Design of Surveillance Technologies and Privacy Concerns

Researchers from numerous management, social sciences and psychological disciplines have attempted to investigate the phenomenon of surveillance and the way it influences privacy concerns among individuals. But no study has attempted to interpret the relationship between individuals’ perception of surveillance technologies and the way they react to surveillance and develop their privacy concerns. We conduct a review of 207 prominent IT journals within the Scopus databases to examine and interpret individuals’ perception of different designs of surveillance technologies (non-obtrusive vs. obtrusive) and how such technologies influence privacy concerns at individual, corporate and societal level. Our review suggests that both non-obtrusive (automatic) and obtrusive (self-input) surveillance are used at individual, corporate and societal level differentially. In the light of our findings, we identify research gaps, propose recommendations, and further opportunities for future research that will enrich academic discourse in IS and create value for corporate firms, government and policy makers

Association of the Glu298→Asp polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene with risk of coronary artery disease

Genetic variants of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) could influence individual susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without associated demographic factors. The aim of this study was to assess whether Glu298/Asp polymorphism of the eNOS gene is associated with the occurrence and severity of angiographycially defined coronary artery disease. Polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analyses were carried out to detect the Glu298/Asp variant of the eNOS gene in 279 patients with CAD as compared to controls (250). The prevalence of the Asp298 variant of eNOS was not found to be significantly and independently associated with the risk of CAD (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.77 to 1.51, P = 0.663), extent of CAD on angiography (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.63 to 2.23, P = 0.605) and in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.29 to 4.04, P = 0.908). This investigation examined whether the Glu298/Asp polymorphism of the eNOS could represent a useful genetic marker to identify individuals prone to the development of atherosclerotic diseases. More studies are needed to confirm whether the Glu298/Asp polymorphism of the eNOS gene could represent a useful genetic marker to identify individuals of the study population prone to the development of atherosclerotic disease.Key words: eNOS gene, polymorphisms, coronary artery disease (CAD), risk factors, genetic markers

Exploring Relationship among Factors of Motivation and Performance: Analysis from Private Schools in Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa

The aim of this study is to investigate how to employee performance impact on reward in private school. The study also aims to show how to employee improve the performance has in reward system. This study is qualitative in nature and the main theme of this study is to develop hypotheses for future studies. Most of the organizations implement rewards system to increase the job performance and job satisfaction. By reviewing the different finding that the reward and employee performance. The contribution of this paper is to look at how to finding the effective solution of employee performance will be in reward system inter-organizational and school. The study of this paper is exploratory is qualitative study of research. Keywords: Extrinsic rewards; intrinsic rewards; Job Performance

An efficient protocol for in vitro propagation of Rosa gruss an teplitz and Rosa centifolia

Rose is a beautiful flower having commercial and ornamental value. In order to establish protocol shoot tips explants of Rosa gruss an teplitz and Rosa centifolia were proliferated in vitro using MS medium supplemented with different levels of benzylaminopurine (0, 0.5,1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mg l-1 ). Maximum numbers of shoots (3.906), shoot length (3.106 cm), fresh weight (178.47 mg) and dry weight (43.06 mg) was recorded at 1.0 mg l-1 BAP. For induction of root, uniform micro-shoots were excised and transferred to the rooting medium (1/2 MS macro, micro elements and vitamins) supplemented with 20 g l-1 sucrose and different concentrations (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg l-1) of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). IBA increased culture rooting percentage (89.375), number of roots (8.7188) and root length (3.5781 cm) more efficiently at 0.50 mg l-1.Key words: In vitro propagation, BAP, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), Rosa gruss an teplitz, Rosa centifolia

Simulasi kestabilan konsolidasi-dam di hilir Syphon Lemurung Kali Konto terhadap fungsi beban statis dan dinamis

