Numerical study on the impulsive growth of a gaseous plug inside a cylindrical vein with compliant coating

Introduction: Employing of gaseous plugs inside a vein for preventing of blood flow to the damaged or cancerous tissues has been known as a gas embolism in the medicine. In this research, a numerical investigation has been carried out on the delivery of the liquid drug DDFP, encapsulated in the microlipidcoated spheres (MLCSs), to target the human vein for construction of the gaseous plug inside the veins. Methods: The encapsulated liquid drug DDFP were delivered to the vein by injection of an emulsion. Releasing of the liquid drug DDFP results in an explosive growth of a gaseous plug inside the vein. The targeted vein was served as a rigid cylinder with a compliant coating. The boundary integral equation method has been employed for the numerical simulation of the hydrodynamic behavior of the gaseous plug inside the vein. Results: Numerical results showed that in the case of a rigid cylinder vein with an internal compliant coating, the maximum volume of the gaseous plug was smaller than the case of just a rigid cylinder vein. Furthermore, its elapsed time from the instant of bubble generation to the instant when the bubble reaches its maximum volume was shorter. Numerical results also showed that the compliant coating on the internal wall of the rigid cylindrical vein had a tendency of reducing the impact of the explosive growth of the gaseous plug. Conclusion: This numerical research showed that the compliant coating on the internal wall of the rigid cylindrical vein had the tendency of reducing the impact of the impulsive growth of the gaseous plug. Therefore, in the case of having severed arteriosclerosis, treatment of the cancerous or damaged tissues by use of the gaseous embolism must be done very carefully in order to prevent the hazardous effects of the gaseous plug’s impulsive growth

Factors influencing human sound localization

The auditory system operates in an interactive multi-sensory setting and its representation of space is influenced by physiological and environmental factors. To obtain a useful depiction of acoustic space, the brain must interpret auditory spatial cues within the context of these factors and appropriately co-register auditory space with other sensory modalities. A dependable multi-sensory map of the external world is crucial for successfully navigating through, interacting with, and surviving in the environment. The goal of this thesis was to identify, re-evaluate, and elaborate on auditory and non-auditory factors that impact two-dimensional sound localization in humans. The influence of (1) elevation cues, (2) static eye position, and (3) sensori-motor context (pointing method) on auditory spatial processing was evaluated behaviorally. In Part 1, elevation cues, arising mainly from spectral filtering by the external ear, are shown to also impact sound localization in azimuth, which depends on interaural difference cues. Therefore, elevation cues potentially contribute to azimuth accuracy to correct errors inherent to the geometry of interaural cues. In Part 2, evidence is put forth to demonstrate that sound localization adapts to eccentric eye position. The adaptation develops exponentially over time, reaches a maximum within -1 minute, spans two-dimensional frontal space, and is accompanied by a concurrent adaptation in perceived straight ahead. These findings help reconcile inconsistent reports on this issue in the sound localization literature, and may also have bearing on spatial adaption to vision displaced by optical prisms. In Part 3, head (or nose) pointing under different sensori-motor contexts reveals that gaze (eye and head) is a more accurate and precise measure of target location than either head or eye position alone. This underscores the importance of quantifying perceived target location using eye in addition to head position even when subjects are specifically instructed to use head pointing. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that two-dimensional sound localization is sensitive to a variety of previously unrecognized or poorly characterized physiological factors. These factors have important implications about coordination of spatial information across multiple senses, limitations in methodologies used to study sound localization, and interpretation of data reported by past studies

Producing Probiotic Peach Juice

Background: Probiotics have been used for dairy products such as yogurt and yogurt drinks, however cholesterol content and lactose intolerance are important drawbacks. Recently, consumption of non-dairy probiotic food especially for probiotic drink products has been intensified. Objectives: This research was conducted to determine the suitability of peach as a raw material for producing probiotic peach juice by lactic acid bacteria. Materials and Methods: Peach juice was inoculated with a 24-hour-old lactic acid bacteria culture and incubated at 30°C. Changes in the pH, titratable acidity, sugar content, and viable cell counts during fermentation under controlled conditions were monitored. Viability of lactic acid bacteria cultures in fermented peach juice was also measured during four weeks of cold storage at 4°C. Results: Lactobacillus delbrueckii grew well in peach juice, reached nearly 10 × 109 CFU/mL, after 48 hours of fermentation at 30 °C and was capable of more sugar consumption, pH inclination and production of lactic acid during fermentation. After four weeks of cold storage at 4 °C, the viable cell counts of L. delbrueckii were 1.72 × 107 CFU/mL, in fermented peach juice. Lactobacillus casei could not survive in fermented fruit juice after the cold storage. Conclusions: In conclusion, L. delbrueckii in peach juice was appropriate to produce a probiotic beverage. Therefore, this juice can serve as a healthy beverage for vegetarians and lactose-allergic consumers. Keywords:Fermentation; Probiotic; Culture

