Determining the Extent of Market and Extent of Resource for Stated Preference Survey Design Using Mapping Methods

Determining the appropriate survey population and the commodity to be valued are among the most fundamental design decisions for stated preference (SP) surveys. However, often little information is available about who in the population holds measurable value for the resource (the extent of the market) and their perceptions regarding the scope of the resource to be valued (the extent of the resource). In this paper, we present a novel approach using cognitive mapping interview techniques to shed light on these design questions. The method also provides ancillary information that assists in the interpretation of information collected during focus groups and through SP survey administration. The approach was developed and tested as part of an ongoing study on environmental degradation associated with acidification in the Southern Appalachian Mountain region. Although damage from acidification in the study region is broad, it is not clear whether residents of this region care, in both a use and nonuse sense, about resources in their states of residence, in neighboring states, on public lands, or more broadly across the region. From a pilot study, we found that participants show a significant home-state preference in the number and size of natural areas that they value within the larger Southern Appalachian Mountain region. However, this preference is not strong enough to suggest that the market for improving these resources is solely constrained to residents of the state in which the resource is located.stated preference, cognitive mapping, extent of market, extent of resource, definition of commodity

Light scattering from a magnetically tunable dense random medium with weak dissipation : ferrofluid

We present a semi-phenomenological treatment of light transmission through and its reflection from a ferrofluid, which we regard as a magnetically tunable system of dense random dielectric scatterers with weak dissipation. Partial spatial ordering is introduced by the application of a transverse magnetic field that superimposes a periodic modulation on the dielectric randomess. This introduces Bragg scattering which effectively enhances the scattering due to disorder alone, and thus reduces the elastic mean free path towards Anderson localization. Our theoretical treatment, based on invariant imbedding, gives a simultaneous decrease of transmission and reflection without change of incident linear polarisation as the spatial order is tuned magnetically to the Bragg condition, namely the light wave vector being equal to half the Bragg vector (Q). Our experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with these results. We have also given expressions for the transit (sojourn) time of light and for the light energy stored in the random medium under steady illumination. The ferrofluid thus provides an interesting physical realization of effectively a "Lossy Anderson-Bragg" (LAB) cavity with which to study the effect of the interplay of spatial disorder, partial order and weak dissipation on light transport. Given the current interest in propagation, optical limiting and storage of light in ferrofluids, the present work seems topical

Analyzing Agile Estimation Techniques and Software Development

Current scenario of software shows that cost estimation plays a vital role in the whole cycle of software development. Software development process involves various techniques and skills which helps in accurate estimation, overall charges, delivery date, required effort and assurance of project acceptance or denial. This paper presents current scenario of knowledge in the field of software development methodologies and a systematic survey of cost estimation in Agile Software Development, which will be useful to understand current trends in cost estimation in ASD Development stages. Stages are building blocks of any software development methodology which are presented graphically. Software development methodologies are compared by highlighting strengths and weaknesses from the stakeholder�s point of view

Pomegranate – an Insight into its Antioxidative, Thrombolytic and Membrane Stabilizing Property

The present study is focused on exploring the antioxidative, thrombolytic and membrane stabilizing property of the peel and aril of pomegranate. Antioxidative property was deliberated based on their free radical scavenging ability in which the peel exerted higher radical scavenging potential. Thrombolytic potential of pomegranate was notably higher in aril (30.36%) than in peel (27.62%) while the standard streptokinase exhibited 58.38%. The membrane stabilizing activity was assessed under hypotonic and varying temperature conditions and compared with standard acetyl salicylic acid. The synergistic effect of the fruit could be further explored to be one of the best sources for atherothrombotic diseases. Keywords: Pomegranate, Thrombolysis, Membrane stability, Free radical scavengin

The Growth of Women in Sangam Internal Songs ooth Spoken and Unspoken

Women’s lifestyle was best described very subtly in Sangam Aga Ilakkiyam. Sangam literature has survived many centuries after carrying the proofs of history, and the seed to architect the grammar for the previous generations. The comments registered about women’s different stages of life such as teenage, love, and family life were to be researched. There are not many kinds of literature which talk about women’s thoughts about love. Later, various kinds of literature such as kaapiyam, bhakthi and sitrilakkiyam spoke in detail about the different stages of women. Sangam literature does not speak about the different stages of women transparently, however, the growth of women according to age and its function were described clearly by poets. This research article studies the significant impact of the change in the lifestyle before and after puberty is researched through Sangam literature

“A Review on Design and Implementation of Image Enhancement for Underwater Image”

For the Underwater image, currently the gathered images have different grades of distortion and wrong information due to the influence of underwater special environment. There are two basic process for light propagation in the sea water; Absorption and disperses .The process of the light in water can affect the overall performance of underwater imaging system. The above characteristics lead to uneven illumination, low contrast of image and poor quality of the image. For underwater images de noising, a new method based on adaptive wavelet is proposed. Finally the simulation results show that the proposed work not only eliminate the noise effectively but also improves image output peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR).Then after Enhancement algorithms which is generally interactive and application dependent is to bring out detail that is hidden part in an image is covered up in a picture or to increases contrast in a low contrast picture. Image enhancement is useful in feature information, image study and visual information display. It simply emphasizes certain specified image characteristics. In this paper an efficient image enhancement algorithm i.e., pre processing, thresholding, contrast adjustment, power law transform is implemented on Spartan -3 FPGA

A prospective study on postmenopausal bleeding-causes and its diagnosis using transvaginal ultrasound and hysteroscopy

Background: Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) is considered a red flag symptom and warrants further examination and evaluation. Trans-vaginalsonography (TVS) can be used reliably to diagnose fibroids, polyps and thickened endometrium. Hysteroscopy is considered “gold standard” for evaluating endometrial cavity. It provides direct visualization of endometrial cavity. It can have both diagnostic as well as operative purpose however, it is not cost effective, an invasive procedure and requires anesthesia and expertise. Present study was designed and carried out to study aetiology and prevalence of PMB in Central India as well as to evaluate the efficacy of TVS and hysteroscopy in diagnosis of different endometrial pathologies in patients with PMB.Methods: This prospective study included 82 post-menopausal women with PMB who attended the gynaecological clinic from December, 2019 to December, 2020 at Motherhood hospital, Indore, India after ethical clearance. A detailed history, examination followed by transvaginal sonography was made. Hysteroscopy was then performed, and biopsy was obtained in all patients. Hysteroscopic and sonographic images were then analyzed and conformed with the histopathologic diagnosis.Results: Most common endometrial pathology was atrophic endometrium followed by endometrial polyp and hyperplasia. Endometrial carcinoma was observed in (3.66%) females. Other findings in cases of secretory, proliferative endometrium and endometritis accounted for 6.09%. The diagnostic accuracy of ET by TVS at a cut-off point of 5 mm was 94% with sensitivity 89.3%, specificity 100%, PPV 100% and NPV 88%. The diagnostic accuracy of hysteroscopy was 98% with sensitivity 96.4%, specificity 100%, PPV 100% and NPV 95.7%.Conclusions: TVS with ET measurement should first line investigation in the evaluation of women with PMB with suspected endometrial pathology because of cost effectiveness, easy accessibility and non-invasive method of diagnosis. Although hysteroscopy is more specific and sensitive, in poor resource settings it should be limited to cases with illdefined endometrial lining, recurrent/ persistent bleeding and cases with endometrial thickness greater than 5 mm irrespective of endometrial echotexture