Total Immersion: Virtual Reality\u27s Path to Mass Adoption

With the release of devices such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Google Daydream in 2016, virtual reality seems poised to take over the tech and media landscape. Professional estimates of the projected popularity of these devices span extremely wide ranges, and many of these predictions fall victim to a self-serving bias. The purpose of this research is to identify the variables that affect the spread of the use of virtual reality, and to analyze how the characteristics of modern virtual reality relate to these variables. The framework used to identify and assess these variables comes from Everett Rogers’s seminal Diffusion of Innovations theory. To contextualize modern day VR, the paper include a brief history of the technology and relevant predecessors. It also compares and contrasts the diverse VR offerings on the market today. After analyzing virtual reality through the principles of the Diffusion of Innovations theory, it is clear that many factors are slowing VR’s rate of adoption, and that near-future estimates of the spread of the technology should be conservative. Despite this, the benefits of VR as seen through Rogers’s lens suggest that the long term view of the platform is much more optimistic

Semantic Document Clustering for Crime Investigation

Computers are increasingly used as tools to commit crimes such as unauthorized access (hacking), drug trafficking, and child pornography. The proliferation of crimes involving computers has created a demand for special forensic tools that allow investigators to look for evidence on a suspect’s computer by analyzing communications and data on the computer’s storage devices. Motivated by the forensic process at Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the Québec provincial police, we propose a new subject-based semantic document clustering model that allows an investigator to cluster documents stored on a suspect’s computer by grouping them into a set of overlapping clusters, each corresponding to a subject of interest initially defined by the investigator

ACTIVATION OF BACTERIAL CYTOCHROME P450 IN THE INTESTINE OF LARVAL MOSQUITOES AN INDICATION OF ITS ROLE IN THE INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE

Mosquitoes apply very important impact on people life, and their control, day by day, is getting harder and harder. This difficulty comes from different issues such as insecticide resistance. The gut microbiome (GM) in different animals has been discovered to add principle influence on the gastrointestinal tract physiology. For example, GM participates in degradation of some poisonus chemicals into safer molecules that could be handled by the animal host. Eukaryotic cytochrome P450 has been detected to inseret some degradation processes in other animal models such as zebra fish. However, these effects are not yet known in mosquitos. In order to stand on these problems and find if the prokaryotic P450 is involved, this study had been done to find out if the GM has any role in developing such resistance in mosquitos. Larvae were used in this experiment which exposed to benzothiozole (BZT) to trigger the hypothetical role of prokaryotic P450. By using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the result indicates that the bacterial P450 was initiated and might be involved in the BZT exposure handlin

Availability, quality and utilisation of oil seed meals produced in the Middle East and North Africa regions

The population of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was 432 million in 2007 and it is estimated that in 2050 this figure will rise to 692 million inhabitants. The poultry industry in the MENA region depends heavily on imported soybeans and soybean meals. About 8.5 million metric tons of soybean meal (SBM) are needed for the production of poultry meat and eggs every year, based on the production of about 8.2 million tons of poultry meat and 3.7 million tons of eggs. Poultry feed prices are consistently increasing because of dependence on imported soybean meal. Hence, it is essential to find sustainable alternative protein sources. Several countries in the region produce sizeable amounts of oil seed meals that can partially or fully replace soybean meal in poultry rations. Nearly 5 million tons of cottonseed meal (CSM), peanut meal, sesame meal, sunflower meal and rapeseed meal are produced yearly in this region. The neighbouring countries of India, Pakistan and Sudan produce over 36 million tons of these meals. This study focused on these five meals in relation to amounts produced, quality and possible levels of use in various poultry rations. Data will be presented on availability, constraints of these meals as replacements for SBM, economic feasibility, and methods of improvement for possible utilisation at higher levels. Oil seed meal digestibility, quality, naturally occurring toxins, antimetabolites, mycotoxins, nutrient imbalances, and prices play a major role in determining the use of these meals for the production of poultry meat and eggs. © 2018 World's Poultry Science Association

New estimates of water footprint for animal products in fifteen countries of the Middle East and North Africa (2010-2016)

The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is one of the most water-scarce worldwide. Up-to-date estimates of the origin and types of water use in various industries are necessary to manage water resources and guide food and water policies. The objective of this study is to determine new estimates for the color-coded water footprint (WF). Using the Water Footprint Network approach, country-specific blue, green and grey WFs and total virtual water were calculated for 2010-2016 using recent production data. We find that animal production in MENA increased by 50% as compared to the previous decade. Virtual water consumption account for more than 80 billion m3 annually, mostly for beef (61%), followed by broilers (20%), and sheep (17%). 40% of which is local. Almost 50% of the feed grains used in the region are produced locally, accounting for 40% of the total WF for animal production in MENA. © 2019 The Authors

Poultry production and its effects on food security in the Middle Eastern and North African region

The Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region is the largest importer of food in the World, and the development and growth of any of its agricultural sectors contributes to improved food security. The production of poultry meat and eggs in the MENA region has been increasing steadily and moving to become a highly sophisticated industry since the 1960s. In this study, data were collected on production of eggs, chicken meat, and turkey meat from 1961 to 2016 for 20 MENA countries (9 countries in the Near East, 5 in North Africa, and 6 Gulf countries). Production of eggs, chicken meat, and turkey meat increased significantly from 1961 to 2016, with increases in chicken meat more so than for eggs and turkey meat. Significant correlations were observed between production and population growth in all MENA regions except in the Gulf where production increased at a faster rate than population growth. Results also revealed that the mean % animal protein of total protein increased by 10% from 1961 to 2016 in North Africa, while the increase was only 5% in the Near East and 6% in the Gulf. Increases in egg protein consumption as % of total protein were only significant in North Africa during the 1980s, while increases in poultry meat protein consumption were significant in North Africa in the 1980s and 1990s and in the Gulf from 1970 to 2010. Analysis showed largest significant increases in contribution of poultry products in the Gulf compared with the other 2 regions. © 2020 The Author