Developing Real Time Tracking of User Behavior, with Google Analytics for Mobile Phone Devices

Sony Mobile has a quite large internal user group with the purpose of investigating the usability of their mobile devices. The Telephony Domain was using among other techniques usability testing to evaluate the usability of their products. The performed conventional usability testing has its limitations e.g. the controlled test environment cannot fully represent real life setting and it’s very expensive in terms of time and resources. This ultimately results in less test persons and potentially biased results. These drawbacks cannot be overlooked when it comes to determining the next software release influencing millions of mobile device users. The purpose of this thesis work was to accommodate this problem by examining real time tracking of user behavior and interaction with mobile devices. By utilizing Google Analytics in the Telephony Domain, we could autonomously gather large quantity of real user behavior data from a natural environment. The investigation resulted in the conclusion that Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager solely weren’t sufficient for our purposes in aiding information for user behavior. To account for this, a tool were developed that were to be called Usage Tracker. Usage Tracker works as a complement to Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager by providing further functionality e.g. finding out how many users are using a feature and how these events are distributed over the users. The resulting statistics from Usage Tracker is also presented in a more intuitive way for easy interpretation. Furthermore, a direct consequence of using Usage Tracker is that less data traffic will be required.Sony Mobile has a quite large internal user group with the purpose of investigating the usability of their mobile devices. The Telephony Domain was using among other techniques usability testing to evaluate the usability of their products. The performed conventional usability testing has its limitations e.g. the controlled test environment cannot fully represent real life setting and it’s very expensive in terms of time and resources. This ultimately results in less test persons and potentially biased results. These drawbacks cannot be overlooked when it comes to determining the next software release influencing millions of mobile device users. The purpose of this thesis work was to accommodate this problem by examining real time tracking of user behavior and interaction with mobile devices. By utilizing Google Analytics in the Telephony Domain, we could autonomously gather large quantity of real user behavior data from a natural environment. The investigation resulted in the conclusion that Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager solely weren’t sufficient for our purposes in aiding information for user behavior. To account for this, a tool were developed that were to be called Usage Tracker. Usage Tracker works as a complement to Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager by providing further functionality e.g. finding out how many users are using a feature and how these events are distributed over the users. The resulting statistics from Usage Tracker is also presented in a more intuitive way for easy interpretation. Furthermore, a direct consequence of using Usage Tracker is that less data traffic will be required

A Modified Distortion Measurement Algorithm for Shape Coding

Efficient encoding of object boundaries has become increasingly prominent in areas such as content-based storage and retrieval, studio and television post-production facilities, mobile communications and other real-time multimedia applications. The way distortion between the actual and approximated shapes is measured however, has a major impact upon the quality of the shape coding algorithms. In existing shape coding methods, the distortion measure do not generate an actual distortion value, so this paper proposes a new distortion measure, called a modified distortion measure for shape coding (DMSC) which incorporates an actual perceptual distance. The performance of the Operational Rate Distortion optimal algorithm [1] incorporating DMSC has been empirically evaluated upon a number of different natural and synthetic arbitrary shapes. Both qualitative and quantitative results confirm the superior results in comparison with the ORD lgorithm for all test shapes, without any increase in computational complexity

Bacteriological and physicochemical analysis of waste water from fish ponds

Rearing of fish especially catfish is very common in many communities in Nigeria and the wastewater from these fish ponds are often discharged into the surrounding drains. Assessment of the bacteriological and physicochemical characteristics of ten freshwater fish ponds stocked with African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) was conducted within Ilorin metropolis. The results of physicochemical properties of the water samples showed that the pH, total hardness, salinity, and suspended solid ranged from 6.77 – 8.43, 65 – 124 mg/l, 7.02 – 10.062 g/l, and 0.012 – 0.128g/100ml respectively. The bacterial count, total coliform, and faecal coliform count of the wastewater  ranged  from  4.0 x 103 – 6.7 x 105cfu/ml, nil to 2 x 104cfu/ml, and nil to 1 x 103cfu/ml respectively. The bacterial species isolated from the ponds were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Chromobacterium sp, Micrococcus sp., Micrococcus kristinae, Providencia sp., and Listeria sp. The antibiotics susceptibility testing of the bacterial isolates were determined using the disc method. All the isolates exhibited multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR). It can be concluded from this study that there is need to monitor the quality of wastewater from the fish ponds before being discharged into the environment since potential pathogens were isolated and most of these  isolates were multiple antibiotic resistant. This study is of socioeconomic significance in the sense that while the farmers are able to raise their fish in the ponds and derive their livelihood, they are being cautioned on the need to treat their waste water before being discharged into the receiving water body.Keywords: Wastewater, Fish pond, Catfish, Assessment, Antibiotic resistanc

