Chemical Synthesis of Nano-Sized particles of Lead Oxide and their Characterization Studies

The quantum dots of semiconductor display novel and interesting phenomena that have not been in the bulk material. The color tunability is one of the most attractive characteristics in II-VI semiconductor nanoparticles such as CdS, ZnS, CdSe, ZnSe and PbO. In this work, the semiconductor lead oxide nanoparticles are prepared by chemical method. The average particle size, specific surface area, crystallinity index are estimated from XRD analysis. The structural, functional groups and optical characters are analyzed with using of SEM, FTIR and UV- Visible techniques. The optical band gap value has also been determined.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Enhancing Remote Sensing for Agriculture Using Small Unmanned Aerial Systems: San Diego, CA, as a Test Case

The development of small Global Positioning System (GPS) antennas and microprocessors has propelled the advancement of affordable Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUASs), which will dramatically expand the remote sensing field, making timely, high-resolution imagery readily available. The low cost and simple operation of SUASs makes them an attractive option for agriculture. Flying a SUAS 400 ft above ground level (AGL) in a flight path that allows for significant image overlap can yield sub- 5cm resolution imagery, which in turn can be mosaicked and used for multispectral imagery analysis. With results rivaling the most advanced commercial imaging sensors, SUASs can be used to identify stressed vegetation and aid in decision making that ultimately leads to more efficient farming practices and consistent yields. Furthermore, minimal operating costs promote reduced revisit times and enable persistent collection to monitor changes over time

EVALUATION OF PUBLIC INTERVENTIONS IN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT: DEVELOPING GENERALIZABLE KNOWLEDGE FROM CASE STUDIES

Purpose: There is a growing need expressed to view public interventions not only through their effects but also to consider how those effects are produced. The problem is that we live in a complex world which is characterised by feedback loops, adaptation by both- those delivering and those receiving the intervention. Case study approach which has the explanatory power does not necessary have to serve for one-off, discrete evaluation. The aim of this article is to confront the dilemma of developing generalizable knowledge from case study research and on the basis of the extant literature suggest approaches to enhance its external validity to enable the middle-ranged theories formulation.Methodology: To this end, the literature review has been carried out to identify techniques that can be used to enhance external validity of case study, as well as the review of evaluation reports from the Science and Innovation Policy Evaluations Repository (SIPER) to examine the evaluation practice from the point of view of case study utilisation.Findings: Case study approach is in the position to play an instrumental role in evaluation oriented on learning. Context and human agency matter but they are difficult to capture by other approaches such as (quasi-) experimental designs. Although evaluators often resort to case studies, their full potential is not being exploited.Originality/value: The paper makes a contribution in the debate on how to increase the effectiveness of public policy instruments through greater use of case studies. It departs from traditional thinking about evaluation as a way of arriving at universal laws that apply anywhere, anytime. Instead, the significance of middle-range theories for practice is acknowledged

A new approach to policy evaluation in the Europe Union

Znacząca rola Unii Europejskiej w rozpowszechnianiu ewaluacji w Europie jest ogólnie uznana (Stern, 2009). Chociaż ewaluacja ma długoletnią tradycję w Unii, a zwłaszcza w Komisji Europejskiej, w ostatnich latach można zaobserwować proces jej ekspansji, dywersyfikacji i instytucjonalizacji. Celem artykułu jest zbadanie nowych rozwiązań w dziedzinie polityki ewaluacyjnej w Unii Europejskiej, którą można scharakteryzować między innymi, wzmocnieniem powiązań między oceną wpływu ex ante i ex post, zamykając tym samym cykl polityki, w którym wnioski z ewaluacji ex post przekładają się na ocenę nowych przedsięwzięć publicznych. Stąd też, w artykule poruszony został problem wykorzystania wyników ewaluacji. Zakres ewaluacji również został rozszerzony i obejmuje nie tylko instrumenty związane z wydatkowaniem środków finansowych, ale także instrumenty regulacyjne. Ponadto, ewaluacji podlegają nie tylko pojedyncze programy czy projekty, ale polityki i grupy powiązanych ze sobą działań. W tym celu dokonano przeglądu literatury i dokumentów w dziedzinie teorii i praktyki ewaluacyjnej, w tym analizy przepisów prawnych regulujących praktykę ewaluacyjną w Unii Europejskiej.The significant role of the European Union in diffusion of evaluation in Europe is widely acknowledged (Stern, 2009). Although evaluation has a long-standing tradition in the EU, and in particular within the European Commission, in recent years one can observe the process of its expansion, diversification and institutionalisation. The aim of the paper is to explore the new developments in evaluation policy in the EU, which can be characterised, among others, by strengthening the links between ex ante and ex post impact evaluations and thus closing the policy cycle, where ex post evaluation feeds into ex ante assessment of new public actions. Hence, the problem of utilisation of evaluation findings is discussed. The scope of evaluation performed at the EU level has also been extended from expenditure to regulatory instruments. Moreover, there has been a shift from evaluating merely projects and programmes to evaluating policies and aggregated activities. To this end, a literature and documentary review on evaluation theory and practice have been conducted, as well as the analysis of the normative provisions that are applied to guide the practice of evaluation in the EU

