The existance of theory electronics propinquity and ICT competency among nurses staff: A Malaysian case study

This research has been exploring the existence of the theory electronic propinquity by using the facilities of modern technology such as the computer and internet in the communication process.This research also looking examines the Information Technology competency among the hospital staff such as nurses.Electronic Propinquity theory is one of the theories under the Media and Communications theory developed by Korzenny in 1978. Although this theory has been used extensively, studies concerning the advantages of using information technology in management communication in hospital management are not as common.The results of this study also attempt to update Korzenny’s theory to the present generation.This study uses a Qualitative methods approach on 22 respondents. This study was conducted at the four government hospitals in Malaysia: Selayang’s Hospital, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Putrajaya Hospital. These hospitals are chosen because they are the first four hospitals in Malaysia using full computerised technology in management. Furthermore, they were also recommended by the Ministry of Health in Malaysia.Basically, the questions in the survey form are based on the elements contained in the theory of electronic propinquity.The result of the study found that, the staff is aware of the existence of Electronic theory Propinquity when using communication technology and the level of IT competency is high among staff Nurses

Theoretical and experimental studies of the bell-jar-top inductively coupled plasma

The present paper describes a systematic study of argon plasmas in a bell-jar inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source over the range of pressure 5-20 mtorr and power input 0.2-0.5 kW, Experimental measurements as well as results of numerical simulations are presented. The models used in the study include the well-known global balance model (or the global model) as well as a detailed two-dimensional (2-D) fluid model of the system, The global model is able to provide reasonably accurate values for the global electron temperature and plasma density, The 2-D model provides spatial distributions of various plasma parameters that make it possible to compare with data measured in the experiments, The experimental measurements were obtained using a tuned Langmuir double-probe technique to reduce the RF interference and obtain the light versus current (I-V) characteristics of the probe. Time-averaged electron temperature and plasma density were measured for various combinations of pressure and applied RF power, The predictions of the 2-D model were found to be in good qualitative agreement with measured data, It was found that the electron temperature distribution T-e was more or less uniform in the chamber, It was also seen that the electron temperature depends primarily on pressure, but is almost independent of the power input, except in the very low-pressure regime. The plasma density goes up almost linearly with the power input

Enhanced tensile ductility and strength of electrodeposited ultrafine-grained nickel with a desired bimodal microstructure

This work aims to use surfactant-assisted direct current electrodeposition technique to prepare four types of bimodal nickel, under different current densities. Bimodal Ni is obtained with different grain size and spatial distribution of CG and UFG areas showing a big disparity in mechanical properties. As a result of small population of coarse-grained surrounded by quite a lot of ultrafine-grained forming a unique shell-and-core bimodal structure, bimodal one present the best comprehensive mechanical properties with an ultrahigh tensile strength (similar to 847 MPa) and a considerable plastic strain (similar to 16.7%). Deformation initial, bimodal structures display more positive strain hardening to meaningful strains than unimodal structure of UFG and CG. Particularly bimodal one work-hardening rate is the highest thanks to its structure (UFG occupy 76.7% in total number fraction) and the distribution of growth twins. Growth twins in this article are referred to Sigma 3(111) coherent twins playing an important role in improving high strength, enhancing uniform plastic deformation ability

Levels and patterns of organochlorine pesticides in agricultural soils in an area of extensive historical cotton cultivation in Henan province, China

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have attracted widespread concern because of their environmental persistence and toxicity. The historical influence of different agricultural land use types on soil concentrations of OCP residues was investigated by collecting a total of 52 surface soil samples from long-term cotton fields and fields with other crops in Lvdian township, Henan province, eastern central China. The concentration, composition, and possible sources of 16 OCPs were determined and a health risk assessment of these soils was conducted. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor, chlordane, and dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane plus its main metabolites (DDTs) were the most frequently detected OCPs with concentrations of 2.9-56.4 ng g(-1), 4.3-14.0 ng g(-1), 18.0-1254.4 ng g(-1), and below detection limit (BDL) -206.1 ng g(-1), respectively. Analysis of variance of p,p-DDE shows significant (P < 0.05) differences while other OCPs show no significant differences between historical cotton fields and fields containing other crops. Compositional analysis suggests that the HCH is derived mainly from the use of lindane and that there are recent inputs. Analysis of variance and compositional analysis indicate that the p,p-DDE in surface soil from long-term cotton fields is derived mainly from the aerobic biodegradation of historical residues. The sum of carcinogenic risk values of OCPs for soil samples were found to be 1.58 x 10(-6), posing a low cancer risk to the inhabitants of the region studied