Crystallization of recombinant rat cathepsin B.

A glycosylation-minus mutant of rat cathepsin B expressed in yeast has been purified and crystallized. X-ray diffraction data have been collected and molecular replacement for solving the structure is in progress. The space group for the recombinant rat cathepsin B was determined to be P2(1) with unit cell dimensions alpha = 62.2 A, b = 90.19 A, c = 47.07 A, and beta = 97.43 degrees. A unit cell contains 4 molecules and 2 molecules per asymmetric unit

Undiagnosed Phenylketonuria Can Exist Everywhere: Results From an International Survey

Many countries do not have a newborn screening (NBS) program, and immigrants from such countries are at risk for late diagnosis of phenylketonuria (PKU). In this international survey, 52 of 259 patients (20%) with late diagnosed PKU were immigrants, and 145 of the 259 (55%) were born before NBS or in a location without NBS

Bacterial Microbiota Profiling in Gastritis without Helicobacter pylori Infection or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use

Recent 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rRNA) molecular profiling of the stomach mucosa revealed a surprising complexity of microbiota. Helicobacter pylori infection and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use are two main contributors to gastritis and peptic ulcer. However, little is known about the association between other members of the stomach microbiota and gastric diseases. In this study, cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA was used to profile the stomach microbiota from normal and gastritis patients. One hundred and thirty three phylotypes from eight bacterial phyla were identified. The stomach microbiota was found to be closely adhered to the mucosa. Eleven Streptococcus phylotypes were successfully cultivated from the biopsies. One to two genera represented a majority of clones within any of the identified phyla. We further developed two real-time quantitative PCR assays to quantify the relative abundance of the Firmicutes phylum and the Streptococcus genus. Significantly higher abundance of the Firmicutes phylum and the Streptococcus genus within the Firmicutes phylum was observed in patients with antral gastritis, compared with normal controls. This study suggests that the genus taxon level can largely represent much higher taxa such as the phylum. The clinical relevance and the mechanism underlying the altered microbiota composition in gastritis require further functional studies

Extremism and Radicalization to Violence Prevention in Manitoba: A Resource for Educators

Extremism and Radicalization to Violence Prevention in Manitoba (ERiM) is a made-in-Manitoba resource for educators. Funded by Public Safety Canada, this document was created in collaboration with educators and education stakeholders and intended for use in Manitoba schools. The purpose of this guide is to develop educator awareness, knowledge, and capacity in order to build resilience in youth and to help prevent radicalization to violence."This guide was made possible by funding from Public Safety Canada.

Lipid-soluble Vitamins A, D, and E in HIV-Infected Pregnant women in Tanzania.

