Warning System for Outdoor Construction Workers Using Haptic Communication

A construction site is a risky workplace with constant movement of heavy vehicles on ground and cranes overhead, and simultaneous construction work at multiple levels along with significantly high noise levels. Over the past few decades, several efforts have been made to utilize technological advances in order to make the worksite a safer place and yielded positive results. However, the fatal and nonfatal count still remains very high for the construction industry. This study attempted to test haptic communication as an additional layer of safety for construction workers by developing a prototype to provide haptic feedback for predetermined Geofence zones. A phenomenological research study was conducted with the help of construction professionals to gather industry opinion on the haptic feedback prototypes and to determine the optimal location for the placement of the haptic feedback device. The study found that haptic communication has significant potential to reduce the fatal and non-fatal injuries on construction sites. In addition, the study determined the factors affecting the placement of wearable haptic warning system for outdoor construction workers

Warning System for Outdoor Construction Workers Using Haptic Communication

A construction site is a risky workplace with constant movement of heavy vehicles on ground and cranes overhead, and simultaneous construction work at multiple levels along with significantly high noise levels. Over the past few decades, several efforts have been made to utilize technological advances in order to make the worksite a safer place and yielded positive results. However, the fatal and nonfatal count still remains very high for the construction industry. This study attempted to test haptic communication as an additional layer of safety for construction workers by developing a prototype to provide haptic feedback for predetermined Geofence zones. A phenomenological research study was conducted with the help of construction professionals to gather industry opinion on the haptic feedback prototypes and to determine the optimal location for the placement of the haptic feedback device. The study found that haptic communication has significant potential to reduce the fatal and non-fatal injuries on construction sites. In addition, the study determined the factors affecting the placement of wearable haptic warning system for outdoor construction workers

PIVOT: A Framework for Minimizing Stress Deviations in Structural Form

Design of efficient structural members is certainly an intricate process that requires a sound explanation, an exact fit of art and science perhaps, to harness the ever-increasing range of solutions assisted by computational advancements and manufacturing innovations. Many frameworks have been introduced previously to optimize the structural form, however, obtaining a uniform stress distribution has been neglected in favor of determining the least volume satisfying the objective function. Inadvertently, in the process of changing the volume, there are changes to the underlying geometry as well. Since there have been recent studies documenting the impact of geometry on the mechanical performance, it is crucial to obtain reliable knowledge regarding the impact it can have on strategic redistribution of stresses while keeping the volume constant. This investigation proposed the use of Voronoi tessellation, a bioinspired mathematical approach, to determine the positioning of void spaces. Stress-weighted centroids of Voronoi cells were utilized for selecting Voronoi sites based on two different weights. This technique was tested against the Lloyd’s algorithm that utilizes geometric centroids to select Voronoi sites. The results demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the Lloyd’s algorithm and PIVOT. The proposed approach, with weights inversely proportional to the stresses, showed affirmative signs of convergence while reducing the standard deviation of stress, mean stress and lowering the maximum stress value without making any changes to the volume

Imprints of Einstein-Maxwell dilaton-axion gravity in the observed shadows of Sgr A* and M87*

Einstein-Maxwell dilaton-axion (EMDA) gravity provides a simple framework to investigate the signatures of string theory. The axion and the dilaton fields arising in EMDA gravity have important implications in inflationary cosmology and in addressing the late time acceleration of the universe. It is therefore instructive to explore the implications of such a model in explaining the astrophysical observations. In this work we explore the role of EMDA gravity in explaining the observed shadows of black holes (M87* and Sgr A*) released by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration. The Kerr-Sen metric represents the exact, stationary and axisymmetric black hole solution of EMDA gravity. Such a black hole is characterized by the angular momentum $a$ acquired from the axionic field and the dilatonic charge $r_2$ arising from string compactifications. We study the role of spin and the dilaton charge in modifying the shape and size of the black hole shadow. We note that black holes with larger dilaton charge cast a smaller shadow. We investigate the consequences of such a result in addressing the EHT observations of M87* and Sgr A*. Our analysis reveals that the shadow of M87* exhibits a preference towards the Kerr scenario. However, when 10% offset in the shadow diameter is considered, $0.1\lesssim r_2\lesssim 0.3$ is observationally favored within 1-$\sigma$. The shadow of Sgr A* on the other hand shows a preference towards the Kerr-Sen scenario since the central value of its shadow can be better explained by a non-zero dilaton charge $0.1 \lesssim r_2 \lesssim 0.4$. However, when the 1-$\sigma$ interval is considered the Kerr scenario is included. We discuss the implications of our results.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure

