Anti-Neoplastic Studies Of Standardized Root Extract Of Eurycomal Longifolia (Taf273) Towards Leukaemia

The anti-neoplastic activity of root extracts from Eurycoma longifolia was investigated towards leukaemia using in vitro and in vivo models. Four partially purified sub-fractions (F1, TAF273, F3 and F4) derived from resin chromatography of the crude methanolic extract of E. longifolia roots were screened for the anti-leukaemic, anti-angiogenic and anti-oxidant activities. The in vitro anti-leukaemic activity was tested using K-562, HL-60 and Kasumi-1 leukaemic cell lines whereas in vivo anti-leukaemic activity was tested using K-562-xenograft mice model. The toxicity, mechanism of action and drug combination effect of TAF273 were also investigated

Design of robust scheduling methodologies for high performance computing

Scientific applications are often large, complex, computationally-intensive, and irregular. Loops are often an abundant source of parallelism in scientific applications. Due to the ever-increasing computational needs of scientific applications, high performance computing (HPC) systems have become larger and more complex, offering increased parallelism at multiple hardware levels. Load imbalance, caused by irregular computational load per task and unpredictable computing system characteristics (system variability), often degrades the performance of applications. Besides, perturbations, such as reduced computing power, network latency availability, or failures, can severely impact the performance of the applications. System variability and perturbations are only expected to increase in future extreme-scale computing systems. Extrapolating the current failure rate to Exascale would result in a failure every 20 minutes. Such failure rate and perturbations would render the computing systems unusable. This doctoral thesis improves the performance of computationally-intensive scientific applications on HPC systems via robust load balancing. Robust scheduling ensures and maintains improved load balanced execution under unpredictable application and system characteristics. A number of dynamic loop self-scheduling (DLS) techniques have been introduced and successfully used in scientific applications between the 1980s and 2000s. These DLS techniques are not fault-tolerant as they were originally introduced. In this thesis, we identify three major research questions to achieve robust scheduling (1) How to ensure that the DLS techniques employed in scientific applications today adhere to their original design goals and specifications? (2) How to select a DLS technique that will achieve improved performance under perturbations? (3) How to tolerate perturbations during execution and maintain a load balanced execution on HPC systems? To answer the first question, we reproduced the original experiments that introduced the DLS techniques to verify their present implementation. Simulation is used to reproduce experiments on systems from the past. Realistic simulation induces a similar analysis and conclusions to the analysis of the native results. To this end, we devised an approach for bridging the native and simulative executions of parallel applications on HPC systems. This simulation approach is used to reproduce scheduling experiments on past and present systems to verify the implementation of DLS techniques. Given the multiple levels of parallelism offered by the present HPC systems, we analyzed the load imbalance in scientific applications, from computer vision, astrophysics, and mathematical kernels, at both thread and process levels. This analysis revealed a significant interplay between thread level and process level load balancing. We found that dynamic load balancing at the thread level propagates to the process level and vice versa. However, the best application performance is only achieved by two-level dynamic load balancing. Next, we examined the performance of applications under perturbations. We found that the most robust DLS technique does not deliver the best performance under various perturbations. The most efficient DLS technique changes by changing the application, the system, or perturbations during execution. This signifies the algorithm selection problem in the DLS. We leveraged realistic simulations to address the algorithm selection problem of scheduling under perturbations via a simulation assisted approach (SimAS), which answers the second question. SimAS dynamically selects DLS techniques that improve the performance depending on the application, system, and perturbations during the execution. To answer the third question, we introduced a robust dynamic load balancing (rDLB) approach for the robust self-scheduling of scientific applications under failures (question 3). rDLB proactively reschedules already allocated tasks and requires no detection of perturbations. rDLB tolerates up to P −1 processor failures (P is the number of processors allocated to the application) and boosts the flexibility of applications against nonfatal perturbations, such as reduced availability of resources. This thesis is the first to provide insights into the interplay between thread and process level dynamic load balancing in scientific applications. Verified DLS techniques, SimAS, and rDLB are integrated into an MPI-based dynamic load balancing library (DLS4LB), which supports thirteen DLS techniques, for robust dynamic load balancing of scientific applications on HPC systems. Using the methods devised in this thesis, we improved the performance of scientific applications by up to 21% via two-level dynamic load balancing. Under perturbations, we enhanced their performance by a factor of 7 and their flexibility by a factor of 30. This thesis opens up the horizons into understanding the interplay of load balancing between various levels of software parallelism and lays the ground for robust multilevel scheduling for the upcoming Exascale HPC systems and beyond

The Impact of Leadership Styles and Leaders’ Competencies on Employees’ Job Satisfaction

