Energy Efficiency in the ICT - Profiling Power Consumption in Desktop Computer Systems

Energy awareness in the ICT has become an important issue. Focusing on software, recent work suggested the existence of a relationship between power consumption, software configuration and usage patterns in computer systems. The aim of this work was collecting and analysing power consumption data of general-purpose computer systems, simulating common usage scenarios, in order to extract a power consumption profile for each scenario. We selected two desktop systems of different generations as test machines. Meanwhile, we developed 11 usage scenarios, and conducted several test runs of them, collecting power consumption data by means of a power meter. Our analysis resulted in an estimation of a power consumption value for each scenario and software application used, obtaining that each single scenario introduced an overhead from 2 to 11 Watts, which corresponds to a percentage increase that can reach up to 20% on recent and more powerful systems. We determined that software and its usage patterns impact consistently on the power consumption of computer systems. Further work will be devoted to evaluate how power consumption is affected by the usage of specific system resource

Síntesis y evaluación de algunos agentes surfactantes de aminas grasas de cadena larga

This study continues our series of synthesis of surface active agents containing heterocyclic moiety. NHeptadecanoyl- 3-(4-oxo-4H-benzo[d][1,3]oxazin-2-yl)- acrylamide (4) was used as a new starting material to synthesize propenoxylated nonionic surface active agents having heterocycles such as (thiazole, triazole, benzoxazine, quinazoline, triazine, and oxazine). The structures of the prepared compounds were elucidated by using spectroscopic tools (IR, 1H NMR and Mass spectroscopy). Physical properties such as surface and interfacial tension, cloud point, foaming height, wetting time, emulsification power and critical micelle concentration (CMC) were determined. Antimicrobial and biodegradability properties were also screened. It was found that the produced novel groups of nonionic surface active agents have pronounced surface properties and good antimicrobial activities.Este estudio continua nuestra serie sobre la síntesis de agentes surfactantes que contienen grupos heterociclicos. N-Heptadecanoyl-3-(4-oxo-4H-benzo[d][1,3]oxazin-2-yl)- acrylamida (4) se usa como nueva materia prima para sintetizar surfactantes noiónico propenoxilado conteniendo herociclos tales como thiazol, triazol, benzoxazina, quinazolina, triazina, y oxazina. Las estructuras de los compuestos preparados se dilucidan mediante herramientas espectroscópicas (IR, 1H NMR and espectroscopía de masas). Se determinan sus propiedades físicas, tensión superficial e interfacial, punto de nube, altura de espuma, poder de emulsificación y concentración micelar critica.También se revisan sus propiedades antimicrobianas y de biodegradabilidad Se encontró que los nuevos compuestos poseían destacadas propiedades superficiales y unas buenas actividades antimicrobianas

Síntesis y evaluación de compuestos heterocíclicos derivados de ?-hidroxiácidos con interés industrial potencial.

The reaction of 2-hydroxyheptadecanoyl chloride (2) and anthranilic acid gave 2-(1-hydroxyheptadecyl)-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-4-one (3) which was used as starting material to synthesize some condensed and non-condensed heterocyclic compounds by a reaction with nitrogen nucleophiles (e.g., hydrazine hydrate, and formamide). The subsequent reaction of the synthetic products with different amounts of propylene oxide gave a novel group of nonionic compounds having a double function as antibacterial and surface active agents which may serve in the manufacturing of drugs, cosmetics, pesticides or as antibacterial and/or antifungal products. The surface active properties such as surface and interfacial tensions, cloud point, foaming height, wetting time, and emulsification power were determined. Antimicrobial and biodegradability were also screened.La reacción de cloruro de 2-hidroxiheptadecanoilo (2) con ácido antranílico produjo 2-(1-hidroxiheptadecil)-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-4-ona (3) que fue usada como material de partida en la síntesis de compuestos heterocíclicos condensados y no condensados por reacción con nucleófilos nitrogenados (hidracina y formamida). La reacción de los productos sintetizados con distintas cantidades de óxido de propileno dio un grupo nuevo de compuestos no iónicos con una función doble como antibacterianos y agentes tensioactivos que pueden servir en la manufactura de medicamentos, cosméticos, pesticidas, o como productos antibacterianos y/o antifúngicos. Se determinaron las propiedades tensioactivas así como la capacidad antimicrobiana y la biodegrabilidad de los compuestos sintetizados

