Robust vehicle suspension system by converting active and passive control of a vehicle to semi-active control ystem analytically

This research article deals with a simplified translational model of an automotive suspension system which is constructed by considering the translation motion of one wheel of a car. Passive Vehicle Suspension System is converted into Semi Active Vehicle System. Major advantage achieved by this system is that it adjusts the damping of the suspension system without the application of any actuator by using MATLAB® simulations. The semi-active control is found to control the vibration of suspension system very well

Simulation Analysis of Medium Access Techniques

This paper presents comparison of Access Techniques used in Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). Comparison is performed between Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), Pure ALOHA and Slotted ALOHA (S-ALOHA). Performance metrics used for comparison are throughput (T), delay (D) and offered load (G). The main goal for comparison is to show which technique gives highest Throughput and lowest Delay with increase in Load. Energy efficiency is major issue in WBAN that is why there is need to know which technique performs best for energy conservation and also gives minimum delay.Comment: NGWMN with 7th IEEE International Conference on Broadband and Wireless Computing, Com- munication and Applications (BWCCA 2012), Victoria, Canada, 201

Transmission Delay of Multi-hop Heterogeneous Networks for Medical Applications

Nowadays, with increase in ageing population, Health care market keeps growing. There is a need for monitoring of Health issues. Body Area Network consists of wireless sensors attached on or inside human body for monitoring vital Health related problems e.g, Electro Cardiogram (ECG), ElectroEncephalogram (EEG), ElectronyStagmography(ENG) etc. Data is recorded by sensors and is sent towards Health care center. Due to life threatening situations, timely sending of data is essential. For data to reach Health care center, there must be a proper way of sending data through reliable connection and with minimum delay. In this paper transmission delay of different paths, through which data is sent from sensor to Health care center over heterogeneous multi-hop wireless channel is analyzed. Data of medical related diseases is sent through three different paths. In all three paths, data from sensors first reaches ZigBee, which is the common link in all three paths. After ZigBee there are three available networks, through which data is sent. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) are connected with ZigBee. Each network (WLAN, WiMAX, UMTS) is setup according to environmental conditions, suitability of device and availability of structure for that device. Data from these networks is sent to IP-Cloud, which is further connected to Health care center. Main aim of this paper is to calculate delay of each link in each path over multihop wireless channel.Comment: BioSPAN with 7th IEEE International Conference on Broadband and Wireless Computing, Communication and Applications (BWCCA 2012), Victoria, Canada, 201

Extended Spectrum β-lactamases and antimicrobial susceptibility among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the West Bank, Palestine

Objectives: Class D oxacillinases are frequently acquired by gram negative bacteria in general and P. aeruginosa in particular.P. aeruginosa is commonly implicated in causing nosocomial infections. The evolution of antibiotic resistance inP. aeruginosa and the acquisition of blaOXA genes interfere with successful treatment.Methods: A total of 49 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were obtained from Rafidia Hospital, West Bank, Palestine.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed by the standard disc diffusion method following theguidelines of CLSI. The prevalence of class D β-lactamases (OXA groups I, II and III) as well as the pseudomonas specificenzymes (CARB-3) were determined by PCR.Results: Susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to carbapenems was the highest 89%, and lowest to ticarcillin/clavulanic acid70%. This study revealed that P. aeruginosa produced oxacillinase enzymes at rates of: OXA-10 (40.8%), OXA-2 (20.4%)and OXA-1 (18.4%). All ceftazidime resistant strains expressed OXA-1 and OXA-2, 18.4%. PSE group was expressed in10.2%.Conclusions: This is the first research conducted to investigate the correlation between OXA genes (blaOXA-1, bla-OXA-2 and blaOXA-10) and antimicrobial resistance among P. aeruginosa clinical isolates in Palestine. The results obtainedcould contribute to better treatment and reduction of the evolution of resistant strains. In addition, it will provideimportant information regarding the geographical distribution of class D β-lactamases. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2013; 3(2):56-60Key words: P. aeruginosa, β-lactamase, susceptibility, oxacillinases, blaOXA gene

