid 1.24+0.132µ, spermatozoa 1.16+0.054µ, and the length of spermatozoia 17.412+1.946µ. The interesting finding was immature testis in fish of group 1 with average weigh (1.247+0.656kg) and average length (43.675+1.414cm) in about 2 years age and mature testis in fish of group 2 with average weight of (5.716+0.519kg) and average length of (81.5+1.643cm) with about 4 years age in Khuzestan climate conditions

Assessing Big Data Analytics Capability and Sustainability in Supply Chains

Big data analytics capability (BDAC) is a technology-based capability, which can influence sustainability performance of firms in supply chains. By using BDAC strategically, supply chains could improve their responses to social, environmental, and social changes taking place in uncertain business environments. This paper presents a detailed literature review on the two ends of the equation: BDACs and sustainability in supply chains performance (SSCP). The theoretical perspective of the dynamic capabilities helps us to understand BDAC holistically, a combination of non-human and human capabilities. Then, we adapt the three-bottom-line approach: economic, environmental, and social performance in order to offer a comprehensive measurement of SSCP Based on the overview of the literature, the paper offers metrics to be used in assessing both BDAC and SSCP that can advance the understanding of the relationship between them

High prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (blaCTX-M-15) and New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) genes among high-level carbapenem resistance Klebsiella pneumonia: an alarm for our health system

Background: The extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) carbapenems-resistant Klebsiella isolates are considered one of the most significant challenging in the treatment of patients in hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of important carbapenem resistance genes ESBL subtypes and between K. pneumoniae from patients at hospital in Tehran, Iran.Methods: Fifty-four isolates of K. pneumoniae were isolated from Shariatee Hospital in Tehran from February 2013 to July 2016. Antibiotic testing was done by using the standard disk diffusion method and E-test MIC. The confirmation of carbapenemase activity was performed using an MHT and a new method called the carbapenem inactivation method test (CIM). Finally, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of related genes was performed.Results: Our PCR data demonstrate that blaCTX-M group’s 40 (81.4%) genes were the most prevalent in our hospital followed by group genes blaCTX-M-3 (18.51%) and blaCTX-M-2 (20.38%). The distribution of the CTX-M group revealed that blaCTX-M-15 23 (42.6%) was the dominant subtype. The coexistence of multiple genes included blaTEM, CTX-M and blaSHV, and CTX-M The presence of blaNDM1, blaOXA-48, and blaKPC were identified in the carbapenem-resistant isolates, 22 (40.7%), 10 (18.5%), and 7 (12.9%) respectively.Conclusion: Our research showed that a CIM test for the first time in Iran is possible and has a high facility for the fast identification of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella (CRK). We are encountered with the emergence of CTX-M, OXA-48, KPC, and NDM1 harboring CRK strains in our hospitals. Therefore, the treatment of patients infected with these isolates will be an important future concern in our clinical settings.Running Head: Resistance genes among carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniaKeywords: New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Carbapenem, Extended-spectrum ß-lactamas

Effect of Carbohydrate Source and Addition Canola Seed on Growth Performance and Nutrient Digestibility of Lambs

The objective of this study was to investigate effects of partial replacement of starch with neutral detergent soluble fiber with or without roasted canola seed as a fat source, and possible interactions on apparent digestibility and growth performance of growing lambs. For this purpose, 24 male lambs were used in a completely randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Dietary treatments were 1- starch from barley, 2- starch from barley with roasted canola seed, 3- soluble fiber from beet pulp, and 4- soluble fiber from beet pulp with roasted canola seed. The experimental period was 84 days and forage:concentrate ratio was 10:90 for all diets. Treatments had no significant effect on the dry matter intake, feed conversion ratio, apparent digestibility of protein and organic matter (p>0.05). High starch diets compared with high soluble fiber diets caused a significant decrease in the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, ADF and NDF (p<0.01). Canola seed addition to the diets significantly decreased ADF and NDF digestibility (p<0.01). The carbohydrate source by canola seed interaction was significant for weight gain and rumen pH (p<0.01) indicating that addition of canola seed to high starch diet increased weight gain and rumen pH more dramatically in comparison with soluble fiber diet (p<0.01). It is concluded that addition of canola seed to high starch diet had favorable effects on growth performance and rumen pH but because of its negative effect on fiber digestibility and its different response depend on carbohydrate source, more research is needed for conclusion