Performance Evaluation of Audio Coding by Amalgam AAC and FLAC Audio codec using MDCT and INTMDCT Algorithm

The MDCT and IntMDCT Algorithm is widely utilized is Audio coding.By lifting scheme or rounding operation IntegerMDCT is evolved from Modified Discrete Cosine Transform.This method acquire the properties of  MDCT and  contribute excelling invertiblity and good spectral mean.In this paper we discuss about the audio codec like AAC and FLAC using MDCT and Integer MDCT algorithm and to find which algorithm shows better Compression Ratio(CR).The confines of this task is to hybriding lossy and lossless audio codec with  diminished bit rate but with finer sound quality. Certainly the quality of the audio is figure out by Subjective and Objective testing which is in terms of MOS (Mean opinion square) , ABx and some of the hearing aid testing methodology like PEAQ(Perceptual  Evaluation Audio Quality)  and ODG(Objective Difference Grade)is followed. Execution measure, that is Compression Ratio(CR) and Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is approximated

Studies on salinity induced stress on neurosecretory cells, protein, free amino acid content and ammonia excretion rate of penaeid prawn Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius).

An important adaptation in organisms to withstand osmotic variations in their external medium, is their efficiency of regulating intracellular concentration. In this context, cell volume regulation appears as a fundamental mechanism. The problem of cell volume regulation becomes crucial in the establishment of organisms in aquatic environment with fluctuating osmolarities

Immune response & modulation of immune response induced in the guineapigs by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) & M. fortuitum complex isolates from different sources in the south Indian BCG trial area

A total of 139 guineapigs were used to study the immune response and its modulation induced by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and M. fortuitum complex strains obtained from different sources in the south Indian BCG trial area. The guineapigs were divided into groups and some were directly sensitised/immunised with different MAC strains, M. fortuitum complex strain or BCG and others were sensitised with MAC or M. fortuitum complex and then immunised with BCG. The resulting delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response in the different groups of guineapigs was studied by skin tests using PPD-RT23 and PPD-B, and protective response was studied by challenging the guineapigs with a south Indian low virulent strain of M. tuberculosis and enumerating the bacilli in spleen at different points of time. The 3 strains of MAC induced similar low levels of DTH to PPD-RT23 but much higher and varying levels of DTH to PPD-B. MAC strains from soil and sputum induced different levels of immune modulation during subsequent immunisation with BCG on the DTH response to PPD-RT23 and PPD-B. At 2 wk after challenge, 23.8, 81 and 90.5 per cent protection was induced by the standard strain, soil isolate and sputum isolate of MAC, respectively, while 33.3 per cent protection was induced by the M. fortuitum complex strain compared to the protection induced by BCG alone. Prior exposure to MAC or M. fortuitum complex did not have any modulatory effect on the protective immunity due to BCG at this time point. However, at 6 wk after challenge, while the guineapigs immunised with BCG were protected, modulation of the protective response resulting from BCG was observed in the guineapigs sensitised with MAC and M. fortuitum from soil

Evaluation of Procedures for Isolation of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria from Soil and Water

Six methods of decontamination each for the isolation of mycobacteria from soil and water were compared. On the basis of the results obtained. three of the six methods for soil and two of the six methods for water were further evaluated. For both soil and water samples, the method using 3% sodium lauryl sulfate in combination with 1% NaOH yielded more positives than the other methods

Efficiency of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) over Lecture method in terms of enhancing critical thinking skills and problem solving ability among Nursing students in selected Nursing Institutions of Tamil Nadu

