Lebanon: The Cycle of Death

This essay addresses the fact that as most countries in the Middle East have managed to protect themselves from external interference, why does Lebanon continue to be a target for intervention. Since the regional elements is the same for all the states in the Middle East, the paper focuses on internal factors within the Lebanese state that allow for foreign influence to prosper. Based on the evidence from crises that took place in 1958, 1975, and 2008; the paper argues that the political system and foreign policy of the Lebanese state are responsible for exposing Lebanon to foreign intervention. In response, proposals are put forward to resolve this inherent weakness of the Lebanese state. They include introducing a decentralised political system and introducing constant status of neutrality to Lebanese foreign policy

Unconventional Wisdom in Resonating Echoes of the Past: A Memoir on the Life and Music of royal hartigan

Unconventional Wisdom in Resonating Echoes of the Past: A Memoir on the Life and Music of royal hartigan Joseph Elias Boulos Detailed fieldwork achieved by people in the discipline of social/humanistic studies, specifically ethnomusicologists, in any form: book, biography, documentary, etc., have contributed to the strengthening the understanding of any group of people, community, or culture. This research project is a co-authored memoir grounded in oral history and collaborative ethnography on, and with, Dr. royal hartigan. The purpose of this ethnographic research is to fill in the lack of information readily available on royal, from his sole perspective, and to also gain a comprehensive and coherent narrative on his life. The data collected from royal’s point of view on music and life will reveal new facets or subcategories within the field of drum set and beyond. This project can also lead to others interested, and support them, in pursuing similar ethnographic research

The Use of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with the Native American Population in the Southwest

Compared to other races, Native Americans have significantly higher rates of suicide and substance abuse. Dialectical behavioral therapy is an evidence-based program with efficacy for reducing suicidality and comorbid disorders within general populations but may not be effective for Native Americans because it is based in Western ideology. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Native American therapists who use DBT with Native American populations. Using biosocial theory, I investigated the perceptions and lived experiences of 8 Native American therapists through a phenomenological approach. The research questions encompassed the experiences, including the cultural appropriateness, effectiveness, and treatment barriers and challenges in using DBT. I analyzed data using the interpretive phenomenological analysis. The data displayed 3 superordinate themes from participants: cultural understanding, usefulness of dialectical behavior therapy, and challenges of dialectical behavior therapy. The findings revealed a lack of consensus on how DBT helps Native clients, but participants shared positive experiences using DBT. It was confirmed in the study that knowing the culture, being Native as a provider, understanding generational trauma, and the uniqueness of diversity with different tribes is an asset. The study may have significance for social change by identifying Native American therapists\u27 experiences with using and modifying DBT for Native American clients and potentially providing a pathway for its future use in Native American communities, including current strengths and potential improvements

The Effects of Biochar and Nitrogen Stabilizers Application on Forage Crop Growth, Greenhouse Gas Emission and Soil Quality

ABSTRACT Forage systems are important for animal production. Nitrogen fertilization and herbicides use has led to a significant increase in forage production. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of biochar and N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide + dicyandiamide (NBPT+DCD) application on manure and urea fertilized soil by focusing on nitrogen fertilizer efficiency use, greenhouse gases emissions, microbial community, soil aggregate stability, and organic carbon functional groups. In addition, herbicides effect on greenhouse gases emission was assessed. Biochar and NBPT+DCD increased nitrogen use efficiency of both fertilizers managements and reduced the N2O emissions following manure fertilization. However, NBPT+DCD was a better tool to enhance the use efficiency of both fertilizers and to reduce the N2O emission of urea fertilization. The use of manure as nitrogen fertilizer and biochar appeared to increase microbial biomass, bacteria and fungi relative abundances in the soil. In contrast, the use of NBPT+DCD presented to be detrimental to microbial biomass, especially for bacteria and saprophytic fungi. Manure fertilization and biochar application increased soil aggregation and stability. Manure application contributed to more aliphatic components (non-polar) and polysaccharides (binding agent) of soil organic matter in larger aggregates. On the other hand, biochar application increased carboxylic functional groups in smaller aggregates. Indaziflam increased CH4 emissions from a pasture soil, while nicosulfuron plus metsulfuron-methyl and oxadiazon reduced N2O emission. These findings will improve sustainable farming practices on forage production systems in southern region of United States

\u3cem\u3eRhizobium leguminosarum\u3c/em\u3e CFN42 Genetic Regions Encoding Lipopolysaccharide Structures Essential for Complete Nodule Development on Bean Plants

