12 Articles Published

1. CR(VI) IN WATER: CONTINUOUS, ON SITE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION LABORATORY TEST PRELIMINARY TO MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE PROTOTYPING

Authors: ANDREA PISCITELLI , CANDIDO FABRIZIO PIRRI , LUCIANO SCALTRITO , MATTEO COCUZZA , MONICA PERIOLATTO , SERGIO FERRERO

Abstract: Main parameters of the 1-5 diphenylcarbazide standard method for specrophotometrical detection of Cr(VI) metal ions in water were optimized for application on a miniaturized and portable device for continuous monitoring of water pollution. The aim was the reduction of involved volumes, manageable by a microfluidic device, the choice of suitable solvents and acid solutions, the optimization of reagents amounts and the radiation of the sample by a single wavelength visible source. The optimized process was verified on a bench prototype.

Keywords: —Chrome, diphenylcarbazide, water pollution, water analysis, process optimization

Pages: 1 - 6 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-01

2. A DYNAMIC MULTIPLE INPUT DESCRIPTION OF LACTOSE OPERON EXPRESSION

Authors: SHAOPING WANG , WEIJIE WANG

Abstract: Modeling the regulation of lactose operon expression is significant to understand lactose metabolism at the cell-level, in which the repressor and cAMP-CRP can influence its regulation process. In this paper, a mathematic model of lactose operon expression is established in differential equations with the knowledge of system biology. Considering multiple factors such as lactose, glucose, repressor, permease, β-galactosidase, allolactose and cAMP-CRP, this paper presents dynamic bi-direction regulatory mechanisms in both repressor and cAMP-CRP with the logical “AND” of system biology. The experimental data indicates that the proposed model is more approach to the real condition.

Keywords: system biology, mathematical modeling, lactose operon expression

Pages: 7 - 11 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-02

3. SOIL MICROCOSM SET UP FOR A BIOREMEDIATION STUDY

Authors: ALBERTO GODIO , ANNALISA CASALE , BARBARA RUFFIN , DIEGO FRANCO , FRANCESCA BOSCO , PARAS RANJAN PUJARI

Abstract: In this work the biostimulation strategy was investigated in soil microcosms to enhance indigenous microorganism activity in presence of diesel oil pollutant. Two mineral salt media, one specific for bacteria and the other specific for fungi, and different glucose concentrations were tested. From respirometric analyses (i.e. CO2 production) and biomass dry weight results, it was observed that mineral salt medium favoring bacterial growth was more effective in promoting microbial activity in contaminated soil, also in the presence of diesel oil as sole carbon source.

Keywords: soil, bioremediation, biostimulation, microcosms, diesel oil.

Pages: 12 - 15 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-03

4. COMPUTER AIDED DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE BY AUTOMATICALLY OBTAINING THE BEST CORONAL SLICES FOR MULTI-CLASSIFICATION RECOGNITION

Authors: ANTONIO CARRILLO , IGNACIO ROJAS , OLGA VALENZUELA , ALBERTO GARCíA , IGNACIO ROJAS , OLGA VALENZUELA

Abstract: The goal of this contribution is to find out a set of Y slices (coronal slices) from MRIs of patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Normal images, that provides the maximum accuracy in a multiclass classification system. Images are preprocessed and 2D wavelet coefficients are extracted to form a feature matrix. Using a feature selection algorithm called mRMR, the best features from the matrix are extracted; then, the dimension of the feature vectors is reduced using PCA and finally, it is used to train an SVM to perform multi-class classification. In order to find the best combinations of coronal slices, a multi-objective genetic optimization methodology based on NSGA-II is used and a set of different solutions are extracted from the Pareto front. More relevant solutions are selected using more flexible criteria than that of the Pareto front, and examine what slices and accuracies are achieved. The multi-classification accuracies obtained by the pr

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, multiclass classification, feature selection, mild cognitive impairment, Multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization, coronal slices selection.

Pages: 16 - 20 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-04

5. A NSGA-II APPLICATION WITH DIFFERENT GENE EXPRESSION TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATION

Authors: DANIEL CASTILLO , IGNACIO ROJAS , JUAN MANUEL GALVEZ , OLGA VALENZUELA

Abstract: Thanks to genetic expression, biomarkers related to much kind of diseases could be obtained. However, depending on the previous experimental constraints, these biomarkers can become too many, especially if they are intended to be used in a classification process. Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) has been thought of as a suitable solution to get a tradeoff among candidate biomarkers and classification accuracy. In this sense, genetic expression and Non Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA) are combined in order to obtain the minimum number of possible genes that achieve the maximum classification accuracy. Only with a few genes, the classifier is expected to be more computationally efficient and faster than with all the genes, besides not endangering the final accuracy.

Keywords: breast cancer, genetic algorithm, NSGA-II, classification, genes expression, microarray, RNA-Seq, SVM, genes selection

Pages: 21 - 25 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-05

6. FORECASTING POTENTIAL HEALTH THREATS USING MACHINE LEARNING A HARDARE / SOFTWARE APPROACH

Authors: DEVAHARSHA MEESARAPU , NISHANT RAMAKURU , YASH DEO

Abstract: The idea proposes that an amalgamation of hardware input/output with the right software can be used to forecast and potentially avoid future health threats.

