National culture and on-line trust: a study of internet Egyptian users

This research-in-progress investigates cultural issues in e-commerce trust. An experiential survey was conducted with three hundred and seventy Egyptian Internet users, exploring two book-seller web sites. Structure equation modeling analysis suggested that, for the target sample, perceived reputation and perceived familiarity with an Internet store have significant effect on building trust for that store. The paper discusses the importance of these two factors within the Egyptian culture

Higher Fertilizer Inputs Increase Fitness Traits of Brown Planthopper in Rice.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the primary staple food source for more than half of the world's population. In many developing countries, increased use of fertilizers is a response to increase demand for rice. In this study, we investigated the effects of three principal fertilizer components (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) on the development of potted rice plants and their effects on fitness traits of the brown planthopper (BPH) [Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae)], which is a major pest of rice in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Compared to low fertilizer inputs, high fertilizer treatments induced plant growth but also favored BPH development. The BPH had higher survival, developed faster, and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r m ) was higher on well-fertilized than under-fertilized plants. Among the fertilizer inputs, nitrogen had the strongest effect on the fitness traits of BPH. Furthermore, both the "Plant vigor hypothesis" and the "Plant stress hypothesis" were supported by the results, the former hypothesis more so than the latter. These hypotheses suggest that the most suitable/attractive hosts for insect herbivores are the most vigorous plants. Our findings emphasized that an exclusive focus on yield increases through only enhanced crop fertilization may have unforeseen, indirect, effects on crop susceptibility to pests, such as BPH

Agama dan Altruisme: Studi Analisis Pengaruh Religiusitas Komunitas Posko Bersama Relawan dalam Aksi Kemanusiaan di Surabaya

This study aims to examine the relationship between religion and altruism, namely the relationship between the religious attitudes of members of the Posko community and volunteers throughout the city of Surabaya in helping the community. Attitudes possessed by every human being must be different, not a few humans who have a voluntary attitude, are generous, like to help and have a human spirit. As a volunteer who helps in a particular service or organization without wanting or involving money in return for his work. The research method in this article uses a descriptive qualitative analysis approach. By using the literature, observation and interviews are the main components of the preparation of this research. With the attitude of religiosity, volunteers are increasingly convinced that what they are doing is good and God likes good things. Because it is a form of attention that someone has with the aim of increasing helping others without being selfish. Volunteer actions are closely related to religious elements and altruism as human nature, so the urge to take part in humanitarian action grows by itself. The results showed that there was a positive relationship between the religiosity and altruism of the posko community members and volunteers throughout the city of Surabaya in their contribution to helping the community, which means that the higher the religiosity the higher the human spirit, religiosity contributes effectively to the attitudes of community members

Construction project planning: Improving effectiveness of resources allocation

Several studies indicate that the effectiveness of Construction Project Planning (CPP) can be improved by increasing the amount of resources allocated to the task. There are also studies indicating that allocating resources beyond optimum point in planning activities may result in a lack of cost effectiveness because of an increase in overall project costs. Other research concludes that both, too little planning and too much planning are factors that can lead to poor project performance. This research analyses the effectiveness of construction project planning and how resources can be allocated in a cost effective way, in all stages of construction planning. A review of literature is made on construction planning in general and on cost effectiveness aspect. Two samples are used from field research, one sample obtained from interviewing six senior construction planners from large construction firms in UK. Another sample is obtained from eight questionnaire survey from Dubai construction planners, who work for large international Project management consultants. The two samples are compared and analysed and the outcome is discussed. The emphasis is given on how to find strategies to improve the effectiveness of construction planning, while using the resources in a cost effective way, in all stages of construction planning. A general guideline on how to carry out effective construction project planning is provided in a diagram, in concluding chapter. Key Words: Construction Project Planning, Cost, Effectiveness, Resources allocation, Building Contractors

Single-Exposure, Single-Mask, Edge-Illumination X-ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using a 7.8-μm Pixel Pitch Direct Conversion X-ray Detector