Gunung Kelud berada di wilayah Kabupaten Kediri Jawa Timur. Pasca erupsi pada awal tahun 2014, Gunung Kelud menyisakan sejumlah material vulkanik yang masih tertahan di lereng gunung berupa abu, pasir dan kerikil. Material tersebut apabila bercampur dengan air akan membentuk suatu aliran yang disebut lahar dingin. Tingginya curah hujan dan kondisi lereng yang curam dapat menimbulkan aliran lahar yang memiliki daya rusak tinggi. Untuk mengurangi dampak negatif tersebut, perlu dibuat suatu bangunan pengendali sedimen yang diletakkan pada sungai-sungai yang berpotensi dilalui aliran lahar dingin. Ada beberapa macam bangunan pengendali anatara lain check dam, konsolidasi dam, tanggul pengarah, dan kantong pasir. Bangunan konsolidasi dam Syphon Lemurung merupakan salah satu upaya mengurangi dampak bencana yang diakibatkan oleh bahaya aliran lahar Gunung Kelud yang melewati aliran Kali Konto. Bangunan konsolidasi dam memiliki fungsi utama untuk melindungi bangunan syphon lemurung dari gerusan sedimen. Aliran sedimen mengisi kapasitas tampung secara cepat maupun lambat tergantung skala dan interval debit yang mengalir. Apabila pada kondisi tertentu, gaya lawan akibat material tampungan lebih besar daripada gaya tahan dari bangunan maka tidak memenuhi syarat kestabilan. Kondisi tersebut menyebabkan bangunan konsolidasi dam mengalami keruntuhan. Simulasi kestabilan terhadap variasi beban statis dan dinamis dilakukan dengan menambah variasi parameter kondisi tampungan yang berbeda. Parameter simulasi yang digunakan antara lain kondisi material, berat jenis material, dan ketinggian material. Sehingga didapat nilai kestabilan konsolidasi dam terhadap kontrol guling, geser dan ambles. Selain itu juga dilakukan simulasi terhadap variasi rasio kelangsingan dari konsolidasi dam Syphon Lemurung, sehingga diketahui dimensi bangunan yang paling efektif. Dari hasil analisa didapatkan kapasitas volume tampungan sedimen maksimum konsolidasi dam Syphon Lemurung adalah 30926,25 m3. Laju sedimen pada Kali Konto adalah 67,1875 m3/hari. Waktu untuk memenuhi tampungan sedimen adalah 460 hari. Dari hasil simulasi kestabilan diketahui semakin tinggi massa jenis material (W) maka semakin rendah kestabilan bangunan. Syarat kestabilan mempengaruhi ketinggian tampungan sedimen pada kondisi kritis. Dari hasil simulasi rasio kelangsingan didapatkan dimensi rencana yang memenuhi syarat kestabilan adalah tinggi dam (h1) = 1m – 5m dan lebar dam (b) = 8m - 10m. Sehingga dimensi eksisting konsolidasi dam Syphon Lemurung merupakan dimensi yang sudah efektif. ================================================================================================= Mount Kelud is located in Kediri, East Java. After the eruption in early 2014, it leave a number of volcanic material which was still deposited on the mountain’s slope in form of ash, sand and gravel. These materials transform to be cold lava flow when mixed with water. The high intensity and steep slope conditions could cause lava flow that has high destructive power. To reduce the negative impact, a sediment control structures should be built across rivers that potentially be passed by cold lava flow. There are several kinds of control structures among others check-dam, consolidated-dam, crib and sandbag. Consolidated-dam of Lemurung Syphon is one example to reduce the disaster caused by the danger of lava flow that passes through Konto River. Consolidatied-dam building has a primary function to protect the building Lemurung Syphon of scouring sediment. Transport sediment will fill the capacities either quick or slow depend on the scale and interval of discharge. When in certain conditions, the opponent force as a result of the storage material is greater than the resistant force of the building so not qualify stability requirement. This condition causes the consolidated-dam building collapse. Stability simulation on static and dynamic load variations done by adding the parameter variations of different storage conditions. Parameters simulation that are used includes material conditions, material density, and height of the material. So the value of stability the consolidated dam can be obtained against rolling, sliding and subsidence. Simulation of the variation the slimness ratio of consolidated-dam of Lemurung Syphon is also been done, so the most effective dimensions of the building can be determined. It can be concluded that sediment maximum capacity of the storage volume consolidated-dam Lemurung Syphon is 30926.25 m3. The discharge of sediment at River Konto is 67.1875 m3/day. The time to fulfill the storage sediment is about 460 days. From the simulation results, it is known that the higher the density of the material (W), the lower the stability of the building. Stability requirement affects the height of the sediment reservoirs in critical condition. From the simulation results determained dimensional the slimness ratio qualified plan is the high stability of the dam (h1) = 1m - 5m and width dam (b) = 8m - 10m. So the dimensions of the existing consolidated-dam Lemurung Syphon, it is found that the effective

Assessing Gender Identity and Sex in Diverse Low, Middle, and High-Income Settings: Findings from a WHO/HRP Consultative Process

Obtaining detailed data on gender identity and sex in population-based sexual health studies is important. We convened a group to develop consensus survey items. We identified two items to capture data on gender identity and sex that can be used in diverse settings

Control of an Underactuated Double-Pendulum Overhead Crane using Improved Model Reference Command Shaping: Design, Simulation and Experiment

