Air gasification of Napier grass (NG) was studied with the target of producing combustible synthesis gas to be used in direct combustion for power generation. A small-scale autothermal bubbling ...fluidized bed gasifier was used to investigate the effect of reactor temperature, equivalence ratio (ER), and static bed height (SBH) on gasification performance and combustibility of the producer gas. The main generated species in syngas were identified through gas chromatography (GC) analysis. Minimum fluidization conditions were determined at different levels of SBH. Experiments carried out with two intentions of first, to achieve the highest composition of combustible species to ensure the maximum Lower Heating Value (LHV) of syngas and second, to obtain a high performance process with maximum yield of syngas and minimum residues. The results showed that the temperature and ER have significant effects on syngas yield and composition. SBH was found have a substantial effect on the production of H2 and CO. The results from this study was compared to other gasification studies from literature which have evaluated biomass gasification in bubbling fluidized bed reactors with different scales but almost similar method of experimentation. The purpose of verification was to demonstrate the effect of different reactor scales and heating characteristics on the results.
In recent studies, researchers have focused on using various modalities to recognize emotions for different applications. A major challenge is identifying emotions correctly with only ...electrocardiograms (ECG) as the modality. The main objective is to reduce costs by using single-modality ECG signals to predict human emotional states. This paper presents an emotion recognition approach utilizing the heart rate variability features obtained from ECG with feature selection techniques (exhaustive feature selection (EFS) and Pearson’s correlation) to train the classification models. Seven machine learning (ML) models: multi-layer perceptrons (MLP), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), Logistic Regression, Adaboost and Extra Tree classifier are used to classify emotional state. Two public datasets, DREAMER and SWELL are used for evaluation. The results show that no particular ML works best for all data. For DREAMER with EFS, the best models to predict valence, arousal, and dominance are Extra Tree (74.6%), MLP and DT (74.6%), and GBDT and DT (69.8%), respectively. Extra tree with Pearson’s correlation are the best method for the ECG SWELL dataset and provide 100% accuracy. The usage of Extra tree classifier and feature selection technique contributes to the improvement of the model accuracy. Moreover, the Friedman test proved that ET is as good as other classification models for predicting human emotional state and ranks highest. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-01-011 Full Text: PDF
The user experience, often known as UX, is the key factor in determining a product success and increase user’s acquisition. However, this field of research lacks conceptual and practical models to ...follow when designing pervasive technologies such as mobile augmented reality (MAR). To convey a pleasant UX, it is necessary to identify the contributing factor and the components that influence the enhancement of the MAR design. The findings of the study indicated that emotions are the main factor that drives the user’s perception and hence, their choice and pleasure. This paper presents a preliminary model for designing an emotional UX mobile augmented reality application with the use of Kansei engineering approach. Ultimately, this model will provide insight into the design fundamentals that influence the user experiences. The outcomes of this study will assist researchers and designers in shaping the emotional user experience design.
Both the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds have a shared commitment to mitigate environmental degradation and repair already degraded areas. However, not much has been said about the good environmental ...performance of the affluent states of the Muslim world. This study uses the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by the University of Yale to analyse how to design better strategies for the upper-middle income (UMIE) and high-income Muslim countries (HIE) when dealing with their environmental performance. This study proposes that the choice of strategy should depend on the environmental and political economy of the countries, the status and ranking of their environmental performance, and an openness to learning from the successes of the environmental foreign policy successes of other affluent Muslim countries.
This study investigates the influence of psychological factors and socio-demographic characteristics on the actual purchase of organic foods based on environmental consciousness. The theory of ...reasoned action and Hirose’s two-phase decision-making model act as the major informers to develop the research hypotheses. Through an online questionnaire survey, responses were collected from a sample of 275 Japanese consumers who bought organic foods based on environmental consciousness at least once. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data. This study shows that the key to promoting actual purchase lies in three factors: social norm, past experience, and willingness to pay (WTP). Attitude towards actual purchase negatively influenced actual purchase, and environmental awareness was the determinant for attitude towards actual purchase but not for actual purchase. Thus, only increasing environmental awareness is not enough to increase the actual purchase. Moreover, we could increase the actual purchase by making an effort to reduce the feelings of the unaffordability and inconvenience of organic foods, which also negatively influence WTP and negatively and indirectly influence actual purchase. This study finds that the behavior execution process is the main driving force influencing actual purchase rather than the attitude development process in terms of psychological factors behind organic food consumption based on environmental consciousness.
