Special Window Research Articles

Assessment of Crime Incidence and Mitigation Strategies in Selected Indigenous Markets in Ibadan

The study examined the perceived incidence, causes and effects of crime within and around two selected indigenous markets in Ibadan. The primary data used in the study were sourced from traders, buyers and neighbouring residents through the use of questionnaire survey. Systematic and accidental samplings were used to select a total of 224 respondents. Four indices were developed: ‘Incidence of Crime Index’ (ICI), ‘Causes of Crime Index’ (CCI), ‘Effects of Crime Index’ (ECI) and ‘Security Measures Index’ (SMI). ICI, CCI, ECI and SMI were used to measure the incidence, causes and effects of crime as well as the security measures employed against crime in the selected markets and their neighbourhoods. The study observed that theft/ pick pocketing (4.54) and receiving stolen goods (4.47) were among the most prominent crime incidences. Poverty (CCI= 4.34) and lack of education (CCI= 4.34) are the highly perceived causes of crime in the study area. Loss of properties (ECI= 4.55) ranked highest in the respondents’ perceived effect(s) of crime in the study area while loss of lives, fear of being the next victim and mental disorder also ranked high with ECI values = 4.13, 4.12 and 4.01 respectively. Special windows and doors lock had the highest usage index (SMI= 3.91) while burglary proofing materials, security guards, vigilante, police, access road/ transport means and traditional means i.e. juju were similarly rated high with SMI values of 3.86, 3.85, 3.73, 3.51, 3.07 and 3.03 respectively. The study concluded that crime incidence in the area was serious and the residents were skeptical about police protection. However, it is suggested that relevant security agencies in the areas should adopt a proactive approach to crime prevention. This is premised on the fact that necessary and effective mechanisms for crime prevention are means of issuing strong deterrent signals to crime perpetrators and gives safety assurance to members of the society. Keywords : Crime, Indigenous market, Mitigation, Strategies DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/89-19 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

In vivo STED microscopy: A roadmap to nanoscale imaging in the living mouse.

Superresolution microscopy techniques are now widely used, but their application in living animals remains a challenging task. The first superresolution imaging in a live vertebrate was demonstrated with STED microscopy in the visual cortex of an anaesthetized mouse. Here, we explain the requirements for a simple but robust in vivo STED microscope as well as the surgical preparation of the cranial window and the mounting of the mouse in detail. We have developed a mounting stage with a heating plate to keep the mouse body temperature stable and that can be adjusted to the optical axis of the microscope. We have optimised the design to avoid inducing thermal drift, which is critical for nanoscale imaging. STED microscopy with a resolution of 60 nm requires special cranial window preparation to avoid motion artefacts. We have implemented a drain tube to reduce the fluid between the glass window and the surface of the brain, which has been identified as the main cause for the motion artefacts. Together, these advances in the preparation allow the use of a simple intraperitoneal anaesthesia and make the previously used venous infusion and artificial respiration obsolete.

EXPERIENCING / PERSPECTIVE FROM A SPECIAL CHILD'S WINDOW

Interior Design Project titled Experiencing / Perspective From A Special Child's Window is a product of an experimental work carried out with the 3th grade students of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, Istanbul Kultur University. Studio aimed at evaluating the Universal Design Principles from an Autistic Childs eye. In this context; it is aimed that to be considered as a holistic approach, individuals with differences in the society should not be restricted by these features and that they can benefit from the physical environment equally and that their learning activities can be held in a healthier environment. In the ''Perspective From A Special Child's Window…’’ studio, the design criteria for educational buildings for children with autism who has an important place in society is discussed.

Analyzing the Visual Merchandising Elements for the Apparel Retailers

Visual merchandising plays a key role, basically for pursuing the customer to enter the store by making the store attractive and changing the perceived image from the view point of consumers. The brand image and the retailers’ image can be emphasized with the combination of these visual merchandising components. The aim of this study is to analyze and to compare the selection of design elements of different type of retailers such as fast fashion retailers, luxury apparel retailers, sportswear retailers or the retailers presenting products for women, men or both. To this aim, a content analysis was applied among 36 apparel retailers acting in Turkey. The findings showed that the visual merchandising elements were inarguably well employed by the luxury brand retailers, which was followed with the retailers selling high price fashion products. Among the visual merchandising elements special lightning and window displays were seen to be favored by all the retailers. Besides, the selection of different types of visual element were found to be based on the target customer group, while the apparel retailers selling products for females only are much more caring about the visual merchandising, it was vice versa for the apparel retailers selling only menswear.