This paper presents a new control scheme based on model reference command shaping (MRCS) for an overhead crane, with double-pendulum mechanism effects. The approach has an advantage in achieving an accurate trolley positioning, with low hook and payload oscillations, under various desired trolley positions and parameter uncertainties, without the requirement for measurement or estimation of system parameters. These are challenging in practice. The previously developed MRCS algorithm is improved in order to reduce its design complexity, as well as to ensure that it can be augmented with a feedback controller so that a concurrent controller tuning can be realised. The combined MRCS and feedback controller is used to achieve both, precise trolley positioning, and low hook and payload oscillations. To evaluate the effectiveness and the robustness of the approach, simulations and experiments using a nonlinear model and a laboratory double-pendulum crane are carried out. Under various desired positions and parameter uncertainties that involve varying the cable lengths (payload hoisting) and the payload mass variations, the superiority of the proposed approach is confirmed by achieving higher hook and payload oscillation reductions when compared with a recently proposed feedback controller. In addition, the desired trolley positions are achieved with smoother responses

Analysis on the performance of a second-order and a third-order RLC circuit of PRBS generator

A pseudo-binary random signal (PRBS) has been widely utilized for system identification in complex signals to develop an experimental approach. PRBS generator is a circuit that generates pseudo-random numbers. This work aims to analyze the best fit value of the PRBS generator with second-order and third-order under-damped black-box RLC circuit of the estimated model. The procedures conducting here can be divided into three parts. First, to design two black boxes using the RLC circuit representing a critically under-damped second-order and third-order system. PRBS generated with maximum-length sequence (MLS) equals 127 bits by using seven shift registers. Second, simulate the PRBS generator using MATLAB software and validate the estimated model from the simulation using the System Identification Tool in MATLAB. Next, connecting hardware RLC circuit and reading input and output signals using an oscilloscope. Finally, 2500 samples of captured data were used for estimation. Then, analyze and compare the best fit of the simulation and experiment with second-order and third-order under-damped black-box RLC circuit. Furthermore, analyze and compare best fit using different sample time. The results showed that the best fit of the second-order model with under-damped black-box RLC circuit was autoregressive with the exogenous term (ARX) 211, where the best fit of the simulation was 99.88%, and the best fit of the experiment was 96.04%. And the results showed that the best fit of the third-order model with an under-damped black-box RLC circuit was ARX 331, where the best fit of the simulation was 99%, and the best fit of the experiment was 94.28%. It was concluded that the best fit value of the second-order was better than the third order. What’s more, the results showed that when the select range is the same, the bigger the sample time, the better the best fit

Metallointercalator [Ru(dppz)2(PIP)]2+ Renders BRCA Wild-Type Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Hypersensitive to PARP Inhibition

There is a need to improve and extend the use of clinically-approved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi), including for BRCA wild-type triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The demonstration that ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex (RPC) metallo-intercalators can rapidly stall DNA replication fork progression provides the rationale for their combination alongside DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors to achieve synergism in cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate use of the multi-intercalator [Ru(dppz)2(PIP)]2+ (dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine, PIP = (2-(phenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline, Ru-PIP) alongside the PARP inhibitors (PARPi) olaparib and NU1025. Cell proliferation and clonogenic survival assays indicated a synergistic relationship between Ru-PIP and olaparib in MDA-MB-231 TNBC and MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Strikingly, low dose Ru-PIP renders both cell lines hypersensitive to olaparib, with a 300-fold increase in olaparib potency in TNBC; the largest non-genetic PARPi enhancement effect described to date. Negligible impact on the viability of normal human fibroblasts was observed for any combination tested. Increased levels of DNA double-strand break (DSB) damage and olaparib abrogation of Ru-PIP activated pChk1 signalling is consistent with PARPi-facilitated collapse of Ru-PIP-associated stalled replication forks. This results in enhanced G2/M cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and decreased cell motility for the combination treatment compared to single-agent conditions. This work establishes that an RPC metallo-intercalator can be combined with PARPi for potent synergy in BRCA-proficient breast cancer cells, including TNBC

Outcome of early cardiopulmonary resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest managed in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients require immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Early initiation of CPR and defibrillation before arrival at Emergency Department (ED) increases the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The main objective of this study was to identify the factors that influenced the outcome of early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients managed at the ED of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). The second objective was to determine the incidence of CPR initiated by the public prior to ambulance arrival. The present study was a one-year cross-sectional study. The OHCA patients were identified from the ED resuscitation logbook. Patients’ medical records were used to obtain details of the resuscitation. Factors recorded included: aetiology of arrest, initiation of on-scene CPR, use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), mode of transportation and the incidence of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in the ED. Categorical data was analysed using chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Nine patients out of 98 had early CPR. Three patients achieved ROSC. Gender was significantly associated with ROSC (p-value=0.015). More patients who received early CPR achieved ROSC compared to those who received late CPR. The provision of early CPR and usage of AEDs by the public is still low. Female gender had a positive influence on ROSC. Efforts are required to increase the awareness and involvement of the public in initiating early CPR prior to the arrival of ambulance service