Age Sensitivity of Face Recognition Algorithms

This paper investigates the performance degradation of facial recognition systems due to the influence of age. A comparative analysis of verification performance is conducted for four subspace projection techniques combined with four different distance metrics. The experimental results based on a subset of the MORPH-II database show that the choice of subspace projection technique and associated distance metric can have a significant impact on the performance of the face recognition system for particular age groups

Using management information in broiler supply chains

The Dutch broiler supply chain involves several interdependent firms such as breeding and feed companies, rearing farms, breeder farms, broiler hatcheries and broiler farms. To stay competitive and sustain continuity, evaluation of production at each level of the chain is crucial. Good quality data and the use of management information systems (MIS) can facilitate this process. Firms in the Dutch broiler supply chain collect data as a routine practice. However, the data are not often analysed and not fully used to support management decisions. The focus of this thesis is on the broiler breeder farms, because eggs are the origin of broiler production. Thus, improving the management at broiler breeder farms could contribute to the improvement of the performance of subsequent firms and the whole supply chain. The objective of this research is, therefore, to develop MIS based on available data in the broiler supply chain to support management decisions at breeder farms. The thesis is composed of three parts. In the first part, management factors at breeder farms that are related to the performance indicators at the subsequent levels of the broiler production chain are explored. For this, field data from three Dutch hatcheries of 2004, 2005 and 2006 were analysed. Hatchability and first week mortality (FWM) of chicks are considered as performance indicators as these are related to the performance at the breeder farms, hatcheries and broiler farms. A significant difference in hatchability and FWM among eggs from different breeder flocks was found. Furthermore FWM differ significantly between broiler farms. Hatchability and FWM are significantly related with breeder flock age, egg storage length, strain, feed company of the breeder farm, season, year, as well as hatchery. It is concluded that breeder farm management factors are related to the performance in the subsequent levels of the chain next to hatchery and broiler farm factors. In the second part of this thesis, the availability and quality of data in the Dutch broiler supply chain was assessed. The data quality of the hatchery dataset (from part one) was assessed based on the intuitive approach whereby the quality attitudes are selected by the researcher intuitively. Results showed that the datasets had some fields with inaccurate, incorrect, inconsistent, non-uniform, incomprehensible, and/or incomplete data. In addition, a protocol was proposed and validated for standardization of data to improve the quality of data in the chain. In the third part of this thesis, two management information systems were developed aiming to support decisions at broiler breeder farms. The first management information system evaluates the tactical management at broiler breeder farms using individual farm analysis combined with a deterministic simulation model (IFAS). With IFAS, the performance of a breeder farm is compared with an average of similar farms or other standards, and relevant deviations are determined based on economic and statistical importance. According to the relevance of the identified deviations the strong and weak management practices are indicated. The second management information system determines the economic optimal replacement age of the broiler breeder flock using the marginal net revenue approach. A well informed replacement decision for breeder flocks improves profitability, not only at the breeder farms but also at hatcheries and broiler farms. </p

Comparison of HemoCue® hemoglobin-meter and automated hematology analyzer in measurement of hemoglobin levels in pregnant women at Khartoum hospital, Sudan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Assessment of hemoglobin is one of the most reliable indicators for anemia, and is widely used to screen for anemia among pregnant women. The HemoCue^®has been widely used for as a point-of-care device for hemoglobin estimation in health facilities. Previous studies showed contradictory results regarding the accuracy of HemoCue^®.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a hospital-based cross sectional study carried- out among pregnant women at Khartoum hospital in Sudan to find out whether the measurement of hemoglobin concentration by HemoCue^®using venous or capillary samples was comparable to that of the automated hematology analyzer as standard. Bland and Altman method was used to compare the measurements with an acceptable difference of ± 1.0 g/dl.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 108 subjects in this study the mean (SD) level of hemoglobin level using HemoCue^®venous sample, HemoCue^®capillary sample and automated hematology analyzer were 12.70 (1.77), 12.87 (2.04) and 11.53 (1.63) g/dl, respectively. Although the correlations between the measurements were all significant there was no agreement between HemoCue^®and automated hematology analyzer. The bias + SD (limits of agreement) for HemoCue^®venous versus hematology analyzer was 1.17 ± 1.57 (-1.97, 4.31) g/dl, HemoCue^®capillary versus hematology analyzer was 1.34 ± 1.85 (-2.36, 5.04) g/dl, and HemoCue^®venous versus HemoCue^®capillary samples was 017 ± 1.90 and (3.97-3.63) g/dl.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hemoglobin concentration assessment by HemoCue^®using either venous or capillary blood samples has shown unacceptable agreement with automated hematology analyzer.</p> <p>Virtual slides</p> <p>The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: <url>http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/8797022296725036</url></p

Attenuation in Rectangular Waveguides with Finite Conductivity Walls

We present a fundamental and accurate approach to compute the attenuation of electromagnetic waves propagating in rectangular waveguides with finite conductivity walls. The wavenumbers kx and ky in the x and y directions respectively, are obtained as roots of a set of transcendental equations derived by matching the tangential component of the electric field (E) and the magnetic field (H) at the surface of the waveguide walls. The electrical properties of the wall material are determined by the complex permittivity ε, permeability μ, and conductivity σ. We have examined the validity of our model by carrying out measurements on the loss arising from the fundamental TE10 mode near the cutoff frequency. We also found good agreement between our results and those obtained by others including Papadopoulos’ perturbation method across a wide range of frequencies, in particular in the vicinity of cutoff. In the presence of degenerate modes however, our method gives higher losses, which we attribute to the coupling between modes as a result of dispersion

