46 research outputs found

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

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    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

    Two terminal organic nonvolatile memory devices

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    Antimicrobial Activity of Polyphenols and Alkaloids in Middle Eastern Plants

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    Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have been an ever-growing concern over the past years. This has led researchers to direct their attention onto plants to be able to discover new possible antimicrobial compounds. The Middle East encompasses a wide spectrum of plant diversity with over 20,000 different species in habitats ranging from deserts to snow-capped mountains. Several plant secondary metabolites and their derivatives have been identified as possible antimicrobial agents. Among the secondary metabolites studied, alkaloids and polyphenols have shown strong antimicrobial activity. Polyphenols are one of the most numerous and diverse group of secondary metabolites; their antioxidant properties provide the basis for antimicrobial effects. Alkaloids provided the underlying structure for the development of several antibiotics with a diverse range of action. The ability of some plant secondary metabolites to act as resistance-modifying agents is a promising field in mitigating the spread of bacterial resistance

    Human CD56(dim)CD16(dim) Cells As an Individualized Natural Killer Cell Subset

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    ABSTARCT: Human natural killer (NK) cells can be subdivided in several subpopulations on the basis of the relative expression of the adhesion molecule CD56 and the activating receptor CD16. Whereas blood CD56brightCD16dim/- NK cells are classically viewed as immature precursors and cytokine producers, the larger CD56dimCD16bright subset is considered as the most cytotoxic one. In peripheral blood of healthy donors, we noticed the existence of a population of CD56dimCD16dim NK cells that was frequently higher in number than the CD56bright subsets and even expanded in occasional control donors but also in transporter associated with antigen processing-deficient patients, two familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type II patients, and several common variable immunodeficiency patients. This population was detected but globally reduced in a longitudinal cohort of 18 HIV-1-infected individuals. Phenotypically, the new subset contained a high percentage of relatively immature cells, as reflected by a significantly stronger representation of NKG2A+ and CD57- cells compared to their CD56dimCD16bright counterparts. The phenotype of the CD56dimCD16dim population was differentially affected by HIV-1 infection as compared to the other NK cell subsets and only partly restored to normal by antiretroviral therapy. From the functional point of view, sorted CD56dimCD16dim cells degranulated more than CD56dimCD16bright cells but less than CD56dimCD16- NK cells. The population was also identified in various organs of immunodeficient mice with a human immune system ("humanized" mice) reconstituted from human cord blood stem cells. In conclusion, the CD56dimCD16dim NK cell subpopulation displays distinct phenotypic and functional features. It remains to be clarified if these cells are the immediate precursors of the CD56dimCD16bright subset or placed somewhere else in the NK cell differentiation and maturation pathway

