Abstract: Influence of octane and benzene on plant cell
ultrastructure and enzymes of basic metabolism, such as nitrogen
assimilation and energy generation have been studied. Different
plants: perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and alfalfa (Medicago
sativa); crops- maize (Zea mays L.) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris);
shrubs – privet (Ligustrum sempervirens) and trifoliate orange
(Poncirus trifoliate); trees - poplar (Populus deltoides) and white
mulberry (Morus alba L.) were exposed to hydrocarbons of different
concentrations (1, 10 and 100 mM). Destructive changes in bean and
maize leaves cells ultrastructure under the influence of benzene
vapour were revealed at the level of photosynthetic and energy
generation subcellular organells. Different deviations at the level of
subcellular organelles structure and distribution were observed in
alfalfa and ryegrass root cells under the influence of benzene and
octane, absorbed through roots. The level of destructive changes is
concentration dependent. Benzene at low 1 and 10 mM concentration
caused the increase in glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity in
maize roots and leaves and in poplar and mulberry shoots, though to
higher extent in case of lower, 1mM concentration. The induction
was more intensive in plant roots. The highest tested 100mM
concentration of benzene was inhibitory to the enzyme in all plants.
Octane caused induction of GDH in all grassy plants at all tested
concentrations; however the rate of induction decreased parallel to
increase of the hydrocarbon concentration. Octane at concentration 1
mM caused induction of GDH in privet, trifoliate and white mulberry
shoots. The highest, 100mM octane was characterized by inhibitory
effect to GDH activity in all plants. Octane had inductive effect on
malate dehydrogenase in almost all plants and tested concentrations,
indicating the intensification of Trycarboxylic Acid Cycle.
The data could be suggested for elaboration of criteria for plant
selection for phytoremediation of oil hydrocarbons contaminated
soils.
Abstract: Although in sustainable development field, innovative
solutions have been sought worldwide by environmental groups,
academia, governments and companies for many years, recently,
citizens and communities have emerged as a new group and taken
more and more active role in this field. Many scholars call for more
research on the role of community and community innovation in
sustainable development. This paper is to respond to the calls. In
this paper, we first summarize a comprehensive set of innovation
principles. Then, we do a qualitative cross case study by comparing
three community innovation cases in three different areas of sustainable
development according to the innovation principles. Finally,
we summarize the case comparison and discuss the implications
to sustainable development. A unified role model and innovation
distribution map of community innovation are developed to better
understand community innovation in sustainable development..
Abstract: The distribution, enrichment, and accumulation of zinc
(Zn) in the sediments of Kaohsiung Ocean Disposal Site (KODS),
Taiwan were investigated. Sediment samples from two outer disposal
site stations and nine disposed stations in the KODS were collected per
quarterly in 2009 and characterized for Zn, aluminum, organic matter,
and grain size. Results showed that the mean Zn concentrations varied
from 48 mg/kg to 456 mg/kg. Results from the enrichment factor (EF)
and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) analyses imply that the sediments
collected from the KODS can be characterized between moderate and
moderately severe degree enrichment and between none and none to
medium accumulation of Zn, respectively. However, results of
potential ecological risk index indicate that the sediment has low
ecological potential risk. The EF, Igeo, and Zn concentrations at the
disposed stations were slightly higher than those at outer disposal site.
This indicated that the disposed area centers may be subjected to the
disposal impaction of harbor dredged sediments.
Abstract: The cinema in Turkey during the 1940s was shaped
under the Second World War conditions. The amateur film makers
from different socioeconomic roots experienced movie production in
those years. Having similar socioeconomic characteristics and
autobiographies, each of them has a different understanding of
cinema. Nevertheless, they joined in making movies which address
native culture and audience. They narrated indigenous stories with
native music, amateur players and simple settings. Although the
martial law, censorship and economical deficiencies, they started to
produce films in the Second World War. The cinematographers of the
1940s usually called as thetransition period cinematographers in
Turkey, producing in the passage between the period of thetheatre
playersand the period of thenational cinema. But, 1940- 1950 period
of Turkish cinema should be defined not as a transition but a period
of forming the professional conscioussness in cinema.
Abstract: Understanding the cell's large-scale organization is an
interesting task in computational biology. Thus, protein-protein
interactions can reveal important organization and function of the
cell. Here, we investigated the correspondence between protein
interactions and function for the yeast. We obtained the correlations
among the set of proteins. Then these correlations are clustered using
both the hierarchical and biclustering methods. The detailed analyses
of proteins in each cluster were carried out by making use of their
functional annotations. As a result, we found that some functional
classes appear together in almost all biclusters. On the other hand, in
hierarchical clustering, the dominancy of one functional class is
observed. In brief, from interaction data to function, some correlated
results are noticed about the relationship between interaction and
function which might give clues about the organization of the
proteins.
