Design and Implementation of a Stepped Frequency Continuous Wave Radar System for Biomedical Applications

There is a need to detect vital signs of human (e.g., the respiration and heart-beat rate) with noncontact method in a number of applications such as search and rescue operation (e.g. earthquakes, fire), health monitoring of the elderly, performance monitoring of athletes Ultra-wideband radar system can be utilized for noncontact vital signs monitoring and tracking of various human activities of more than one subject. Therefore, a stepped-frequency continuous wave radar (SFCW) system with wideband performance is designed and implemented for Vital signs detection and fall events monitoring. The design of the SFCW radar system is firstly developed using off-the-shelf discrete components. Later, the system is implemented using surface mount components to make it portable with low cost. The measurement result is proved to be accurate for both heart rate and respiration rate detection within ±5% when compared with contact measurements. Furthermore, an electromagnetic model has been developed using a multi-layer dielectric model of the human subject to validate the experimental results. The agreement between measured and simulated results is good for distances up to 2 m and at various subjects’ orientations with respect to the radar, even in the presence of more than one subject. The compressive sensing (CS) technique is utilized to reduce the size of the acquired data to levels significantly below the Nyquist threshold. In our demonstration, we use phase information contained in the obtained complex high-resolution range profile (HRRP) to derive the motion characteristics of the human. The obtained data has been successfully utilized for non-contact walk, fall and limping detection and healthcare monitoring. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using measured results

Rapport Between Training and Job Satisfaction: A Study on Influential Actors and Factors

Training becomes an imperative variable of employees’ performance and retention from the very beginning of the industrial revolution. However, with the passage of time training turns into an essential component of job satisfaction. Keeping this view in mind, the study aimed at identifying the interconnection between training and job satisfaction which ultimately plays a great role in attaining the goals of organization to a large scale. The study also attempts to recommend ways of instituting positive relations between training investment and job satisfaction. Information from secondary sources has been gathered and analysed to find out the affiliation between the two. Interestingly it has been revealed that training not only improves employee’s morale and performance but also acts as a great contributing factor to employee retention and satisfaction. Keywords: Training, Job satisfaction, Employee Retention, Training Investment DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-16-06 Publication date:August 31st 202

Current Status and Development Trend of Aquaculture: Prospects and Future Potentials

In recent years world aquaculture production has been increased with innovative and technological developments within fisheries sector and scaled up in world total fisheries production. This increasing aquaculture production depends on innovative production systems and technologies, biotechnological developments. The advancements in these cutting-edge technologies have been focused on promoting sustainable aquaculture production, mitigating the risk of disease outbreaks, and contributing to eco-friendly environmental initiatives. This review paper highlights the cutting-edge technologies that have emerged in the field of aquaculture in recent years, up until the present time, with a focus on advancements in fish nutrition. The advancements in aquaculture technology have been instrumental in promoting the achievement of sustainable development goals. As the aquaculture industry continues to evolve, it is expected that there will be further advancements in technology, sustainability practices, and innovative approaches to meet the increasing demand for seafood while minimizing environmental impact. Overall, the future of aquaculture is likely to be characterized by a combination of technological innovation, sustainable practices, and increased focus on environmental and social responsibility. In the arena of aquaculture, this review paper has the potential to nourish the minds of aquaculturists and aquafarmers with a bountiful feast of knowledge. It unveils the latest technologies and developments in the realm of aquaculture, serving as a nutritious resource that can enhance the operation of cultures and promote a fruitful increase in production in the not-so-distant future

PET/CT Imaging: Maximum Utilization at Lowest Time Consumption

Positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) combination is the most recent medical imaging technique that uses small quantities of a radioactive tracer called flurodeoxyglucose (FDG18F), to produce images showing how our body is functioning. Different professional experts are engaged to perform the sophisticated PET/CT imaging system and take considerable time. The work is dedicated to optimize the use of whole PET/CT imaging system to minimize the time consumption from patients profile registration to CT study. Data from 1January to 31 January 2014 and from 1 July to 31 July 2014 were recorded, represented as 1st month and 2nd month respectively, measuring the time required by every step of the patient’s pathway. The data of the first month acquisition shows that, five patients were examined through this arrangement in a single day. By reducing patient turnover time and consequently the device downtime, patient turnover time dropped from 5 minutes to only 3 minutes while device downtime devolved from 90 minutes to 70 minutes between the first month and the second month data acquisition. Hence the number of daily performed examinations increased by two. Continuous activity control allow the identification of critical organizational and structural issues; provide us useful information to the optimization in the use of expensive and sophisticated PET/CT devices with a clear value in public health, great benefits for the patients and improved management results

CNS DEPRESSION POTENTIAL EVALUATION, FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LYOPHILIZED HERBAL ORAL CAKE OF TERMINALIA CHEBULA FRUITS