PENERAPAN APLIKASI SISTEM INFORMASI MANAJEMEN DAN DESIGN LAYANAN DRIVE THRU PADA USAHA KAFE RUMAH SUSU DI PADANG PANJANG

Ilmu dan teknologi untuk masyarakat telah diaplikasikan di Kafe Rumah Susu yang terletak di jalan Kiayi Kamarulloh Kecamatan. Bukik Surungan Kota Padang Panjang. Seiring dengan perkembangan usaha, kafe rumah susu ini mengalami permasalahan dalam merumuskan strategi dalam perkembangan usaha dan peningkatan penjualan. Salah satu solusi yang dilakukan adalah pendekatan Sistem Informasi Manajemen (SIM). Aplikasi SIM dilakukan bertujuan agar data usaha mitra lengkap dan akurat serta tersedia sepanjang waktu. Solusi untuk peningkatan pemasaran adalah membuat design layananan drive thru sedernana namun menarik. Pesanan dipesan dan layanan diberikan melalui jendela khusus, sementara konsumen tetap berada dalam kendaraan mereka. Metode pelaksanaan program ini adalah dengan metode demonstrasi. Hasil pelaksanaan program adalan aplikasi SIM dengan data usaha mitra lengkap dan akurat serta tersedia sepanjang waktu. SIM dapat menyediakan informasi untuk menunjang proses pengambilan keputusan yang akan diambil manajer, memungkinkan keputusan dapat diambil lebih cepat dan tepat. Pengolahan transaksi dalam SIM memungkinkan manajer dapat dengan mudah mengawasi kekayaan perusahaan, memantau perkembangan usaha dan memberikan laporan kepada stakeholders. Solusi untuk peningkatan pemasaran adalah membuat design layananan drive thru sedernana namun menarik. Pesanan dipesan dan layanan diberikan melalui jendela khusus, sementara konsumen tetap berada dalam kendaraan mereka. Tujuan drive thru adalah memudahkan konsumen yang ingin mendapatkan produk secara cepat tapi enggan turun dari kendaraannya (mobil/motor). Layanan drive thru ini dapat menghemat waktu konsumen untuk menikmati makana fast food. Melalui layanan ini konsumen mampir, dapat lalu pergi dalam waktu 3 menit.

European position paper on drug-induced sleep endoscopy: 2017 Update.

The first edition of the European position paper (EPP) on drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) was published in 2014 with the aim to standardise the procedure, to provide an in-depth insight into the main aspects of this technique and to have a basis for future research. Since 2014, new studies have been published concerning new sedative agents or new insights into the pattern/levels of the obstruction depending on the depth of sedation. Therefore, an enlarged group of European experts in the field of sleep breathing disorders (SBD), including the most of the first DISE EPP main authors, has decided to publish an update of the European position paper on DISE, in order to include new evidence and to find a common language useful for reporting the findings of this endoscopic evaluation in adult population affected by SBD. The authors have evaluated all the available evidence reported in the literature and have compared experience among various departments in leading European centres in order to provide an update regarding the standardisation of the DISE procedure and an in-depth insight into the main aspects of this technique. After the first European Position Consensus Meeting on DISE and its update, consensus was confirmed for indications, required preliminary examinations, where to perform DISE, technical equipment required, staffing, local anaesthesia, nasal decongestion, other medications, patient positioning, basics and special diagnostic manoeuvres, drugs and observation windows. So far, no consensus could be reached on a scoring and classification system. However, regarding this aim, the idea of an essential classification, such as VOTE with the possibility of its graded implementation of information and descriptions, seems to be the best way to reach a universal consensus on DISE classification at this stage. A common DISE language is mandatory, and attempts to come to a generally accepted system should be pursued.

