An agricultural investment map based on geographic information system and multi-criteria method.

The study aimed to produce an investment classification map, which shows the potential areas of investment in agriculture in Sinnar, Sudan. The spatial multi-criteria analysis was used to rank and display potential locations, while the analytical hierarchy process method was used to compute the priority weights of each criterion. The study attempted to explore the utilization of Geographic Information System (GIS) to map the potential investment areas, therefore, it did not cover a comprehensive analysis of all factors that influence investment in agriculture. In addition, the analysis was limited to criteria that had spatial reference. The investment criteria for spatial analysis were defined from the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Investment, Sudan. Even with the shortcomings of the data, it was found that the results obtained were very encouraging and provided clear indicative areas for agricultural investment in Sinnar. Government agencies can use GIS to access information regarding the potential areas of investment, and minimize investment risks. On the other hand, the economic development organizations will now have the ability to benefit from the Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions by leveraging on this technology to attract and retain business from worldwide sources. Thus, the model will serve as a decision support tool for investors and decision makers at various levels

Universal behaviour of entrainment due to coherent structures in turbulent shear flow

I suggest a solution to a persistent mystery in the physics of turbulent shear flows: cumulus clouds rise to towering heights, practically without entraining the ambient medium, while apparently similar turbulent jets in general lose their identity within a small distance through entrainment and mixing. From dynamical systems computations on a model chaotic vortical flow, I show that entrainment and mixing due to coherent structures depend sensitively on the relative speeds of different portions of the flow. A small change in these speeds, effected for example by heating, drastically alters the sizes of the KAM tori and the chaotic mixing region. The entrainment rate and, hence, the lifetime of a turbulent shear flow, shows a universal, non-monotone dependence on the heating.Comment: Preprint replaced in order to add the following comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Solubility of CO2 in Aqueous Solutions of 2-Amino-2-Methyl-1-Propanol at High Pressure

Carbon dioxide is one of the major green house gases. It is removed from different streams using amine absorption process. Sterically hindered amines are suggested as good CO2 absorbers. Solubility of carbon dioxide (CO2) was measured in aqueous solutions of 2-Amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) at temperatures 30 oC, 40 oC and 60 oC. The effect of pressure and temperature was studied over various concentrations of AMP. It has been found that pressure has positive effect on CO2 solubility where as solubility decreased with increasing temperature. Absorption performance of AMP increased with increasing pressure. Solubility of aqueous AMP was compared with mo-ethanolamine (MEA) and the absorption capacity of aqueous solutions of AMP was found to be better

Divergent Effects of Beliefs in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates

Though religion has been shown to have generally positive effects on normative ‘prosocial’ behavior, recent laboratory research suggests that these effects may be driven primarily by supernatural punishment. Supernatural benevolence, on the other hand, may actually be associated with less prosocial behavior. Here, we investigate these effects at the societal level, showing that the proportion of people who believe in hell negatively predicts national crime rates whereas belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates. These effects remain after accounting for a host of covariates, and ultimately prove stronger predictors of national crime rates than economic variables such as GDP and income inequality. Expanding on laboratory research on religious prosociality, this is the first study to tie religious beliefs to large-scale cross-national trends in pro- and anti-social behavior

Isolation of klebsiella pneumoniae from Sungai Skudai and in silico analysis of putative dehalogenase protein by

Aims: The surplus use of herbicide Dalapon® contains 2,2-dichloropropionic acid (2,2-DCP) poses great danger to human and ecosystem due to its toxicity. Hence, this study focused on the isolation and characterization of a dehalogenase producing bacteria from Sungai Skudai, Johor, capable of utilizing 2,2-DCP as a carbon source and in silico analysis of its putative dehalogenase. Methodology and results: Isolation of the target bacteria was done by using 2,2-DCP-enriched culture as the sole carbon source that allows a bacterium to grow in 20 mM of 2,2-DCP at 30 °C with the corresponding doubling time of 8.89 ± 0.03 h. The isolated bacterium was then designated as Klebsiella pneumoniae strain YZ based on biochemical tests and basic morphological examination. The full genome of K. pneumoniae strain KLPN_25 (accession number: RRE04903) which obtained from NCBI database was screened for the presence of dehalogenase gene, assuming both strains YZ and KLPN_25 were the same organisms. A putative dehalogenase gene was then identified as type II dehalogenase from the genome sequence of strain KLPN_25. The protein structure of the type II dehalogenase of KLPN_25 strain was then pairwise aligned with the crystal structure of L-2-haloacid dehalogenase (L-DEX) Pseudomonas sp. strain YL as the template, revealing the existence of conserved amino acids residues, uniquely known to participate in the dehalogenation mechanism. The finding thus implies that the amino acid residues of type II dehalogenase possibly shares similar catalytic functions with the L-DEX. Conclusion, significance and impact of the study: In conclusion, this study confirmed the presence of new dehalogenase from the genus Klebsiella with potential to degrade 2,2-DCP from the river water. The structural information of type II dehalogenase provides insights for future work in designing haloacid dehalogenases