Back stress strengthening and strain hardening in gradient structure

We report significant back stress strengthening and strain hardening in gradient structured (GS) interstitial-free (IF) steel. Back stress is long-range stress caused by the pileup of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs). A simple equation and a procedure are developed to calculate back stress basing on its formation physics from the tensile unloading-reloading hysteresis loop. The gradient structure has mechanical incompatibility due to its grain size gradient. This induces strain gradient, which needs to be accommodated by GNDs. Back stress not only raises the yield strength but also significantly enhances strain hardening to increase the ductility. [GRAPHICS]

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Exploring biocatalytic alternatives for challenging chemical reactions

Catalysts are often used in challenging chemical reactions to accelerate the reaction rate, increase reaction efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimise waste production. In biocatalysis, enzymes or whole cells are used as catalysts with the advantage of reactivity, selectivity and mild reaction condition over chemocatalysis. Nowadays, with the increasing variety of enzymes, biocatalysis exhibits more and more applicability potential as an alternative tool for chemical reactions.This thesis focuses on two categories of challenging chemical reactions: oxyfunctionalisation and decarboxylation reactions, where two enzyme families have been investigated. Unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs) exhibit remarkable catalytic activity by facilitating the specific incorporation of oxygen atoms into both C-H and C=C bonds through hydroxylation and epoxidation reactions, respectively. This biocatalytic ability occurs under mild reaction conditions, rendering UPOs highly versatile and attractive for various synthetic applications. Fatty acid photodecarboxylases (FAPs) demonstrate the capacity to effectively catalyse the cleavage of carboxylic groups from substrates, leading to the formation of the corresponding alka(e)nes when subjected to illumination. This photoenzymatic reaction offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly pathway for the conversion of fatty acids into valuable hydrocarbon products by harnessing light as an energy source. In chapter 1, we show a critical and quantitative comparison between chemocatalysis and biocatalysis in oxyfunctionalisation reactions and an overview of decarboxylation reactions. For oxyfunctionalisation reactions, this thesis is focusing on both classic hydroxylation and epoxidation reactions. For instance, further derivatisation fatty acids generally relies on pre-existing functional groups such as the carboxylate group or C=C-double bonds. However, the enzymatic conversions of saturated, non-activated fatty acids remain relatively underdeveloped, primarily owing to the inherent difficulty of C-H activation. In chapter 2, we demonstrate the application of a peroxygenase mutant AaeUPO-Fett for selective fatty acid hydroxylation. The primary products (i.e. hydroxy fatty acids) are interesting building blocks for lactone and polyester synthesis. Besides, when the produced w-1 hydroxy fatty acid (esters) are transformed, further synthetic possibilities arise as demonstrated by the fatty acid decarboxylation, Baeyer-Villiger oxidation and reductive amination reactions. Thereby, the utilisation of peroxygenase-promoted enzymatic cascades has emerged as a versatile toolbox for the conversion of recalcitrant saturated fatty acids into valuable products and essential building blocks...BT/Biocatalysi

Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth Over Land by Inverse Modeling of Multi-Source Satellite Data

