Social music in cars

This paper builds an understanding of how music is currently experienced by a social group travelling together in a car - how songs are chosen for playing, how music both reflects and influences the group’s mood and social interaction, who supplies the music, the hardware/software that supports song selection and presentation. This fine-grained context emerges from a qualitative analysis of a rich set of ethnographic data (participant observations and interviews) focusing primarily on the experience of in-car music on moderate length and long trips. We suggest features and functionality for music software to enhance the social experience when travelling in cars, and prototype and test a user interface based on design suggestions drawn from the data

Financial Sector Reform and Its Impact on Investment and Economic Growth: An Econometric Approach

The financial sector is central to economic development as it serves the role of intermediary by mobilising savings and subsequently allocating credit for productive activities. However, in many developing countries including Pakistan, administered interest rate, domestic credit controls, high reserve requirements, use of captive banking system to finance large budgetary requirements of the government and controls on international capital inflows have remained the main features of the monetary policy. These repressive policies had their repercussions in the form of excess liquidity with the banking system, disintermediation of cash flows, segmentation of financial markets, underdeveloped money and capital markets, etc. [McKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973)], therefore, argued that low interest rate ceilings unduly restrict the real flow of loanable funds, thus depressing the quantity of productive investment. Financial liberalisation, on the other hand, is defined as policy measures designed to deregulate certain operations of the financial system and transform its structure with a view to achieving a liberalised market oriented system with an appropriate regulatory framework. The financial sector reforms would lead to increase in loanable funds by attracting more household savings to bank deposits due to higher interest rates. This, in turn, would result in greater investment and faster economic growth.

Curve fitting polynomial technique compared to ANFIS technique for maximum power point tracking

Abstract: In this paper, an approach of designing a fast tracking MPPT is introduced using a predicted sixth order polynomial curve fitting MPPT technique. The results are compared with the lower order polynomials curve fitting MPPT and also compared with the Artificial Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) results. The polynomials were generated from an offline solar data. This work was done to validate the effect of using a higher order polynomials under various weather conditions using modified CUK DC-DC converter. Findings suggest that using the 6th order polynomial curve fitting and the ANFIS techniques could track the highest maximum power point than the lower order curve techniques

Use of MPPT techniques to reduce the energy pay-back time in PV systems

Abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) energy is a free-energy that is used as an alternative to fossil fuel energy. However, PV system without maximum power point tracking (MPPT) produces a low, unstable power and with a long energy pay-back time. This paper presents an innovative artificial neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) MPPT technique that could extract maximum power from a complete PV system and with a lessened EPBT. To confirm the effectiveness of the ANFIS algorithm, its result was compared with the results of PV system using Perturb&Observe (P&O) technique, non-MPPT technique, combination of artificial neural network and support vector machine as ANN-SVM technique and using Pretoria city weather data as case studies. Results show that ANFIS-MPPT yielded the best result and with the lowest EPBT

An Exploratory Study of Shari'ah Issues in the Application of Tabarru' for Takaful

Takaful industry has witnessed an exponential growth across the world over the last decade, demonstrating an enormous demand for takaful products ranging from short-term general takaful to long-term family takaful. It has attracted considerable attention not only from the Muslim countries, but also from the non-Muslim countries. Despite its promising growth, however, the takaful industry continues to face numerous contentious Shari'ah issues. The present study aims to discuss some of the most fundamental Shari'ah issues in takaful, namely the issue of applying tabarru' concept in takaful and the issue of underwriting surplus of tabarru' fund

Evaluation of Vitamin D and Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels in Iraqi Infertile Women

Although the mechanism underlying the relationship between vitamin D insufficiency and reproduction is unknown, research suggests that it may have a direct deleterious impact on ovarian function. This is primarily because vitamin D insufficiency can affect gonadal function. The anti müllerian hormone (AMH) is one of the most important biomarkers produced by granulosa cells and plays a key role in folliculogenesis. This study wanted to look at and compare vitamin D and AMH levels in infertile and fertile women, as well as the relationship between them in both groups. A hundred infertile and fertile women participated in the study. Anti-müllerian, prolactin, follicle-stimulating, and luteinizing hormones, as well as 25 hydroxyvitamin D, were estimated. Vitamin D deficiency was found in 72% of infertile women (n = 36), compared to 48% (n = 24) of the fertile group. There was no significant link between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and AMH in both groups. Infertile women exhibited a significantly lower serum AMH and higher body mass index. This study's findings suggested that the correlation between vitamin D and ovarian reserve markers was unlikely to present. However, the infertile group has a more significant vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency rate

Monitoring the effect of asymmetrical vertical strain on Janus single layers of MoSSe via vibrational spectrum

Using first principles calculations, we study the structural and phononic properties of the recently synthesized Janus type single layers of molybdenum dichalcogenides. The Janus MoSSe single layer possesses 2H crystal structure with two different chalcogenide sides that lead to out-of-plane anisotropy. By virtue of the asymmetric structure of the ultra-thin Janus type crystal, we induced the out-of-plane anisotropy to show the distinctive vertical pressure effect on the vibrational properties of the Janus material. It is proposed that for the corresponding Raman active optical mode of the Janus structure, the phase modulation and the magnitude ratio of the strained atom and its first neighbor atom adjust the distinctive change in the eigen-frequencies and Raman activity. Moreover, a strong variation in the Raman activity of the Janus structure is obtained under bivertical and univertical strains. Not only eigen-frequency shifts but also Raman activities of the optical modes of the Janus structure exhibit distinguishable features. This study reveals that the vertical anisotropic feature of the Janus structure under Raman measurement allows us to distinguish which side of the Janus crystal interacts with the externals (substrate, functional adlayers, or dopants).TUBITAK (117F095); FLAG-ERA-TRANS2DTM