Current Usages Research Articles

Changing the colour of night on urban streets - LED vs. part-night lighting system

Many cities in the United Kingdom are upgrading the streetlights to white light-emitting diode (LED) lamps for reducing the electricity costs and attaining the sustainable energy solutions. Installation of LED lamps on urban street requires higher installation costs and a long-term period to payback benefits of replacing outdated streetlights in terms of energy savings and costs. To achieve the short-term energy efficiency of urban street lighting, city councils sometimes adopt the part-night lighting system particularly in the residential areas. The Coventry City Council recently replaced 29,701 existing sodium lights with LED lamps. This paper performs the economic analyses to understand the feasibility of two street lighting systems: LED lamps and ‘part-night’ lightings on the Coventry streets during the twenty-year period assuming the return period of investment is twenty years. The projection of energy consumption and costs for LED lamps and part-night lighting systems shows that electricity can be saved by 44% and 21% comparing to current electricity usages, respectively. Considering the budgetary constraints of Coventry City Council, this paper concludes that the part-night lighting system may be beneficial in short-term period, but it is economically feasible to replace the existing lower efficiency lights with LED lamps.

Current Use of Adenovirus Vectors and Their Production Methods.

Various adenovirus (AdV) vector systems have proven to be lucrative options for gene delivery. They can serve as potential vaccine candidates for prevention of several common infectious diseases and hold the promise for gene therapy, especially for cancer. Several AdV vector-based therapies are currently at various stages of clinical trials worldwide, which make an immense interest of both the clinicians and researchers. Since these vectors are easy to manipulate, have broad tropism, and have the capability to yield high titers, this delivery system has a wide range of applications for different clinical settings. This chapter emphasizes on some of the current usages of AdV vectors and their production methods.

The Art of Digital Scent - People, Space and Time

The sense of smell is closely related with people across time and space. The aesthetic, affective and evocative aspects of smell are widely portrayed in art practices. Olfactory art has its unique expression that other modalities hardly have. Yet this aesthetic medium seems to be underestimated when it comes to the digital age. Current digital olfaction researches mainly focus on meeting tasks and solving problems. The aesthetic experience and the meaning behind are seldom discussed. This paper proposes a potential area where the people from digital art and digital olfaction can contribute together. This paper firstly gives an overview about the affective and evocative impacts of scent on people across time and space, reviewing how scent is treated as the aesthetic medium in the art form, then examining current usages of olfactory display, and lastly discussing the opportunities lying ahead. It provides the way to appreciate the world aesthetically through this affective and evocative medium.

Trends in polymeric electrospun fibers and their use as oral biomaterials.

Electrospinning is one of the techniques to produce structured polymeric fibers in the micro or nano scale and to generate novel materials for biomedical proposes. Electrospinning versatility provides fibers that could support different surgical and rehabilitation treatments. However, its diversity in equipment assembly, polymeric materials, and functional molecules to be incorporated in fibers result in profusion of recent biomaterials that are not fully explored, even though the recognized relevance of the technique. The present article describes the main electrospun polymeric materials used in oral applications, and the main aspects and parameters of the technique. Natural and synthetic polymers, blends, and composites were identified from the available literature and recent developments. Main applications of electrospun fibers were focused on drug delivery systems, tissue regeneration, and material reinforcement or modification, although studies require further investigation in order to enable direct use in human. Current and potential usages as biomaterials for oral applications must motivate the development in the use of electrospinning as an efficient method to produce highly innovative biomaterials, over the next few years. Impact statement Nanotechnology is a challenge for many researchers that look for obtaining different materials behaviors by modifying characteristics at a very low scale. Thus, the production of nanostructured materials represents a very important field in bioengineering, in which the electrospinning technique appears as a suitable alternative. This review discusses and provides further explanation on this versatile technique to produce novel polymeric biomaterials for oral applications. The use of electrospun fibers is incipient in oral areas, mainly because of the unfamiliarity with the technique. Provided disclosure, possibilities and state of the art are aimed at supporting interested researchers to better choose proper materials, understand, and design new experiments. This work seeks to encourage many other researchers-Dentists, Biologists, Engineers, Pharmacists-to develop innovative materials from different polymers. We highlight synthetic and natural polymers as trends in treatments to motivate an advance in the worldwide discussion and exploration of this interdisciplinary field.