A study was done to evaluate the efficiency of problem-based learning (PBL) over Lecture method in terms of enhancing critical thinking skills and problem solving ability among nursing students in selected Nursing Institutions of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai during the year 2012. INTRODUCTION: In today's fast paced, technologically advanced world, the challenge for nursing faculty is to teach students critical thinking (CT) skills and the ability to practice competently in a variety of situations. The rapidly changing nature of the health care system presents nurses with varied complex practice issues with no clear solutions. These health care problems require nursing students and nurses to have CT skills. Educators have to equip nursing students with skills that promote their CT to solve complex issues. The development of CT skills requires students to engage in discussions to become active participants in their own learning. Education with an active learning will result in significant increase between the education and medical practice. Unfortunately, traditional undergraduate exercise science courses using lecture based instruction are often content driven, emphasizing abstract concepts over concrete examples and application. Nurse educators in academia have long supported the notion of self-directed problem-based learning (PBL). Problem-based learning originated in the late 1960s at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Howard Barrows, the founder of this educational methodology, developed the self-directed model to improve education in the school of medicine. It was developed to improve medical education by moving from a subject and lecture based curriculum to an interdisciplinary one guided by 'real-life' problems. Its effectiveness has been well documented in medical education research. Along with self-directed learning, the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills is the main goal of PBL. OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess the pre test level of critical thinking skills and problem solving ability of nursing students among the control and the interventional groups. 2. To assess the post test level of critical thinking skills and problem solving ability of nursing students among the control and the interventional groups. 3. To determine the effectiveness of PBL on critical thinking skills and problem solving ability of nursing students. 4. To assess the students’ perception on the influence of PBL and Lecture method on their critical thinking skills and problem solving ability in both control and the interventional groups. 5. To associate the level of critical thinking skills and problem solving ability of both the groups with selected demographic variables. 6. To associate the students’ perception on the influence of PBL and Lecture method on critical thinking skills and problem solving ability in the control and the interventional groups with selected demographic variables. METHODS: A Quasi Experimental study with control group pre test and post test design was adopted to determine the effectiveness of PBL in enhancing critical thinking skills and problem solving ability among Nursing students. A total sample of 260- II year B.Sc. (Nursing) students from selected colleges of Nursing in Coimbatore were included in this study, out of which 130 were allotted to the interventional group and the remaining 130 to the control group. Purposive Sampling Technique was adopted for this study. A structured questionnaire to assess the higher level of cognitive skills was used to assess critical thinking skills and problem solving ability of nursing students. A five point Rating scale to assess the perceived benefits of the teaching method on critical thinking skills and problem solving ability was used. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics based on the objectives and hypotheses. RESULTS: The result of the present study reveals that there was a significant increase in the overall level of critical thinking skills and problem solving ability in the interventional group than in control group. Further, the students who underwent PBL process had a favorable perception towards PBL method of learning. Comparison of pre test and post test levels of critical thinking skills and problem solving ability of nursing students within both the groups. The overall ‘t’ level in all the areas were 4.97 and 32.87 in the control and the interventional groups respectively, which shows a highly significant difference between the pre test and post test scores of interventional group (P<0.001). Further, there was a significant difference between post test -2 of control group and post test -2 of interventional group in the level of critical thinking skills and problem solving ability. The obtained overall ‘t’ value 12.17, was higher than the table value, which is highly significant at 0.001 level of significance. Differences between the control and the interventional groups at different points of time show a statistically significant difference was found in both the control group ( P < 0.001) and the interventional group (P < 0.001). “F” value was highly significant in Interventional group compared to control group. CONCLUSION: In the light of the findings, there is a positive effect on the influence of PBL in enhancing critical thinking skills and problem solving ability among nursing students. It offers several advantages over traditional lecture methods. It is based on principles of adult learning theory, including motivating the students, encouraging them to set their own learning objectives, and giving them a role in decisions that affect their own learning. So, it was concluded that PBL is a potentially powerful and essential approach to promote quality in nursing practice, which is dependent upon the educational preparation of nurses to think critically and solve problems. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. The study can be replicated in a larger sample size. 2. A similar study can be conducted in other parts of Tamil Nadu. 3. Longitudinal studies can be done to provide a profile of students’ development of approaches to learning over time in order to assess the enduring effect of PBL. 4. PBL should be introduced into nursing curriculum in order to promote critical thinking skills and problem solving ability among nursing students

Plant Traits in Fig as Indicators of Resistance to Shoot Borer, Dyscerus? Fletcheri Marshall (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

