Disparity between the Programmatic Views and the User Perceptions of Mobile Apps

User perception in any mobile-app ecosystem, is represented as user ratings of apps. Unfortunately, the user ratings are often biased and do not reflect the actual usability of an app. To address the challenges associated with selection and ranking of apps, we need to use a comprehensive and holistic view about the behavior of an app. In this paper, we present and evaluate Trust based Rating and Ranking (TRR) approach. It relies solely on an apps' internal view that uses programmatic artifacts. We compute a trust tuple (Belief, Disbelief, Uncertainty - B, D, U) for each app based on the internal view and use it to rank the order apps offering similar functionality. Apps used for empirically evaluating the TRR approach are collected from the Google Play Store. Our experiments compare the TRR ranking with the user review-based ranking present in the Google Play Store. Although, there are disparities between the two rankings, a slightly deeper investigation indicates an underlying similarity between the two alternatives

Television Advertisement as A Tool of Menstrual Hygiene Management: A Study on College Girls' in Barishal City

Menstruation is a sensitive issue in socio-cultural settings still now discussing about it publicly is treated as secrecy and embarrassment and introduced it as unclean to girls Part of purity girls are not allowed to perform religious prayer or worship including touching books material and even visiting places associated with religious beliefs But now in a greater extent television advertisement as an agent of socialization socialize to girls and women by conveying information and promoting awareness about menstruation and hygiene management including using a sanitary napkin how to use and duration of carrying a pad and so on by breaking down menstrual taboos to normalize it to all The objective of this research is to explore the way menstruation and hygiene-related information is presented on television advertisement how contextual factors contribute to maintaining menstrual hygiene and to overcome hygiene-related problems that are encountered by college girls during menstruation As the study is descriptive here an amalgamation of quantitative and qualitative methods applied to address research objective

Impact of Lowari Tunnel on the Socio-Economic Lives of the People: A Case of District Chitral (Pakistan)

This study presents the Socio economics impact of Lowari tunnel on district Chitral. This study has been based on primary data as well as secondary data. For primary data survey design has been selected and for secondary data consulted old written articles, researches and internet websites. A total of 50 samples were taken for the data collection and used simple random sampling technique. After collecting the data statistical analysis has been done and shows the results in the form of frequency tables and bar graphs. This study helps to explore the positive and negative impact of Lowari tunnel on socio economic lives of people Chitral. This study concluded that in time completion and proper maintenance of Lowari tunnel will have a positive impact on the socio-economic lives of the people of the region. The Chitrali community believes that after competition of the Lowari tunnel project, it will lead to regional development and prosperity at large. Keywords:Socio-Economic Impact, Regional Development, Lowari Tunnel, Chitral

Corona Treated Hybrid Nanocomposite Textile Fiber

This study reports the fabrication of corona treated hybrid nanocomposite fibers by blending Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in a solution spinning process. Plasma treated nanocomposite textile fiber offers the possibility of better morphological and piezoelectric property by shifting PVDF crystalline phase from ë± to ë_. Plasma application setup consists of a high voltage power supply, a ballast resistor, anode and cathode. Corona and normal glow plasma were generated by altering voltage, current and the distance between anode and cathode. A lab-scale solution spinning line consists of a constant torque gear pump and heated extrusion channels was used to produce the fibers. Both neat and CNT-loaded PAN-PVDF fibers were produced. The PVDF and CNT loading with respect to base polymer PAN were 2wt% and 7wt% respectively where DMF was used as solvent. The as-produced viscous gel-like solution was pumped through a spinneret to a coagulation bath. After the formation of fibers, plasma was applied immediately and the fibers were collected to a takeup roll at a draw ratio of 1:5. This study also investigate the effect of PVDF and CNT loading on a PAN fiber to improve crystallinity and thermal stability. The prepared fibers are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) study shows increased crystallinity in the hybrid fibers due to the inclusion of 7 wt% PVDF. A significant improvement in thermal stability of PAN-PVDF-SWCNT fibers compared to neat fibers are also observed in TG study. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) shows the formation of micro-hollow and irregular features in the cross section in the nanocomposite fibers. Longitudinal views of outer surface of both neat PAN and PAN/PVDF/SWCNT fibers showed no indication of surface defects or protrusions. Tensile testing of corona treated fibers will be performed to determine the mechanical properties. And an impact test rig will be performed to observe the generation of voltage upon application of an impact load using a digital oscilloscope. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) will be done on fibers to analyze the effect of corona application

Machine Learning Approaches for Automated Glaucoma Detection using Clinical Data and Optical Coherence Tomography Images