ASSESSMENT OF LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE DURING MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY ACCORDING TO LUNG COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY DATA

Objective: to assess whether multislice computed tomography (MSCT) of the lung can be used to diagnose the early manifestations of heart failure in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) during minimally invasive surgical interventions.Material and methods. Lung MSCT was performed in 54 patientsaged 43 to 89 years with CHD before and after interventions. The identified group included 24 patients who had undergone coronary stenting, 26 who had cardiac pacemaker implantation, and 4 patients who had conduction pathways ablation. Left ventricular failure was assessed by hemodynamic disorders in the pulmonary circulation, by taking into account the use of known pathophysiological data. Successive lung MSCT examinations were performed before and after minimally invasive surgical interventions, by recording local densitometric changes in the lung parenchyma.Results. A procedure was proposed to objectively assess comparable ling MSCT images in the same patient in the special imaging window. The density of the lung parenchyma reduced by more than 10 Hounsfield units in 24 patients in the next periods after surgery, which was regarded as a sign of better left ventricular pumping function. Conclusion. The study showed that lung MSCT was highly sensitive in diagnosing left ventricular dysfunction in patients with CHD with improved coronary blood flow and normalized heart rate.

Impact of Monetary Policy on Small Scale Enterprises Financing in Nigeria

Small and Medium Scale Enterprises play vital roles in the economy which are usually instrumental in achieving macroeconomic goals. This has attracted the attention of monetary authorities to institute policiesto boostconducive environment for SMEs to thrive. This study therefore empirically investigates the impact of monetary policy on SMEs financing in Nigeria spanning from the first quarter of 1992 to the last quarter of 2016. The time series data were subjected to unit root test to ascertain the stationarity of the variables and thereafter, cointegration and Error Correction Model (ECM) technique were used for the analysis. The residuals of the analysis were further subjected to various diagnostics tests. The result revealed that interest rate has a positive and significant impact on the SMEs financing in Nigeria. On the other hand, inflation rate was found to have a significant but negative impact on SMEs financing in Nigeria. Money supply and exchange rate were found to be insignificant in impactingSMEs financing. Based on this finding, the study recommends that, monetary authorities should give special attention to SMEs in specific sectors by creating special windows through various financial institutions to grant low interest rate so as to grant SMEs access to funds.This will boost business growth and consequently achieve macroeconomic goals.

Scheduling recurring radiotherapy appointments in an ion beam facility

Ion beam radiotherapy is a modern form of cancer treatment that is offered in specialized facilities. Treatment consists of multiple, almost daily irradiation appointments, followed by optional imaging and control assignments. The corresponding problem of scheduling these recurring radiotherapy treatment appointments can be classified as a complex job shop scheduling problem with custom constraints, such as recurring activities, optional activities, and special time window constraints. The objective is to minimize the operation time of the bottleneck resource, the particle beam, while simultaneously minimizing any penalties arising from violations of time window constraints. The authors model the problem mathematically and introduce various customized constraints. Three metaheuristic solution approaches—namely a genetic algorithm with tailor-made feasibility-preserving crossover operators, an iterated local search, and a combination of the two approaches—all perform well on both small and large problem instances. However, the simple combination of the two stand-alone algorithms leads to best results when applied to real-world inspired problem instances.

