Computer Engineering
ISSN: 10003428
Volume 13, Issue 5, 2024
Research Articles
Neuroprotection and Side Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Review
Pages: 1–5
Abstract
Citation
Proton pump inhibitors [PPIs] are extensively used drugs for various indications. They are not approved for long term use by regulatory authorities. PPIs are also available as over the counter drugs which can lead to their inappropriate use. Amongst the adverse drug reactions [ADRs] of PPIs, dementia and Alzheimers disease [AD] are the recent ones. Inappropriate long term use of PPIs can lead to serious ADRs like myocardial infarction, nephropathy along with dementia. The possible mechanisms for PPIs induced dementia and AD are endothelial dysfunction, its aging and senescence. Effect on lysosomal function and proteostasis, shortening of telomere length, and inhibition of vacuolar ATPases [V-ATPases] of microglial lysosomal membrane also contribute for this pathology. Increased generation of beta amyloid [Aβ] peptide by inverse gama secretase modulation and augmentation of beta secretase are responsible for the generation and accumulation of Aβ along with its decreased degradation as a result of inhibition of V-ATPases in the microglia. Vitamin B 12 absorption is decreased due to long term use of PPIs. This also contributes for nerve damage as a result of impaired DNA synthesis, methylation and homocysteine neurotoxicity along with cognition impairment. Seizure like condition can be the result of hypomagnesemia induced by long term PPIs use. Thus long term, inappropriate use of PPIs invite serious and life threatening conditions which need to be kept in mind by the clinician before prescribing them.
Rohan K. Desai, Aishwarya S. Patel, Rakesh S. Kulkarni, and Nalini S. Shetty. "Neuroprotection and Side Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Review." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1–5, 2024.
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Enhancing Engineering Education through Industry Integration
Pages: 6–15
Abstract
Citation
The postgraduate professional practice module at University College London (UCL) has been designed with a range of guest speakers to equip research students for the challenges of the 4th industrial revolution (“Industry 4.0”). This module supports the teaching of software engineering research students within the Department of Computer Science. The focus of the academic lectures are project management skills; providing an understanding of teamwork and leadership, and an appreciation of the importance of ethics, inclusion and diversity. The teaching is aligned with the aims of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) to foster inclusion and sustainability. The industry guest speakers cover a range of topics including: IoT, cloud computing, microservice architecture, security, and cognitive computing. The module currently integrates guest talks from Fujitsu and HSBC covering quantum technologies; microservice architecture and cloud-native development, HPC cloud provision, GDPR, and sustainability from RedHat, Form3, NGINX, and Verne Global. Detailed coverage of: distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) from Digital Asset; team organisation from ThoughtWorks; and cognitive computing, data architectures, and engineering trends from Instana, NetApp, and IBM. It was a considerable challenge to integrate these guest speaker talks with academic lectures, so that the module was delivered in a logical sequence. Without studentgenerated material and surveys to gauge the extent of understanding before each topic is covered, it would have been far more difficult to deliver this short module. Student feedback indicates that guest lectures help prepare them for their research projects and discussions following talks provide a valuable opportunity for professional-instrumental networking.
Emily J. Rodriguez and Julian A. Thompson. "Enhancing Engineering Education through Industry Integration." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 6–15, 2024.
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Development and Implementation of Real-Time Dynamic Simulation for Gas Turbine Systems in MATLAB/Simulink Environment
Pages: 16–32
Abstract
Citation
: Dynamic simulation of turbomachinery by Hardware in the Loop (HIL) real-time systems has become an essential practice, due to the high cost of real equipment testing and the need to verify the control and diagnostic systems’ reaction to emergency situations. The authors developed a full model of a power generation Gas Turbine Plant, including liquid and gaseous auxiliaries, and the electrical generator and starter motor, integrated in a MATLAB®/Simulink® simulation suite: TGSimPlus™. This allows assembling models of various gas turbine (GT) architectures by customised Simulink® library blocks and simulating steady state and transient conditions, such as complete start-up and shutdown operations as well as emergency, contingent operations and artificially injected fault scenarios. The model solver runs real-time steps at milliseconds scale. The paper describes the main modelling characteristics and typical results of steady state and transient simulations of a heavy-duty gas turbine under development by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction (Changwon, South Korea). Comparison with benchmark design simulations obtained by a reference non real-time software shows a good match between the two environments, duly taking into account some differences in the GT models setting affecting parts of the sequence. The paper discusses also the bleed streams warm-up influence on GT performance and the start-up states trajectories dependency on control logic and on the starter helper motor torque envelope.