Efficient Resume-Based Re-Education for Career Recommendation in Rapidly Evolving Job Markets

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of artificial intelligence-based tools created significant job losses across various sectors in all countries around the world. A large portion of these job losses is permanent. Furthermore, the hidden unemployment numbers are higher than currently reported and the impact of Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) based tools will further increase the unemployed population in the coming years. Most businesses are likely to experience significant disruptions to their business-as-usual operations and will face business underperformance for long periods. To ensure business continuity and a smooth recovery process following severe disruptions, it is crucial to establish a recovery strategy. To provide enough workforce for the recovery strategy of various businesses, a large-scale rapid re-education of the workforce is required. Intelligent and virtual workplaces will replace traditional offices in various sectors in the upcoming years and many low-skilled jobs are in danger of being permanently lost. In this paper, an artificial intelligence-based framework for rapid work-skill re-education for evolving markets named Career-gAIde is presented. The proposed framework uses automatic analysis of the job resume of the workers for recommendations of a suitable new job with a higher salary and the best rapid re-education path toward that job. Custom build deep neural networks based on CNN-Random along with customized natural language processing tools are designed for large-scale automatic recommendation of a personalized education and career path to each job seeker. The proposed work is focused on software engineering job search and resume upgrades. There is also a book recommendation module for obtaining the knowledge of job seekers. Precision criteria were used to evaluate the job offer recommendations and the proposed framework achieves 67% in this measure. The Recall criteria were used to assess the required skills, with results of 84% and 79%, respectively. The experimental results show that the proposed framework can provide a solution for rapid work-skill re-adjustment for large-scale workforces

Factors influencing human sound localization

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, 2009.The auditory system operates in an interactive multi-sensory setting and its representation of space is influenced by physiological and environmental factors. To obtain a useful depiction of acoustic space, the brain must interpret auditory spatial cues within the context of these factors and appropriately co-register auditory space with other sensory modalities. A dependable multi-sensory map of the external world is crucial for successfully navigating through, interacting with, and surviving in the environment. The goal of this thesis was to identify, re-evaluate, and elaborate on auditory and non-auditory factors that impact two-dimensional sound localization in humans. The influence of (1) elevation cues, (2) static eye position, and (3) sensori-motor context (pointing method) on auditory spatial processing was evaluated behaviorally. In Part 1, elevation cues, arising mainly from spectral filtering by the external ear, are shown to also impact sound localization in azimuth, which depends on interaural difference cues. Therefore, elevation cues potentially contribute to azimuth accuracy to correct errors inherent to the geometry of interaural cues. In Part 2, evidence is put forth to demonstrate that sound localization adapts to eccentric eye position. The adaptation develops exponentially over time, reaches a maximum within ~1 minute, spans two-dimensional frontal space, and is accompanied by a concurrent adaptation in perceived straight ahead. These findings help reconcile inconsistent reports on this issue in the sound localization literature, and may also have bearing on spatial adaption to vision displaced by optical prisms. In Part 3, head (or nose) pointing under different sensori-motor contexts reveals that gaze (eye and head) is a more accurate and precise measure of target location than either head or eye position alone. This underscores the importance of quantifying perceived target location using eye in addition to head position even when subjects are specifically instructed to use head pointing. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that two-dimensional sound localization is sensitive to a variety of previously unrecognized or poorly characterized physiological factors. These factors have important implications about coordination of spatial information across multiple senses, limitations in methodologies used to study sound localization, and interpretation of data reported by past studies

An Integrated Modelling System to Predict Hydrological Processes under Climate and Land-Use/Cover Change Scenarios

