Multi-Frequency Broadband Vibration Mitigation of a Beam Under Tensile Load

The vibration characterization is directly associated with the system’s physical properties, such as mass, damping, and stiffness. For over a century, vibration resonator or dynamic absorber has been used for vibration control and mitigation in many sectors of engineering. A limitation of this device is that it acts as a notch filter, which is only effective over a narrow band of frequencies. Therefore, researchers have designed the call metamaterial, which in this case, targets the improvement of vibration attenuation and induces locally resonant bandgaps. This work investigates the broadband vibration mitigation of a beam under tensile load with periodically attached dynamic absorbers. The study uses the modal analysis approach, a simple formulation that only depends on the resonator target frequency and total mass ratio to investigate single and multiple-frequency bandgap formation. Metamaterial and rainbow metamaterial beam under tensile load are employed to widen the gap. In practical designs, a finite number of resonators is required for the open bandgap, and this ideal number is explored in the paper. Additionally, a tensiled beam (cable) virtual twin is built from a physical system to forecast its broadband vibration mitigation with the metamaterial approach. Numerical investigations are conducted regarding the effects of mass ratio and the ideal mass ratio on the open and on the gap convergence, as well as resonators in single and multiple arrangements inducing multiple gaps.

Population structure and genetic diversity in sweet cassava accessions from South of Brazil

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a crop of high socioeconomic importance for several tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is mainly present in small cultivated areas that unintentionally guard a large part of the species' germplasm. The present work aimed to evaluate the population structure and genetic diversity of 156 traditional sweet cassava accessions from the Western of Paraná and Midwestern regions of Santa Catarina using 29 microsatellite molecular markers. All loci included were considered polymorphic, ranging from 3.00 to 7.00, with an average of 3.93 alleles per locus, and the average value of heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.6185. The polymorphism information content (PIC) presented an amplitude that varied from 0.4887 (GA134) to 0.7041 (GA131), with an average of 0.6130, while the genetic diversity ranged from 0.5688 (GA134) to 0.7424 (GA131), with an average of 0.6751. Analysis of the population structure based on the 29 microsatellite loci demonstrate that the accessions can be separated into two distinct subpopulations - in Santa Catarina and Paraná - with some mixtures observed according to Delta K = 2 groups. The ideal number of groups was found at K = 3, a level in which accessions from Santa Catarina were divided into two subpopulations and accessions from Paraná were grouped into a unique subpopulation. The genetic variability found among the traditional sweet cassava cultivars evaluated was considered wide, and the most dissimilar groups were mostly the accessions from Toledo and Santa Catarina states, constituting a source of genes for the sweet cassava breeding programs and for the development of new sweet cassava cultivars.

Working Woman Orientations for Fixing the Ideal Number of Family Members – A field study applied on sample of women working in Riyadh city –: العوامل المؤثرة على اتجاهات المرأة العاملة نحو تحديد الحجم الأمثل للأسرة – دراسة ميدانية مطبقة على عينة من النساء العاملات في مدينة الرياض –

This study is considered one of the descriptive studies that seeks to identify the attitudes of working women towards determining the optimal size of the family. It also uses the social survey method in the sampling method, through the use of a random sample for a group of female employees in a number of schools affiliated with the Supervision Office in the south of Riyadh. The sample size was 152 female employees from all schools. The researcher used a tool (questionnaire) to collect data as a tool consistent with the nature of the method used. From the results of the study, it was found that the average optimal number for both males and females is (3) children. It was also found that there is some agreement among the study sample on the social and economic factors affecting the size of the family.

Procreational Desires and Their Realization: A Study of Target Groups with Parents

Scientific research has shown that the procreational intentions and the actual number of children born may not coincide (Lutz 2020; Stankūnienė et al 2013; Testa 2013). Although the most common ideal number of children in European Union is two, not a single country has the total fertility rate of two (Beaujoun ir Sobotka 2014). The aim of current research is, first, to ascertain what procreational desires people have and, second, to shed some light on possible factors that influence the realization of those procreational desires. Three focus group discussions were conducted with parents 26 – 44 years of age (ten participants in total). It was found out that the procreational desires are not static and early determined: they change depending on the circumstances of the family creation, self-realisation in one‘s occupation and the reconciliation of the procreational desires of the partners. In accordance to other studies on the topic of procreational desires and their fulfillment, the results of this study demonstrate that the common obstacles that arise while trying to realize one‘s procreational desires are of social, financial and medical nature. Also, the results show that state support for families may have an impact on the number of children a family has if the family has been enduring some financial difficulties.