Allocating a fixed cost across the decision making units with two-stage network structures

A prominent issue in many organizations involves the fair allocation of a total fixed cost among a group of entities. This paper extends the traditional fixed cost allocation problem to situations where the decision making units (DMUs) have a two-stage network structure. To this end, this paper first uses the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology to determine the relative efficiency while taking the internal structure and possible allocated costs into account. It shows that each DMU can separately maximize its relative efficiency to one through determining a series of allocations and selecting a set of relative weights. Next, we demonstrate that there exists an efficient allocation set based on a set of common weights, using which all DMUs and their two sub-stages can be simultaneously efficient. However, there are alternative allocation plans in the efficient allocation set. According to this non-uniqueness problem, we further optimize the allocation plans by taking the size of operation units into account, such that the allocation result is proportional to current input usages and output productions from a size point of view. In addition, we suggest a min–max model and a feasible computation algorithm for it to generate the final allocation plan in a way that minimizes the deviation between the efficient allocations and size allocations. More importantly, by repeatedly minimizing the maximum deviation, our proposed method can guarantee a unique allocation plan for all DMUs and sub-stages. Finally, both a numerical example modified from previous literature and an empirical application of bank activities are used to demonstrate the efficacy and usefulness of the proposed approach.

Assessing the Usages of LMS at KAU and Proposing “FORCE” Strategy for the Diffusion

Since the beginning of the Saudi Arabian academic year 1435 (Sept 2014), the web-based learning management system Blackboard has been introduced and made available to all instructors and students for all courses at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The current study takes place to assess the current usages of the Blackboard usages at KAU. The data collected from the 923 students of the foundation year which represent about one-third of the total number of the male students for the academic 2016-2017. Based on statistical evidence gained from the students responses to the survey questions, 78% of the students are inactive users of the Blackboard. The study follows up with interviewing five instructors who teach first-year students in order to seek explanations of the Blackboard low usages by the students. The outcomes point significant processes at an individual level and as well as an organizational level. The Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) was used to study the case because it is believed to be the best explain such adoption of innovation at individual and organizational levels. Based on the current outcomes and the author's experience in teaching a computer course using Blackboard, a strategy called 'FORCE' is proposed for the diffusion process.

Investigating metadata adoptions for open government data portals in US cities

ABSTRACTOpen government data (OGD) is a valuable resource for both policy transparency and government accountability. All levels of the United States government are working hard to promote open data and its portals. However, there is still a lack of studies on local‐level OGD portals in the United States, particularly on the quality of metadata adopted by these portals. By examining 200 US cities, a list of 112 local‐level portals is sampled and we investigate the current usages of open data platforms for building local‐level OGD portals. This study further investigates and discusses the adoption and potential issues of metadata on those OGD portals. Our result findings discuss the platform distributions among US local‐level OGD portals, and also highlight several critical issues associated with metadata on the portals. We anticipate the results will inspire further studies on identifying solutions to improve the metadata and enhance the usability of open government data portals.

Re-thinking the politics of migration. On the uses and challenges of regime perspectives for migration research