Glaucoma is a multi-factorial, progressive blinding optic-neuropathy. A variety of factors, including genetics, vasculature, anatomy, and immune factors, are involved. Worldwide more than 80 million people are affected by glaucoma, and around 300,000 in Australia, where 50% remain undiagnosed. Untreated glaucoma can lead to blindness. Early detection by Artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial to accelerate the diagnosis process and can prevent further vision loss. Many proposed AI systems have shown promising performance for automated glaucoma detection using two-dimensional (2D) data. However, only a few studies had optimistic outcomes for glaucoma detection and staging. Moreover, the automated AI system still faces challenges in diagnosing at the clinicians’ level due to the lack of interpretability of the ML algorithms and integration of multiple clinical data. AI technology would be welcomed by doctors and patients if the "black box" notion is overcome by developing an explainable, transparent AI system with similar pathological markers used by clinicians as the sign of early detection and progression of glaucomatous damage. Therefore, the thesis aimed to develop a comprehensive AI model to detect and stage glaucoma by incorporating a variety of clinical data and utilising advanced data analysis and machine learning (ML) techniques. The research first focuses on optimising glaucoma diagnostic features by combining structural, functional, demographic, risk factor, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) features. The significant features were evaluated using statistical analysis and trained in ML algorithms to observe the detection performance. Three crucial structural ONH OCT features: cross-sectional 2D radial B-scan, 3D vascular angiography and temporal-superior-nasal-inferior-temporal (TSNIT) B-scan, were analysed and trained in explainable deep learning (DL) models for automated glaucoma prediction. The explanation behind the decision making of DL models were successfully demonstrated using the feature visualisation. The structural features or distinguished affected regions of TSNIT OCT scans were precisely localised for glaucoma patients. This is consistent with the concept of explainable DL, which refers to the idea of making the decision-making processes of DL models transparent and interpretable to humans. However, artifacts and speckle noise often result in misinterpretation of the TSNIT OCT scans. This research also developed an automated DL model to remove the artifacts and noise from the OCT scans, facilitating error-free retinal layers segmentation, accurate tissue thickness estimation and image interpretation. Moreover, to monitor and grade glaucoma severity, the visual field (VF) test is commonly followed by clinicians for treatment and management. Therefore, this research uses the functional features extracted from VF images to train ML algorithms for staging glaucoma from early to advanced/severe stages. Finally, the selected significant features were used to design and develop a comprehensive AI model to detect and grade glaucoma stages based on the data quantity and availability. In the first stage, a DL model was trained with TSNIT OCT scans, and its output was combined with significant structural and functional features and trained in ML models. The best-performed ML model achieved an area under the curve (AUC): 0.98, an accuracy of 97.2%, a sensitivity of 97.9%, and a specificity of 96.4% for detecting glaucoma. The model achieved an overall accuracy of 90.7% and an F1 score of 84.0% for classifying normal, early, moderate, and advanced-stage glaucoma. In conclusion, this thesis developed and proposed a comprehensive, evidence-based AI model that will solve the screening problem for large populations and relieve experts from manually analysing a slew of patient data and associated misinterpretation problems. Moreover, this thesis demonstrated three structural OCT features that could be added as excellent diagnostic markers for precise glaucoma diagnosis

Microstructure of Ba1−xLaxTiO3−δ ceramics sintered by spark plasma sintering

Nano-sized Ba1−xLaxTiO3 (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.14) powders were prepared by a coprecipitation method and calcined at 850 °C in air. The corresponding ceramics were obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) at 1050 °C. These ceramics are oxygen deficient and are marked as Ba1−xLaxTiO3−δ. Both powders and ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The effect of lanthanum concentration on the densification behavior, on the structure and the microstructure of the oxides was investigated. Average grain sizes are comprised between 54 (3) nm and 27 (2) nm for powders, and 330 (11) nm and 36 (1) nm for ceramics according to the La-doping level. Powders crystallize in the cubic (or pseudo-cubic) perovskite phase. The structure of ceramics consists in a mixture of cubic (or pseudo-cubic) and tetragonal perovskite type phases. As the lanthanum content increases, the tetragonality of the samples decreases, as well as the grain size

Role of Sirtuin-1 in the pathogenesis of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats : molecular mechanisms