Effects of phytate and minerals on the bioavailability of oxalate from food

Phytate and mineral cations are both considered as important dietary factors for inhibiting the crystallisation of calcium oxalate kidney stones in susceptible individuals. In this paper, the phytate and mineral composition of whole bran cereals (wheat, barley and oat) and legumes were determined together with their soluble and insoluble oxalate concentrations in order to investigate the effects on oxalate solubility. The oat bran sample had the highest soluble oxalate concentration at 79 ± 1.3 mg/100 g, while total and soluble oxalate concentrations in the food samples studied range from 33 to 199 mg/100 g and 14 to 79 mg/100 g, respectively. The phytate concentration was in the range from 227 to 4393 mg/100 g and the concentrations of cations were in the range 54–70 mg/100 g for calcium, 75–398 mg/100 g for magnesium, 244–1529 mg/100 g for potassium and 4–11 mg/100 g for iron. Soluble oxalate concentration did not increase in proportion to total oxalate, and the phytate concentration in all foods was sufficient to contribute to an increase in soluble oxalate concentration by binding calcium

Path Loss Modeling of WLAN and WiMAX Systems

With the advancement in technology, there was need for efficient and high speed internet through which we could have access to multiple networks as per the user requirement. WLAN met this need to some extent but, due to its low range it was not recommended commercially. With the introduction of WiMAX there was an emerging need to select the best network amongst WiMAX or WLAN depending upon the user location. Pathloss with respect to these particular networks also needs to be compared. In this paper we compare the pathloss modelling for WiMAX and WLAN systems. Different Models have been compared with each other to know which model performs better by keeping same simulation environment. Path Loss models used for WLAN are Okumura, Hata, Cost-231 and Free Space Path Loss whereas models used for WiMAX are Free Space Path Loss, Okumura-Hata, Cost231-Hata and Stanford University Interim. In case of WiMAX three different scenarios Urban, Sub-Urban and Rural is considered where as in case of WLAN only outdoor environment is considered. With the Path Loss comparison, power received for these two technologies; WiMAX, and WLAN is also simulated. MATLAB is the tool used for simulations. Antenna Specifications for WiMAX and WLAN is kept same for all simulation environments

Characterization of the Inlet Port Flow under Steady-State Conditions Using PIV and POD

The current study demonstrates an experimental investigation of the tumble flow structures using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) under steady-state conditions considering the central vertical tumble plane. The experiments were carried out on a four-valve, pent-roof Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine head at different valve lifts and with a pressure difference of 150 mmH2O across the intake valves. Furthermore, the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) analytical technique was applied to PIV-measured velocity vector maps to characterize the flow structures at various valve lifts, and hence the different rig tumble values. The results show that at low valve lifts (1 to 5 mm), 48.9 to 46.6% of the flow energy is concentrated in the large (mode 1) eddies with only 8.4 to 11.46% in mode 2 and 7.2 to 7.5 in mode 3. At high valve lifts, it can be clearly seen that some of the energy in the large eddies of mode 1 is transferred to the smaller flow structures of modes 2 and 3. This can be clearly seen at valve lift 10 mm where the values of the flow energy were 40.6%, 17.3%, and 8.0% for modes 1, 2, and 3, respectively

Naturally occurring genotype 2b/1a hepatitis C virus in the United States

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infected patients are frequently repeatedly exposed to the virus, but very few recombinants between two genotypes have been reported.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>We describe the discovery of an HCV recombinant using a method developed in a United States clinical lab for HCV genotyping that employs sequencing of both 5' and 3' portions of the HCV genome. Over twelve months, 133 consecutive isolates were analyzed, and a virus from one patient was found with discordant 5' and 3' sequences suggesting it was a genotype 2b/1a recombinant. We ruled out a mixed infection and mapped a recombination point near the NS2/3 cleavage site.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This unique HCV recombinant virus described shares some features with other recombinant viruses although it is the only reported recombinant of a genotype 2 with a subtype 1a. This recombinant represents a conundrum for current clinical treatment guidelines, including treatment with protease inhibitors. This recombinant is also challenging to detect by the most commonly employed methods of genotyping that are directed primarily at the 5' structural portion of the HCV genome.</p