Bacterial Translocation as a Cause of Postoperative Sepsis in Surgical Patients Undergoing Laparotomy

Introduction: Bacterial translocation is the invasion of indigenous intestinal bacteria through the gut mucosa to normally sterile tissues and the internal organs. Objective of the study is to examine the spectrum of bacteria involved in translocation in surgical patients undergoing laparotomy and to determine the relation between nodal migration of bacteria and the development of postoperative septic complications. Methods: Mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN)culture was done in patients undergoing elective and emergency surgeries fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Results:Bacterial translocation was identified in 22 (44.8%) patients. The most common organism identified was Escherichia coli (n=11, 50%). Both enteric bacteria, typical of indigenous intestinal flora, and non-enteric bacteria were isolated. Postoperative septic complications developed in four (11%) patients. Septic morbidity was more frequent when a greater diversity of bacteria resided within the mesenteric lymph nodes. Conclusion: Bacterial translocation is associated with an increase in the development of postoperative sepsis in surgical patients. The organisms responsible for septic morbidity are similar in spectrum to those observed in the mesenteric lymph nodes. These data strongly support the gut origin hypothesis of sepsis in humans. Besides, there is increased bacterial translocation in patients undergoing emergency procedures. Keywords: bacteria • laparotomy • postoperative • sepsis • translocatio

Pseudo-aneurysm of mitral aortic intervalvular fibrosa: Two case reports

AbstractThe fibrous body between the mitral and aortic valve, known as mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (MAIVF) is prone to infection and injury resulting in pseudo-aneurysm formation. Because of its relative rarity, we are far from making any conclusion regarding the natural history and appropriate therapeutic strategy for this condition. We report two cases of this condition with two different and rare etiologies with strikingly different natural courses, providing insight into the natural course and timing of surgery in this rare entity

Antigenotoxic Effect of Curcumin and Carvacrol against Parathion Induced DNA Damage in Cultured Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Its Relation to GSTM1 and GSTT1 Polymorphism

In recent years, the use of organophosphorus pesticides has been extensively increased and these compounds signify a major class of agricultural pesticides today. We studied antigenotoxic potential of curcumin and carvacrol against the parathion induced DNA damage in cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes using sister chromatid exchanges as a biomarker of genotoxicity. Heparinised fresh blood from healthy individuals was treated with 2.5 μg/mL concentration of parathion in presence of curcumin and carvacrol in order to observe the antigenotoxic potential of both curcumin and carvacrol. Significant reduction (P0.05) of GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphism on genotoxicity of parathion and antigenotoxic potential of curcumin and carvacrol

Association of Polymorphisms of Phase I Metabolizing Genes with Sister Chromatid Exchanges in Occupational Workers Exposed to Toluene Used in Paint Thinners

This study investigated genetic damage in paint workers mainly exposed to toluene as it is a major solvent used in paint thinners. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay was used as biomarker of genotoxicity. Blood samples were collected from 30 paint workers and 30 control subjects matched with respect to age and other confounding factors except for exposure to toluene. SCE frequency was found to be significantly higher in paint workers (4.81 ± 0.92) as compared to control individuals (1.73 ± 0.54) ( < 0.05). We also investigated influence of polymorphisms of CYP2E1 and CYP1A1m2 genes on SCE frequency. Our results showed that there was significant increase in frequencies of SCE among the mutant genotypes of CYP2E1 and CYP1A1m2 as compared to wild genotypes. Our study indicated that long term exposure of toluene can increase genotoxic risk in paint workers