Label-free detection of glycated haemoglobin in human blood using silicon-based photonic crystal nanocavity biosensor

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a two-dimensional photonic crystal-based biosensor that consists of a waveguide and a nanocavity with high sensitivity. A new method is employed for increasing sensitivity of the biosensor. The simulation results show that biosensor is highly sensitive to the refractive index (RI) variations due to injected biomaterials, like glycated haemoglobin, into the sensing surface. The proposed biosensor is designed for the wavelength range of 1514.4–1896.3 nm. The sensitivity and the quality factor are calculated to be 3000 and 272.43 nm/RIU, respectively. The designed structure can detect a 0.002 change in the RI via resonant wavelength shift of 0.9 nm. The band diagram and transmission spectra are computed using plane wave expansion and finite difference time domain methods.     

Performance evaluation of different types of steel moment resisting frames subjected to strong ground motion through incremental dynamic analysis

Comparative studies on seismic performance for various types of steel moment resisting frames subjected to near field and far field earthquakes are performed through Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method in this study. Near field earthquake has a pulse like effects on the structures. It imports immediate force in very short duration to buildings. Therefore, destructive effects of surge energy are not negligible. Four intensity indices are used, namely, peak acceleration (PGA), spectral acceleration at the structure??s first-mode period (S_a(T₁, 5%)), spectral acceleration at the structure??s nth effective-mode period (S_a(T_n, 5%)) and the Spectral velocity at the structure??s first-mode period (S_v(T₁, 5%)). Numerical results illustrate that the intensity measure parameters related to ground velocity and the higher mode-related parameters present better correlation with the seismic responses of near source ground motion for given systems. The higher mode-related parameters are more suitable for tall systems subjected to near field earthquakes. Moreover, the chosen parameters S_a(T_n, 5%) and S_v(T₁, 5%) of near-fault impulsive ground motions enhance the performance of intensity measure of corresponding conventional parameters, i.e. S_a(T₁, 5%). A comparison for the special and intermediate steel moment resisting frames is made as regard to performance using IDA method. A more efficient performance is observed for the special moment resisting frames compare to intermediate ones.     

Performance of Different Surface Incoming Solar Radiation Models and Their Impacts on Reference Evapotranspiration

Reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) from FAO-Penman-Monteith equation is highly sensitive to the surface incoming solar radiation (SISR) and therefore accurate estimate of this parameter would result in more accurate estimation of ET₀. In this study, the accuracy of three main approaches for SISR estimation including empirical models (Angstrom and Hargreaves-Samani), physically-based data assimilation models (Global Land Data Assimilation System-Noah, GLDAS/Noah, and National Centers of Environmental Predictions/National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCEP/NCAR), and a satellite observation model (Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring, CM-SAF) were evaluated using ground-based measurements from 2012 to 2015. Then SISR outputs from introduced approaches were implemented in FAO-Penman-Monteith equation for ET₀ estimation on daily and monthly basis. The Angstrom calibrated model was the most accurate model with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.9 and standard error of estimate (SEE) of 2.58 MJ. m^?2. d^?1, and GLDAS/Noah, Hargreaves-Samani, NCEP/NCAR, and CM-SAF, had lower accuracy, respectively. However, the lack of the meteorological data and required empirical coefficients are the main limitations of applying the empirical models, however, satellite-based approaches are more practical for operational purposes. The results indicated that, in spite of slight overestimation in warm months, GLDAS/Noah model had better performance with R²=0.87 and SEE?=?3.5 MJ. m^?2. d^?1 in case of lack of meteorological data. The accuracy of ET₀ derived from FAO-Penman-Monteith equation was directly depended on the accuracy of SISR estimation. The ET₀ estimation error was related to SISR estimation error with a fourth-degree function and had a linear relationship with SISR error at daily and monthly scales, respectively.     

Modeling and management of profiles and competencies in VBEs

Virtual organization Breeding Environments (VBEs) are long-term clusters/associations of autonomous and geographically dispersed organizations in the market and society. The VBE aims to prepare its member organizations and enhance their readiness for potential involvement in opportunity-based Virtual Organizations (VOs). Organizing/management of profiles is a key activity in VBEs. The need for management of profiles is even larger in medium-size and large-size VBEs (e.g. with more then 50 members), where typically the member organizations do not have the chance of getting to know all others directly. Furthermore, uniform structuring/modeling of the mostly textual content of profiles enables their processing by the software that supports variety of VBE functionality. An important element of the profiles in VBEs is the competency. There is no consensus on the definition of competency and the existing literature associate it with a range of tangible characteristics such as resources and products, as well as intangible characteristics such as knowledge and motivation. This paper introduces and details a unified/generic model for VBE profiles and VBE competencies. It further addresses the design of an adaptable, replicable and sustainable Profile and Competency Management System (PCMS), which is being developed supported by the ontology for profiles and competencies. An approach and mechanism for semi-automated derivation/discovery of elements for organization’s profile and competency from on-line text corpora is also introduced.     

Optimization of Propofol Dose Estimated During Anesthesia Through Artificial Intelligence by Genetic Algorithm: Design and Clinical Assessment

Neural Processing Letters - This paper addresses the application of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to assign the optimal dose of propofol as a vital anesthetic drug considering...     

Comparative and competitive adsorption of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) onto Sepia pharaonis endoskeleton biomass from aqueous solutions

In this research, the possibility of simultaneous removal of lead, cadmium and copper divalent ions from water samples through the use of Sepia pharaonis endoskeleton powder (SPEB) as bio‐material, was investigated. The bio‐sorbent was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT‐IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF). The different factors affecting the bio‐sorption process were studied. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyse the experimental data. The kinetic studies showed that the pseudo‐second order model kinetics were compatible with the investigated systems. It was found that under optimal conditions, this bio‐sorbent was efficient in the uptake of these heavy metal ions from both mono and multi‐metal solutions, and high removal percentages were achieved. This study verified the potential ability of SPEB as an efficient natural adsorbent for removal of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions from river, tap and mineral water samples.     

The effect of keyword repetition in abstract and keyword frequency per journal in predicting citation counts

This paper investigates an association between two new variables and citations in papers. These variables include the abstract ratio (the sum of repetition of keywords in abstract divided by abstract length) and the weight ratio (the frequency of paper’s keyword per journal). The data consist of 5875 papers from 12 journals in education: three journals from each SCImago quartile. The researchers used semi-continuous regression to model the data and measure the impact of the proposed variables on citations. The results revealed that both abstract ratio and weight ratio are statistically significant predictors of citations in scientific articles in education.     

The effect of plasma polymerization of silicon compounds on the properties of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP)

Polymer Bulletin - In this study, hexamethyldisiloxane was polymerized on the biaxially oriented polypropylene films by low-pressure radio frequency (RF) plasma. The samples were polymerized by...