An effective segmentation method for iris recognition based on fuzzy logic using visible feature points

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In this paper, the edge corners (ECs) are proposed as new visible feature points located at the edges of visible iris features such as crypts, pigment spots and...     

Crosstalk between MicroRNA and Oxidative Stress in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a chronic neurodegenerative disease that damages the trabecular meshwork (TM) cells, inducing apoptosis of the retinal ganglion cells (RGC), deteriorating the optic nerve head, and leading to blindness. Aqueous humor (AH) outflow resistance and intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation contribute to disease progression. Nevertheless, despite the existence of pharmacological and surgical treatments, there is room for the development of additional treatment approaches. The following review is aimed at investigating the role of different microRNAs (miRNAs) in the expression of genes and proteins involved in the regulation of inflammatory and degenerative processes, focusing on the delicate balance of synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) regulated by chronic oxidative stress in POAG related tissues. The neutralizing activity of a couple of miRNAs was described, suggesting effective downregulation of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic signaling pathways, including nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB), transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-β2), Wnt/β-Catenin, and PI3K/AKT. In addition, with regards to the elevated IOP in many POAG patients due to increased outflow resistance, Collagen type I degradation was stimulated by some miRNAs and prevented ECM deposition in TM cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction as a consequence of oxidative stress was suppressed following exposure to different miRNAs. In contrast, increased oxidative damage by inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway was described as part of the action of selected miRNAs. Summarizing, specific miRNAs may be promising therapeutic targets for lowering or preventing oxidative stress injury in POAG patients.     

Trans-differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into cardiomyocyte-like cells on decellularized bovine myocardial extracellular matrix-based films

In this study, we aimed at fabricating decellularized bovine myocardial extracellular matrix-based films (dMEbF) for cardiac tissue engineering (CTE). The decellularization process was carried out utilizing four consecutive stages including hypotonic treatment, detergent treatment, enzymatic digestion and decontamination, respectively. In order to fabricate the dMEbF, dBM were digested with pepsin and gelation process was conducted. dMEbF were then crosslinked with N-hydroxysuccinimide/1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (NHS/EDC) to increase their durability. Nuclear contents of native BM and decellularized BM (dBM) tissues were determined with DNA content analysis and agarose-gel electrophoresis. Cell viability on dMEbF for 3rd, 7th, and 14th days was assessed by MTT assay. Cell attachment on dMEbF was also studied by scanning electron microscopy. Trans-differentiation capacity of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) into cardiomyocyte-like cells on dMEbF were also evaluated by histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. DNA contents for native and dBM were, respectively, found as 886.11?±?164.85 and 47.66?±?0.09?ng/mg dry weight, indicating a successful decellularization process. The results of glycosaminoglycan and hydroxyproline assay, and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), performed in order to characterize the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition of native and dBM tissue, showed that the BM matrix was not damaged during the proposed method. Lastly, regarding the histological study, dMEbF not only mimics native ECM, but also induces the stem cells into cardiomyocyte-like cells phenotype which brings it the potential of use in CTE.     

Characteristics of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in the Shell Side of the Trapezoidal-like Tilted Baffles Heat Exchanger

Periodic whole cross-section computation models are established for segmental baffle heat exchanger, shutter baffle heat exchanger, and trapezoid-like tilted baffle heat exchanger. The reliability of models is verified by comparing the simulated results to the results obtained from the Bell-Delaware method. Due to the orthogonal assembly of the baffles, the shell side fluid shows the twisty flow of trapezoid-like tilted baffle heat exchanger. The essential mechanism on disturbing flow and heat transfer enhancement is revealed by defining the non-dimensional factor η of the shell side fluid flow direction of heat exchanger and the field synergy principle. The results show that at the same Reynolds number, the shell side fluid convection heat transfer coefficient of trapezoid-like tilted baffle heat exchanger is 12.43%-24.33% and 6.71%-11.51% higher than those of segmental baffle heat exchanger and shutter baffle heat exchanger, respectively. The shell side fluid flow velocity field and the pressure gradient field of trapezoid-like tilted baffle heat exchanger and shutter baffle heat exchanger decreases compared with that of segmental baffle heat exchanger, so the shell side fluid flow resistance and pressure drop is increased; the shell side comprehensive performance of trapezoid-like tilted baffle heat exchanger is 5.85%-9.06% higher than that of segmental baffle heat exchanger, and 15.27%-23.28% higher than that of shutter baffle heat exchanger. In this study, a baffle structure with higher efficiency of the energy utilization for the heat exchanger is provided.     

Thermodynamic performance analysis of three solid oxide fuel cell and gas microturbine hybrid systems for application in auxiliary power units

In this study, three different configurations of a solid oxide fuel cell and gas microturbine hybrid system are evaluated for application in auxiliary power units. The first configuration is a common hybrid system in auxiliary power units, utilizing a fuel cell stack in the structure of the gas turbine cycle. The other configurations use two series and parallel fuel cell stacks in the structure of the gas turbine cycle. The main purpose of this research is thermodynamic analysis, evaluation of the performance of the proposed hybrid systems in similar conditions, and selection of an appropriate system in terms of efficiency, power generation, and entropy generation rate. In this study, the utilized fuel cells were subjected to electrochemical, thermodynamic, and thermal analyses and their working temperatures were calculated under various working conditions. Results indicate that the hybrid system with two series stacks had maximum power generation and efficiency compared with the other two cases. Moreover, the simple hybrid system and the system with two parallel stacks had relatively equal pure power generation and efficiency. According to the investigations, hybrid system with two series fuel cell stacks, which had 3424 and 1712 cells, respectively, can achieve the electrical efficiency of over 48%. A hybrid system with two parallel fuel cell stacks, in which each stack had 2568 cells, had the electrical efficiency of 46.3%. Findings suggested that maximum electrical efficiency occurred between the pressure ratios of 5–6 in the proposed hybrid systems.     