Objective: Terminalia chebula fruits are used as traditional herbal medicine from the ancient era but still now, the extract has not revealed any research data on CNS depression activity as well as its lyophilized herbal formulation. The present study was designed to evaluate CNS depression activity and develop lyophilized oral cake of Terminalia chebula fruit extract. Methods: CNS depression potential of Terminalia chebula fruit was examined using the hole board, hole cross, and thiopental sodium induced sleeping time test. The human equivalent dose was calculated based on US FDA guidelines of dose conversion between animals and humans. A novel lyophilized herbal oral cake of aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula fruits with additives was then formulated. The formulated cake was subjected to characterize its physicochemical properties such as appearance, residual humidity, drug content, dissolution, and drug release profile, extract-polymer compatibility by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and stability. The prepared cake was further evaluated with the hole board and hole cross model in mice and compared with control to ensure its CNS depression activity. Results: Crude extract at the doses of 100, 150, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight showed significant (p<0.01) dose-dependent inhibition of locomotor behavior. Crude extract dose of 200 mg/kg body weight in mice compared with standard diazepam dose (1 mg/kg) was used to calculate the human equivalent dose of 1000 mg/60 kg. The formulation presented a rapid drug release profile while drug content was approximately 99.5%. FTIR spectroscopy of formulation showed no drug-excipient interaction. The oral cake at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight showed significant (p<0.01) CNS depression activity. Conclusion: CNS depression activity, FTIR, and stability analysis ensure the preservation of active ingredients in the lyophilized oral cake as in the crude extract

Tumor engraftment in patient-derived xenografts of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is associated with adverse clinicopathological features and poor survival

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors are powerful tools to study cancer biology. However, the ability of PDX tumors to model the biological and histological diversity of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is not well known. In this study, we subcutaneously implanted 133 primary and metastatic PDAC tumors into immunodeficient mice. Fifty-seven tumors were successfully engrafted and even after extensive passaging, the histology of poorly-, moderately-, and well-differentiated tumors was maintained in the PDX models. Moreover, the fibroblast and collagen contents in the stroma of patient tumors were recapitulated in the corresponding PDX models. Analysis of the clinicopathological features of patients revealed xenograft tumor engraftment was associated with lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.001) and worse recurrence-free (median, 7 vs. 16 months, log-rank P = 0.047) and overall survival (median, 13 vs. 21 months, log-rank P = 0.038). Among successful engraftments, median time of growth required for reimplantation into new mice was 151 days. Reflective of the inherent biological diversity between PDX tumors with rapid (<151 days) and slow growth, differences in their growth were maintained during extensive passaging. Rapid growth was additionally associated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.022). The association of lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis with PDX formation and rapid growth may reflect an underlying biological mechanism that allows these tumors to adapt and grow in a new environment. While the ability of PDX tumors to mimic the cellular and non-cellular features of the parental tumor stroma provides a valuable model to study the interaction of PDAC cells with the tumor microenvironment, the association of successful engraftment with adverse clinicopathological features suggests PDX models over represent more aggressive forms of this disease

DETERMINANTS OF FOOD INSECURITY STATUS OF FISHERIES COMMUNITY IN COASTAL REGIONS OF BANGLADESH

Food insecurity is a notable state of the well-being of people. However, the common determinants of food insecurity have nevertheless to be formally known, especially for the coastal region. This study aims to investigate the demographic and socio-economic determinants of food insecurity of the fishermen communities in the coastal areas, namely Galachipa, Kalapara and Dumki upazilas in Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. A two-stage cluster sampling technique has been used for getting the primary data (n=200). The food insecurity status was measured by using Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) suggested under the indicator of 2.1.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Logistic regression model has been used to identify the determinants of food insecurity status. Results reveal that families having larger number of members are more likely to be food insecure than the families with small numbers of members. Also, households having monthly income level below BDT 5000 are more food insecure than their counterparts. Another important determinant by which food insecurity is significantly affected is the education of household head. A range of viable policy interventions for the fishermen communities have been recommended. These include i) diversification of income generating opportunities, ii) improving education status of the community to enable to shift to safer employment when necessary, iii) building awareness on adverse effects of bigger family size through family planning campaign, and iv) providing skilled based training and necessary credit access among the unemployed members of the household

Anti-tumor activity and signaling events triggered by the isothiocyanates, sulforaphane and phenethyl isothiocyanate, in multiple myeloma

This paper presents the work in progress of a research project that aims at establishing a reference model for 3D geo-information in the Netherlands. The research project is initiated by four national organizations: 1) Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, 2) Kadaster, 3) Geonovum, and 4) the Netherlands Geodetic Commission. These four organizations responsible for geo-information in the Netherlands recognized the urgent need for a standardized approach and therefore initiated a 3D pilot. In the 3D pilot, a uniform approach for 3D geo-information modeling is explored in collaboration with a large number of stakeholders ultimately resulting in national agreements and a national standard, extending CityGML, for use of 3D geo-information. The final aim of the 3D pilot is to evoke a breakthrough in the use of 3D geo-information in the Netherlands. In the pilot providers and users of geo-information closely collaborate, which ensures that the providers are familiar with precise requirements of the users. This pilot aims also at an improved accessibility to 3D geo-information and the supporting technologies, which may push advances in 3D applications