The Golden cage: Growing up in the Socialist Yugoslavia

From the mid 1950s through roughly the 1980s, some or many children and youth of the Socialist Yugoslavia, especially those of us in Belgrade, the capital, lived in a curious, almost surreal “window” in the space and time. This surreal window of space-time, offered to children and youth of Yugoslavia, unprecedented opportunities for personal development, exposure to the classic cultures and the newest events in the cultural worlds from all over the world, freedom of speech, gathering, activism and opportunities to travel and interact with a multitude of people of the world who came to Yugoslavia. Such special window in time and space sounds impossible to believe, all the more, in the light of the subsequent brutal and bloody civil wars of the 90s in which Yugoslavia perished. And yet, for many of us this window in time and space did exist! It was a product, I think, of several paradoxical tensions that may have created unprecedented loopholes in the fabric of an otherwise authoritarian and often brutal regime that had its ugly underside in suppression of any actions and words which would be critical of the ruling regime and its leaders.One could arguably say, that, when I talk about this curious, surreal time, I talk from a point of view that can only belong to the children of the privileged: children of the high officers of the Communist party, of the Belgrade political, intellectual, cultural and economic elite. Of course, in many ways, I cannot escape, some of the privileged vistas of my own background – as no one can entirely escape the bent of their own lives. However, my privileged view comes from being among the intellectual elite of Belgrade, rather than the political elite. But my views were also based on the experiences of “ordinary” others which I shared in the everyday ways of life in which I was not segregated from everyone else: my neighbors, school mates, people I met in various other gathering places. In this auto-ethnographic essay, I explore a uniqueness of my Socialist Yugoslav childhood, where a lot of children and youth lived as if in a golden cage. This golden cage had an internal reality that was in many ways protective of our wellbeing. In this reality we experienced freedoms, stood for justice, had many opportunities to participate in cultural clubs, art studios, musical bands, poetic societies, sports clubs, summer and winter camps, etc. At the same time, the world that surrounded us, and even in many ways created our childhoods, was harsh, often brutal and did not hold any of the high ethical principles and values that we believed and lived in.

On the role of control windows in continuum dynamics

The general role of control windows is investigated by an assessment of the fundamentals of continuum dynamics in the spacetime context. The momentum rate of change of a continuous body is evaluated with reference to a control window travelling in the spacetime trajectory manifold. The resulting formula involves the rate of change of the momentum in the control window and the rate of outflow of the momentum across the control window boundary. An effective tool for investigating challenging dynamical problems is thus available, and some interesting examples, taken from early and recent contributions, are illustrated. Among these, motions of chains falling under the action of gravity, object of several investigations in the past two centuries, are revisited. Around the middle of the nineteenth century, the problem was inserted as a daring task in the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge. The choice of a special control window, named the skeleton, in motion with the solid case, provides the proper methodology for the formulation of solid–fluid interaction problems, with applications to turbines, jets, rockets and sprinklers. As a further significant application of travelling control windows, a variational formulation of conservation of mass is developed and shown to yield the notion of mass flow vector field, with applications in problems of fluid flow through a porous solid.

Windows of Cognition : Contemporary French Comics and the Cultural Middlebrow

This chapter deliberates the merits of whether French-language comics may be construed as a salient example of a new cultural middlebrow. It argues that the comics artist introduces new ways of seeing shared worlds, stressing the referential aspects typical of the literary middlebrow, but not of the high-brow, which is characterised by a high degree of self-consciousness. Moreover, where these special cognitive windows open out onto social and political realities that trouble a middlebrow audience, they can offer alternative, sometimes challenging perspectives. These claims are tested through analyses of Marjane Satrapi’s contemporary classic Persepolis and Riad Sattouf’s on-going saga L’Arabe du futur. The chapter concludes with a brief digression into the colourful, metaphysical universe of Joann Sfar’s Le Chat du rabbin.

Strengthening Retirement Outcomes for DB Plan Participants

The retirement outcomes for defined benefit (DB) plan participants can be significantly impacted by the plan sponsors’ plan design choices, as well as by the decisions made by participants. This is true when a plan sponsor is seeking to transfer its risk or when participants retire from an ongoing plan. For DB plans whose plan design allows for a lump sum form of benefit, or those who are offering one through a special lump sum window, the guaranteed income benefit that was synonymous with the earliest pension plans will likely be lost in favor of the lure of a one-time lump sum payout to participants. What many pensioners don’t realize—often until it is too late—is that when they accept a lump sum distribution, they run the risk of prematurely depleting their assets. With a lump sum, the pensioner becomes responsible for managing the investment and addressing the market and longevity risks that are traditionally assumed by the plan or, in the case of a pension risk transfer, the insurer. This article will outline practical ways that DB plan sponsors can reduce pension risk and simultaneously enable the retirement outcomes intended for the plan through partial annuitization, and other lifetime income options. It also offers plan sponsors insights on how to develop clear and complete education and communication with income-oriented framing or positioning.