Eight symbiotic mutants defective in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis were isolated from Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseoli CFN42. These eight strains elicited small white nodules lacking infected cells when inoculated onto bean plants. The mutants had undetectable or greatly diminished amounts of the complete LPS (LPS I), whereas amounts of an LPS lacking the O antigen (LPS II) greatly increased. Apparent LPS bands that migrated between LPS I and LPS II on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels were detected in extracts of some of the mutants. The mutant strains were complemented to wild-type LPS I content and antigenicity by DNA from a cosmid library of the wild-type genome. Most of the mutations were clustered in two genetic regions; one mutation was located in a third region. Strains complemented by DNA from two of these regions produced healthy nitrogen-fixing nodules. Strains complemented to wild-type LPS content by the other genetic region induced nodules that exhibited little or no nitrogenase activity, although nodule development was obviously enhanced by the presence of this DNA. The results support the idea that complete LPS structures, in normal amounts, are necessary for infection thread development in bean plants

Designing a robust production system for erratic demand environments.

Production systems must have the right type of material in the right quantities when required for production. They must minimize the work in progress while ensuring no stock-outstock-out occurs. While these twin opposing goals are achievable when demand is stable, they are difficult to realize under an erratic demand pattern. This dissertation aims to develop a production system that can meet erratic demands with minimal costs or errors. After a detailed introduction to the problem considered, we review the relevant literature. We then conduct a numerical analysis of current production systems, identify their deficiencies, and then present our solution to address these deficiencies via the ARK (Automated Replenishment System) technique. This technique is applied to a real-world problem at Methode Engineering ©. We conclude by detailing the scientific benefit of our technique and proposing ideas for future research

Extracting, Mapping, Editing SEM Metadata

The presentation shows an overview of the Metadata Extraction and Mapping tool currently under deployment in SCC-DEM, the motivation behind its need, and the benefits of its use. The exemplary use case for Scanning Electron Microscopy images is presented

Effect of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth: The Nigeria Perspective

This study examined the effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth with specific reference in the Nigerian economy with exchange rate as an additional explanatory variable, among others. Multiple regression analysis technique was employed in estimating the model. The data used for the study were extracted from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin from 1980 – 2012. The results of the study revealed that foreign direct investment has a positive relationship with Nigerian economic growth. The same positive relationship also exists between exchange rate and Nigerian economic growth. It was recommended among other things that the aspect of foreign direct investment which encourages transfer of technology be encouraged into the country. Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, Exchange rate, Economic Growth, Nigeri

Metadata Extraction Tool and Schema Mapper for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images

Standardized metadata and the proper storage of it are critical components of scientific research. However, manually extracting metadata is time-consuming and error-prone. The KIT-developed Mapping Service solves this problem by automating the process of metadata extraction and mapping as per published schema, making it easier for researchers to manage large datasets for improved accessibility and collaboration. At its core, the Mapping Service is an automated tool for researchers in materials science to easily extract metadata from research images generated by various imaging instruments, namely Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), and map them according to published metadata schemas. The tool comprises two key components: a reader and a mapper. The reader reads all the metadata embedded within the images, which can contain hundreds of pieces of metadata. The mapper takes the relevant schema and cherry-picks all the key variables that the schema says should be included; it then maps these variables to their appropriate standardized name, resulting in a nicely formatted metadata document in JSON format. Researchers in materials science who generate research images with metadata requiring efficient and consistent processing can easily adopt the Mapping Service. This tool is a valuable asset for efficient and standardized metadata handling in materials science research, particularly for SEM Focused Ion Beam tomography. With this poster, we succinctly highlight the Mapping Service’s automatic metadata extraction process, and the necessary considerations and prerequisites for its implementation into a research environment

Denial of Service (DoS) in Internet Protocol (IP) Network and Information Centric Network (ICN): An Impediment to Network Quality of Service (QoS).

This paper compares and analyses the Denial-of-Service attacks in the two different Network architectures. The two architectures are based on different routing approaches: Hop-by-Hop IP routing and source-routing using Bloom filters. In Hop-by-Hop IP routing, the packet header contains the address, and the route is decided node by node. Forwarding in this method requires a node to have a routing table which contains the port through which the packet should traverse depending on the address of the destination. Instead in source-routing, the forwarding identifier is encoded with the path a packet should take and it is placed in the packet header. The forwarding identifier in this approach does not require a forwarding table for look ups like the IP routing; it relies on Line Speed Publish/Subscribe (LIPSIN) forwarding solution that focuses on using named links not nodes or interfaces. The forwarding identifier encompasses a set of Link ID’s which specifies the path to the recipient and they are encoded in a Bloom filter. The In-packet Bloom filters serve as both path selectors and as capabilities, and they are generated dynamically. However, this thesis is going to focus on the latter network technology by looking at both its benefits and drawbacks as well as analysing the possibilities of having a Denial of service attack. Keywords: DoS, DDoS, TCP/IP Protocol Suite, ICMP flood, E-mail Bomb, Ping of Death, TCP and UD