There is limited published research examining lipid-soluble vitamins in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pregnant women, particularly in resource-limited settings. This is an observational analysis of 1078 HIV-infected pregnant women enrolled in a trial of vitamin supplementation in Tanzania. Baseline data on sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, clinical signs and symptoms, and laboratory parameters were used to identify correlates of low plasma vitamin A (<0.7 micromol/l), vitamin D (<80 nmol/l) and vitamin E (<9.7 micromol/l) status. Binomial regression was used to estimate risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Approximately 35, 39 and 51% of the women had low levels of vitamins A, D and E, respectively. Severe anemia (hemoglobin <85 g/l; P<0.01), plasma vitamin E (P=0.02), selenium (P=0.01) and vitamin D (P=0.02) concentrations were significant correlates of low vitamin A status in multivariate models. Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) was independently related to low vitamin A status in a nonlinear manner (P=0.01). The correlates of low vitamin D status were CD8 cell count (P=0.01), high ESR (ESR >81 mm/h; P<0.01), gestational age at enrollment (nonlinear; P=0.03) and plasma vitamins A (P=0.02) and E (P=0.01). For low vitamin E status, the correlates were money spent on food per household per day (P<0.01), plasma vitamin A concentration (nonlinear; P<0.01) and a gestational age <16 weeks at enrollment (P<0.01). Low concentrations of lipid-soluble vitamins are widely prevalent among HIV-infected women in Tanzania and are correlated with other nutritional insufficiencies. Identifying HIV-infected persons at greater risk of poor nutritional status and infections may help inform design and implementation of appropriate interventions

Расчетно-экспериментальное определение поля нейтронного излучения в защите из полиэтилена

Целью представленной работы является верификация кода PHITS для моделирования параметров нейтронного поля от закрытого 239Pu-Be источника нейтронов, расположенного в защите из полиэтилена. Верификация выполнена путем сравнения результатов расчета с экспериментальными данными. Верифицируемая лабораторная установка состоит из двух основных компонентов. Первым является 239Pu-Be источник нейтронов, а вторым – полиэтиленовая защита в форме четырехугольной призмы формы ("призма"). Разработанная расчетная модель для программы PHITS повторяет конфигурацию установки. Поток тепловых и быстрых нейтронов рассчитывался программой для точек, расположенных на оси облучательного канала "призмы", в диапазоне от 1 до30 см от ее боковой поверхности, с шагом равным 1 см. Эксперименты по измерению потоков нейтThe purpose of this work is verification of PHITS-code calculations for the simulation of neutron field parameters from the sealed 239Pu-Be source in polyethylene shielding. The verification was made by means of comparison of calculation results with the experimental data. The laboratory model consists of two main components. The first component is the 239Pu-Be source and the second component is the polyethylene prism. An identical PHITS model was generated to simulate the laboratory case. The neutron flux for both thermal and fast neutrons was calculated by PHITS code for every 1 cm in the range from 0 to 30 cm in front of the irradiation channel of the prism. Experiments have been performed in TPU laboratory. The neutron flux was measured in the laboratory for thermal neutrons at discre

Exploring local knowledge and perceptions on zoonoses among pastoralists in northern and eastern Tanzania

Background: Zoonoses account for the most commonly reported emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is limited knowledge on how pastoral communities perceive zoonoses in relation to their livelihoods, culture and their wider ecology. This study was carried out to explore local knowledge and perceptions on zoonoses among pastoralists in Tanzania. Methodology and principal findings: This study involved pastoralists in Ngorongoro district in northern Tanzania and Kibaha and Bagamoyo districts in eastern Tanzania. Qualitative methods of focus group discussions, participatory epidemiology and interviews were used. A total of 223 people were involved in the study. Among the pastoralists, there was no specific term in their local language that describes zoonosis. Pastoralists from northern Tanzania possessed a higher understanding on the existence of a number of zoonoses than their eastern districts' counterparts. Understanding of zoonoses could be categorized into two broad groups: a local syndromic framework, whereby specific symptoms of a particular illness in humans concurred with symptoms in animals, and the biomedical framework, where a case definition is supported by diagnostic tests. Some pastoralists understand the possibility of some infections that could cross over to humans from animals but harm from these are generally tolerated and are not considered as threats. A number of social and cultural practices aimed at maintaining specific cultural functions including social cohesion and rites of passage involve animal products, which present zoonotic risk. Conclusions: These findings show how zoonoses are locally understood, and how epidemiology and biomedicine are shaping pastoralists perceptions to zoonoses. Evidence is needed to understand better the true burden and impact of zoonoses in these communities. More studies are needed that seek to clarify the common understanding of zoonoses that could be used to guide effective and locally relevant interventions. Such studies should consider in their approaches the pastoralists' wider social, cultural and economic set up