Community Safety in a Rural Housing Area

Objective - This study investigates the nature of community safety in a rural housing area. The types of home safety control mechanisms were also investigated. Methodology/Technique - Face-to-face interviews were conducted on a randomly selected sample of 87 residents in a rural area located in the Northern region of Malaysia. Findings - Results show that the feeling of safety is quite high. Females are found to be more fearful than men. The study also found that more than half of the residents used special window/door grills for home safety control. As expected, the level of feeling very unsafe living at home alone after dark was double when their home was not protected by special windows or door grills. Novelty - The results of this study are important and provide the police with information on how they can get involved to help improve community safety. Future studies should investigate the type of crimes and experiences of crime victimization using the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS). Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Community Safety; Fear of Crime; Feeling of Safety; Malaysia; Interview JEL Classification: H55, H83, O18.

Improved Image Quality and Detectability of Hypovascular Liver Metastases on DECT with Different Adjusted Window Settings.

Objective To investigate dual-energy CT of hypovascular liver metastases (LMs) with special focus on window settings (WSs). The aim ofthe study is to investigate the extent to which adapted WSs and the low-energy images of DECT improve the visibility especially of smaller LMs. Materials and Methods 30 patients with LMs of colorectal cancer were investigated with DECT of the liver. In each patient contrast-enhanced DECT imaging with portal-venous delay was performed. The total number, mean number and conspicuity (1 = excellent - 5 = poor) of LMs were documented on 80-kVp images and virtual 120-kVp images with different WSs (25/200 HU, 50/200, 75/200 HU, 25/350 HU, 50/350 HU, 75/350 HU, 25/500 HU, 50/500 HU, 75/500 HU). The attenuation (HU) of LMs and several anatomic regions and the background noise on 80 kVp images and virtual 120 kVp images were documented. Signal (liver)/noise and liver/LM ratio (SNR/LLMR) were calculated. The total number of LMs depending on size (< 1 cm, 1 - 2 cm, > 2 cm) on 80 kVp images and virtual 120 kVp images with previously investigated best and regular WSs were documented. Results The highest total number, mean number per patient and total number of LMs < 1 cm were detected with the WS 25/350 HU on 80kVp images (7.0; p = 0.02/218; p = 0.01/64;p < 0.001) compared to the WS 75/200 HU on virtual 120 kVp images and the regular WS 50/350 HU on 80 kVp images and virtual 120 kVp images. The best conspicuity of LMs on 80 kVp images was documented with the WS 25/350 HU compared to the best WS on virtual 120 kVp images with 75/200 HU (1.2 vs. 2.5; p = 0.01). HU of normal liver, aorta, SNR and LLMR differed significantly between 80 kVp images and virtual 120 kVp images (128.1 vs. 93.6; < 0.05/192.8 vs. 131.4; < 0.05/10.3 vs. 8.1; p < 0.05/2.8 vs. 2.1; p < 0.05). Conclusion Low kVp images of DECT datasets are more precise in detecting hypovascular liver metastases than virtual 120 kVp images. Dedicated window settings have a relevant influence on conspicuity. Key points: · DECT is a promising tool for detecting hypovascular liver metastases.. · The diagnostic value of low kVp image data can be significantly increased by using special window settings.. · Use of only the low kVp images would lead to reduced radiation exposure.. Citation Format · Altenbernd Jens, Forsting Michael, Lauenstein Thomas et al. Improved Image Quality and Detectability of Hypovascular Liver Metastases on DECT with Different Adjusted Window Settings. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2017; 189: 228 - 232.

Modification of the composite multi-layer oxide ceramic coating on meteoroid shielding element by compression plasma flow

The aim of this work is investigation of the influence of high-energy plasma impact on composite multi-layer coating (NiAl as a sublayer and Al2O3 as a top coat) on meteoroid shielding element. In order to reach this goal qausi-stationary plasma accelerator with impulse gas feeding was used. Experiments were conducted with use of helium and hydrogen gas mixture and nitrogen as plasma forming substance. Plasma accelerator generates plasma jet with electron temperature ≈ 150 kK and electron density (2.5-4) × 1016 cm-3. Visual examination, photography and spectral measurements were made through special vacuum chamber optical windows.