    Aueis a new UX-evaluation method for interaction with social robots

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    UX-designperspektivet är väsentlig vid utvärdering av interaktion med alla typer av robotar, men särskilt sociala robotar. Då dessa utvecklas för att utföra viktiga uppgifter i samhället såsom att vara sällskapsrobotar inom äldrevården, skolor med mera. User Experience Design-området har en bred samling av utvärderingsmetoder som människa-robotinteraktion-området kan dra nytta av. Denna studie syftar till att förbättra upplevelse vid interaktion med en social robot. För detta syfte har bland annat litteraturstudier genomförts där identifierades UX-aspekter som är relevanta att fokusera på vid utvärdering av förutsättningarna för engagemang i interaktionen mellan människa och social robot samt att det identifierades en kunskapslucka av tillgängliga analytiska utvärderingsmetoder inom människa-robotinteraktion (MRI). För att ta fram en ny analytisk utvärderingsmetod för att främja engagemang med en social robot användes en metodansats som är etablerad för att utveckla just utvärderingsmetoder. Designprocessen av den nya metoden bestod av fem iterativa faser som resulterade Analytisk utvärderingsmetod av engagemang vid interaktion med social sällskapsrobotar (AUEIS). AEUIS är designad för att utvärdera förutsättningarna för att uppnå engagemang vid interaktion med en social robot. Stort fokus lades på den femte fasen där versioner av AUEIS testades av flera UX-designers utifrån kriterierna att AUEIS ska ha hög validitet, vara användbar och ha bra lärbarhet. Testningen genomfördes med fyra UX-designer med olika erfarenheter inom MRI. Resultatet av testningen visade att en UX-designer utan tidigare erfarenhet av att utvärdera MRI kan använda AUEIS utan större problematik. Samtidigt, de framtagna aspekterna för att genomföra utvärderingen med var omfattande för att identifiera problem vid interaktion med en social robot. Det slutliga resultatet av detta är arbete är en komplett analytisk utvärderingsmetod. AUEIS består av sju aspekter som studerar föreutsättningarna för engagemang med en social robot. För att genomföra utvärdering med AUEIS finns det tre faser: Förberedelse, utvärdering och analys. Varje fas har några aktiviteter som följas för att få fram ett resultat om förutsättningarna av engagemang vid interaktionen med en social robot. Resultatet av utvärderingen med AUEIS kommer att bestå av kvalitativa och kvantitativa data. Den kvalitativa data som resulteras kan analyseras för att få en lista med vilka aspekter av engagemang som ej uppfylls av den sociala roboten. Den kvantitativa data kan ge en snabb överblick över vilka aspekter som har flest problem och vilka problem är mest allvarliga. AUEIS utvärderar förutsättningar för engagemang vid interaktion med en social robot och är begränsad till detta på grund av att den utvärderar om den sociala roboten uppfyller de förutsättningarna för engagemang. Därför användarensupplevelse av engagemang utvärderas enbart på ett mindre sätt utifrån hur mycket den sociala roboten uppfyller de förutsättningarna för engagemang. En framtida forskning och utveckling av AUEIS hade varit intressant och behövs för att AEUIS ska kunna utvärdera om användaren är engagerad och i vilken omfattning är hen engagerad. En annan aspekt som kan studeras är användarens engagemang under lång tidsinteraktion, korttidsinteraktion eller olika faser av engagemang. Exempelvis hur utvärderas att användaren påbörjar engagemang med en social robot och hur ska det utvärderas att engagemanget hålls och fortsätter eller om den avbryter och varför utifrån användarensperspektiv. I kapitel 5 (Slutresultat AUEIS-metoden) presenteras metoden samt detaljerade instruktioner över genomförandet presenters i Bilaga 7.The user experience design (UX) perspective is essential when evaluating interaction with all types of robots, but especially social robots. As these are developed to perform important tasks in society such as being companion robots in geriatric care, schools and more. The User Experience Design area has a wide collection of evaluation methods that the human-robot interaction area can benefit from. This study aims to improve the experience of interacting with a social robot. For this purpose, literature studies have been conducted where UX aspects were identified that are relevant to focus on when evaluating the conditions for engagement in the interaction between human and social robot. A knowledge gap was identified of limited available analytical evaluation methods in human-robot interaction (HRI). In order to develop a new analytical evaluation method to promote engagement with a social robot, a methodological approach was used to develop evaluation methods. The design process of the new method consisted of five iterative phases that resulted in an Analytical evaluation method of engagement in interaction with social companion robots (AUEIS). AEUIS is designed to evaluate the conditions for achieving engagement when interacting with a social robot. Great focus was placed on the fifth phase where versions of AUEIS were tested by several UX designers based on the criteria that AUEIS should have high validity, be useful and have good learnability. The testing was performed with four UX designers with different experiences in HRI. The results of the testing showed that a UX designer without previous experience in evaluating HRI can use AUEIS without problems. At the same time, the aspects developed to carry out the evaluation were comprehensive to identify problems when interacting with a social robot. The result of this is work is a complete analytical evaluation method. AUEIS consists of seven aspects that study the conditions for engagement with a social robot. To evaluate with AUEIS, there are three phases: Preparation, evaluation, and analysis. Each phase has some activities that are followed to obtain a result about the conditions of engagement in the interaction with a social robot. The result of the evaluation with AUEIS will consist of qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data that is obtained can be analyzed to get a list of which aspects of engagement are not fulfilled by the social robot. The quantitative data can provide a quick overview of which aspects have the most problems and which problems are most serious. AUEIS evaluates the conditions for engagement when interacting with a social robot and is limited to this because it evaluates whether the social robot meets those conditions for engagement. Therefore, the user experience of engagement is evaluated only in a minor way based on how much the social robot meets the conditions for engagement. Future research and development of AUEIS would have been interesting and needed for AEUIS to be able to evaluate whether the user is engaged and to what extent is. Another interesting aspect to study can be the user experience of engagement whether it is during long-term interaction, short-term interaction, or different phases of an engagement. For example, how to evaluate that the user begins engagement with a social robot and how should it be evaluated that the engagement is maintained and continues or if it interrupts and why from a user perspective? Chapter 5 (End result the AUEIS method) presents the method and detailed instructions on implementation are presented in Appendix 7