: Rapport scientifique 2014 - CISIT Phase 5, Projet ISART

version française étendue de http://arxiv.org/abs/1401.6773A flow of moving agents can be observed at different scales. Thus, in traffic modeling, three levels are generally considered: the micro, meso and macro levels, representing respectively the interactions between vehicles, groups of vehicles sharing common properties (such as a common destination or a common localization) and flows of vehicles. Each approach is useful in a given context: micro and meso models allow to simulate road networks with complex topologies such as urban area, while macro models allow to develop control strategies to prevent congestion in highways. However, to simulate large-scale road networks, it can be interesting to integrate different representations, e.g., micro and macro, in a single model. Existing models share the same limitation: connections between levels are fixed a priori and cannot be changed at runtime. Therefore, to be able to observe some emerging phenomena such as congestion formation or to find the exact location of a jam in a large macro section, a dynamic hybrid modeling approach is needed. In 2013 we started the development of a multi-level agent-based simulator called JAM-FREE within the ISART project. It allows to simulate large road networks efficiently using a dynamic level of detail. This simulator relies on a multi-level agent-based modeling framework called SIMILAR.La simulation du trafic routier sur des réseaux de grande échelle est un problème compliqué car il suppose d'intégrer dans un même modèle différentes approches. Ainsi, les sections autoroutières sont généralement représentées à l'aide de modèles macroscopiques alors que pour les sections urbaines, des modèles microscopiques sont utilisés. De manière générale, les modèles microscopiques sont intéressants lorsque les interactions entre véhicules, ainsi que la topologie du réseau deviennent complexes. Les modèles intégrant ces différents niveaux de représentation sont généralement qualifiés d'hybrides. Par ailleurs, ils sont généralement "statiques" : à chaque portion du réseau est associée une représentation unique qui ne changera pas au cours de la simulation. Afin de palier cette limitation, nous avons débuté en 2013 dans le cadre du projet ISART le développement d'un simulateur multi-agent multi-niveaux de flux de trafic routier nommé JAM-FREE permettant : - de simuler des réseaux routier de grande taille efficacement en adaptant dynamiquement le niveau de détail, - de tester de nouveaux algorithmes de régulation, d'observation et routage. Ce simulateur repose sur un framework de modélisation et de simulation multi-agents multi-niveaux nommé SIMILAR (SImulations with MultI-Level Agents and Reactions), implémenté en Java et distribué prochainement sous licence libre. Dans ce rapport, nous présentons ces résultats scientifiques ainsi que les publications associées

Multi-label Ferns for Efficient Recognition of Musical Instruments in Recordings

In this paper we introduce multi-label ferns, and apply this technique for automatic classification of musical instruments in audio recordings. We compare the performance of our proposed method to a set of binary random ferns, using jazz recordings as input data. Our main result is obtaining much faster classification and higher F-score. We also achieve substantial reduction of the model size

Impact of obesity on semen quality in men of infertile couples: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care centre

Background: Obesity is an emerging problem worldwide. The aim of the study was to determine the association of Body mass index and central obesity with semen parameters in men of infertile couples.Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted in a population that included 219 men of infertile couples who attended the infertility clinic. A detailed history was taken from the participants and measurements of height, weight, waist circumference and hip circumference were done by standard methods. General, systemic and urogenital tract examinations were done. The participants were advised to collect semen specimens and semen was analyzed and various semen parameters were noted based on WHO criteria 2010.Results: Among the overweight and obese men, 12.7% and 20.5% were oligozoospermic respectively. Asthenozoospermia was seen in 21.2% and 25% of overweight and obese men. Among men with waist circumference ≥102 cm, 14.3% had oligozoospermia and 35.7% of men had asthenozoospermia. Around 12.2% of men with a Waist-hip ratio >0.9 had oligozoospermia and 19.8% of them had asthenozoospermia.Conclusions: A significant negative association was seen between WHR and sperm concentration, total sperm count, total progressive motility and total motility were seen to be removed. There was no significant association between WC, BMI and sperm concentration, total sperm count, total progressive motility, and total motility

The corpulent phenotype—how the brain maximizes survival in stressful environments

The reactivity of the stress system may change during the life course. In many—but not all—humans the stress reactivity decreases, once the individual is chronically exposed to a stressful and unsafe environment (e.g., poverty, work with high demands, unhappy martial relationship). Such an adaptation is referred to as habituation. Stress habituation allows alleviating the burden of chronic stress, particularly cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, two recent experiments demonstrated low stress reactivity during a mental or psychosocial challenge in subjects with a high body mass. In this focused review we attempt to integrate these experimental findings in a larger context. Are these data compatible with data sets showing a prolonged life expectancy in corpulent people? From the perspective of neuroenergetics, we here raise the question whether “obesity” is unhealthy at all. Is the corpulent phenotype possibly the result of “adaptive phenotypic plasticity” allowing optimized survival in stressful environments

Isolation and characterization of chitinase from soil fungi, Paecilomyces sp.

AbstractChitinolytic fungal strains were isolated from soil in Thailand. They were screened as chitinase producers by testing their shrimp shell digestion ability on potato dextrose agar plates. The chitinase activity was tested with colloidal chitin in culture medium C and basal medium. There was greater activity in culture medium C than in the basal medium. The results of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis from the culture filtrate of medium C showed three protein bands at about 40 kDa, 46 kDa and 56 kDa. The chitinase gene was sequenced from genomic DNA. The obtained sequence consisted of 713 bp upstream, a 1499 bp open reading frame that was interrupted by three introns and 1698 bp downstream sequences. The intron lengths were 63 bp, 57 bp and 110 bp, respectively. The sequence was found to be the most similar to the chitinase gene of Paecilomyces lilacinus (EF183511). Pairwise alignment of the 1499 bp and P. lilacinus resulted in 72.5% DNA sequence identity, while alignment of the 1269 bp coding sequence and P. lilacinus resulted in 78.5% cDNA sequence identity and 83.5% amino acid sequence identity. The protein structure contained two conserved domains of the putative substrate binding site (S-I-G-G) and catalytic domain (D-G-I-D-L-D-W-E), suggesting that this fungal chitinase belonged to the glycosyl hydrolases family 18 chitinase (GH18). Phylogenetic analysis of the chitinase gene from the nematopathogenic fungi suggested that this chitinase sequence was class V chitinase