Scanning the world in three seconds: Mismatch negativity as an indicator of temporal segmentation

It has been shown recently that a temporal window of approximately 3 s has a modulatory effect on mismatch negativity (MMN). This special temporal window has been interpreted as representing the "subjective present," and reflecting a temporal segmentation in behavioral and cognitive functions. A more detailed look into the temporal structure of the MMN appeared to be reasonable as group data might shadow the underlying mechanisms because of too-high response variance. In this study, we tested one subject on 11 successive days at the same circadian phase using a passive auditory oddball paradigm with interstimulus intervals (ISIs) ranging from 1 s to 6 s. We observed a U-shape function of MMN showing the largest amplitudes to the oddball stimuli with an ISI of 2 s and 3 s being flanked by smaller response amplitudes for shorter and longer ISIs. This result pattern can be explained with an oscillatory neural mechanism underlying the temporal modulation of MMN. Besides confirming and substantiating temporal segmentation in sensory processing, the present study also demonstrates that a single case study can be a useful and complementary tool in cognitive research.

Gaps problems and frequencies of patches in cut and project sets

AbstractWe establish a connection between gaps problems in Diophantine approximation and the frequency spectrum of patches in cut and project sets with special windows. Our theorems provide bounds for the number of distinct frequencies of patches of size r, which depend on the precise cut and project sets being used, and which are almost always less than a power of log r. Furthermore, for a substantial collection of cut and project sets we show that the number of frequencies of patches of size r remains bounded as r tends to infinity. The latter result applies to a collection of cut and project sets of full Hausdorff dimension.

Program realization of mathematical model of kinetostatical calculation of flat lever mechanisms

Global computerization determined the dominant position of the analytical methods for the study of mechanisms. As a result, kinetostatics analysis of mechanisms using software packages is an important part of scientific and practical activities of engineers and designers. Therefore, software implementation of mathematical models kinetostatical calculating mechanisms is of practical interest. The mathematical model obtained in [1]. In the language of Turbo Pascal developed a computer procedure that calculates the forces in kinematic pairs in groups Assur (GA) and a balancing force at the primary level. Before use appropriate computational procedures it is necessary to know all external forces and moments acting on the GA and to determine the inertial forces and moments of inertia forces. The process of calculations and constructions of the provisions of the mechanism can be summarized as follows. Organized cycle in which to calculate the position of an initial link of the mechanism. Calculate the position of the remaining links of the mechanism by referring to relevant procedures module DIADA in GA [2,3]. Using the graphics mode of the computer displaying on the display the position of the mechanism. The computed inertial forces and moments of inertia forces. Turning to the corresponding procedures of the module, calculated all the forces in kinematic pairs and the balancing force at the primary level. In each kinematic pair build forces and their direction with the help of simple graphical procedures. The magnitude of these forces and their direction are displayed in a special window with text mode. This work contains listings of the test programs MyTеst, is an example of using computing capabilities of the developed module. As a check on the calculation procedures of module in the program is reproduced an example of calculating the balancing forces according to the method of Zhukovsky (Zhukovsky lever).

Implementation of Interactive Real Time Online Co-shopping Using Push AJAX

Online shopping has witnessed explosive growth: there are hundreds of millions of online shoppers that are part of an online retail industry worth of hundreds of billions of dollars. While online shopping has its own advantages (such as convenience, product reviews, price and selection range), recent focus has been in using technology to mimic the social interactions found in physical shopping malls and stores in what is called as “social shopping”. Put simply, in social shopping shoppers’ friends become involved in the shopping experience. An important aspect of social shopping is “co-shopping” where ad-hoc collaborative shopping groups are formed in which one person can drive an online shopping experience for one or more other people. This requires a mechanism that provisions multiple users to conduct real time online shopping collaboratively from multiple locations. For example, family members at remote locations can view the product online simultaneously as if they are shopping together in real time. To this end we have designed a special collaborative browsing window in which all the co-shoppers need to login. One user becomes the leader and invites others from his friends’ list for shopping. Other users need to accept this invitation and join the shopping. The leader upon liking a product initiates the co-shopping by clicking on “Share this product with selected friends” button. On clicking this button an AJAX request, which contains URL of the product and list of IDs of selected friends, goes to the server. The server receives the URL of the product and list of IDs of friends and pushes this URL to all the selected friends in an asynchronous manner using PUSH AJAX technology. This URL gets loaded into an HTML iFrame on every client's browsing window. Shoppers can communicate with each other using a simple chat window.