Effects of a Group E-Therapy Program on Improving Social Skills of Children with ASD

The purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of a group E-therapy program on improving children's social skills with ASD. Participants were (16) children between the ages of Six and eleventh. A pre-post design was used to examine the effectiveness of group therapy on developing social skills in children with Autism. Stone's social skills Scale was administered to assess children's social skills with autism spectrum disorder as a pre-post-test. The group therapy strategies were performed on the experimental group by their actual teacher during an exact 8-week lesson period with 50-minute sessions three times per week. The Z-value results for the differences in the mean post-test scores between the experimental and control groups in social skills. The table shows that the value of (Z) ranged between (2.809 - 3.354). These values are significant at (0.01) level in favor of the experimental group. The value of (Z) in Table 2 ranged between (2.617 - 2.711), which are significant values at the level (0.01). This indicates that group therapy had a positive effect on social skills in children with ASD

Topical NSAIDs in Prevention of Postcataract Macular Edema

Postoperative macular edema is considered one cause of diminished vision after cataract surgery. It was approved that inflammatory mediators especially prostaglandins play a key role in macular edema formation especially in the presence of risk factors that affect blood-retinal barrier such as diabetes, uveitis, tear of posterior capsule, and vitreous loss. So, anti-inflammatory medications like corticosteroids and NSAIDs are the cornerstone of macular edema managements. In spite of using corticosteroids as gold standard for treatment of ocular inflammation, they cannot be used for prolonged period due to associated adverse effects. Lastly, there were many studies about benefits of NSAIDs in management and prevention of macular edema to avoid the side effects of corticosteroids

Integrating spatial data and shorebird nesting locations to predict the potential future impact of global warming on coastal habitats: A case study on Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

AbstractOne of the expected effects of the global warming is changing coastal habitats by accelerating the rate of sea level rise. Coastal habitats support large number of marine and wetland species including shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers and allies). In this study, we investigate how coastal habitats may be impacted by sea level rise in the Farasan Islands, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We use Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus – a common coastal breeding shorebird – as an ecological model species to predict the influence of sea level rise. We found that any rise of sea level is likely to inundate 11% of Kentish plover nests. In addition, 5% of the coastal areas of Farasan Islands, which support 26% of Kentish plover nests, will be flooded, if sea level rises by one metre. Our results are constrained by the availability of data on both elevation and bird populations. Therefore, we recommend follow-up studies to model the impacts of sea level rise using different elevation scenarios, and the establishment of a monitoring programme for breeding shorebirds and seabirds in Farasan Islands to assess the impact of climate change on their populations

Effects of omega-3 fatty acids and pioglitazone combination on insulin resistance through fibroblast growth factor 21 in type 2 diabetes mellitus

AbstractFibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an effective regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism. It is mainly regulated by peroxisome proliferator activated receptors, and is widely associated with cases of insulin resistance as obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Our study aimed to investigate the potential effects of omega-3 fatty acids, pioglitazone, and their combination on serum and liver FGF21 concentrations, and its hepatic gene expression in a rat model of T2D. We also studied the modulating effects of these treatments on blood glucose, lipid profile, and insulin resistance. T2D was induced in male Sprague–Dawley rats by combination of high fat diet and low dose streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). Diabetic rats were treated with omega-3 fatty acids (10%W/W diet), pioglitazone (20 mg/kg), and their combination for a period of 4 weeks. Serum FGF21 concentration was significantly increased in diabetic rats. In contrast, hepatic FGF21 concentration, and gene expression were significantly decreased. Omega-3 fatty acids, pioglitazone, and their combination significantly decreased serum FGF21. Omega-3 fatty acids and combination therapy significantly decreased liver FGF21 concentration, with non-significant changes in gene expression. On the other hand, pioglitazone significantly increased hepatic FGF21 concentration and gene expression. Omega-3 fatty acids, pioglitazone and their combination significantly improved lipid profile. Pioglitazone and combination significantly decreased blood glucose levels and improved insulin resistance. In conclusion, this study introduces the first evidence regarding the antidiabetic effects of omega-3 fatty acids and pioglitazone combination, such effects are mediated through FGF21