Alessandro Bianchi, Luca Fabbri, and Federica Rizzo. "Development and Implementation of Real-Time Dynamic Simulation for Gas Turbine Systems in MATLAB/Simulink Environment." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 16–32, 2024.
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A Computational Framework for Personalized Clinical Decision Support in Coronary Artery Disease Management
Pages: 33–36
Abstract
Citation
— SMARTool aims to the development of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for the management and stratification of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This will be achieved by performing computational modeling of the main processes of atherosclerotic plaque growth. More specifically, computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is acquired and 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction is performed for the arterial trees. Then, blood flow and plaque growth modeling is employed simulating the major processes of atherosclerosis, such as the lipids transportation, low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, macrophages migration and plaque development. The plaque growth model integrates information from genetic and biological data of the patients. The SMARTool system enables also the calculation of the virtual functional assessment index (vFAI), an index equivalent to the invasively measured fractional flow reserve (FFR), to provide decision support for patients with stenosed arteries. Finally, it integrates modeling of stent deployment. In this work preliminary results are presented. More specifically, the reconstruction methodology has mean value of Dice Coefficient and Hausdorff Distance is 0.749 and 1.746, respectively, while low ESS and high LDL concentration can predict plaque progression.
reconstruction of coronary arteries. However, CTCA is the. "A Computational Framework for Personalized Clinical Decision Support in Coronary Artery Disease Management." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 33–36, 2024.
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Sustainability and Community Engagement in Building Projects
Pages: 37–57
Abstract
Citation
This study examines local communities’ lived experiences and organizations’ care-giving processes regarding four oil and gas projects deployed in three countries. Analyzing the empirical data through the lens of ethics of care reveals that, together with mature justice, the inclination to care conceived at the focal organization creates an ethical culture encouraging caring activities by individuals at the local level. Through close communications with communities, project decision makers at the local level recognize the demanded care of local communities and develop organizations’ caring capacity. The empirical analysis revealed that the care-giving process can also be influenced by the power dynamics of the network of stakeholders. This research emphasizes on the success of a bottom-up approach in caring for local communities, and sheds light on the capability of large organizations in giving care to their distal stakeholders by adopting this approach. Furthermore, it indicates that justice and care both have some useful characteristics and are complementary but, most importantly, are socially constructed and not mutually exclusive. Keywords Local communities · Ethics of care · Ethic of justice · Stakeholder theory · Community development project · Enriched stakeholders
Amira Z. Alsaleh and Leila E. Khalid. "Sustainability and Community Engagement in Building Projects." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 37–57, 2024.
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The Cultural Significance of the Cypress Forest of Fontegreca (Southern Italy): A Historical and Contemporary Analysis
Pages: 58–81
Abstract
Citation
: The cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is characterized by a very ancient history linked to the wide employment for the technological properties of its wood and for its symbolic value. Although this tree was often considered as a species introduced in Italy, the first genetic studies showed, instead, the presence of an autochthonous population of C. sempervirens in the forest of Fontegreca (Matese massif, Southern Italy), which constitutes the unique autochthonous cypress woodland present in Southwestern and Western Europe. Therefore, investigations were carried out in selected (using geomorphological criteria) areas of the forest, through soil chemical analysis, identification and 14C dating of soil charcoals. Indeed, we hypothesize that these analyses allow clarifying the history of this woodland characterized by the dominance of the cypress in the forest cover. Areas at medium-low (17–29◦) slope gradient on the eastern and southern slopes of the forest were investigated and sampled, following pedological criteria (soil horizons order). Soil morphological and chemical analysis showed humus-rich surface horizons, thin (15–30 cm) and poorly developed (young) soils, overlapping the bedrock limestones. The first soil charcoal analysis data highlighted the presence of a previous landscape characterized by several species (e.g., Pistacia, Ostrya carpinifolia, Juniperus sp. and Pinus sp.) and, probably, by a different forest structure. Ongoing charcoal identification and 14C dating will likely give a better understanding of both (1) the cypress history and (2) the development of this forest landscape.