Abstract: Silver nano-particles have been used for antibacterial
purpose and it is also believed to have removal of odorous compounds,
oxidation capacity as a metal catalyst. In this study, silver
nano-particles in nano sizes (5-30 nm) were prepared on the surface of
NaHCO3, the supporting material, using a sputtering method that
provided high silver content and minimized conglomerating problems
observed in the common AgNO3 photo-deposition method. The silver
nano-particles were dispersed by dissolving Ag-NaHCO3 into water,
and the dispersed silver nano-particles in the aqueous phase were
applied to remove inorganic odor compounds, H2S, in a scrubbing
reactor. Hydrogen sulfide in the gas phase was rapidly removed by the
silver nano-particles, and the concentration of sulfate (SO4
2-) ion
increased with time due to the oxidation reaction by silver as a
catalyst. Consequently, the experimental results demonstrated that the
silver nano-particles in the aqueous solution can be successfully
applied to remove odorous compounds without adding additional
energy sources and producing any harmful byproducts
Abstract: With today's fast lifestyles and busy schedule, nuclear
families are becoming popular. Thus, the elderly members of these
families are often neglected. This has lead to the popularity of the
concept of Community living for the aged. The elders reside at a
centre, which is controlled by the MANAGER. The manager takes
responsibility of the functioning of the centre which includes taking
care of 'residents' at the centre along with managing the daily chores
of the centre, which he accomplishes with the help of a number of
staff members and volunteers Often the Manager is not an employee
but a volunteer. In such cases especially, time is an important
constraint. A system, which provides an easy and efficient manner of
managing the working of an old age home in detail, will prove to be
of great benefit. We have developed a P.C. based organizer used to
monitor the various activities of an old age home. It is an effective
and easy-to-use system which will enable the manager to keep an
account of all the residents, their accounts, staff members, volunteers,
the centre-s logistic requirements etc. It is thus, a comprehensive
'Organizer' for Old Age Homes.
Abstract: The research study evaluated the performance of
irrigation system by using special scientific tools like Remote
Sensing and GIS technology, so that proper measurements could be
taken for the sustainable agriculture and water management.
Different performance evaluation parameters had been calculated for
the purposed data was gathered from field investigation and different
government and private organizations. According to the calculations,
organic matter ranges from 0.19% (low value) to 0.76% (high value).
In flat irrigation system for wheat yield ranges from 3347.16 to
5260.39 kg/ha, while the total water applied to wheat crop ranges
from 252.94 to 279.19 mm and WUE ranges from 13.07 to 18.37
kg/ha/mm. For rice yield ranges from 3347.47 to 5433.07 kg/ha with
total water supplied to rice crop ranges from 764.71 to 978.15 mm
and WUE ranges from 3.49 to 5.71 kg/ha/mm. Similarly, in raised
bed system wheat yield ranges from 4569.13 to 6008.60 kg/ha, total
water supplied ranges from 158.87 to 185.09 mm and WUE ranges
from 27.20 to 33.54 kg/ha/mm while in rice crop, yield ranges from
5285.04 to 6716.69 kg/ha, total water supplied ranges from 600.72 to
755.06 mm and WUE ranges from 6.41 to 10.05 kg/ha/mm. Almost
51.3% water saving is observed in bed irrigation system as compared
to flat system. Less water supplied to beds is more affective as its
WUE value is higher than flat system where more water is supplied
in both the seasons. Similarly, RWS values show that maximum
water deficit while minimum area is getting adequate water supply.
Greater yield is recorded in bed system as plant per square meter is
more in bed system in comparison of flat system Thus, the integration
of GIS tools to regularly compute performance indices could provide
irrigation managers with the means for managing efficiently the
irrigation system.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to identify the practical strategies of R&D (research and development) entities for developing converging technology in organizational context. Based on the multi-assignation technological domains of patents derived from entire government-supported R&D projects for 13 years, we find that technology convergence is likely to occur when a university solely develops technology or when university develops technology as one of the collaborators. These results reflect the important role of universities in developing converging technology
Abstract: The transformation of vocal characteristics aims at
modifying voice such that the intelligibility of aphonic voice is
increased or the voice characteristics of a speaker (source speaker) to
be perceived as if another speaker (target speaker) had uttered it. In
this paper, the current state-of-the-art voice characteristics
transformation methodology is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed
on voice transformation methodology and issues for improving the
transformed speech quality in intelligibility and naturalness are
discussed. In particular, it is suggested to use the modulation theory
of speech as a base for research on high quality voice transformation.