The Perspective of the Oncology Health Care Professionals on Educational Conferences

BACKGROUND: Continuous education is vital to update the knowledge of the health care professionals (HCPs) engaged in cancer management. We aim to explore the perspective of the oncology HCPs on oncology conferences. METHODS: A questionnaire was handed to the delegates and faculty of an oncology educational scientific conference in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The questionnaire explored the perspective on the ideal number, duration and the educational value of such conferences. RESULTS: Medical oncologists represented 70.5% of the 78 responders. All responders attended oncology conferences in the preceding year with 24.4% have attended >9 conferences. The educational value of these conferences was rated 7.98/10. Two thirds are satisfied with the frequency of conducted event or desire more. Short (half to one day) meetings are preferred by 66.67% and the mean number of optimum educational events is 5.7 per year. Educational events were highly valued (score ≥ 8/10) as venues to meet colleagues. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the current frequency and scientific value of oncology conferences and educational events are satisfactory to the majority of the relevant HCPs in the KSA. More CME events of up to one day in duration seem to be desired.

Determinants of desire for more children among women in Ethiopia

Background Desire for more children has an impact on couple’s fertility behaviors. It can be a precursor of actual fertility performance. However, the desire for more children is declining over time in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identifying the determinants of the desire for more children among women in Ethiopia. Methods The 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data were used for the analysis. The sample consisted of 15,683 women. The binary logistic regression model was used to assess the determinants of desire for more children among women in Ethiopia. The results are presented as crude odds ratios (COR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) together with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results No education (having no formal education) (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.61–2.13), attained primary education (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.43–1.83), age at first marriage 10–19 years (AOR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.27–2.54), Orthodox religion (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.19), Catholic religion (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.17–3.97), Muslim religion (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.15–2.50), living in Amhara (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.18–1.78), Oromia (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.73–2.54), Benishangul (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.01–1.45), SNNPR (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.05–1.60), Gambela (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.02–1.57), Harari (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.82–2.76), ideal number of children four or fewer (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.42–0.53), number of living children four or fewer (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.90–2.37), and not use of contraceptives (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.35–1.68) were associated with a higher desire for more children. Conclusion This finding showed that the age of women, educational level, age at first marriage, religion, region, occupation, ideal number of children, number of living children, and use of contraceptives were significant determinants of desire for more children. Therefore, it is important to adopt programs to encourage the desire for more children, implement policies in an attempt to increase the total fertility rate in Ethiopia ought to critically consider these factors. Moreover, continuous education and knowledge on reproductive health will help for better fertility behaviour for the women.

Tourist Attractions Visitor Density Monitoring Platform

Tourism is one of the sectors that have been hit hard during the current Covid-19 pandemic. However, in 2021 the tourism sector is slowly rising marked by the number of tourist attractions that are starting to open to the public with the implementation of strict health protocols. However, in practice there are still many cases of violations of health protocols in various tourist attractions, ranging from the undisciplined use of masks, not keeping a distance (social distancing), and the absence of setting the ideal number of visitors during a pandemic like the current one. Managers of tourist attractions tend to ignore restrictions on the number of visitors due to the absence of an management system to run. There needs to be an application that can inform the condition of visitors to tourist attractions in real-time so that people have self-awareness of their personal health so that people can make early plans before traveling. In good governance, this application contributes to controlling the risk of Covid-19 transmission originating from crowded centers (tourist spots). The government can easily monitor the distribution of tourist visitor density in the area so that it can then be used as a basis for carrying out policies and handling in the field. This study proposes the development of an application platform (software and hardware) monitoring the density of visitors to tourist attractions using the concept of object detection based on image processing and deep learning. The integration of hardware with web-based software will provide information on the density of visitors to tourist attractions that are easily accessible to the public so that they are expected to contribute to the handling of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Ppia is the most stable housekeeping gene for qRT-PCR normalization in kidneys of three Pkd1-deficient mouse models