This study proposes an integrated modeling system consisting of the physically-based MIKE SHE/MIKE 11 model, a cellular automata model, and general circulation models (GCMs) scenarios to investigate the independent and combined effects of future climate and land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes on the hydrology of a river system. The integrated modelling system is applied to the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta, Canada in conjunction with extreme GCM scenarios and two LULC change scenarios in the 2020s and 2050s. Results reveal that LULC change substantially modifies the river flow regime in the east sub-catchment, where rapid urbanization is occurring. It is also shown that the change in LULC causes an increase in peak flows in both the 2020s and 2050s. The impacts of climate and LULC change on streamflow are positively correlated in winter and spring, which intensifies their influence and leads to a significant rise in streamflow, and, subsequently, increases the vulnerability of the watershed to spring floods. This study highlights the importance of using an integrated modeling approach to investigate both the independent and combined impacts of climate and LULC changes on the future of hydrology to improve our understanding of how watersheds will respond to climate and LULC changes

Diseño y explicación del Modelo de Productividad Cuántica en el Ministerio de Deportes y Juventud de la República Islámica de Irán

This study aimed to design a quantum productivity model in the Iranian Ministry of Sport and Youth. The sample was composed of mana-gers and staff of the Ministry of Sport and Youth of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the first part of the study, 14 people were interviewed through thematic analysis method. In the second part, 188 people completed the questionnaire. The research instruments were an interview and a question-naire of quantum productivity elaborated ad hoc. Data analysis was perfor-med with WarpPLS software. After analyzing the content network, coding and screening, 8 main components of quantum productivity were finally extracted. The prediction power of the designed model was analyzed using the coefficient of determination (R2) for the dependent variables, and it was concluded that the structural model of the present study has sufficient predictive power. Considering these results, it is recommended the use of this quantum productivity model in sports organizations.Resumen: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo diseñar un modelo de productividad cuántica en el Ministerio de Deporte y Juventud de Irán. La muestra estuvo compuesta por gerentes y personal del Ministerio de Deportes y Juventud de la República Islámica de Irán. En la primera parte del estudio, 14 personas fueron entrevistadas a través del método de análisis temático. En la segunda parte, 188 personas completaron el cuestionario. Los instrumentos de investigación fueron una entrevista y un cuestionario de productividad cuántica elaborado ad hoc. El análisis de los datos fue realizado con el software WarpPLS. Después de analizar la red de contenido, la codificación y screening, finalmente se extrajeron 8 componentes principales de productividad cuántica. El poder de predicción del modelo diseñado se analizó utilizando el coeficiente de determinación (R2) para las variables dependientes, y se concluyó que el modelo estructural del presente estudio tiene suficiente poder predictivo. Teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, se recomienda el uso de este modelo de productividad cuántica en organizaciones deportivas

Perception of Auditory, Visual, and Egocentric Spatial Alignment Adapts Differently to Changes in Eye Position

Vision and audition represent the outside world in spatial synergy that is crucial for guiding natural activities. Input conveying eye-in-head position is needed to maintain spatial congruence because the eyes move in the head while the ears remain head-fixed. Recently, we reported that the human perception of auditory space shifts with changes in eye position. In this study, we examined whether this phenomenon is 1) dependent on a visual fixation reference, 2) selective for frequency bands (high-pass and low-pass noise) related to specific auditory spatial channels, 3) matched by a shift in the perceived straight-ahead (PSA), and 4) accompanied by a spatial shift for visual and/or bimodal (visual and auditory) targets. Subjects were tested in a dark echo-attenuated chamber with their heads fixed facing a cylindrical screen, behind which a mobile speaker/LED presented targets across the frontal field. Subjects fixated alternating reference spots (0, ±20°) horizontally or vertically while either localizing targets or indicating PSA using a laser pointer. Results showed that the spatial shift induced by ocular eccentricity is 1) preserved for auditory targets without a visual fixation reference, 2) generalized for all frequency bands, and thus all auditory spatial channels, 3) paralleled by a shift in PSA, and 4) restricted to auditory space. Findings are consistent with a set-point control strategy by which eye position governs multimodal spatial alignment. The phenomenon is robust for auditory space and egocentric perception, and highlights the importance of controlling for eye position in the examination of spatial perception and behavior