A comparative study was conducted on fig (Ficus carica&nbsp;L.) cultivars Deanna and Poona to test whether antixenosis due to plant traits was at least partially responsible for a differential susceptibility to the shoot boring curculionid weevil,&nbsp;Dyscerus? fletcheri. Field evaluation revealed significant difference in borer incidence in cvs. Poona (6.25%) and Deanna (75%). Further, traits of plant architecture such as number of primary/ secondary/ terminal shoots, plant vigour and density of terminal shoots were significantly higher in cv. Deanna, which was highly susceptible to shoot borer. However, latex-flow index was significantly higher in cv. Poona that was resistant to the borer. A step-wise multiple regression analysis revealed that the tested plant traits explained 60% of the total variation in stem borer infestation (y=-0.96-0.02x1+0.23x2-0.03x3+0.24x4+1.28x5-1.31x6, R2=0.60) in the susceptible cultivar, Deanna. Role of these traits in preference/non-preference of&nbsp;D. fletcheri&nbsp;for a cultivar is discussed

Diagnosing Translation Gap: The politics of translation and the hidden contradiction in interdisciplinary accounting research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to break the silence surrounding the politics of translation that influence cross-language/cultural accounting research. It gives due consideration to the ways in which translation gaps are produced and re-produced in qualitative interdisciplinary accounting research (IAR). Design/methodology/approach First, the authors discuss backstage insights and the authors’ own life experiences vis-à-vis translating cross-cultural/language research. The authors provide a critical self-reflection on the process as non-Western female researchers publishing in English-language accounting journals. Second, the authors carry out a content analysis to examine reported translation practices in three long-established interdisciplinary accounting journals from 2015 to 2017. The conclusion integrates these analyses to discuss the reproduction process of the translation gap in accounting research and its outcomes. Findings The study identifies inherent contradictions in IAR and its emancipatory agenda, where translation gaps are structural outcomes of overlaps between the politics of translation and the politics of publishing IAR. The study highlights the IAR community’s lack of awareness regarding political and methodological sensitivities in dealing with particularities in cultural contexts. The authors argue that this reflects the institutional norms for publishing in IAR, which contributes to neutralising cultural diversity and complex translation processes in the name of objectivity. This could ultimately lead to further marginalisation of non-Western cultural knowledge and values, while producing academic “elites” within the IAR community, meanwhile missing opportunities for innovation. Originality/value By opening the “black box” pertaining to translation gaps in the context of cross-language/cultural accounting research, the study calls for IAR scholars to help raise awareness of their role and identity as “cultural brokers”

Substance Use in a Rural High School: Perception and Reality

Adolescent substance use in U.S. rural communities is now equal to or greater than urban use for many substances (Shears, Edwards, & Stanley, 2006). Despite this fact, a great deal of research and preventative strategies focuses on urban and suburban populations. To provide a better understanding of alcohol and drug use among adolescents in rural contexts, we conducted an analysis of 636 Georgia students at a rural high school. We also analyzed data regarding 61 teachers and administrators at this high school. Our data analysis reveals four primary findings. First, consistent with previous research in other contexts (Aas and Klepp 1992; Perkins, Haines, and Rice 2005), we find that rural high school students overestimate their classmates’ usage. Second, we find considerable variation in use between freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Third, we find differences between male and female students regarding their actual drug use as well as their perceptions of friends and classmates’ use. Fourth, we find that teachers and administrators overestimate students’ use. Based on these findings, we suggest that the best approach to deter substance use and abuse is not a “blanket” approach for all four grades, but rather a grade-specific approach that takes gender into consideration

1-(4-Methoxy­phen­yl)-7-phenyl-3-(phenyl­selenylmeth­yl)perhydro­isoxazolo[2′,3′:1,2]pyrrolo[3,4-b]azetidine-6-spiro-2′-chroman-2,4′-dione

In the title compound, C35H30N2O5Se, the pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation and the oxazolidine ring is in a twist conformation. The tetra­hydro­pyran ring adopts a half-chair conformation. The methoxy­phenyl ring is twisted away from the attached azetidinone ring by 15.7 (1)°. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions link the mol­ecules into a two-dimensional network