Il a été démontré que la sirtuine 1 (Sirt-1), une histone désacétylase de classe III, est surexprimée dans le coeur des rats spontanément hypertendus (SHR). Nous avons récemment montré que les cellules musculaires lisses vasculaires (CMLV) des SHR présentent une expression accrue de Sirt-1 par rapport aux rats Wistar Kyoto (WKY) de même âge qui contribue à l’augmentation de la régulation de la protéine Giα impliquée dans la pathogenèse de l'hypertension. La présente étude a été effectuée pour étudier le rôle de l'augmentation de l'expression de la Sirt-1 dans la pathogenèse de l'hypertension chez les SHR et pour explorer les mécanismes moléculaires impliqués dans cette réponse. Dans cette étude, un inhibiteur sélectif de la Sirt-1, EX-527 (5 mg/kg de poids corporel), a été injecté par voie intrapéritonéale chez des rats SHR adultes de 8 semaines et des rats WKY de même âge, deux fois par semaine pendant 3 semaines. La pression artérielle (PA) et la fréquence cardiaque ont été mesurées deux fois par semaine par la méthode non invasive du brassard autour de la queue. Le traitement avec l’inhibiteur spécifique de la Sirt-1, l'EX-527, a atténué les augmentations de PA (de 76 mmHg) et de fréquence cardiaque chez les rats SHR. La surexpression de Sirt-1 et des protéines Giα dans le coeur, les CMLV et l'aorte a été atténuée au niveau des contrôles par l'inhibiteur de la Sirt-1. L'inhibition de la Sirt-1 a également atténué les niveaux accrus des anions superoxydes, l’activité de la NADPH oxydase et la surexpression des sous-unités de la NADPH oxydase ; les protéines Nox2, Nox4 et P47phox dans les CMLV isolées des SHR traités par l’EX-527. De plus, les niveaux réduits du monoxyde d'azote synthase endothélial (eNOS) et du monoxyde d'azote (NO) et les niveaux accrus de la peroxynitrite (ONOO-) dans les CMLV des SHR ont également été rétablis à des niveaux contrôles par l'inhibiteur de la Sirt-1. Ces résultats suggèrent que l'inhibition de la surexpression de la Sirt-1, en diminuant les niveaux accrus des protéines Giα et du stress nitro-oxydant, atténue la PA élevée chez les rats SHR. Il est donc possible de suggérer que les inhibiteurs de la Sirt-1 puissent être utilisés comme des agents thérapeutiques dans le traitement des complications cardiovasculaires associées à l'hypertension.Sirtuin-1 (Sirt-1), class III histone deacetylase, has been shown to be overexpressed in hearts from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). We recently showed that vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from SHR exhibit enhanced expression of Sirt-1 as compared to age-matched Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, which contributes to the upregulation of Giα protein implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The present study was undertaken to investigate the role of upregulated Sirt-1 expression in the pathogenesis of hypertension in SHR and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in this response. For this study, a selective inhibitor of Sirt-1, EX-527 (5mg/kg of body weight), was injected intraperitoneally into 8-week-old adult SHR and age-matched WKY rats twice per week for 3 weeks. The blood pressure (BP) and heart rate was measured twice a week by the CODA™ non-invasive tail cuff method. Treatment of SHR with Sirt-1-specific inhibitor, EX-527, attenuated high BP by 76 mmHg and inhibited the augmented heart rate. The overexpression of Sirt-1 and Giα proteins in heart, VSMC and aorta was attenuated to the control levels by Sirt-1 inhibitor. Inhibition of Sirt-1 also attenuated the enhanced levels of superoxide anion, NADPH oxidase activity and the overexpression of NADPH oxidase subunits; Nox2, Nox4 and P47phox proteins in VSMC isolated from EX-527-treated SHR. Furthermore, the decreased levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) and increased levels of peroxynitrite (ONOO-) in VSMC from SHR were also restored to control levels by Sirt-1 inhibitor. These results suggest that the inhibition of overexpression of Sirt-1 through decreasing the enhanced levels of Giα proteins and nitro-oxidative stress attenuates the high BP in SHR. It may thus be suggested that inhibitors of Sirt-1 may have the potential to be used as therapeutic agents in the treatment of cardiovascular complications associated with hypertension

Theoretical Study of Electronic Properties of Some Aromatic Rings: B3LYP/DFT Calculations

Theoretical studies on some aromatic rings included the  pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrazine and  pyridazine molecules were performed using DFT. Based on B3LYP with 6-31(d, p)basis sets was used to investigate the effect of different position of nitrogen atom on the electronic and structure properties of benzene. The optimized structure, total energies, electronic states, energy gaps, ionization potentials, electron affinities, chemical potential, global hardness, softness, global electrophlicity, dipole moment and dipole polarizability were calculated. The harmonic vibration frequencies calculated and compared with available experimental data. The results showed a decrease in gap energies and improve the electronic properties. Keywords: B3LYP, DFT, optimization, energy gap, and vibration frequency