Keywords: Health , Machine Learing , Hardware

Pages: 26 - 28 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-06

7. CHEMICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATERMELON SEED OIL (CITRULLUS LANATUS L.) AND INVESTIGATION OF THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CITRULLUS LANATUS L. SEED OIL

Authors: GANIYAT K. OLOYEDE , SODEEQ A. ADERIBIGBE

Abstract: Citrullus lanatus L. (Cucurbitaceae) known as Water melon is an edible fruit in many countries especially Nigeria. Chemical composition, phytochemical, physicochemical and antioxidant properties of the dried seeds of C. lanatus were determined to understand its potential health benefits since oil extract from a number of fruits, nuts and seeds are used in cooking, soap making and as ingredient in confectioneries of baked or fried foods. Dried and pulverized Watermelon seeds were extracted using hexane at 60-70oC. Standard methods were used to determine phytochemical and physicochemical parameters. The chemical composition of the oil was determined using Gas-Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) while antioxidant activity was determined using 2, 2- diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and reducing power methods. Results showed that the light yellow oil with an average yield of 41.32% showed the presence of terpenoids, phenolics, glycosides, and carbohydrate. Physicochemical para

Keywords: Methyl 9-cis, 11 –trans-octadecadienoate, methyl palmitate, seed oil, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, Citrullus lanatus

Pages: 34 - 39 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-08

8. LUMINANCE COMPENSATION BASED ON BACKGROUND SHADOW FOR WHITE-PILL IDENTIFICATION

Authors: PHAKDEE SUKPORNSAWAN , SOMCHART CHOKCHAITAM

Abstract: Pill color is applied as one of important features for pill identification; however, most of pill color is white. It’s difficult to classify two similar white pills because pill’s color is sensitive to luminance intensity. To reduce its luminance-intensity effect, RGB color is converted in term of YUV component because when its luminance intensity is increased, only its Y value is increased but its U and V values are almost constant. Therefore, its U and V values can be directly applied for image recognition. In this report, we propose luminance compensation based on background shadow to compensate luminance-intensity effect in Y value. When its luminance intensity is increased, Y value of background is also increased but Y value of pill shadow is slightly decreased. Therefore, difference between Y value of background and its shadow is effectively applied for luminance compensation. Experimental results confirm an effectiveness of our proposed compensation method.

Keywords: Pill Identification, Shadow background, Luminance compensation, Digital image recognition, YUV

Pages: 40 - 44 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-09

9. ON THE FUTURE OF ENERGY AND RESOURCE SECURITY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: SWOT ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Authors: AHMAD YOUSEF , FARES M. HOWARI , YOUSEF NAZZAL

Abstract: The United Arab Emirates is making notable progress in diversifying its economy through tourism, trade, and manufacturing. However, in the near term, oil, natural gas, and associated industries will continue to account for the majority of economic activity. Rising gas demand from power stations and industrial users such as petrochemical producers and steel manufacturers has turned the UAE into a net gas importer in the past decade, triggering multi-billion dollar investments into nuclear power and renewable energy. This paper looks into the patterns of energy production and consumption in the UAE in the context the changing nature of global energy markets. The paper analyzes current and proposed national energy initiatives, and assesses their impacts on the future of the country. The research considers a wide range of statistics from various sources to highlight the current situation and to predict future scenarios. The study also includes a SWOT analysis of the energy situation in the

Keywords: Energy, resource security, UAE, SWOT analysis

Pages: 45 - 51 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-10

10. ENVIRONMENT ENGINEERING TO MITIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN GOA WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON MINING

Authors: DEBASIS PATNAIK , RONIT DATTA

Abstract: Located on the West coast and spanning 7000 sq. km, Goa is India‟s smallest state by area with nearly 38% of its area is forest. However, it has significant deposits of manganese, bauxite and iron ore. The then Portuguese government handed 700 „mining concessions‟ to allow people to mine the area. Post liberation, the Government of India cancelled these concessions and provided „mining leases‟ under the purview of Indian mining and environmental regulation, in 1987. Despite these measures, the mining industry has grown exponentially – form less than 5 million tonnes in the 1960‟s to more than nearly 60 million tonnes in 2011, after which an inquiry into illegal mining by the Shah commission and a supreme court interim ban on all extraction occurred. In April 2014, the ban has been lifted and an annual cap of 20 million tonnes has been placed (Goa foundation - Sweet Land of Mine, 2009). The main rivers Mandovi and Zuari both flowing into the Arabian sea are navigable by ba

Keywords: ENVIRONMENT, ENGINEERING, MITIGATE, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Pages: 52 - 58 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-38

11. A NOVEL IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF BROMINATED FLANME RETARDANT-- TETRABROMOBISPHENOL A

Authors: BU DAN , ZHUANG HUI SHENG

Abstract: Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a kind of brominated flame retardants widely used in the world. A sensitive and selective competitive indirect biotin-stretavidin amplified emzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (BA-ELISA) for the detection of TBBPA was developed. The limit of detection (IC10) and the inhibition half-maximum concentration (IC50) were 0.027ng/mL and 0.58ng/mL, respectively. Cross-reactivity values of the BA-ELISA with a set of analogues revealed a high selective. Finally, the assay was applied to the analysis of TBBPA in electronic waste samples. The results were agreed well with those of liquid chromatography method, proved that the established immunoassay were accurate and receivable. It is believed that this BA-ELISA method was suitable for rapid and sensitive screening of TBBPA in environmental monitoring.

Keywords: flame retardant, Tetrabromobisphenol A, antigen, polyclonal antibody, immunoassay , biotin-stretavidin amplified system, electronic waste.

Pages: 59 - 63 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-57

12. RECYCLED FARMING TO PREVENT SOIL EROSION AND DEGRADATION

Authors: AASHNA ANAND

Abstract: This paper describe the various issues due to extensive farming as the result of enormous pollution growth with an innovative solution to address the soil erosion and degradation by a€œRecycled Farminga

Keywords: Recycled Farming, Soil Erosion, Soil Degradation, Farming Environmental Problem

Pages: 29 - 33 | DOI: 10.15224/978-1-63248-148-1-07