Hot spring landscapes offer enticing development prospects for investors in China. However, due to mounting economic pressures and a lack of coordination among various authorities, inclusive ...governance has proven ineffective in overseeing development projects centered around hot spring landscapes. Consequently, this manuscript delves into the potential for implementing inclusive governance strategies to safeguard hot spring landscapes in China. This study selected Linyi City as its study site due to its location above a fault zone, which has resulted in the presence of numerous hot springs. Additionally, it has been officially classified as a ‘hot spring city in China’ by the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources. This study employed a semi-structured expert interview to investigate the barriers that stand in the way of applying inclusive governance to hot spring landscapes. Moreover, the interview investigates the implications of the lack of utilization of inclusive governance strategies for hot spring landscapes. The analysis of the results indicates that experts believed that the current protection policies were ineffective due to the existence of a multitude of barriers, such as the existence of deficiencies in the current policies, the multiplicity of management authorities, differences in visions in decision-making, limited public participation, a lack of awareness and trust from the public, a lack of balance in development approaches, and a limited role of science and technology. This resulted in a lack of proper communication and delegation of responsibilities with regard to inclusive governance strategies for protecting hot spring landscapes. Furthermore, the analysis unveiled diverse implications arising from the non-application of inclusive governance strategies, encompassing aspects such as tourism, economics, environment, sociocultural, and sustainability.
In the present study, we formulated a nanocomposite—comprising graphene oxide, chitosan, and folic acid—as a nanocarrier loaded with the phytochemical d-Pinitol and then subjected to spectroscopic ...and microscopic analyses to assess the shape, size, and structure of the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite was further subjected to cytotoxic analysis against hepatoma HepG-2 and non-malignant Vero cells using the MTT assay. The generation of ROS, disruption of mitochondrial membrane permeability, and induction of cell death were assessed with corresponding fluorescent staining. Finally, the apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl2, and caspases were quantified using commercial kits. The characterization analysis confirmed the synthesis of the agglomerated spherical GO Chitosan D-Pinitol FA nanocomposites with an average particle size of 161.50 nm. The nanocomposite remarkably inhibited the HepG-2 cell viability with an IC50 concentration of 7.5 μg/mL but did not disturb the growth of non-malignant Vero cells. It effectively promoted the generation of ROS, disrupted MMP, and induced apoptosis in hepatoma HepG-2 cells, whereas it rendered minimal cytotoxicity even at high doses in mammalian Vero cells. It also promoted the caspase-3, -9, and Bax expressions but inhibited the Bcl-2 expression in the HepG-2 cells. Our findings suggest that the GO Chitosan D-Pinitol FA nanocomposite is a potent drug-loaded nanocarrier that can effectively induce an anticancer effect in hepatoma HepG-2 cells.
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BACKGROUNDBreastfeeding is widely recognized as the optimal and natural method of feeding infants. However, there are obstacles that can limit exclusive breastfeeding practices during the first 6 ...months of an infant's life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of unsuccessful exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors among mothers who work as healthcare providers at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital.METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted among 295 medical doctors and staff nurses from June to December 2015. Simple random sampling was applied. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed.RESULTSThe prevalence of unsuccessful exclusive breastfeeding among the study participants was 58.3%. Mothers who preferred formula milk (odds ratio OR, 4.40; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.45-13.31) delivered via lower segment cesarean section (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.07-4.98) and produced inadequate breast milk (OR, 4.06; 95% CI, 2.40- 6.89) were significantly associated with unsuccessful exclusive breastfeeding.CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of unsuccessful exclusive breastfeeding among the study participants was high. Maternal characteristics such as preference towards formula milk, mode of delivery and adequacy of breast milk must be assessed to prevent unsuccessful exclusive breastfeeding among healthcare providers.
Tamarindus indica (T. indica) is a tropical tree with multiple purposes and is used in many diets and traditional remedies. Apart from the antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic content, the seeds of ...T. indica have also shown anti-proliferative activities but no studies have been reported on colorectal cancer. Hence, this study aims to explore the anti-proliferative effects of the methanol extract of T. indica seeds (TSM) in colorectal cancer.
The colorectal cancer cell line (HT-29) was treated with TSM. Mechanisms for the anti-proliferative effects of TSM were determined by measuring parameters of oxidative stress, caspases, NF-κB activity and cell cycle. Apoptosis in the treated cells was confirmed by measuring expression of apoptotic proteins using the human apoptosis antibody array kit. Polyphenolic compounds in HT-29 cells treated with TSM were identified using UHPLC.
TSM inhibited the growth of HT-29 cells (IC50 = 75.76 ± 0.83 µg/ml), and showed low cytotoxicity towards normal colon cells (CCD 841 CoN). The treatment caused alteration in redox status, oxidative damage, activation of caspases-3/7, -8 and -9, reduction in NF-κB activity, and cell cycle arrest. Activation of apoptosis was confirmed by protein array data, showing upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins. UHPLC analyses identified the presence of three polyphenolic compounds (gallic acid, ferulic acid, and naringenin) in TSM-treated HT-29 cells.
The apoptotic effect of TSM was possibly mediated by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) insult, affecting various signalling pathways, eventually causing apoptosis of HT-29 cells. This extract has great potential as a promising natural adjunct therapy for colorectal cancer.
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