    اقتراح نموذج رياضي لتقييم العقارات السكنية في مدينة طرطوس

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    تعاني السوق العقارية بشكل عام من مشكلة في تحديد سعر العقارات السكنية حيث أن أسعار العقارات السكنية لا تخضع لضوابط وتكون بعيدة كل البعد عن قيمها السوقية الفعلية بسبب عدم وجود منهجية معينة تساعد المقيمين العقاريين والمالكين في تحديد سعر العقارات السكنية في مدينة طرطوس، لذلك فإن الهدف الرئيسي من هذا البحث هو تقييم أسعار العقارات السكنية في مدينة طرطوس وذلك بتطوير نموذج رياضي للتقييم العقاري باستخدام تقنية الشبكات العصبونية الاصطناعية. حٌددت العوامل المؤثرة على تحديد القيمة السوقية للعقارات السكنية في مدينة طرطوس من خلال استبيان ومقابلات شخصية مع خبراء التقييم العقاري. جٌمعت البيانات وفق العوامل المؤثرة على تحديد القيمة السوقية للعقارات السكنية من السوق العقارية في مدينة طرطوس وفق البيوعات الحقيقية الحاصلة ضمن حدود مدينة طرطوس خلال الأعوام (2017-2020) م. حٌللت وعٌولجت البيانات لبناء نموذج من شبكة عصبونية مؤلفة من ثلاث طبقات (طبقة دخل وطبقة مخفية وطبقة خرج) بـ 9 متغيرات دخل مختلفة لتقييم العقارات السكنية في مدينة طرطوس. معدل نجاح النموذج المقترح كان 85%. نتيجة هذا البحث سيساعد الباحثين في تطوير نماذج أكثر فاعلية لتسعير العقارات في سورية

    Prevalence and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli and their resistance determinants in the Eastern Mediterranean Region over the last decade

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    ABSTRACT: Carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is increasing worldwide, which has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to list these bacteria in the critical priority pathogens group. Infections by such pathogens pose a serious threat to hospitalised patients and are associated with clinical and economic consequences. What worsens the case is the weak pipeline of available antimicrobial agents to treat such infections and the absence of new drugs. The aim of this review was to shed light on all studies tackling carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with indication for each country, description of studies timeline, prevalence of carbapenem resistance, and carbapenem resistance-encoding genes detected in these countries

    Use of High-Definition Audiovisual Technology in a Gross Anatomy Laboratory: Effect on Dental Students\u27 Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction

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    Laboratory cadaver dissection is essential for three-dimensional understanding of anatomical structures and variability, but there are many challenges to teaching gross anatomy in medical and dental schools, including alack of available space and qualified anatomy faculty. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of high-definition audiovisual educational technology in the gross anatomy laboratory in improving dental students\u27 learning outcomes and satisfaction. Exam scores were compared for two classes of first-year students at one U.S. dental school: 2012-13 (no audiovisual technology) and 2013-14 (audiovisual technology), and section exams were used to compare differences between semesters. Additionally, an online survey was used to assess the satisfaction of students who used the technology. All 284 first-year students in the two years (2012-13 N=144; 2013-14 N=140) participated in the exams. Of the 140 students in the 2013-14 class, 63 completed the survey (45% response rate). The results showed that those students who used the technology had higher scores on the laboratory exams than those who did not use it, and students in the winter semester scored higher (90.17 +/- 0.56) than in the fall semester (82.10 +/- 0.68). More than 87% of those surveyed strongly agreed or agreed that the audiovisual devices represented anatomical structures clearly in the gross anatomy laboratory. These students reported an improved experience in learning and understanding anatomical structures, found the laboratory to be less overwhelming, and said they were better able to follow dissection instructions and understand details of anatomical structures with the new technology. Based on these results, the study concluded that the ability to provide the students a clear view of anatomical structures and high-quality imaging had improved their learning experience
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