Double-mask edge-illumination is a well-reported technique for phase-contrast x-ray imaging. Although phase retrieval using this technique is comparably easier than propagation-based phase-contrast x-ray imaging, edge-illumination can be inefficient in terms of dose efficiency and imaging time when it comes to computed tomography scanning. The illumination curve, which describes the beamlets' intensity profile impinging upon the detector, is a key parameter that contributes to retrieving phase and absorption information. To obtain the illumination curve, multiple exposures are typically required which decreases x-ray dose efficiency and, more importantly, increases imaging time. Moreover, sample motion can negatively impact the image and information retrieval process. In this research, we employ a single mask in conjunction with a 7.8-μm pixel pitch amorphous selenium-CMOS hybrid direct conversion x-ray detector to obtain the beamlets' intensity profile with only a single exposure. We demonstrate how using an ultra-high spatial resolution x-ray detector with a single-mask edge-illumination technique can potentially increase both dose efficiency and imaging time by at least a factor of 1.5X. Moreover, the resulting system using our approach is more compact with a source-to-detector distance of less than 30 cm. Single-exposure imaging can also help mitigate the impact of motion artifacts in the final image

Identification of multidrug-resistant bacteria and Bacillus cereus from healthcare workers and environmental surfaces in a hospital

No Abstract

Multiple faces of the same pathology

Ectopic pregnancy is defined as an extrauterine pregnancy. We report three cases where the ectopic pregnancies were implanted in different sites. The first case was a 28-year-old in her second pregnancy at 9 weeks gestation. She presented with painless vaginal bleeding. Ultrasound showed unruptured cornual pregnancy with hCG level of 7456mIU/ml. A single dose of 75mg IM methorexate was given and she responded well with significant reduction of hCG level. The second case, a 26-year-old gravida 5 para 2+2, with 2 previous ectopic pregnancies and bilateral salpingectomy, conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF). She presented with acute abdomen and one episode of syncope at 8 weeks 4 days gestation. Laparotomy showed ruptured ectopic pregnancy at the left tubal stump requiring a left salpingectomy. The third case was a 26-year-old, gravida 5 para 2+2, with two previous vaginal deliveries and two previous first trimester miscarriages. Her menses was irregular since she took injectable progestin. She presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of lower abdomen pain. Urine pregnancy test was positive. Ultrasound showed empty uterus, no adnexal mass but there was significant free fluid in the cul-de-sac. During laparoscopy, a ruptured ovarian pregnancy was diagnosed and salpingo-oophorectomy performed. There was no significant risk factor contributing to ectopic pregnancy identified in the first and third case. In the second case, despite previous bilateral salpingectomy, the patient still had ectopic pregnancy in the left fallopian tube remnant

Vertical Field Effect Transistor based on Graphene-WS2 Heterostructures for flexible and transparent electronics

The celebrated electronic properties of graphene have opened way for materials just one-atom-thick to be used in the post-silicon electronic era. An important milestone was the creation of heterostructures based on graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) crystals, which can be assembled in 3D stacks with atomic layer precision. These layered structures have already led to a range of fascinating physical phenomena, and also have been used in demonstrating a prototype field effect tunnelling transistor - a candidate for post-CMOS technology. The range of possible materials which could be incorporated into such stacks is very large. Indeed, there are many other materials where layers are linked by weak van der Waals forces, which can be exfoliated and combined together to create novel highly-tailored heterostructures. Here we describe a new generation of field effect vertical tunnelling transistors where 2D tungsten disulphide serves as an atomically thin barrier between two layers of either mechanically exfoliated or CVD-grown graphene. Our devices have unprecedented current modulation exceeding one million at room temperature and can also operate on transparent and flexible substrates

Misregulation of cell cycle-dependent methylation of budding yeast CENP-A contributes to chromosomal instability.

Centromere (CEN) identity is specified epigenetically by specialized nucleosomes containing evolutionarily conserved CEN-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A (Cse4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, CENP-A in humans), which is essential for faithful chromosome segregation. However, the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate Cse4 function have not been fully defined. In this study, we show that cell cycle-dependent methylation of Cse4-R37 regulates kinetochore function and high-fidelity chromosome segregation. We generated a custom antibody that specifically recognizes methylated Cse4-R37 and showed that methylation of Cse4 is cell cycle regulated with maximum levels of methylated Cse4-R37 and its enrichment at the CEN chromatin occur in the mitotic cells. Methyl-mimic cse4-R37F mutant exhibits synthetic lethality with kinetochore mutants, reduced levels of CEN-associated kinetochore proteins and chromosome instability (CIN), suggesting that mimicking the methylation of Cse4-R37 throughout the cell cycle is detrimental to faithful chromosome segregation. Our results showed that SPOUT methyltransferase Upa1 contributes to methylation of Cse4-R37 and overexpression of UPA1 leads to CIN phenotype. In summary, our studies have defined a role for cell cycle-regulated methylation of Cse4 in high-fidelity chromosome segregation and highlight an important role of epigenetic modifications such as methylation of kinetochore proteins in preventing CIN, an important hallmark of human cancers