A “justice” reading of the trans-national struggle of the people displaced by the Merowe Dam

This paper applies a “justice” lens to the struggle of the people displaced by the Merowe Dam in northern Sudan. Application of distributive, procedural, and representational aspects of justice exposes the dissatisfaction of the affected people with the government’s offer and execution of compensation. Consideration of social justice and the utility of norms in trans-national activism brings into sharp focus the difference in interests, and abilities of the many actors involved, and highlights the government’s tactics to divide the communities, and the social divisions sown. As the struggle develops, justice claims are seen to change towards less material issues, suggesting that an expanded and dynamic conception of justice is more helpful than narrow or time-bound conceptions. The findings are of relevance to communities facing possible displacement from dams planned nearby, not least of all for the insight provided on the effectiveness of different tactics in the struggle

Differential C3NET reveals disease networks of direct physical interactions.

BACKGROUND: Genes might have different gene interactions in different cell conditions, which might be mapped into different networks. Differential analysis of gene networks allows spotting condition-specific interactions that, for instance, form disease networks if the conditions are a disease, such as cancer, and normal. This could potentially allow developing better and subtly targeted drugs to cure cancer. Differential network analysis with direct physical gene interactions needs to be explored in this endeavour. RESULTS: C3NET is a recently introduced information theory based gene network inference algorithm that infers direct physical gene interactions from expression data, which was shown to give consistently higher inference performances over various networks than its competitors. In this paper, we present, DC3net, an approach to employ C3NET in inferring disease networks. We apply DC3net on a synthetic and real prostate cancer datasets, which show promising results. With loose cutoffs, we predicted 18583 interactions from tumor and normal samples in total. Although there are no reference interactions databases for the specific conditions of our samples in the literature, we found verifications for 54 of our predicted direct physical interactions from only four of the biological interaction databases. As an example, we predicted that RAD50 with TRF2 have prostate cancer specific interaction that turned out to be having validation from the literature. It is known that RAD50 complex associates with TRF2 in the S phase of cell cycle, which suggests that this predicted interaction may promote telomere maintenance in tumor cells in order to allow tumor cells to divide indefinitely. Our enrichment analysis suggests that the identified tumor specific gene interactions may be potentially important in driving the growth in prostate cancer. Additionally, we found that the highest connected subnetwork of our predicted tumor specific network is enriched for all proliferation genes, which further suggests that the genes in this network may serve in the process of oncogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our approach reveals disease specific interactions. It may help to make experimental follow-up studies more cost and time efficient by prioritizing disease relevant parts of the global gene network.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

A review on pineapple leaves fibre and its composites

Natural fibre based composites are under intensive study due to their ecofriendly nature and peculiar properties. The advantage of natural fibres is their continuous supply, easy and safe handling, and biodegradable nature. Although natural fibres exhibit admirable physical and mechanical properties, it varies with the plant source, species, geography, and so forth. Pineapple leave fibre (PALF) is one of the abundantly available wastes materials of Malaysia and has not been studied yet as it is required. A detailed study of chemical, physical, and mechanical properties will bring out logical and reasonable utilization of PALF for various applications. From the socioeconomic prospective, PALF can be a new source of raw material to the industries and can be potential replacement of the expensive and nonrenewable synthetic fibre. However, few studies on PALF have been done describing the interfacial adhesion between fibres and reinforcement compatibility of fibre but a detailed study on PALF properties is not available. In this review, author covered the basic information of PALF and compared the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties with other natural fibres. Furthermore, it summarizes the recent work reported on physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of PALF reinforced polymer composites with its potential applications

Mechanical and thermal properties of natural fibre based hybrid composites: a review

Environmental issues have motivated researchers to replace synthetic fibres with natural fibres in the fabrication of polymer composites. However, natural fibres demonstrate weak mechanical or thermal properties which limit their different applications. Researchers have suggested fabrication of hybrid composites in order to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of natural fibre-based composites. Hybrid composites are made up by two or more fibres in one matrix or two polymer blends and with one natural fibre reinforcement. By hybridising one natural fibre with another natural fibre/synthetic fibre in one matrix, the resulting composite is a unique product (hybrid composites) that displays better mechanical and thermal properties in comparison with individual fibre-reinforced polymer composites. The advantages of developing hybrid composites are that they are more reliable for different applications and more environmental friendly. In this review paper, we present some recently published works related to mechanical and thermal properties of natural/natural fibres, and natural/synthetic fibre-based hybrid composites. Hybrid composites are one of the emerging fields in material science which has attracted attention for their different engineering applications