Previous studies have documented the impact of leadership styles on employees’job satisfaction. Also, it has been found that leaders’ emotional intelligence plays a significant role in determining leadership styles and predicting employees’ job satisfaction. However, it is argued in this thesis that for leaders to be competent they need to possess a number of competencies not only emotional intelligence. It is against this backdrop that the present study was carried out. Specifically, this study aimed at investigating whether leadership style and leaders’ competencies influence employees’ job satisfaction. To this end, 233 respondents working in various organizations located in Saudi Arabia and Jordan were selected to participate in the study. Leadership style/behaviour was measured by the 20-item Leadership Style Questionnaire developed by Northouse (2001). This instrument has 10 items to measure task-oriented leadership style and 10 items relational/people-oriented leadership style.Leaders’ competencies were measured by the Eight Universal Management and Leadership Competencies in 18 Skill Sets developed by the Profile Service Centre. This instrument contains three items to measure communication, three items for leadership, two items for adaptability, two items for relationships, two items for task management, two items for production, two items for development of others, and two items to measure personal development. Job satisfaction was measured by using the 5-item questionnaire developed by Brayfield and Rothe(1951). The findings revealed that leadership style and leaders’ competencies were statistically and significantly related to overall job satisfaction. Leaders’competencies were found to be the best predictor of job satisfaction. Moreover, it is found that competencies (in addition to emotional intelligence) like communication skills, solving problems, listening effectively, processing information, motivating successfully, delegating responsibilities, building personal relationships, focusing on working efficiently, taking action, and achieving results have a significant effect on forming leadership styles.The limitations of this study and the recommendations for future research are also discussed

Coronary anomalies in Sudanese patients: angiographic study and brief review

Introduction and objective: Coronary anomalies are not rare [about 1% of the general population] and may be associated with sudden death and ischemia and may cause difficulties in coronary interventions and errors in bypass surgery. The aim of this study is to demonstrate their incidence in the Sudanese patients and give a review on their classifications and clinical relevance. Patients and methods: A retrospective study of 270 patients who had coronary angiography at Ahmed Gasim cardiac center from April, 2004 to August, 2005. Results and conclusion: Our study showed a rather higher rate of coronary anomalies [3%] but the pattern was not greatly different from the figures in the literature. Anomalies of origin were the most common [which may give difficulties in coronary interventions]. Potentially morbid anomaly with either the left anterior descending artery [LAD] or the left main coronary artery [LMCA] originating from the right coronary sinus was seen in 3 patients [1, 1%]. This study demonstrated that coronary anomalies are not rare in our patients and potentially serious anomaly may exist. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 1(1) 2006: 43-4

Sustainable building production adopting an optimized BIM phasing system

Sustainable building production could be achieved through better economic efficiency, reduced site waste, and a safe working environment. The identification of the creation phase for each element in the building information model (BIM) is manually done by experienced engineers able to integrate technical construction constraints and an appropriate workflow of construction activities. It is a difficult and complex task to be done. Experienced engineers iterate this operation several times until an adequate solution is achieved without real possibility of optimization. The development of an assistance tool to optimize phase identification of BIM elements included in the repetitive floor plan considering varied evaluation criteria and technical construction constraints should lead to significant economic and environmental profits: reduction of needed construction resources and related waste, improvement of construction quality, and better conditions of site safety. The optimization tool presented in this paper provides better solutions for repetitive floor plans specifically through balanced quantities of work hours and a lower quantity of needed formworks. A reduction of around 10% of labour and 25% of non-used formwork is achieved, which significantly improves site safety, productivity, and profitability. The validity of the presented results is substantiated by multiple examples from real construction sites that have been analyzed in this study

A review on aerodynamics of nonflapping bird wings

Birds are known for their agility, manoeuvrability, and flexibility during flight. These features allow their ability to fly under a large range of flight conditions. Bio flyers and bio aerodynamic/fluid surfaces have inspired many to perform experiments and simulations as well as to relate their results to engineering applications. Wings specifically have been the most inspirational element. Aerodynamic forces, structure, unsteady flow, fluid-structure interaction, flow control, flow adaptive elements and mechanisms, flow vortices, flapping mechanisms, and hovering flight of birds are examples of research interests. This paper presents an overview of prior analyses and experiments on the aerodynamic performance and mechanical properties of birds in steady non-flapping flight

Aerodynamics of porous airfoils and wings

This paper presents novel wind tunnel test results on the aerodynamics of a symmetric thin porous airfoil and a porous rectangular half wing using a symmetric thin airfoil as its cross section, obtained by a six-component force balance. The variation of lift coefficient, drag coefficient, pitching moment, lift versus drag, the gradient of lift, and location of the aerodynamic center with respect to the angle of attack are presented as a function of the porosity. The data, where possible, are compared with the analytical results. The trend of the experimental results behaves in the same manner as the analytical solution. The measured drag coefficients of the airfoil and wing are also presented. The applicability of the standard equation relating the lift coefficient of a non-porous wing with that of a non-porous airfoil to the case of porous wings is verified by applying the equation to porous wings and validating the results using experimental data. Lift slope decreases as the porosity increases. The drag decreases at a low value of porosity and then increases as porosity increases. The standard equation for obtaining the lift coefficient of a wing from the lift coefficient of an airfoil is applicable and valid for porous wings and airfoils

