Response of Gaussian-modulated guided wave in aluminum: An analytical, numerical, and experimental study

The application of guided-wave ultrasonic testing in structural health monitoring has been widely accepted. Comprehensive experimental works have been performed in the past but their validation with possible analytical and numerical solutions still requires serious efforts. In this paper, behavior and detection of the Gaussian-modulated sinusoidal guided-wave pulse traveling in an aluminum plate are presented. An analytical solution is derived for sensing guided wave at a given distance from the actuator. This solution can predict the primary wave modes separately. Numerical analysis is also carried out in COMSOL® Multiphysics software. An experimental setup comprising piezoelectric transducers is used for the validation. Comparison of experimental results with those obtained from analytical and numerical solutions shows close agreement

NGO Activism and Anti-corruption Disclosures : An Empirical Study of Emerging Economy Multinational Companies

Peer reviewe

Fish Scales and Their Biomimetic Applications

Biomaterials are evolving quite rapidly over the last decade. Many applications have been considered toward their involvement in saving lives in the line of duty for law enforcement agencies and military operations. This article discusses recent work on the role of biomaterials that can be considered as a competitive alternative to composites, being used against ballistic impacts. The fish-scaled biomaterials are focused on in this paper, highlighting their excellent mechanical properties and structural configurations. In its natural environment, the scale provides fishes with an armor plating, which is significantly effective in their survival against attacks of predator and the impact inflicted from sharp teeth. These bioinspired materials, if engineered properly, can provide an excellent alternative to current Kevlar® type armors, which are significantly heavier and can cause fatigue to the human body over long-term usage. The investigated materials can provide effective alternatives to heavier and expensive materials currently used in different industrial applications. Additionally, some recent development in the usage of fish scales as a biomaterial and its applications in rapid prototyping techniques are presented. Finally, this review provides useful information to researchers in developing and processing cost-effective biomaterials

Treatment outcomes of patients with tuberculosis in war affected region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Background Globally, tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death from a single infectious disease. TB treatment outcome is an important indicator for the effectiveness of a national TB control program. This study aimed to assess treatment outcomes of TB patients and its determinants in Batkhela, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods A retrospective cohort study was designed using all TB patients who were enrolled at District Head Quarter (DHQ) Hospital Batkhela, Pakistan, from January 2011 to December 2014. A binary logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with successful TB treatment outcomes defined as the sum of cure and completed treatment. Results A total of 515 TB patients were registered, of which 237 (46%) were males and 278 (53.98%) females. Of all patients, 234 (45.44%) were cured and 210 (40.77%) completed treatment. The overall treatment success rate was 444 (86.21%). Age 0-20 years (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 3.47; 95% confidence interval, CI) = 1.54-7.81; P = 0.003), smear-positive pulmonary TB (AOR) = 3.58; 95% CI = 1.89-6.78; P = < 0.001), treatment category (AOR = 4.71; 95% CI = 1.17-18.97; P = 0.029), and year of enrollment 2012 (AOR = 6.26; 95% CI = 2.52-15.59; P = < 0.001) were significantly associated with successful treatment outcome. Conclusions The overall treatment success rate is satisfactory but still need to be improved to achieve the international targeted treatment outcome. Type of TB, age, treatment category, and year of enrollment were significantly associated with successful treatment outcomesThis study was supported by Chinese National Natural Fund (81573258), Jiangsu Provincial Six Talent Peak (WSN-002)

Associations of transcription factor 7-Like 2 (TCF7L2) gene polymorphism in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population of Pakistan

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most prevalent component of metabolic syndrome. Environmental factors and various complex genes like transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene have involved in the disease development. Objective: To determine TCF7L2 genetic association (rs7903146C/T and rs12255372G/T) in T2DM patients of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population of Pakistan. Subjects and methods: This study comprised of 176 subjects including 118 T2DM patients and 58 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted and genotype of common variants (rs7903146 C/T and rs12255372 G/T) was carried out by amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR of sequence specific oligonucleotides. Results: The distribution of genotype of TCF7L2 SNPs (rs7903146 C/T and rs12255372 G/T) was significantly associated with T2DM as compared to the controls (p &lt;0.0001). The genetic models of the rs7903146 (C/T) and rs12255372 (G/T) SNPs were significantly associated between cases and controls (p &lt;0.0001). On the other hand, the significant association was observed between the two SNPs and different biochemical parameters like serum fasting glucose, lipid profile, creatinine and blood HbA1c levels (p &lt;0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that the SNPs of the TCF7L2 gene are significantly associated with T2DM disease susceptibility in the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan

Hydrolysis, Microstructural Profiling and Utilization of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba in Yoghurt

The present study investigates the hydrolysis, microstructural profiling and utilization of guar gum (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) as a prebiotic in a yoghurt. Guar galactomannans (GG) was purified and partially depolymerized using an acid, alkali and enzyme to improve its characteristics and increase its utilization. The prebiotic potential of hydrolyzed guar gum was determined using Basel and supplemented media. Crude guar galactomannans (CGG), purified guar galactomannans (PGG), base hydrolyzed guar galactomannans (BHGG), acid hydrolyzed guar galactomannans (AHGG) and enzymatic hydrolyzed guar galactomannans (EHGG) were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Yoghurt was prepared with a starter culture and incorporating guar gum, its hydrolyzed forms (0.1, 0.5 and 1%) and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The results showed that PHGG significantly improved the viability of B. bifidum. SEM revealed a significant change in the surface morphology of guar gum after acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis developed a well-defined framework within guar gum molecules. The XRD pattern of CGG, PGG and AHGG presented an amorphous structure and showed low overall crystallinity while EHGG and BHGG resulted in slightly increased crystallinity regions. FTIR spectral analysis suggested that, after hydrolysis, there was no major transformation of functional groups. The addition of the probiotic and prebiotic significantly improved the physiochemical properties of the developed yoghurt. The firmness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness and syneresis were increased while consistency and viscosity were decreased during storage. In sum, a partial hydrolysis of guar gum could be achieved using inexpensive methods with commercial significance

An Adequate Approach to Image Retrieval Based on Local Level Feature Extraction

ABSTRAC