Francesca Bianchi, Elisabetta Rizzo, Giovanni Battista De Santis, Valentina La Russa,. "The Cultural Significance of the Cypress Forest of Fontegreca (Southern Italy): A Historical and Contemporary Analysis." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 58–81, 2024.
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Investigation of Numerical Robustness and Dispersion Characteristics in Partition of Unity Finite Element Method for Helmholtz Equation Solutions
Pages: 82–117
Abstract
Citation
The Partition of Unity Finite Element Method (PUFEM) has been widely used for the numerical simulation of the Helmholtz equation in different physical settings. In fact, it is a numerical pollution-free alternative method to the classical piecewise polynomial-based finite element methods. Taking into account a plane wave enrichment of the piecewise linear finite element method, the main goal of this work is focused on the derivation of the numerical dispersion relation and the robustness analysis of the PUFEM discretization when a spurious perturbation is presented in the wave number value used in the enrichment definition. From the one- dimensional Helmholtz equation, the discrete wave number is estimated based on a Bloch’s wave analysis and a priori error estimates are computed explicitly in terms of the mesh size, the wave number, and the perturbation value.
Maria J. Rodriguez-Alvarez, Sofia M. Sanchez-Castro. "Investigation of Numerical Robustness and Dispersion Characteristics in Partition of Unity Finite Element Method for Helmholtz Equation Solutions." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 82–117, 2024.
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Communication Strategies in the English Classroom: A Case Study of Junior High School Teachers
Pages: 118–126
Abstract
Citation
Communication takes a big role in the teaching and learning process. Communication Strategies act as a tool for solving communication problems. The teachers need to use strategies in communicating to keep conversations with both teachers and students. This research aimed at investigating the type of Communications Strategies (CSs) used by Junior High School English teacher. The data was classified into thirteen strategies based on Dornyei taxonomy. The subjects were two English teachers in the academic year of 2018/2019. This research was descriptive qualitative and the data was collected by observation, interview, and documentation. The results showed that there were five types of Communication Strategies (CSs) found in teaching and learning process used by junior high school English teachers. English teachers used non-linguistic means, code-switching, prefabricated, appeal for help and stalling or time gaining. The use of nonlinguistic means was a strategy most often used by the teachers. This is since students still have less knowledge of English. The teachers were expected to use and choose the best strategies to overcome the communication problem in the classroom.
Muhammad Ridwan Alatas & Nurhayati Hamid. "Communication Strategies in the English Classroom: A Case Study of Junior High School Teachers." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 118–126, 2024.
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A Novel Mixed-Mode Second-Generation Voltage Conveyor Based First- Order All-Pass Filter
Pages: 127–135
Abstract
Citation
: A new plus-type second-generation voltage conveyor (VCII+) based first-order mixed-mode (MM) all- pass (AP) filter is proposed in this study. The proposed MM AP filter employs two VCII+s, three resistors and one grounded capacitor. It has low input and high output impedances for the current-mode selection while it has low input and low output impedances for the transimpedance-mode selection. The AP filter gain is unity for the current output while it is adjustable for the voltage output via a grounded resistor. However, a single passive component matching condition is needed for the proposed MM AP filter. Complete non-ideal analysis by taking into account all the parasitic resistors and non-ideal gains of the VCII+ is performed. The presented theory is verified through SPICE simulations by using supply voltage of ± 0.9 V and 0.18 μm Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology parameters. Nomenclature VDD positive supply voltage VSS negative supply voltage VB bias voltage β non-ideal current gain η non-ideal current gain α non-ideal voltage gain rx1 parallel parasitic resistor at the X1 terminal rx2 parallel parasitic resistor at the X2 terminal ry series parasitic resistor at the Y terminal rz series parasitic resistor at the Z terminal fo pole frequency ωo angular pole frequency φ phase angle R resistor C capacitor
Dr. Andrew Zisserman. "A Novel Mixed-Mode Second-Generation Voltage Conveyor Based First- Order All-Pass Filter." Computer Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 127–135, 2024.
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