This approach allows one to separate linguistic, expressive, organic
and perspective information of speech, based on an analysis of how
they are fused when speech is produced. Therefore, this theory
provides the fundamentals not only for manipulating non-linguistic,
extra-/paralinguistic and intra-linguistic variables for voice
transformation, but also for paving the way for easily transposing the
existing voice transformation methods to emotion-related voice
quality transformation and speaking style transformation. From the
perspectives of human speech production and perception, the popular
voice transformation techniques are described and classified them
based on the underlying principles either from the speech production
or perception mechanisms or from both. In addition, the advantages
and limitations of voice transformation techniques and the
experimental manipulation of vocal cues are discussed through
examples from past and present research. Finally, a conclusion and
road map are pointed out for more natural voice transformation
algorithms in the future.
Abstract: This paper explores gender related barriers to interagency collaboration in statutory children safeguard partnerships against a theoretical framework that considers individuals, professions and organisations interacting as part of a complex adaptive system. We argue that gender-framed obstacles to effective communication between culturally discrepant agencies can ultimately impact on the effectiveness of policy delivery,. We focused our research on three partnership structures in Sefton Metropolitan Borough in order to observe how interactions occur, whether the agencies involved perceive their occupational environment as being gender affected and whether they believe this can hinder effective collaboration with other biased organisations. Our principal empirical findings indicate that there is a general awareness amongst professionals of the role that gender plays in each of the agencies reviewed, that gender may well constitute a barrier to effective communication, but there is a sense in which there is little scope for change in the short term. We aim to signal here, however, the need to change against the risk of service failure.
Abstract: Many experimental results suggest that more precise
spike timing is significant in neural information processing. We
construct a self-organization model using the spatiotemporal patterns,
where Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) tunes the
conduction delays between neurons. We show that the fluctuation of
conduction delays causes globally continuous and locally distributed
firing patterns through the self-organization.
Abstract: Sharing motivations of viral advertisements by
consumers and the impacts of these advertisements on the
perceptions for brand will be questioned in this study. Three
fundamental questions are answered in the study. These are
advertisement watching and sharing motivations of individuals,
criteria of liking viral advertisement and the impact of individual
attitudes for viral advertisement on brand perception respectively.
This study will be carried out via a viral advertisement which was
practiced in Turkey. The data will be collected by survey method and
the sample of the study consists of individuals who experienced the
practice of sample advertisement. Data will be collected by online
survey method and will be analyzed by using SPSS statistical
package program.
Recently traditional advertisement mind have been changing. New
advertising approaches which have significant impacts on consumers
have been argued. Viral advertising is a modernist advertisement
mind which offers significant advantages to brands apart from
traditional advertising channels such as television, radio and
magazines. Viral advertising also known as Electronic Word-of-
Mouth (eWOM) consists of free spread of convincing messages sent
by brands among interpersonal communication. When compared to
the traditional advertising, a more provocative thematic approach is
argued.
The foundation of this approach is to create advertisements that
are worth sharing with others by consumers. When that fact is taken
into consideration, in a manner of speaking it can also be stated that
viral advertising is media engineering.
The content worth sharing makes people being a volunteer
spokesman of a brand and strengthens the emotional bonds among
brand and consumer. Especially for some sectors in countries which
are having traditional advertising channel limitations, viral
advertising creates vital advantages.
Abstract: Trihalomethanes (THMs) were among the first
disinfection byproducts to be discovered in chlorinated water. The
substances form during a reaction between chlorine and organic
matter in the water. Trihalomethanes are suspected to have negative
effects on birth such as, low birth weight, intrauterine growth
retardation in term births, as well as gestational age and preterm
delivery. There are also some evidences showing these by-products to
be mutagenic and carcinogenic, the greatest amount of evidence being
related to the bladder cancer. However, there exist inconsistencies
regarding such effects of THMs as different studies have provided
different results in this regard. The aim of the present study is to
provide a review of the related researches about the above mentioned
health effects of THMs.
Abstract: The prevalence of non organic constipation differs
from country to country and the reliability of the estimate rates is
uncertain. Moreover, the clinical relevance of subdividing the
heterogeneous functional constipation disorders into pre-defined
subgroups is largely unknown.. Aim: to estimate the prevalence of
constipation in a population-based sample and determine whether
clinical subgroups can be identified. An age and gender stratified
sample population from 5 Italian cities was evaluated using a
previously validated questionnaire. Data mining by cluster analysis
was used to determine constipation subgroups. Results: 1,500
complete interviews were obtained from 2,083 contacted households
(72%). Self-reported constipation correlated poorly with symptombased
constipation found in 496 subjects (33.1%). Cluster analysis
identified four constipation subgroups which correlated to subgroups
identified according to pre-defined symptom criteria. Significant
differences in socio-demographics and lifestyle were observed
among subgroups.
Abstract: This work deals with unsupervised image deblurring.
We present a new deblurring procedure on images provided by lowresolution
synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or simply by multimedia in
presence of multiplicative (speckle) or additive noise, respectively.