The aim of this special issue is to critically assess the potential of regime theory for migration research. Against the background of contemporary political dynamics, regime terminology has become rather popular in migration studies. There has, however, been little debate on the foundations and implications of the very notion of 'regime'. Although regime is anything but a unified concept, in this article we argue that there are commonalities in analytical perspectives useful for migration research. Current usages in migration research are informed by at least four different strands of theory building that differ in their epistemological, ontological, and methodological foundations: (i) international relations-notions of regimes as international regulatory frameworks, (ii) conceptualizations informed by welfare regime theories, (iii) regime notions that stem from the French regulation school, and (iv) regime theories inspired by governmentality studies. The collection of articles in this special issue mirrors this constellation. The contributions come from different disciplinary and methodological backgrounds, employ different regime notions, and focus on a wide range of aspects of contemporary European migration politics. While it seems crucial to acknowledge this conceptual variety, we argue that there are also important points of convergence between these strands of theory building: attention to the complexities and contradictions of regulatory practices, a focus on normative and discursive orders, and consideration of relations of power and inequality. This specific simultaneity of variety and convergence may open spaces for academic debates that move beyond established conceptual and methodological boundaries.

Hormone Therapy and Delivery Strategies against Cardiovascular Diseases.

This review article is aimed to delineate the potential role of hormones in the treatment and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases with special emphasis on the nitric oxide (NO) involved mechanisms. This review will also offer an overview on current and future hormone usages, pathophysiology, clinical features, absorption mechanisms and adverse effects. The hormone therapies against cardiovascular diseases as well as their treatment strategies, delivery routes and carriers were thoroughly discussed. Ongoing and future basic and clinical research with hormone will provide important insights into efficient treatment strategies against cardiovascular diseases. It was necessary to explore advanced delivery systems, such as drug eluting stent, microneedles, nanotechnology and stem cell preconditioning, for an efficient delivery of hormones against cardiovascular diseases. The future is enlightened with the advent of novel, safer and more effective carriers for hormone delivery as well as learning how to maximize the therapeutic efficacy against cardiovascular diseases.

¿Por qué llamamos cerebro al cerebro?

Every day millions of professionals use a countless number of technical words to refer to the different structures inside the skull. But few of them would know how to explain their origin. In this study we take an in-depth look into the etymological origins of some of these neuroanatomical terms. The study takes an etymological tour of the central nervous system. It is in no way meant to be an exhaustive, detailed review of the terms currently in use, but instead a means to familiarise the reader with the linguistic past of words like brain, hippocampus, thalamus, claustrum, fornix, corpus callosum or limbic system. All of them come from either Greek or Latin, which were used for centuries as the lingua francas of science. The study also analyses the evolution of the word meninges, originally of Greco-Latin origin, although its current usages derive from Arabic. The neuroanatomical terms that are in use today do not come from words that associate a particular brain structure with its function, but instead from words that reflect the formal or conceptual similarity between a structure and a familiar or everyday entity (for example, an object or a part of the human body). In other cases, these words indicate the spatial location of the neuroanatomical structure with respect to a third, or they may be terms derived from characters in Greco-Latin mythology.

Strategies to improve digital service of newspaper utilizing service design methodology

This study aims to establish the best strategy for digital media services for newspapers. For this purpose, we propose substantive service strategies, such as reorganization of various sections of the page to attract different segments of readers, and improvement of digital advertising products. Different methodologies were used in deriving the best strategy for digital media services for newspapers. First of all, literature related to service design and digital services for newspapers was reviewed, and analysis of digital services in the media, field research, and service modeling were conducted utilizing service design methodology. Consequently, the best service strategy for newspapers in the digital services was derived. It was found that for digital media services for newspapers, it is important to increase direct visits of customers, rather than enhancing loyalty of existing customers. This is because indirect visitors expect professional service that cannot be retrieved through websites. In addition, it is suggested that firms need to respond actively to external environment changes to increase revisit intentions for existing visitors because of the limited experiences provided in their current usages.

Detecting Occurrences of the “Substitution Myth”: A Systems Engineering Template for Modeling the Supervision of Automation

Current usages of model-based systems engineering allow naïve substitutions of humans by machines. Human factors / ergonomics researchers have rejected such substitutions as the “substitution myth,” for if work is reallocated from a human to a machine, then there is work incurred to ensure that the machine is working properly—it must be supervised. We construct a template for what automation should look like when the need for supervision is taken into account. The template can be applied to understand the arrangements for supervising automation in systems as they are and to explore the options for systems that are being designed. We consider examples from electronic warfare self-protection and the command and control of sensor-weapon systems in the land domain.

On the Limitations of Some Current Usages of the Gini Index

This note constructs a simple two class example in which the Gini index is held constant while the size of the rich and poor populations change, in order to illustrate how very different societies can have the same Gini index and produce very similar estimates of standard inequality averse Social Welfare Functions. The rich/poor income ratio can vary by a factor of over 12, and the income share of the top one per cent can vary by a factor of over 16, with exactly the same Gini index. Focussing solely on the Gini index can thus obscure perceptions—e.g. of important market income trends or large changes in the redistributive impact of the tax and transfer system. Hence, analysts should supplement the use of an aggregate summary index of inequality with direct examination of the segments of the income distribution which they think are of greatest importance.

ANALİTİK HİYERARŞİ SÜRECİ İLE OPTİMAL ARAZİ KULLANIMININ BELİRLENMESİ: MELENDİZ ÇAYI HAVZASI ÖRNEĞİ

Rising pressure on current resources due to increasing population in recent years has made sustainable usage of resources significant. Problems, such as intensive pressure on agricultural lands by virtue of urbanization and deforestation, have started to set people thinking on how correct land use can be. Planning, which provides sustainable and optimal profit without harming the nature of current resources in nature, must create the infrastructure of land use studies. Revealing geographical potential and sustainable planning become more of an issue for posterity. In this study called “Determining Convenient Land Use with Analytic Hierarchy Process: Case of Melendiz River Basin”, first of all inventory study about research area is prepared and then natural and human factors effective on land use are determined. In this context, regarding factors effective on land use as independent variable, their effect on land use is tried to be made clear. Multi-criteria decision-making analysis supported by geographical information systems is used with analytic hierarchy technique integratedly and land use suitability analysis of basin is carried out. Current usages and potential suitable lands obtained via results of analysis are compared and it is concluded that approximately 13% of basin is misused. Misusages are ascertained locationally and some proposals are suggested in terms of correct usage. Operating with planned land use instead of misused land use is of vital importance with regard to the future of population on basin.

<em>Khilul Hashem:</em> Blasphemy in Past and Present Israel

The past few decades have witnessed numerous notorious scandals involving blasphemy. Consequently the politicization of the idea of blasphemy has increased, and evoked a lively public debate accompanied by academic discourse. However, a systematic study of Jewish and Israeli variations of blasphemy is conspicuously absent. This essay attempts to rectify this lacuna. It offers a critical survey of Jewish traditions on blasphemy. The aim is to explicate the distinct features of the Jewish blasphemy legacy, to trace the transformations blasphemy has undergone from ancient, biblical times through the Middle Ages, to present current notions and usages with special reference to the Jewish state.

Basic ICT adoption and use by general practitioners: an analysis of primary care systems in 31 European countries.

BackgroundThere is general consensus that appropriate development and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) are crucial in the delivery of effective primary care (PC). Several countries are defining policies to support and promote a structural change of the health care system through the introduction of ICT. This study analyses the state of development of basic ICT in PC systems of 31 European countries with the aim to describe the extent of, and main purposes for, computer use by General Practitioners (GPs) across Europe. Additionally, trends over time have been analysed.MethodsDescriptive statistical analysis was performed on data from the QUALICOPC (Quality and Costs of Primary Care in Europe) survey, to describe the geographic differences in the general use of computer, and in specific computerized clinical functions for different health-related purposes such as prescribing, medication checking, generating health records and research for medical information on the Internet.ResultsWhile all the countries have achieved a near-universal adoption of a computer in their primary care practices, with only a few countries near or under the boundary of 90 %, the computerisation of primary care clinical functions presents a wide variability of adoption within and among countries and, in several cases (such as in the southern and central-eastern Europe), a large room for improvement.ConclusionsAt European level, more efforts could be done to support southern and central-eastern Europe in closing the gap in adoption and use of ICT in PC. In particular, more attention seems to be need on the current usages of the computer in PC, by focusing policies and actions on the improvement of the appropriate usages that can impact on quality and costs of PC and can facilitate an interconnected health care system. However, policies and investments seem necessary but not sufficient to achieve these goals. Organizational, behavioural and also networking aspects should be taken in consideration.

Differentiating confidence in the police, trust in the police, and satisfaction with the police

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to differentiate clearly between three frequently used concepts found in the research literature on public perceptions of the police: confidence in the police, satisfaction with the police and trust in the police. Design/methodology/approach – Systemic literature review and thematic analysis are employed to assess each key term in the official English language dictionary and in the research literature. Their individual origins, their evolvement and their current usages are examined with great care. Findings – The findings of the study suggest that the three phrases are indeed distinct in their connotation. It is concluded that “confidence in the police” is the preferred choice when we survey the citizenry about the level of support for the police and when the police is evaluated as a political institution. Practical implications – Given that most criminologists believe that we are doing scientific research, it is our duty to be attentive to the pitfalls of lack of conceptual clarity. Originality/value – The essay advances the conceptual clarification of one of the popular themes in the study of the police.

Analysis on the Band Plans for IMT Systems in 698-960MHz

Spectrum band from 698-960 MHz has been identified for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) by International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This paper provides the analysis of potential scenarios on the band plans for mobile broadband using IMT systems in the 698-960 MHz band based on the published recommendations from ITU and from 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in order to provide reference to national administrations in performing its spectrum management role. This study focuses from the perspective of maximizing spectrum utilization of this scarce national resource with consideration of the co-existence requirements, current usages and potential interference between different frequency arrangements.

The Role of ‘Persistent Resilience’ within Everyday Life and Polity: Households Coping with Marginality within the ‘Big Society’

As Europe's current economic crisis continues many households are developing new coping strategies in response to the pressures of everyday life. This paper explores such practices within Birmingham's Castle Vale housing estate, drawing on the increasing engagement within the social sciences with notions of resilience. This concept, originating from engineering, psychology, and disaster management, is increasingly used in urban and economic geography, and is becoming influential on state policy. This paper furthers its current usages by proposing the concept of ‘persistent resilience’, whereby households, and their networks, develop responses not just to ‘shocks’, but also to more long-term processes, such as the changing nature of employment and/or responses to constantly altering state policies. This form of resilience has significant policy relevance, as it can be seen, albeit under different names, at the heart of the British government's ‘Big Society’ project, within which communities are to be empowered to steer their development while ‘big government’ withdraws. This paper argues, however, that there is an inherent tension within such assumptions of community-led development, as they do not consider the spaces in which it takes place. As the paper demonstrates, ‘persistent resilience’ is often formed in the semiformal/informal spaces of everyday life, which, in many cases, will be destroyed by cuts to government funding to communities. Thus, the paper calls for a more nuanced, everyday understanding of resilience and the spaces within which it is formed and transmitted.

C-Met: A Potential Target for Current Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Therapeutics

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. In early stages of NSCLC tumor development (stage I/II), surgical resection is often performed; however, when the cancer becomes metastatic, chemotherapy is most commonly implemented. Due to the fact that traditional chemotherapies result in adverse and cytotoxic effects on healthy cells in addition to NSCLC cells, targeted therapeutics have been extensively developed over recent years to combat the disease. These targeted therapies include small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), some of which are used as first-line treatments for NSCLC patients. Several inhibitors against the mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met), and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), have shown promising results in NSCLC clinical trials. For example, crizotinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of ALK positive NSCLC. c-Met is known to be overexpressed, mutated and gene amplified, specifically in NSCLC, and has also been implicated in the development of resistance against other small-molecule inhibitors (e.g. EGFR). Thus, this review will discuss the current developments and usages of c-Met inhibitors in NSCLC, and their potential for future therapeutic advancement.