Plasma heating by magneto-acoustic waves

Using magnetosonic resonance for plasma heatin

Complexity of families of compact sets in ℝ^<i>n</i>

The space of all compact subsets of ℝn with the Vietoris topology, denoted K(ℝn), is a Polish space, i.e. separable and completely metrizable. It is naturally stratified by dimension. In this work, we study the zero and one dimensional compact subsets of ℝn, and two equivalence relations on K(ℝn): the homeomorphism relation and the embedding relation induced by the action of autohomeomorphisms of ℝn. Among the zero dimensional compact subsets, Cantor sets are generic and form a Polish subspace. We study the topological properties of this space as well as the structure with respect to the embedding relation. Moreover, we show that the classification of Cantor sets up to embedding relation is at least as complex as the classification of countable structures. Next, we look into one dimensional compact subsets, particularly those that are connected, i.e. curves. The curves also form a Polish subspace. We introduce a new connectedness property, namely strong arcwise connectedness. We study the complexity of curves with this property using descriptive set theory tools, and show that the space of all curves which are strong arcwise connected, is not Borel, and is exactly at the second level of the projective hierarchy. In addition, we examine the classification of curves up to either equivalence relation and show that the curves are not classifiable by countable structures

Marine microalgae as sources of bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory action

Inflammation is a defensive mechanism stimulated when the body is attacked by pathogens or irritants, or when cells are damaged. Sometimes, these defensive mechanisms can go wrong, emerging to different inflammatory diseases, such as acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. Despite the existence of several anti-inflammatory drugs on the market, new drugs with fewer side effects and higher efficacy are required for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Attention has been given to natural bioactive compounds derived from marine organisms, since these are well known to be a source of potential bioactive compounds with different therapeutic applications in several diseases including inflammatory diseases. The aim of this research project was therefore to find compounds that can serve as new anti-inflammatory drugs or drug leads in microalgae. For that purpose, water, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of different microalgae species (Porphyridium sp., Nannochloropsis sp., Tetraselmis sp. CTP4, Isochrysis sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Skeletonema costatum, Spirulina sp., Haematococcus pluvialis and Tetraselmis chuii) were characterized for its antioxidant activity as a pre-screening effort to select the most bioactive species/extracts. The most antioxidant extracts (ethanol extracts of Nannochloropsis sp., Tetraselmis sp. CTP4, and Tetraselmis chuii and water extracts of Nannochloropsis sp. and Porphyridium sp.) were afterwards screened for their anti-inflammatory activity measuring the inhibition of TNF-α production by LPS-stimulated human macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells (Mac-THP-1). The best results were obtained with the ethanol extract of Tetraselmis sp. CTP4 (87% inhibition of TNF-α at 50 μg/mL in respect to the LPS control). This extract was therefore fractionated using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), and the fractions were re-checked for their anti-inflammatory activity, using the previous method in a bioassay-guided fractionation effort. The most active fraction (the hexane fraction) was later analyzed by GC-MS to tentatively identify some of the compounds present in the fraction that could be responsible for its anti-inflammatory properties. Most of the compounds identified were fatty acids, some of which had already been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. Further studies are needed to identify the exact compound or compounds responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect in the active fraction. Nonetheless, these results indicate that microalgae can be a source of compounds with the ability to minimize and reduce inflammation

case study of Kurdistan region government Iraq

Thesis(Master) -- KDI School: Master of Public Management, 2021The advancement in technological innovations worldwide, along with the rising demand for better service delivery, pressures governments to promote new technologies for shifting from the "traditional" bureaucracy to a more efficient, modern one based on scientific analysis. In this sense, the information of communication technology -ICT- enables people to communicate across the country and helps reduce time-consuming and routine in the government. However, challenges exist in knowing which ICT could function as a tool for government modernization. The purpose of this research is to study progress the role of e-government in enabling administrative reform in the Kurdistan Regional Government -KRG-. Also, identify the various obstacles and steps to help the improvement of government system processes. In addition, the research establishes a strategic plan which enhances the government projects, on the other hand, to understand the people in Kurdistan Region-Iraq (KRI''s) needs and participation in reform to reduce the routine and increase transparency. This research involves the use of secondary and primary data that includes the design of the questionnaires and random sampling to collect the data from responses in the ministries and departments in the KRG. Thus, it is stakeholders to experience the usage and impact of ICT in enabling administrative reform in the KRG. Based on the outcome from the analysis of this research, it could summarize that e- government has an important role in enabling administrative reform, reduce corruption and lead in the quality of work to do promotion of good governance in the public sector in KRG. However, does not guarantee to enable administrative reform and end of the corruption, if the environment of establishment e-government project is not applicable.CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND BACKGROUND CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 4 FINDING AND DATA ANALYSIS CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONmasterpublishedKovan Hamid AHME

SPP Secure Payment Protocol: Protocol Analysis, Implementation and Extensions

Internet commerce continues to grow rapidly. Over 60% of US households use the internet to shop online. A secure payment protocol is required to support this rapid growth. A new payment protocol was recently invented at IBM. We refer to the protocol as SPP or Secure Payment Protocol. This thesis presents a protocol analysis of SPP. It is essential that a thorough security analysis be done on any new payment protocol so that we can better understand its security properties. We first develop a method for analyzing payment protocols. This method includes a list of desirable security features and a list of proofs that should be satisfied. We then present the results of the analysis. These results validate that the protocol does contain many security features and properties. They also help understand the security properties and identify areas where the protocol can be further secured. This led us to extend the design of the protocol to enhance its security. This thesis also presents a prototype implementation of SPP. Three software components were implemented. They are the Electronic Wallet component, the merchant software component and the Trusted Third Party component. The architecture and technologies that are required for implementation are discussed. The prototype is then used in performance measurement experiments. Results on system performance as a function of key size are presented. Finally, this thesis presents an extension of SPP to support a two buyer scenario. In this scenario one buyer makes an order while another buyer makes the payment. This scenario enables additional commerce services

МОНИТОРИНГ ФИНАНСОВОГО СОСТОЯНИЯ И ПЛАТЕЖЕСПОСОБНОСТИ КАК ВАЖНЕЙШИЙ ИНСТРУМЕНТ ДИАГНОСТИКИ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ПРЕДПРИЯТИЙ ЖКХ

The issue of rising functional efficiency and assuring solvency of HUI organizations is discussed. Systematic analysis and financial state assessment, as well as monitoring these organizations constitute an important instrument in making timely managing decisions and preventing their insolvency. The article states main tasks and principles of conducting utility enterprise monitoring.Рассматривается задача повышения эффективности функционирования и обеспечения платежеспособности организаций ЖКХ. Систематический анализ и оценка финансового состояния, мониторинг таких организаций являются важным инструментом для принятия своевременных управленческих решений, предотвращения их неплатежеспособности. В статье определены основные задачи и принципы проведения мониторинга коммунальных предприятий