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited renal disorder, characterized by renal cyst development leading to end-stage renal disease. Although the appropriate choice of suitable reference is critical for quantitative RNA analysis, no comparison of frequently used “housekeeping” genes is available. Here, we determined the validity of 7 candidate housekeeping genes (Actb, Actg1, B2m, Gapdh, Hprt, Pgam1 and Ppia) in kidney tissues from mouse models orthologous to ADPKD, including a cystic mice (CY) 10–12 weeks old (Pkd1flox/flox:Nestincre/Pkd1flox/−:Nestincre, n = 10) and non-cystic (NC) controls (Pkd1flox/flox/Pkd1flox/-, n = 10), Pkd1-haploinsufficient (HT) mice (Pkd1+/−, n = 6) and wild-type (WT) controls (Pkd1+/+, n = 6) and a severely cystic (SC) mice 15 days old (Pkd1V/V, n = 7) and their controls (CO, n = 5). Gene expression data were analyzed using six distinct statistical softwares. The estimation of the ideal number of genes suggested the use of Ppia alone as sufficient, although not ideal, to analyze groups altogether. Actb, Hprt and Ppia expression profiles were correlated in all samples. Ppia was identified as the most stable housekeeping gene, while Gapdh was the least stable for all kidney samples. Stat3 expression level was consistent with upregulation in SC compared to CO when normalized by Ppia expression. In conclusion, present findings identified Ppia as the best housekeeping gene for CY + NC and SC + CO groups, while Hprt was the best for the HT + WT group.

Social contexts of fertility desire among non-childbearing young men and women aged 15–24 years in Nigeria

Background Reduction in ideal number of children has been suggested as a necessary precursor for fertility decline especially in high fertility countries of Western and Central Africa. In this study, we explored the social contexts of fertility desires by documenting the effects of individual, household as well as contextual characteristics among young men and women in Nigeria. Methods Data source was the male and female recode file of 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Analytical sample comprised 2674 males and 9637 females aged 15–24 years. The main outcome variable was desire for large family size (DLFS) defined as ideal number of children greater than four. Analysis involved use of descriptive statistics and random-effect logit models fitted in four stages. Results DLFS was 71% among young men and 53% in women. Individual-level factors associated with DLFS among men includes Islam religion (OR = 3.95, CI 2.68–5.83), household size (OR = 1.05) and richer (OR = 0.47, CI 0.29–0.75) or richest wealth index (OR = 0.28, CI 0.16–0.75). Geo-political region and high level of negative attitude to family planning (OR = 1.72, CI 1.23–2.40) were the main contextual factors associated with DLFS. For women, individual-level correlates were education, religion, ethnicity, marital status, household size, and wealth index. Contextual factors include geo-political region, community education (OR = 0.68, CI 0.52–0.89), child mortality experience (OR = 1.29, CI 1.11–1.51) and negative attitude to family planning (OR = 1.36, CI 1.13–1.65). The influence of religion, household wealth and attitude to family planning differ between young men and women. Conclusion Active communication and programmatic interventions are needed so that desire for large family size by young men and women do not become a clog for fertility transition in Nigeria.

A Review of Solidity and Rotor Size Effects on Water-Pumping Windmills

The windmill is one of the important applications of wind energy and it is one of the best and the easiest ways to manipulate this wind power and use it for water pumping. The best feature of windmills is their high solidity, which gives high torque at the starting. Therefore, they will be able to lunch at low wind speeds like 2 m/s which gives a great possibility of utilizing, especially in the agricultural countries. This feature has been the focus of attention of researchers and developers over the long years. There are several factors affected by it, the most prominent of which is the number of blades and the diameter of the rotor. Some researchers have tested with different models of different diameters and others did on different numbers of blades. The challenge is how to find a model with an ideal number of blades and diameter that can give us the highest torque value under low wind conditions. In this paper, the multi-bladed horizontal axis wind turbines, which are used for water pumping, are discussed. Besides, the literature review is described, which presented the basic design requirements for windmill rotors as solidity, diameter, and tip speed ratio, also information given about materials that used in manufacture. The investigations of this paper are focused on the effect of the number of blades to reach the main goal and the best performance at located wind speeds.