The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), a measure of the scattering and absorption of light by aerosols, has been extensively used for scientific research such as monitoring air quality near the surface due to fine particles aggregated, aerosol radiative forcing (cooling effect against the warming effect by carbon dioxide CO2 ), aerosol long-term trend analysis and the climate change on regional and global scale.Aerosols vary greatly over time and space. This is because of the short lifetime of aerosols (a few hours to a week), and also because of the heterogeneous distribution of sources and the variable effectiveness of atmospheric mixing though turbulence. To monitor aerosols, observations by space-borne instruments have a huge advantage (nearly global coverage daily) over ground-based measurements (point observation). Global quantitative aerosol information has been derived from satellite measurements for decades. The MODerate resolution Imaging Sepctroradiometer (MODIS) AOD product is proven to be mature and is extensively applied in different scientific fields. The current AOD product generated with the collection 6 (C6) Dark Target (C6_DT) algorithm over land is still suffering from errors or biases due to parameterization, assumptions, modeling, and retrieval techniques as well as ill-posed problems, presenting large uncertainties, including regional bias, angular effects and a large number of unphysical negative values. Chapter 1 discusses the challenges and limitations in the current satellite aerosol retrieval algorithm.Owing to the use of static aerosol properties (predefined aerosol models and fixed vertical profile over the globe), the MODIS algorithm may give serious errors since aerosols can change over time and are distributed very diversely at different altitude levels. To quantify these errors, in Chapter 3 the sensitivity of AOD retrieval to the variation of aerosol vertical profiles and types with the MODIS algorithm is evaluated by a set of experiments. It was found that the AOD retrieval shows a high sensitivity to different vertical profiles and types. As suggested by the sensitivity study, it is necessary to investigate the impact of dynamical aerosol properties in a real case. To do this, an adaptive development of the MODIS C6_DT algorithm was implemented to consider realistic aerosol vertical profile in the retrieval (Chapter 4). MODIS and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) measurements were used. Inferred from CALIPSO data, the vertical profile was applied into the new algorithm to generate an accurate Top Of the Atmosphere (TOA) reflectance for the retrieval. The AOD retrieval was compared between C6_DT and the new algorithm with cases of heavy smoke and dust. The difference in the retrieval was significant between C6_DT and the new algorithm, which demonstrated that C6_DT would give large errors in the retrieval for these cases. In the MODIS algorithm, the assumption of the surface with isotropic reflection (Lambertian) is inconsistent with the well-known fact that the surface has a strong anisotropic reflection (non-Lambertian), and could lead to large uncertainties in estimating the surface contribution to satellite measurements, with resulting errors in the AOD retrieval. Chapter 5 describes a newly developed algorithm (BRF_DT) by considering non-Lambertian surface reflectance characterized by Bidirectional Distribution Reflectance Function (BRDF), where the surface reflection is described by four reflectance properties — bidirectional, directional-hemispherical, hemispherical-directional, and bihemispherical reflectance and coupled into the radiative transfer process to generate an accurate TOA reflectance. In addition, a parameterization of spectral relationship inherited from C6_DT was applied to constrain the surface BRF. The remaining three components are determined by MODIS BRDF/albedo product. As shown by sample plots and histograms as well as analysis and comparison against AERONET measurements, the AOD retrievals were significantly improved by BRF_DT especially for areas with heavy aerosol loading. For the case of areas with light aerosol loading, the parameterization of spectral surface BRF should be further refined to yield a better retrieval. Chapter 6 shows that a new parameterization was derived for the BRF_DT algorithm (called BRF_DT2) by using 3 years of BRF data from AERONET-based Surface Reflectance Validation Network (AS-RVN). The contribution to the TOA reflectance dominated by the surface BRF was well estimated. As a result, negative retrievals and angular biases were significantly reduced in BRF_DT2. A summary of the current and future research of satellite aerosol retrieval is introduced in Chapter 7.Optical and Laser Remote Sensin

The death and life of Chinatowns: Towards an integrated and authentic transformation of ‘Chinatown’ in Amsterdam

The advent of steamship in the 19th century is accompanying with the Chinese immigration. Chinese seamen gathered around the dockland at a certain scale and formed Chinese quarters. Therefore, Chinatowns appeared in many harbour cities in European countries. With the urban development and migrant shifts within the recent one hundred years, Chinatowns transformed many times regarding their recognitions, urban roles and functions. However, Chinatowns seem to decline universally. The stereotypic manifestation and commodification have gradually erased the social meaning as an ‘ethnic core’, and the ‘voluntaristic way’ to accommodate difference (Peach, 1996). Based on literatures, this thesis defined the spatial dimensions and social constriction of Chinatowns, as well as the concept of integration and authenticity, analysed contextualised problems of Chinatown in Amsterdam, and thereby to reconfigure Chinatown in Amsterdam through the socio-spatial strategies.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Complex Citie

Development of a framework to perform longitudinal micro-computed tomography monitoring on ex vivo embryonic chick femur cultures

In the field of bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, ex vivo embryonic chick femur culture models have demonstrated their experimental advantages. The work reported in this thesis was dedicated to the development of a framework through a bioreactor approach in combination with the technology of micro-computed tomography (?CT) to conduct longitudinal studies on ex vivo embryonic chick femur cultures. The bioreactor chamber was designed to allow isolated embryonic chick femurs to be positioned at an air/liquid interface under a basic organotypic culture condition for ?CT monitoring. By time-lapsed monitoring of the bone tissue, ?CT evaluation provided the information on temporal and spatial changes of the chick femur model in a three-dimensional scheme. Different experimental groups were examined with respect to the frequency of ?CT scans and the lengths of the period under organotypic culture. It was found that, after 10 days of culture, the femurs scanned every other day exhibited similar bone growth and bone dynamic morphometry as the femurs scanned only at the beginning and the end of culture. This demonstrated the multiple experimental manipulations and irradiation did not have a significant influence on the quantified bone parameters. However, considering transient bone biology, the registration method of superimposing two measurements from the interval of two days showed much more dynamic bone activity than the ones of the same femur registered from the corresponding two time points at the beginning and the end of the culture period of 10 days. Furthermore, for the femurs cultured for a longer period of 4 weeks, more bone formation and less bone resorption was shown during the first two weeks than during the second two weeks. The results indicated the importance of choosing the suitable length of culture periods and scan time points in order to study dynamic bone activity. It is therefore recommended that, in the future, a ?CT monitoring scheme should be taken into consideration in a longitudinal study. In conclusion, by taking the bioreactor approach, a feasible model for longitudinal studies on ex vivo embryonic chick femur cultures could be successfully established.Biomedical engineeringBioMechanical EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin