The Study of a Framework for Art Work and the Role of Recent Emerging Media

The principle objective of this study is to examine the culture of networks that are implicated in the production of culture specifically as it pertains to artists design and use of digitally networked information and communication technologies ICTs for the production of artworks The analysis in this study seeks to reveal a better understanding of the working practices that underpin artists creative engagements with new media while recognizing the significance of discursive continuities that inform such engagements Theoretically a case is presented for combining several theoretical perspectives into a multilayered conceptual framework for examining the circulation of power as it relates both to artistic creativity and to technological innovatio

Testing English as a foreign language: a case study of classroom tests in Qatar

The thesis is concerned with testing English as a foreign language in general and concentrates on testing in Qatar in particular. Chapter I provides a brief overview of education in Qatar to form a solid basis for the study. Chapter II presents an overview of the historical stages of development of testing and relates the Qatari situation to that framework. Chapter III is devoted to the different kinds of test and their advantages and disadvantages and relates this framework to the Qatari situation by describing the kinds of test currently in use in Qatar. Chapter IV focuses on the issues of reliability and validity. These two qualities are dealt with as a basis for judging and improving achievement tests. Chapter V will focus even more closely on the kinds of tests used in Qatari schools. These tests are written either by the Inspectorate or by classroom teachers to reflect the nature of the course. This chapter describes a case study which is based on "the Crescent English Course". It also provides a full description of the materials being used as well as the examination frequency and the allocated marks. Chapter VI is a summary chapter which deals with recommendations to improve the current status of classroom tests

The impact of (DEM) Accuracy on the Watersheds areas as a function of spatial data

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is main input for watershed modelling. Recently, (DEM) is available online for free in different accuracies, and spatial resolutions as a product of several remote sensing satellites. Hence, it is necessary to find out which one is the best for watershed modeling in the study area. In this study, the different accuracies 30m spatial resolution DEMs of (Copernicus, SRTM, and ASTER) can be examined by using Remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information systems (GIS) techniques to delineate and calculate the topographic characteristics for five different size and topography watersheds (Swaidy, Garlond, Khuwayr Hirah, Naqab, and Kalak) located on both sides of the Mosul reservoir in the northeastern part of Iraq. The analysis results can be led to find that the Copernicus (GLO-30) 30 m resolution DEM is the optimum and most accurate DEM in the selected study area at the vertical accuracy (1.3521 m) and with 95% confidence level is (2.6502 m) represented by the minimum Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the elevations differences between check points (MOWR elevations and LIDAR DEM 1 m resolution) and the used DEMs. The watershed delineation and calculated topographic characteristics (watersheds boundary, elevations, area, perimeter and slope areas) are affected by DEM accuracy. Where the considerable accuracy of the differences is with the (Copernicus-SRTM) DEMS at the minimum RMSE of watersheds characteristics

Cytotoxic Effect of Nefazodone on HepG2 Cell Line and the Reliability of Comet Assay to Determine Genotoxicity.

Nefazodone is atypical antidepressant which was manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1994 to avoid the adverse effects associated with other antidepressants, including nausea, sedation, insomnia, cardiovascular toxi-city, weight gain and dysfunction. In 2004, nefazodone was withdrawn from USA after its withdrawal from Canada and Europe due to the reports of liver injury in patients treated with this drug. The current study was performed to investigate the cytotoxic and genotoxic effect of nefazodone on HepG2 cell line at different concentrations by using MTT assay and comet assay, respectively. The results showed that nefazodone causes a reduction in cells viability of  HepG2 cell line with an IC50 4.682 µg/ml. Comet assay showed a significant increment in the three parameters (tail length, percent of DNA in tail and tail moment) in a concentration-dependent manner, when compared with negative control (p˂0.01), but these results considered as false positive due to cells death

Study of Creep-Fatigue Interaction in the Prosthetic Socket below Knee

The increasing numbers of amputees due to insurgence actions in Iraq urges the researches to conduct this study. Two stresses of fatigue and heat are generated as a result of limbs movement during extremely hot weather. The objective of this research is to Study the effect of temperature in hot climate countries on a socket made of composite materials during the gait. Where alternating pressures on the inner surface of the socket are generated and lead to variable stresses causing fatigue failure of material. It is evident that as temperature rises, the mechanical properties decrease over time due to creep which causes socket failure due to fatigue and creep interaction. The socket failure at room temperature is determined by fatigue test to obtain S-N curve. Also, stress distribution on the socket is studied at 60 Cº. Keywords: amputee, fatigue, creep, below knee, piezoelectric senso

Estimation of Para Red Dye in Chilli Powder and Tomato Sauces by a Simple Spectrophotmetric Method followed by Thin layer Chromatography

A number of grinded chilli powder samples and tomato sauce samples were collected from various localities of Karachi city. All the samples were estimated for the presence of para red which is an azo dye and more specifically belongs from the group of sudan dyes. According to the regulation of various governmental agencies its use in food is strictly prohibited because of its ability to form carcinogenic compounds. Although there were a number of sophisticated chromatographic methods for the estimation of this dye but we developed here a simple, convenient, expeditious spectrophotometric method followed by thin layer chromatography technique and compared the results by single point and multiple point external standard methods. On the basis of these results we also specify the localities of Karachi city where the contamination is more prominent. © JASE

Formulation and stability of topical water in oil emulsion containing corn silk extract

Purpose: To formulate the water in oil (W/O) emulsion of corn silk (CS) extract and to evaluate its stability at various storage conditions.Methods: Ethanol CS extract was prepared using maceration (cold) technique. A 4 % CS emulsion was prepared using varying concentrations of liquid paraffin, ABIL EM90 and water. The formulations were kept at 25 oC for 28 days and to screen out the less stable formulations. The remaining formulations were further stressed at 40 oC to choose the most stable formulation. The optimized formulation was evaluated for physical characteristics including phase separation, rheology and mean droplet size. The physical stability of the formulation was evaluated by monitoring these parameters over a period of 12 weeks at 8, 25, 40 and 40 oC, and 75 % RH.Results: The chosen formulation showed good resistance to phase separation on centrifugation under all storage conditions. Rheological behavior followed non-Newtonian pseudoplastic pattern at various storage conditions. Mean droplet size of freshly prepared formulation was 2.98 ± 1.32 μm and did not show significant (p < 0.05) changes at normal storage conditions (8 and 25 oC).Conclusion: The findings indicate that the developed CS extract W/O emulsion is stable and therefore may be suitable for topical use on skin as an antioxidant preparation.Keywords: Corn silk, Emulsion, Nonionic surfactant, Rheology, Flow index, Droplet size, Non-Newtonian pseudoplasti

Phylogenetics of HCV: Recent advances

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a virus present in human population from indefinite time period, has affected millions of people globally, by causing liver infection which in majority of cases leads to chronicity, cirrhosis, end stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The disease burden is expected to increase in the developing and under developed world in future. The distribution of HCV genotypes is changing, as are the modes of transmission. Evolution of HCV is a highly dynamic process as it exploits all known mechanisms of genetic variation including recombination and mutation, to ensure its survival. It occurs both through multiple processes of adaptive selection that drive sequence change and through drift, in which phenotypically neutral sequence changes accumulate over time without altering the phenotype or behaviour of the virus. However, despite its potential to change rapidly, the longer-term evolution of HCV appears to be remarkably conservative. Phylogenetic and statistical models of viral evolution are useful in reconstructing mutational pathways of drug resistance. The two major divisions of viral heterogeneity include genotypes and quasispecies. The rate of nucleotide changes varies significantly among the different regions of the viral genome. The present HCV classification is incomplete, as new genotypes and variants are being identified till yet. Diversification of HCV occurred over time but with different rates. Host immune pressure is thought to be a main factor driving diversification in HCV quasispecies. Core and hypervariable regions are more diverse while 5' un-translated region (UTR) and 3' UTR are highly conserved across the genotypes.Keywords: HCV, phylogeny, 5' UTR, viral evolution, recombination, quasispeciesAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(36), pp. 5792-5799, 6 September, 201

The Outcome of Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Transpedicular Screw Fixation (TPSF) in Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures

Background & Objective:  This study aimed to determine the outcome of percutaneous transpedicular screw fixation (TPSF) in patients with thoracolumbar fractures. Material & Methods:  A total of 157 patients with thoracolumbar fractures were included from the Department of Neurosurgery, LGH, PINS, Lahore. Patients were evaluated with plain X-rays, CT, and MRI scans. Neurological status was documented preoperatively and postoperatively. All patients were treated with Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Transpedicular screw fixation. Data for operative time and per-operative blood loss was obtained through the operative notes. The severity of postoperative pain and length of hospital stay were also documented. Results:  Out of 157 patients, 69.4% were male and 30.6% were female. The 141 (89.8%) were traumatic from road traffic accidents/falls, and 16 (10.2%) were pathologic. The 128 (81%) patients were discharged on the first day, 23(15%) were discharged on the second day, and 6(3.8%) on the third day. 79% of patients had a single level of spine fracture whereas, 20% had 2 spinal fracture levels. The average operative time for MIS percutaneous TPSF was 55 minutes. Postoperative pain was markedly reduced as compared to traditional open surgery and no patient had any new neurological deficit. The mean blood loss was 25 ml and none of the patients needed a postoperative blood transfusion. Conclusion:  Percutaneous transpedicular instrumentation is an ideal surgical approach for thoracolumbar spinal stabilization. Keywords:  Thoracolumbar Fractures, Percutaneous Transpedicular Screw Fixation, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Road Traffic Accidents (RTA)