Kernel estimation of returns of retirement funds of employers based on monetary earnings (subscriptions and compensation) via regression discontinuity in Iraq

Regression Discontinuity (RD) means a study that exposes a definite group to the effect of a treatment. The uniqueness of this design lies in classifying the study population into two groups based on a specific threshold limit or regression point, and this point is determined in advance according to the terms of the study and its requirements. Thus , thinking was focused on finding a solution to the issue of workers retirement and trying to propose a scenario to attract the idea of granting an end-of-service reward to fill the gap ( discontinuity point) if it had not been granted. The regression discontinuity method has been used to study and to estimate the effect of the end -service reward on the cutoff of insured workers as well as the increase in revenues resulting from that. The research has showed that this reward has a clear effect on increasing revenues due to the regularity of workers in their work and their work continuity . It has also found that using Local Linear Smother (LLS) by using three models of bandwidth selection. Its results after the analysis in the Regression program have been as follows: The CCT (Calonico, Cattaneo & Titiunik) beamwidth gives the best performance followed by the local linear regression using the LK (Lembens and kalyanman) beamwidth. The real data has been used in sample size 71 represented in compensation as a variable of effectiveness (illustrative) X and the revenue as a result or an approved variable Y, while the results of the traditional OLS estimation method have not been good enough

Diagnosing Pilgrimage Common Diseases by Interactive Multimedia Courseware

في هذه الدراسة، نحاول تقديم خدمة الرعاية الصحية للحجاج. تصف هذه الدراسة كيف يمكن استخدام مناهج الوسائط المتعددة في جعل الحجاج على علم بالأمراض الشائعة الموجودة في المملكة العربية السعودية أثناء موسم الحج. كما سيتم استخدام البرامج التعليمية للوسائط المتعددة في توفير بعض المعلومات حول أعراض هذه الأمراض، وكيف يمكن علاج كل منها. يحتوي البرنامج التعليمي للوسائط المتعددة على تمثيل افتراضي للمستشفى، وبعض مقاطع الفيديو للحالات الفعلية للمرضى، وأنشطة التعلم الأصيلة التي تهدف إلى تعزيز الكفاءات الصحية أثناء الحج. تم فحص المناهج الدراسية لدراسة الطريقة التي يتم بها تطبيق عناصر المناهج الدراسية في التعلم في الوقت الحقيقي. أكثر من ذلك، في هذا البحث، يتم تقديم مناقشة حول أخطر الأمراض التي قد تحدث خلال موسم الحج. إن استخدام دورة الوسائط المتعددة قادر على توفير المعلومات بشكل فعال وفعال للحجاج حول هذه الأمراض. تؤدي هذه التقنية هذه المهمة باستخدام المعرفة المتراكمة من التجارب السابقة، لا سيما في مجال تشخيص الأمراض والطب والعلاج. تم إنشاء المناهج الدراسية باستخدام أداة تأليف تُعرف باسم مدرب ToolBook لتزويد الحجاج بخدمة عالية الجودة.In this study, we attempt to provide healthcare service to the pilgrims. This study describes how a multimedia courseware can be used in making the pilgrims aware of the common diseases that are present in Saudi Arabia during the pilgrimage. The multimedia courseware will also be used in providing some information about the symptoms of these diseases, and how each of them can be treated. The multimedia courseware contains a virtual representation of a hospital, some videos of actual cases of patients, and authentic learning activities intended to enhance health competencies during the pilgrimage. An examination of the courseware was conducted so as to study the manner in which the elements of the courseware are applied in real-time learning. More so, in this research, a discussion on the most dangerous diseases which may occur during the season of pilgrimage is provided. The use of the multimedia course is able to effectively and efficiently provide information to the pilgrims about these diseases. This technology performs this task by using the knowledge that has been accumulated from past experience, particularly in the field of disease diagnosis, medicine and treatment. The courseware has been created using an authoring tool known as ToolBook instructor to provide pilgrims with quality service

Impact of IAS IFRS on Reducing Information Risk and Enhancing Financial Performance in Iraq

This study investigates the recent implementation of International Accounting Standards (IAS) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Iraq, highlighting its impact on enhancing information quality, reducing risk, and improving financial performance efficiency. The interconnected system of these standards ensures operational efficacy and provides accurate, relevant information for informed decision-making. Despite these benefits, information quality poses a risk unless specific attributes are met, affecting financial performance and information accuracy. The study identifies a positive relationship between lower information risk and higher accounting performance, supported by a significant T-test result (computed value: 12.062, tabulated value: 2.82). This research aims to evaluate the effects of IAS/IFRS adoption on information risk and accounting performance, using hypothesis testing to validate findings. The results underscore the importance of rigorous standards in mitigating information risk and enhancing financial outcomes