COVID-19 Regional Safety Assessment Using Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) Method

The process of assessing the safety and risk level of a particular region or area in respect to the COVID-19 pandemic is known as COVID-19 Regional Safety Assessment. It involves analyzing various factors, such as the number of active cases, testing and reporting capabilities, vaccination rates, healthcare system capacity, implementation of public health measures, travel restrictions, presence of variants of concern, and localized outbreaks. A complete evaluation of regional safety is necessary for public health professionals, legislators, and residents to successfully prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health and wellbeing. Authorities may identify areas of concern, distribute resources wisely, and put targeted measures in place to restrict the virus's spread by performing a thorough examination. In order to restrict the virus's spread and protect the health and welfare of communities, it is crucial for guiding decision-making processes, identifying problem areas, and effectively allocating resources.  The research carried out through regional safety assessments advances our knowledge of the pandemic, guides public health initiatives, and encourages the use of evidence-based decision-making in order to effectively battle COVID-19. Distance from Average Solution-Based Evaluation (EDAS)The evaluation based on distance from the average solution approach assesses the efficacy or quality of individual solutions or data points by comparing each solution or data point to the average or mean solution. This approach is commonly employed in various fields, including optimization, data analysis, and decision-making.In this evaluation method, the average solution serves as a reference point or baseline. It is crucial to remember that the evaluation's specific context and goals may influence the choice of the average solution and distance metric. Additionally, other evaluation criteria or metrics may be employed in conjunction with the distance-based evaluation to obtain a more comprehensive assessment of the solutions. China, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Australia, Austria, Canada, and Efficiency of the government, monitoring and detection, and quarantine Emergency Preparedness, regional resilience, and healthcare readiness .Ranking of the nation based on the Covid-19 Regional Safety Assessment survey. Hungary is shown as occupying the last slot, whereas China is listed as occupying the first spot. It has been noted that China has a significant influence on COVID-19

Efektivitas Inkuiri Terbimbing Pada Materi Kelarutan Dan Ksp Dalam Meningkatkan Penguasaan Konsep

The quasi experiment research was conducted at SMAN 1 Bangun Rejo for 2014/2015 academic year by using non equivalent pretest-posttest control group design. This research purposed to describe the effectiveness of guided inquiry on the solubility and Ksp topic to increase students' mastery concept with the 11th grade IPA1 and IPA2 as control and experiment class, respectively. The results of this research showed that the average n-Gain of students' mastery concept in control and experimental class were 0.41 and 0.46, respectively. Statistically it can be conduded that guided inquiry learning model on the solubility and Ksp topic was effective to increasing students' mastery concept. Penelitian kuasi eksperimen telah dilakukan di SMAN 1 Bangun Rejo Tahun Akademik 2014/2015 dengan menggunakan desain Non-Equivalent (pretest-postest) control group. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan efektivitas pembelajaran inkuiri terbimbing pada materi kelarutan dan hasil kali kelarutan dalam meningkatkan penguasaan konsep siswa dengan kelas XI IPA1 dan XI IPA2 masing-masing sebagai kelas kontrol dan kelas eksperimen. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata n-Gain penguasaan konsep siswa untuk kelas kontrol dan kelas eksperimen masing-masing 0,41 dan 0,46. Secara statistik, model pembelajaran inkuiri terbimbing yang dilakukan pada materi kelarutan dan hasil kali kelarutan efektif dalam meningkatkan penguasaan konsep sisw

A Geometric Observer for Scene Reconstruction Using Plenoptic Cameras

This paper proposes an observer for generating depth maps of a scene from a sequence of measurements acquired by a two-plane light-field (plenoptic) camera. The observer is based on a gradient-descent methodology. The use of motion allows for estimation of depth maps where the scene contains insufficient texture for static estimation methods to work. A rigourous analysis of stability of the observer error is provided, and the observer is tested in simulation, demonstrating convergence behaviour.Comment: Full version of paper submitted to CDC 2018. 11 pages. 12 figure

Regulation of GATA-3 Expression during CD4 Lineage Differentiation

GATA-3 is necessary for the development of MHC class II-restricted CD4 T cells, and its expression is increased during positive selection of these cells. TCR signals drive this upregulation, but the signaling pathways that control this process are not well understood. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we show that GATA-3 upregulation during thymocyte-positive selection is the result of additive inputs from the Ras/MAPK and calcineurin pathways. This upregulation requires the presence of the transcription factor c-Myb. Furthermore, we show that TH-POK can also upregulate GATA-3 in double-positive thymocytes, suggesting the existence of a positive feedback loop that contributes to lock in the initial commitment to the CD4 lineage during differentiation

Third Order Optical Nonlinearity of Colloidal Metal Nanoclusters Formed by MeV Ion Implantation

