The cost of virtue : reward as well as feedback are required to reduce user ICT power consumption

This work was partly supported by the IU-AC project, funded by grant EP/J016756/1 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).We show that students in a school lab environment will change their behaviour to be more energy efficient, when appropriate incentives are in place, and when measurement-based, real-time feedback about their energy usage is provided. Rewards incentivise `non-green' users to be `green' as well as encouraging those users who already claim to be `green'. Measurement-based feedback improves user energy awareness and helps users to explore and adjust their use of computers to become `greener', but is not sufficient by itself. In our measurements, weekly mean group energy use as a whole reduced by up to 16%; and weekly individual user energy consumption reduced by up to 56% during active use. The findings are drawn from our longitudinal study that involved 83 Computer Science students; lasted 48 weeks across 2 academic years; monitored a total of 26778 hours of active computer use; collected approximately 2TB of raw data.Publisher PD

Electrodynamics of Black Holes in STU Supergravity

External magnetic fields can probe the composite structure of black holes in string theory. With this motivation we study magnetised four-charge black holes in the STU model, a consistent truncation of maximally supersymmetric supergravity with four types of electromagnetic fields. We employ solution generating techniques to obtain Melvin backgrounds, and black holes in these backgrounds. For an initially electrically charged static black hole immersed in magnetic fields, we calculate the resultant angular momenta and analyse their global structure. Examples are given for which the ergoregion does not extend to infinity. We calculate magnetic moments and gyromagnetic ratios via Larmor's formula. Our results are consistent with earlier special cases. A scaling limit and associated subtracted geometry in a single surviving magnetic field is shown to lift to $AdS_3\times S^2$. Magnetizing magnetically charged black holes give static solutions with conical singularities representing strings or struts holding the black holes against magnetic forces. In some cases it is possible to balance these magnetic forces.Comment: 31 page

Client-side energy costs of video streaming

Through measurements on our testbed, we show how users of Netflix could make energy savings of up to 34% by adjusting video quality settings. We estimate the impacts of these quality settings on the energy consumption of client systems and the network. If users exercise choice in their video streaming habits, over 100 GWh of energy a year could be saved on a global scale. We discuss how providing energy usage information to users of digital video could enable them to make choices of video settings to reduce energy usage, and we estimate savings on associated electricity costs and carbon emissions.Postprin

mHealth through quantified-self : a user study

This work was partly supported by the IU-ATC project, funded by grant EP/J016756/1 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Chonlatee Khorakhun is funded by the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA).We describe a user study of a mHealth prototype system based on a wellbeing scenario, exploiting the quantified-self approach to measurement and monitoring. We have used off-the-shelf equipment, with opensource, web-based, software, and exploiting the increasing popularity of smartphones and self-measurement devices in a user study. We emulate a mHealth scenario as a pre-clinical experiment, as a realistic alternative to a clinical scenario, with reduced risk to sensitive patient medical data. We discuss the efficacy of this approach for future mHealth systems for remote monitoring. Our system used the popular Fitbit device for monitoring personal wellbeing data, the Diaspora online social media platform (OSMP), and a simple Android/iOS remote notification application. We implemented remote monitoring, asynchronous user interaction, multiple actors, and user-controlled security and privacy mechanisms. We propose that the use of a quantified-self approach to mHealth is particularly valuable to undertake research and systems development.Postprin

Lax pair and Darboux transformation of noncommutative U(N) principal chiral model

We present a noncommutative generalization of Lax formalism of U(N) principal chiral model in terms of a one-parameter family of flat connections. The Lax formalism is further used to derive a set of parametric noncommutative B\"{a}cklund transformation and an infinite set of conserved quantities. From the Lax pair, we derive a noncommutative version of the Darboux transformation of the model.Comment: 1+20 page

Do demand side variables influence financial inclusion? Lessons from South Punjab – Pakistan

Financial inclusion helps to eradicate poverty and unemployment and improves the livelihoods of the public. This research aims to examine the demand side variables that influence financial Inclusion in south Punjab, Pakistan. This research has examined the influence of education, income, accessibility, and religious belief on financial inclusion. This study has used a quantitative research design. The Likert scale questionnaire was distributed among two hundred and eighty respondents through convenience sampling.  SPSS 16 has been used for data analysis in this research. Results showed that income, education, and accessibility have a significant and positive impact on financial inclusion, but no significant relationship between religious belief and financial inclusion is found due to the availability of Islamic banking in Pakistan. This research is significant for financial inclusion policymakers and for financial institutions as it will help them to make programs to promote financial inclusion accordingly. On the supply side, a lot of work has been done but negligible work has been done on the demand side of financial inclusion. This study investigated the demand side variables that influence financial inclusion

Determinación por espectrofotometría de la niclosamida a través de formulaciones base de Schiff en preparaciones farmacéuticas y veterinarias

Introduction: Niclosamide(NICS) its chemical name 5-chloro-N-(2- chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-2-hydroxybenz-amide]is the only commercially existing molluscicide optional by the WHO for large extent use in schistosomiasis be in charge of programs . NICS and its two new synthesized derivatives constructed to float on the water surface were able to kill cercariae, also obsessed promising activity in vitro nearby to an apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma (4). Few spectrophotometric methods have been reported for the estimation of NICS as pure and in formulations, approximately these methods depend on reduction of nitro group (almost with zinc powder in acidic medium) followed by reaction with different reagents. The method based on reduction of nitro group of NICS then  reaction of reduced-NICS with para- N,N dimethylaminobenzaldehyde in non-aqueous medium (methanol) to form a colored product that has been proved successfully for the estimation of NICS in pharmaceutical and veterinary formulations Material and method :All reagents used are of analytical grade and are obtained from Fluka or Aldrich , NICS wassupplied from SIGMA companies. Methanolic solution of para- N,N- dimethylanimobenzaldehyde (Fluka)3%, weighing 3 g and dissolved in 100 ml methanol in a volumetric flask. All other reagents were prepared bydissolving the propriety weight in perfect solvent. A volume in the range of 0.1 to 1.7 ml of 100 µg.ml-1RNICS solution was transferred to 10 ml calibrated flasks.2ml of PNNDMABA (3.0 %) was added, and the volume was made up to 10 ml by adding methanol. The yellow Schiff ’s base was measured at 454 nm versus a blank solution. Results and Discussion:The optimum pH for reaction of NICS with para-N, N-dimethylanimobenzaldehyde equal to 3 which resulted by mixing the components of the reaction. The absorbance increase with increasing reagent concentration (para-N,N- dimethylanimobenzaldehyde) and reached maximum on adding volume of 2.0 ml of (3%), which also gives the highest value of determination coefficient (R2).The experimental data indicated that methanol was the optimum solvent used in dilution according to high intensity of Schiff ’s base and the good stability. The formation of the yellow Schiff ’s base being complete after mixing the components of reaction and the absorbance remained constant for at least 2 hours. Conclusion: Accurate and sensitive spectrophotometric method was described for the estimation of NICS. The present method has been successfully applied for the estimation of NICS in pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations

Stranding of Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin in Calani Creek

A Humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis was found dead in Calani Creek, Thrissur district of Kerala on 12.12.2018. The female dolphin measured 265 cm in total length and weighed approximately 300 kg (Fig.1.). The other measurements are given in Table.1. Local fishermen found the dolphin in the early morning about three kilometers inside the creek from the creek mouth and reported the same to the authors who reached the site for documentation and records. Measurements recorded (in cm) were as follows Beak length-27; Length from tip of snout to origin of dorsal fin-107; Tail width-107; Tail length-24; Length of flipper-33; Girth at the level of origin of dorsal fin-164