Effect of sand and clay fouling on the shear strength of railway ballast for different ballast gradations

Ballast contamination by fine materials such as sand and clay in railway track at arid regions is an important issue that causes track instability problems and settlement due to reduction of shear strength of ballast. In this paper, the results of direct shear box test conducted on clean ballast, sand-fouled ballast and clay-fouled ballast for different ballast gradations are reported and discussed. For this purpose, three different fouling amounts according to fouling index are added to clean ballast. Test results show that by increasing the fouling percentage, the ballast shear strength always decreases both for sand and clay fouled ballast. However, the amount of shear strength reduction is low at high normal stresses. Clay contamination has more adverse effect on the shear strength of ballast compared with sand contamination. Also, the results of tests for evaluation of gradation effect on shear strength of fouled ballast which are conducted on various gradations according to American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, show that the maximum particle size as well as uniformity coefficient affect the shear strength of ballast. Also, an empirical equation is presented to observe the effect of ballast gradation on reduction of shear strength with regard to amount of fouling material and normal stress.     

Postharvest Quality of Strawberry Fruit (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fragaria x Ananassa</Emphasis> Duch cv. Albion) as Affected by Ozone Washing: Fungal Spoilage,Mechanical Properties,and Structure

Storage life of strawberry fruit is limited due to its high softening rate and susceptibility to fungal attack. Thus, it is of interest to develop and improve preservation techniques to reduce postharvest losses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ozonized water washing (maximum concentration of 3.5 mg L^?1; 5–15 min) on fungal spoilage, water loss, mechanical properties, and structure of strawberries (cv. Albion) harvested in different years and stored at 5 °C. The effect of ozone treatment on decontamination and weight loss was dose-dependent. Ozonization for 5 min significantly reduced fungal incidence (~?22–25% lesser than control) and weight loss of strawberries throughout storage. High doses (10 or 15 min) did not reduce significantly fungal growth in relation to control, although weight loss in fruit treated for 15 min was higher than control. In both harvest years studied, cold storage provoked a diminution in deformability modulus and an increase in deformation but a significant effect of treatment was not observed. These changes were correlated with alteration of cell walls and turgor loss. Otherwise, cuticular membrane of strawberries treated for 5 min was observed thicker and more electron dense than in fruit ozonized for 15 min or control. It could partially explain the lower moisture loss observed in 5-min treated fruit. Results showed that ozonized water washing for 5 min can be an alternative strategy for extending postharvest strawberry shelf-life by decreasing fungal decay and water loss along cold storage, without affecting mechanical parameters.     

A Novel Fluorescent Probe for Detecting Hydrogen Sulfide in Wine

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) has recently been recognized as the third endogenous gaseous signaling molecule besides NO and CO. At the same time, H₂S is responsible for an important proportion of faulty wines with potentially large economic losses. Thus, the H₂S in wine not only contributes negatively to wine aroma but also faces a problem of food safety. So an efficient and practical sensor to detect H₂S in wine was needed. A new fluorescent probe 4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl-thiophene-2-carboxylate (probe 1) was designed and synthesized for detection of H₂S. Addition of H₂S caused the fluorescence intensity of probe 1 increased and fluorescence saturation was reached in 15 min. The fluorescence of probe 1 was found turn-on under UV light at 365 nm. This noticeable change of probe 1 indicates that probe 1 could be employed as a visible detection agent for H₂S. H₂S can be detected quantitatively in the concentration range 0–20 μM, and the detection limit on fluorescence response of the probe was 18 nM. Moreover, probe 1 can be conveniently used as a signal tool to determine the H₂S levels in wine.     

Pressure Management in Water Distribution Systems Using a Self-Tuning Controller to Distribute the Available Potable Water with Equality

The rapid population growth of cities in developing countries (DC) make difficult to distribute the available potable water (PW) with equality. The distribution problem arises from an insufficient amount of PW and because cities water distribution systems (WDS) are not efficient. The novelty of this paper is a self-tuning controller (STC) proposed to manage, along the day, the pressure of water through the nodes of a WDS. It means, pressure management (PM) is proposed to control water levels (WLs) in householders tanks (HTs). The objective is to satisfy with equality the PW demand at different zones of a city forcing the flow of water by managing the pressure. The proposed STC performance is tested on the digital simulator developed to characterize the hydraulic operation of a WDS. The dynamic behaviour of the WDS is determined by the variation of the WL in the tanks of the WDS when water is supplied or extracted from them. The WDS of Mexico City is analysed and the proposed STC is applied to a simplified WDS. The results allow to conclude that the proposed STC could become a supporting tool for the decision making of WDS operators.