The method we propose is defined as a two-step process. First, we
use an original technique for noise reduction in wavelet domain.
Then, the learning of a Kohonen self-organizing map (SOM) is
performed directly on the denoised image to take out it the blur. This
technique has been successfully applied to real SAR images, and the
simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of
the proposed algorithms.
Abstract: Diagnosis can be achieved by building a model of a
certain organ under surveillance and comparing it with the real time
physiological measurements taken from the patient. This paper deals
with the presentation of the benefits of using Data Mining techniques
in the computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), focusing on the cancer
detection, in order to help doctors to make optimal decisions quickly
and accurately. In the field of the noninvasive diagnosis techniques,
the endoscopic ultrasound elastography (EUSE) is a recent elasticity
imaging technique, allowing characterizing the difference between
malignant and benign tumors. Digitalizing and summarizing the main
EUSE sample movies features in a vector form concern with the use
of the exploratory data analysis (EDA). Neural networks are then
trained on the corresponding EUSE sample movies vector input in
such a way that these intelligent systems are able to offer a very
precise and objective diagnosis, discriminating between benign and
malignant tumors. A concrete application of these Data Mining
techniques illustrates the suitability and the reliability of this
methodology in CAD.
Abstract: Tourism and coastal lines are the business sectors
since centuries especially in the European Nations and Albania is one
such spots. However, in recent decades tourism is experienced as
vulnerability of the surrounding ecological conditions of air, soil,
water, land and the communities that are dependant and sharing the
ecosystem among flora and fauna. Experts opine that apart from the
maintenance of near-originality of ecological biodiversity the tourism
rather known as ecotourism an indigenous socio-cultural
maintenance of indigenous/traditional knowledge of the local people
must be well cared in order to sustain on sustainable grounds. As a
general tendency, growth of tourism has been affected by the deterioration in the economic conditions on one aspect and unsustainable ecological areas affected since human interventions
earlier to this has negative impact on futuristic tourist spots. However, tourism in Albania as of now is 11% of GDP and coastal regions accounting to 2-4%. An amicable Mediterranean
climate with 300 sunny days similar parameters of Greece and Spain
throws up sustainable ecotourism in future decades provided public services namely, transportation, road safety, lodging, food
availability, recreational regiments, banking accessibility are as per
the World Tourism Organizations- protocols. Thus as of Albanian
situation, classification of ecotourism activities to safe-guard the localities with its maintenance of ecological land, water and climate
has become a paramount importance with a wanting and satisfactory options through harnessing human energy for profit and fitness of
ecological flora and fauna. A check on anthropogenic wastes and
their safer utilizations inclusive of agricultural and industrial
operations in line with Lalzi Bay Coastal Line are of utmost importance for the reason that the Adriatic Sea Coast is the one long
stretch of Albanian Lifeline. The present work is based on the methodology of the sustainable management of the same issue.
Abstract: The atmospheric pressure plasma torch with a direct
current arc discharge stabilized by water vapor vortex was
experimentally investigated. Overheated up to 450K water vapor was
used as plasma forming gas. Plasma torch design is one of the most
important factors leading to a stable operation of the device. The
electrical and thermal characteristics of the plasma torch were
determined during the experimental investigations. The design and
the basic characteristics of the water vapor plasma torch are presented
in the paper.
Plasma torches with the electric arc stabilized by water vapor
vortex provide special performance characteristics in some plasma
processing applications such as thermal plasma neutralization and
destruction of organic wastes enabling to extract high caloric value
synthesis gas as by-product of the process. Syngas could be used as a
surrogate fuel partly replacing the dependence on the fossil fuels or
used as a feedstock for hydrogen, methanol production.
Abstract: Many IT projects come to failure because of having
technical approach, focusing on the final product and lack of proper
attention to strategic alignment. Project management models quite
often have technical management view [4], [8], [13], [14]. These
models focus greatly on the finalization of the project product and the
delivery of the product to the customer. However, many project
problems are due to lack of attention to the needs and capabilities of
the organizations or disregarding how to deploy and use the product
in the organization. In this regard, in the current research we are
trying to present a solution with the purpose of raising the value of
the project in an organization. This way, the project outputs will be
properly deployed in the organization. Therefore, a comprehensive
model is presented which takes into account the whole processes
from initial step of project definition to the deployment of the final
outputs in the organization and then the definition of all roles and
responsibilities to put the model into practice. Taking into account
the opinions of experts and project managers, to prove the
performance of the model, the project problems were recognized and
based on the model, categorized and analyzed. And at the end it is
made clear that ignoring the proper definition of the project and not
having a proper understanding of the expected value on the one hand
and not supervising the emerged value in the process of production
and installment are among the most important factors that bring a
project to failure.