Evidence for Compact Dark Matter in Galactic Halos

Clumped dark matter arises naturally within the framwork of generic cosmological dark matter models. Invoking the existence of dark matter clumps can also solve may unexplained mysteries in astrophysics and geology or geophysics, eg. the galactic gamma-ray halo and the periodic terrestrial flood basalt volcanic episodes. Clumped dark matter is dynamically stable to friction and will not heat the disk. Such clumps may have already been discovered in the form of dwarf spheroidals, and further searches are encouraged by the results of this paper.Comment: Revised Version, includes new relevant references, Latex File, 16 pages, no figure

Hybrid Coding Technique for Pulse Detection in an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer

The paper introduces a novel hybrid coding technique for improved pulse detection in an optical time domain reflectometer. The hybrid schemes combines Simplex codes with signal averaging to articulate a very sophisticated coding technique that considerably reduces the processing time to extract specified coding gains in comparison to the existing techniques. The paper quantifies the coding gain of the hybrid scheme mathematically and provide simulative results in direct agreement with the theoretical performance. Furthermore, the hybrid scheme has been tested on our self-developed OTDR

Rethinking social housing in terms of environmental sustainability: An empirical analysis

Environmental problems are being increasingly recognised as critical strategies for attaining sustainability in social housing, given the persistent demand for social housing in urban areas. However, to remain inexpensive, housing built for low-income groups requires greater environmental compromises. The main objective of this study is to examine social housing projects from an environmental sustainability standpoint and determine whether they have a low environmental impact. This study also aims to inform policymakers about the environmental sustainability of social housing projects and provide an opportunity to review housing policies in terms of environmental sustainability. Six social housing projects were selected under the same climatic conditions from Spain and Turkey, with distinct economic classifications and housing policies. The findings indicate that although social housing built in Spain has a smaller carbon footprint than Turkey throughout the manufacturing (A1–A3) and building (A4–A5) phases, social housing projects in both countries cannot be classified as low-impact housing projects

Quality of life after cesarean and vaginal delivery

Objective: Cesarean rates in recent decades have been increasing and a number of studies have shown that cesarean increases maternal morbidities. The aim of this study is to compare the quality of life after cesarean and vaginal delivery. Methods: This prospective study was carried out on 356 pregnant women visiting urban health centers in Shahroud City, Northeast Iran, in 2011. The subjects completed the quality of life questionnaire in the third trimester of pregnancy and at 8 weeks postpartum. Results: In primiparas, the mean global QOL scores for the cesarean and vaginal delivery groups were 67.65±12.7 and 72.12±11.8, respectively. Also, the scores for the physical, psychological and social domains of QOL as well as the global score of QOL were higher in the vaginal delivery group than the cesarean group (p<0.05). In the case of primiparas, multiple regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for education, desirability of pregnancy and the General Health Questionnaire score, the delivery type remained as a predictor of the scores for the physical (R2=1.7%; B=-3.826; p=0.031; CI [-7.301, -.350]) and social (R2=2.5%; B=-5.708; p=0.017; CI [-10.392, -1.023]) domains of QOL and the global QOL score (R2=2.6%; B=-4.065; p=0.006; CI [-6.964, -1.164]). While multiparas, there was no relationship between QOL and type of delivery. Conclusion: In this sample of low-risk women, cesarean negatively affected the QOL of primiparas. More studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to examine the effects of cesarean on QOL in both primiparas and multiparas within a shorter period after delivery. © OMSB, 2013

Artificial Intelligence Applications in Road Traffic Forecasting: A Review of Current Research

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising global businesses and permanently changing industries forever; it has become an integral part of our daily lives, and the potential of this technology goes beyond home or personal use, as artificial intelligence continues to make great traction in transforming the future of humanity. The use of AI in traffic forecasting in particular and transportation planning in general, has gained attention in recent years due to its flexibility and ability to solve complex problems. However, research has shown that there is a gap in AI applications for longer terms forecasts, as most research focuses on real-time data analysis or within shorty or very short term where the vehicles are already presented within the road network. This research paper reviews the current state of AI applications in traffic forecasting, highlighting the challenges and opportunities