IDENTIFYING HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS OF TUBERCULOSIS USING ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND GIS BASED MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING METHOD

Development of an innovative method to enhance the detection of tuberculosis (TB) in Malaysia is the latest agenda of the Ministry of Health. Therefore, a geographical information system (GIS) based index model is proposed as an alternative method for defining potential high-risk areas of local TB cases at Section U19, Shah Alam. It is adopted a spatial multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method for ranking environmental risk factors of the disease in a standardised five-score scale. Scale 1 and 5 illustrate the lowest and the highest risk of the TB spread respectively, while scale from 3 to 5 is included as a potential risk level. These standardised scale values are then combined with expert normalised weights (0 to 1) to calculate the overall index values and produce a TB ranked map using a GIS overlay analysis and weighted linear combination. It is discovered that 71.43% of the Section is potential as TB high risk areas particularly at urban and densely populated settings. This predictive result is also reliable with the current real cases in 2015 by 76.00% accuracy. A GIS based MCDM method has demonstrated analytical capabilities in targeting high-risk spots and TB surveillance monitoring system of the country, but the result could be strengthened by applying other uncertainty assessment method

Molecular mechanisms involved in human platelet aggregation by synergistic interaction of platelet-activating factor and 5-hydroxytryptamine

Our recent studies have shown that co-activation of Gq and Gi proteins by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and adrenaline show synergism in human platelet aggregation. This study was conducted to examine the mechanism(s) of synergistic interaction of 5-HT and platelet activating factor (PAF) in human platelets. We show that PAF, but not 5-HT, increased platelet aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner. However, low concentrations of 5-HT (2 microM) potentiated platelet aggregation induced by subthreshold concentration of PAF (40 nM) indicating a synergistic interaction between the two agonists and this synergism was blocked by receptor antagonists to either 5-HT or PAF. 5-HT also potentiated the effect of PAF on thromboxane A2 (TXA2) formation and phosphorylation of extracellularly regulated mitogen-activated protein kinases (ERK1/2). The synergism of 5-HT and PAF in platelet aggregation was inhibited by calcium (Ca2+) channel blockers, verapamil and diltiazem, phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, U73122, cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, indomethacin, and MEK inhibitor, PD98059. These data suggest that synergistic effect of 5-HT and PAF on human platelet aggregation involves activation of PLC/Ca2+, COX and MAP kinase pathways

Electromyographic activity and applied load during high intensity elastic resistance and nautilus machine exercises

This study was designed to quantify and compare Electromyographic activity (EMG) and applied load in quadriceps muscle within performing high intensity knee extension exercises by Elastic Resistance (ER) and Nautilus Machine (NM). Sixteen male and female subjects (22.4 ± 4.7 yrs) completed 8 RM seated knee extension by NM, elastic tubing with original length (E0) and elastic tubing with 30 decrement of original length (E30). The mean value of EMG and external force were calculated and synchronized across various segments of motion for the three modes of training. The results demonstrated that in the early concentric and late eccentric segments of contraction, NM elicited significantly higher muscle activation than both E30 and E0 (p < 0.05). However, in the mid-concentric and mid-eccentric as well as late concentric and early eccentric segments no significant differences were observed between NM and E30. These findings supported the approach that developing external recoil of force in ER device by reducing 30 of initial length of elastic material can offer similar neuromuscular activation compared with NM. On this basis, E30 can be suggested as an affordable and non-gym based exercise device which has the capacity to provide an appropriate high resistance stimulus to meet the training requirement of athletes. © Editorial Committee of Journal of Human Kinetics