Creation and Implementation of BIM model measurement rules

Dissertação de mestrado em European Master in Building Information ModellingA abordagem Building Information Modeling (BIM) é caracterizada por fluxos de trabalho colaborativos e troca de informações, o que permite a automatização de procedimentos e, em última análise, melhora a produtividade. Os modelos BIM servem como bases de dados centralizadas de dados que podem ser utilizados para uma variedade de tarefas, incluindo a estimativa de custos do projeto em várias fases. Embora o BIM ofereça inúmeros benefícios, o processo de estimar os custos com precisão é ainda desafiante, uma vez que requer a utilização de critérios de medição normalizados e bases de dados fiáveis dos custos de construção. Esta investigação aborda estes problemas formulando um conjunto de regras de medição especificamente concebidas para o ambiente BIM. O objetivo destas regras é simplificar o processo de determinação de quantidades e melhorar a precisão do mapa de quantidades (BOQ). Isto ajudará a minimizar a possibilidade de erro humano que está frequentemente presente em métodos mais antigos. O principal objetivo desta investigação é desenvolver um conjunto forte de regras gerais de medição que possam ser facilmente incorporadas num fluxo de trabalho automatizado para estimar os custos de construção. Neste trabalho é utilizado o software OpenBIM Quantities criado pela CYPE (empresa de desenvolvimento de software) para a criação e implementação das regras gerais de medição. O workflow apresentado neste trabalho incorpora várias etapas essenciais, tais como definir uma estrutura analítica do projeto, criar as regras de modelação incluindo o nível de informação necessária para os modelos BIM, extrair quantidades do modelo BIM, criar e implementar as regras gerais de medição , utilizando um construir uma base de dados de custos e fornecer uma lista de quantidades. Além disso, são utilizados estudos de caso para verificar a eficácia do fluxo de trabalho sugerido. Estes estudos de caso exemplificam a utilização real da abordagem em situações da vida real, apresentando melhorias na precisão da estimativa de custos e na eficiência do processo. Os resultados sugerem que a inclusão de regras de medição padronizadas na estrutura BIM melhora muito a precisão dos BOQs. A abordagem automatizada não só poupa tempo na preparação, como também garante que as estimativas finais são mais precisas. A informação gerada torna-se mais coerente, potenciando a tomada de decisões e o gerenciamento de projetos. No entanto, a investigação também reconhece várias limitações, incluindo a necessidade de formação intensiva associada à colocação em prática de técnicas BIM. Assim, uma das direções futuras da investigação é alargar o âmbito dos critérios de medição para incluir uma maior gama de elementos construtivos e classificações de projetos. Para promover uma maior adoção por parte da indústria, recomenda-se o aumento da compatibilidade das ferramentas BIM com outros softwares de gestão de construção.The approach of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is characterised by collaborative workflows and information exchange, which allows for the automation of procedures and ultimately improves productivity. BIM models serve as centralised databases of data that may be used for a variety of tasks, including project cost estimation at various stages. Although BIM offers numerous benefits, the process of accurately estimating costs is still challenging since it requires the use of standardised measurement criteria and dependable construction cost databases. This research tackles these problems by formulating a set of measurement rules specifically designed for the BIM environment. The purpose of these rules is to simplify the process of determining quantities and improve the accuracy of the bill of quantities (BOQ). This will help to minimise the possibility of human error that is often present in older methods. The main goal of this research is to develop a strong set of general measurement rules that can be smoothly incorporated into an automated workflow for estimating building costs. OpenBIM Quantities software created by CYPE (a software development company) is used in this work for creating and implementing the general measurement rules. The workflow presented in this work incorporates several essential stages, such as defining a work breakdown structure, creating the modelling rules including the level of information need for BIM models, extracting quantities from the BIM model, creating and implementing the general measurement rules, utilising a building cost database, and providing a bill of quantities. Additionally, case studies are utilised to verify the efficacy of the suggested workflow. These case studies exemplify the actual use of the approach in real-life situations, showcasing enhancements in the accuracy of cost estimation and the efficiency of the process. The results suggest that including standardised measurement rules into the BIM framework greatly improves the precision of BOQs. The automated approach not only saves time on preparation, but it also ensures that final estimates are more accurate. The generated information becomes more coherent, hence enhancing decision-making and project management. However, the research also acknowledges several limitations, including the need for intensive training associated with putting BIM techniques into practice. Thus, one of the research's future directions is to broaden the scope of the measurement criteria to include a greater range of building elements and project classifications. To promote greater industry adoption, it is recommended to enhance the compatibility of BIM tools with other construction management software

Entamoeba species associated with chronic diarrhoea in Pakistan

We determined the prevalence of Entamoeba (E.) histolytica, E. dispar and E. moshkovskii in patients with chronic diarrhoea associated with abdominal pain or discomfort mimicking irritable bowel syndrome. Stool samples were collected from 161 patients with chronic diarrhoea and from 157 healthy controls. Stool microscopy with modified trichrome stain, culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Entamoeba spp. differentiation was performed. Microscopy demonstrated Entamoeba cysts in 44% (57/129) of patients with diarrhoea compared to 29% (44/151) of controls (P=0·009). In patients with diarrhoea, PCR for E. histolytica was positive in 9% (11/129) (P=0·008), E. dispar in 19% (24/129) (P=0·117) and E. moshkovskii in 19% (24/129) (P\u3c0·001). E. histolytica and E. moshkovskii were significantly associated with diarrhoea while E. dispar was found equally in both groups

Fixed point and best proximity point results in PIV-S-metric spaces

This paper presents the concept of a partial idempotent valued S-metric space, abbreviated as PIV-S-metric space, as a generalization of both the PIV-metric space and S-metric space. The study utilizes this new framework to establish a fixed point theorem and a best proximity point theorem. Additionally, the paper proves the existence and uniqueness of the best proximity point within this context. Several illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the practical applications of the main findings

Trends in undergraduate teaching of parasitology in medical schools of Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: Parasitic diseases are a major public health problem in the tropical and sub tropical countries including the subcontinent region. We aimed to assess methods of Parasitology education in medical schools of Karachi Pakistan. METHODS: Ten medical schools in Karachi, Pakistan were sent a structured questionnaire collecting information on different aspects of Parasitology education. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 14.0. RESULTS: The response rate of this study was 90%. Majority of the schools in Karachi, Pakistan (78%) taught Parasitology concurrently with Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology and Forensic medicine in third and fourth year of undergraduate training. More than 20 hours were spent on teaching through didactic lectures (56%), interactive lectures (22%), problem based learning (PBL) (22%), clinical cases (11%) and small group discussions (89%). A Clinical Microbiologist or Parasitologist taught Parasitology by using transparencies, handouts and/or computer aids. Variation in education methods existed mainly in the private medical schools. CONCLUSION: Medical curricula were meeting the European standards for teaching of Parasitology. However, there is a need for revision and modification in the curricula owing to the high burden of parasitic diseases in the subcontinent region