We report the results of characterization of nonlinear refractive index of the composite material produced by MeV Ag ion implantation of LiNbO(sub 3) crystal (z-cut). The material after implantation exhibited a linear optical absorption spectrum with the surface plasmon peak near 430 nm attributed to the colloidal silver nanoclusters. Heat treatment of the material at 500 deg C caused a shift of the absorption peak to 550 nm. The nonlinear refractive index of the sample after heat treatment was measured in the region of the absorption peak with the Z-scan technique using a tunable picosecond laser source (4.5 ps pulse width).The experimental data were compared against the reference sample made of MeV Cu implanted silica with the absorption peak in the same region. The nonlinear index of the Ag implanted LiNbO(sub 3) sample produced at five times less fluence is on average two times greater than that of the reference

Calibrating Focused Light-Field Cameras Using Plenoptic Disc Features

This paper proposes a new method for estimating calibration parameters of plenoptic cameras by minimizing the nonlinear plenoptic reprojection error. Novel plenoptic feature types are proposed as data for the calibration method. These plenoptic disc features are in a natural one-to-one correspondence with physical points in front of the camera. We exploit the intrinsic geometry of plenoptic cameras in a novel projection model that relates the plenoptic disc features to physical points. The resulting calibration quality, as quantified by mean reprojection error and 3D reconstruction error, outperforms recently published results

Temporal trends (1977-2007) and ethnic inequity in child mortality in rural villages of southern Guinea Bissau

Background Guinea Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, with one of the highest under-5 mortality rate. Despite its importance for policy planning, data on child mortality are often not available or of poor quality in low-income countries like Guinea Bissau. Our aim in this study was to use the baseline survey to estimate child mortality in rural villages in southern Guinea Bissau for a 30 years period prior to a planned cluster randomised intervention. We aimed to investigate temporal trends with emphasis on historical events and the effect of ethnicity, polygyny and distance to the health centre on child mortality. Methods A baseline survey was conducted prior to a planned cluster randomised intervention to estimate child mortality in 241 rural villages in southern Guinea Bissau between 1977 and 2007. Crude child mortality rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method from birth history of 7854 women. Cox regression models were used to investigate the effects of birth periods with emphasis on historical events, ethnicity, polygyny and distance to the health centre on child mortality. Results High levels of child mortality were found at all ages under five with a significant reduction in child mortality over the time periods of birth except for 1997-2001. That period comprises the 1998/99 civil war interval, when child mortality was 1.5% higher than in the previous period. Children of Balanta ethnic group had higher hazard of dying under five years of age than children from other groups until 2001. Between 2002 and 2007, Fula children showed the highest mortality. Increasing walking distance to the nearest health centre increased the hazard, though not substantially, and polygyny had a negligible and statistically not significant effect on the hazard. Conclusion Child mortality is strongly associated with ethnicity and it should be considered in health policy planning. Child mortality, though considerably decreased during the past 30 years, remains high in rural Guinea Bissau. Temporal trends also suggest that civil wars have detrimental effects on child mortality. Trial Registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN5243333

GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCE AS A MOTIVATION FOR TOURISTS TO CHOOSE TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN INDONESIA AND VIETNAM

Culture-based traditional food experience (gastronomy) has become an exciting topic for tourists worldwide. This is because gastronomic tourism offers a new alternative to a tourist destination. Until now, studies that discuss how the intentions of Vietnamese and Indonesian tourists to choose traditional food for their tourism activities are still limited. Therefore, this study aims to explore the antecedent factors that shape the intention of tourists to choose traditional food as a reason for tourism activities using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) approach. This study involved 345 Vietnamese and Indonesian tourists in providing information on the antecedent factors that shape the intention to choose traditional food. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the study reveal that the attitude toward consuming traditional food and perceived control towards consuming traditional food influence the intention of tourists to choose gastronomy as the reason for their tourism activities. However, subjective norms towards consuming traditional food have not been able to influence tourists' intention to choose traditional food for travel. These findings provide important implications for the government and tourism practitioners to develop gastronomic tourism as a new alternative. In addition, various gastronomic tourism promotion programs consider tourist behavior need to be carried out

Origin of Shifts in the Surface Plasmon Resonance Frequencies for Au and Ag Nanoparticles

Origin of shifts in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) frequency for noble metal (Au, Ag) nanoclusters are discussed in this book chapter. Spill out of electron from the Fermi surface is considered as the origin of red shift. On the other hand, both screening of electrons of the noble metal in porous media and quantum effect of screen surface electron are considered for the observed blue shift in the SPR peak position.Comment: 37 pages, 14 Figures in the submitted book chapter of The Annual Reviews in Plasmonics, edited by Professor Chris D. Geddes. Springer Scinec