In vitro Transdermal Permeation of Fenoterol Hydrobromide

The aim of this study was to determine if transdermal penetration of fenoterol, a β-agonist drug, could be enhanced and controlled by formulation modification and formulation of transdermal patches. Pre-formulation studies were performed to determine the feasibility of a transdermal dosage form of fenoterol. Penetration of fenoterol was determined using the hairless guinea pig skin with unjacketed Franz diffusion cell. Transdermal patches were formulated using drug in-adhesive technique. Several enhancers were investigated for fenoterol skin penetration. Transcutol–oleic acid co-solvent gives the highest drug flux among all tested liquid formulations. Pretreatment of the skin with oleic acid 2 h before patch application significantly increases drug diffusion. Cis-oleic acid gives best results compared to oleic acid. Azone derivative (1-dodecyl-2-pyrrolidinone) gives the highest drug diffusion amongst all tested enhancers. Results of this study show the feasibility of using fenoterol formulated in transdermal delivery system in the treatment of chronic asthma to improve patient compliance, bioavailability and reduce the inter-subject variability

Preparation and In Vitro/In Vivo Characterization of Porous Sublingual Tablets Containing Ternary Kneaded Solid System of Vinpocetine with β-Cyclodextrin and Hydroxy Acid

The demand for sublingual tablets has been growing during the previous decades especially for drugs with extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism. Vinpocetine, a widely used neurotropic agent, has low oral bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility and marked first-pass metabolism. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to develop tablets for the sublingual delivery of vinpocetine. Initially, the feasibility of improving vinpocetine’s poor aqueous solubility by preparing kneaded solid systems of the drug with β-Cyclodextrin and hydroxy acids (citric acid and tartaric acid) was assessed. The solid system with improved solubility and dissolution properties was incorporated into porous tablets that rapidly disintegrate permitting fast release of vinpocetine into the sublingual cavity. The pores were induced into these tablets by directly compressing the tablets’ excipients with a sublimable material, either camphor or menthol, which was eventually sublimated leaving pores. The obtained results demonstrated that the tablets prepared using camphor attained sufficient mechanical strength for practical use together with rapid disintegration and dissolution. In vivo absorption study performed in rabbits indicated that the sublingual administration of the proposed porous tablets containing vinpocetine solid system with β-Cyclodextrin and tartaric acid could be useful for therapeutic application

Impact of unbalanced harmonic loads towards winding temperature rise using FEM modeling

This paper investigates the hot spot temperature of transformer thermal model due to unbalanced harmonic loads from the network. The finite element method has been used to solve the coupling multiphysic for heat transfer in solid and fluid. All material properties in the model were been took into consideration such as copper as the coil material, iron as the core material and transformer oil as the coolant material for the transformer. The transient study on the model has been set for 1minutes using 30 degree celcius as the ambient temperature reference. The simulation hot spot temperature result has been compared for rated load (without harmonic) versus the unbalanced load (with harmonic) which shown in 2D regime. It can be clearly seen the significant increment of the hotspot temperature of the transformer from the rated load to the unbalanced harmonic load. The result has successfully shows the detection of the prospect failure of the transformer due to the harmonic current load in a form of winding loss that contributes to the hotspot temperature of the transformer

PENGEMBANGAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN BERBANTUAN VIDEO TUTORIAL PADA PRAKTEK ADMINISTRASI SISTEM JARINGAN DI SMK NEGERI 1 SUWAWA

SMK Negeri 1 Suwawa merupakan SMK yang memiliki jurusan teknik komputer jaringan (TKJ). Salah satu mata pelajaran dalam jurusan teknik komputer jaringan yaitu Administrasi Sistem Jaringan. Dari hasil observasi ditemukan beberapa permasalahan dalam proses belajar mengajar pada materi praktikum yang dilakukan, antara lain kurangnya media pada sistem pembelajaran yang mengakibatkan siswa menjadi kurang fokus dan kurang tertarik mendengarkan materi yang disampaikan oleh guru, penggunaan metode pembelajaran guru yang masih konvensional dan Sulitnya guru dan peserta didik belajar dan melakukan praktikum pada mata pelajaran Administrasi Sistem Jaringan yang berdampak pada proses pembelajaran terkait materi praktikum serta keterbatasan guru mengajar.. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah (1) Mengembangkan media pembelajaran sebagai pelengkap sumber belajar bagi guru pada Mata Pelajaran Administrasi Sistem Jaringan dan membantu proses pembelajaran menjadi lebih mudah dan menyenangkan terutama pada saat Pandemi Covid-19. (2) Mengetahui Kelayakan Media Pembelajaran berbantuan Video Tutorial pada proses pembelajaran mata pembejaran Administrasi Sistem Jaringan. (3) Mengetahui Respon/Tanggapan pengguna terhadap Media Pembelajaran berbantuan Video Tutorial. Pada penelitian ini Model pengembangan yang digunakan adalah ADDIE. Adapun hasil penelitian terhadap media pembelajaran berbantuan video tutorial yaitu Ahli materi memperoleh nilai presentase 98,95% dengan kriteria sangat valid. Ahli materi memperoleh nilai presentase 96,7% dengan kriteria sangat valid, dan respon pengguna/siswa memperoleh nilai persentase 94,8% dengan kriteria sangat layak. Dapat disimpulakan bahwa penggunaan media pembelajaran layak digunakan sebagai alternatif dalam proses belajar mengajar khususnya pada mata pelajaran administrasi sistem jaringan.