AN EVALUATION Research Articles

ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ДОРОЖНЫХ ПРОЕКТОВ: МЕТОДИКА РАСЧЕТА ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ И АЛГОРИТМ ОЦЕНКИ

ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ДОРОЖНЫХ ПРОЕКТОВ: МЕТОДИКА РАСЧЕТА ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ И АЛГОРИТМ ОЦЕНКИ

Larvicidal and repellant effects of Jussiaea repens (L.) leaf ethanol extract and its major phyto-constituent against important human vector mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

Jussiaea repens (L.) leaf ethanol extract (LEE) and its major phyto-compound (MPC) have effects against larvae and adults of dengue, malarial, and filarial vectors. Total larval death rates were recorded from LEE and MPC has significant larval killing activity with LC50/LC90 values of Ae. albopictus, An. stephensi, and Cx. quinquefasciatus that were 118.3/229.9, 116.1/216.8, 114.4/213.5 and 17.7/27.5, 15.6/25.4 and 12.3/21.1μg/ml, respectively. A best repellent activity was ascertained at 3.057mg/cm2 concentration of LEE and MPC provided 100% protection upto 240min against selected human vector mosquitoes (HVMs). The functional groups were confirmed by FT-IR analysis and their presence in ethanol extract and mass spectral analysis: 4-piperidineacetic acid, 1-acetyl-5-ethyl-2-[3-(2-hydroxyethyl]-1H-indol-2-yl]-á-methyl-, methyl ester compound was identified in the LEE. The results obtained suggest that J. repens LEE and its MPC were important and responsible for health protection and control of HVMs.

A 124-plex Microhaplotype Panel Based on Next-generation Sequencing Developed for Forensic Applications

Microhaplotypes are an emerging type of forensic genetic marker that are expected to support multiple forensic applications. Here, we developed a 124-plex panel for microhaplotype genotyping based on next-generation sequencing (NGS). The panel yielded intralocus and interlocus balanced sequencing data with a high percentage of effective reads. A full genotype was determined with as little as 0.1 ng of input DNA. Parallel mixture experiments and in-depth comparative analyses were performed with capillary-electrophoresis-based short tandem repeat (STR) and NGS-based microhaplotype genotyping, and demonstrated that microhaplotypes are far superior to STRs for mixture deconvolution. DNA from Han Chinese individuals (n = 256) was sequenced with the 124-plex panel. In total, 514 alleles were observed, and the forensic genetic parameters were calculated. A comparison of the forensic parameters for the 20 microhaplotypes with the top Ae values in the 124-plex panel and 20 commonly used forensic STRs showed that these microhaplotypes were as effective as STRs in identifying individuals. A linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that 106 of the 124 microhaplotypes were independently hereditary, and the combined match probability for these 106 microhaplotypes was 5.23 × 10−66. We conclude that this 124-plex microhaplotype panel is a powerful tool for forensic applications.

Development and application of a nonbinary SNP-based microhaplotype panel for paternity testing involving close relatives

Paternity testing involving close relatives is facing challenges in the field of forensic genetics. Microhaplotype has been proposed as a promising genetic marker for their low mutation rates and high discrimination power recently. In this study, we selected 30 microhaplotypes from 1000 genome projects, including one non-binary SNP, and other six microhaplotypes from published studies containing only binary SNPs to established a panel of microhaplotypes for paternity testing. Most microhaplotypes generated a high effective number of alleles (Ae) with the harmonic mean value of Ae of 3.91 and the arithmetic mean value of heterozygosity of 0.74, respectively. We collected 54 unrelated individuals and 53 samples from six extended families. It was noting that 13 samples from six extended families were unrelated so they were also included in unrelated individuals. The pedigrees of 38 parent–child duos, 55 uncle/aunt/grandparent–child duos (non-biological parent-child duos) and 29 full sibling pairs were constructed based on 53 samples from six extended families. The genotype and haplotype results demonstrated that the combined power of discrimination (CPD) reached 0.99999999999999999999999999999999799 and the cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) reached 0.999999999999548. The combined probability of excluding relatives (uncle/aunt/grandparent) (CPER) was 0.999999993 (>0.9999), indicating that our panel had good effectiveness in preventing the misinterpretation of close relatives being biological parents. For 38 parent–child duos, the CPI by using the microhaplotypes panel was higher than the one by using Goldeneye 20A kit due to higher polymorphism and more loci in our panel. For 55 non-biological parent-child duos, the CPIs by using STR loci could not help determine 9 non-biological parent-child duos as “exclusions” of paternity while the CPIs by using microhaplotype loci could not help exclude the parenthood of 4 non-biological parent-child duos (CPI > 0.0001). Using the CPI derived from both datasets of STRs and microhaplotypes, all the non-biological parent-child duos could be considered as exclusions. The efficiency of excluding close relatives for this panel was evaluated by analyzing the parameters of 2000 simulated pairs, and the effectiveness was 0.988 at the threshold of t1 = 4 and t2 = −4. Moreover, the average Log10 combined full sibling index (CFSI) for all 29 full sibling pairs was about 7.55 after physical linkage taken account. These data demonstrated that this nonbinary SNPs-based microhaplotype panel has advantages in paternity testing, especially in STR mutated or close relatives involved cases.

The Effects of Activation Energy and Thermophoretic Diffusion of Nanoparticles on Steady Micropolar Fluid along with Brownian Motion

The present study is related to the effects of activation energy and thermophoretic diffusion on steady micropolar fluid along with Brownian motion. The activation energy and thermal conductivity of steady micropolar fluid are also discussed. The equation of motion, angular momentum, temperature, concentration, and their boundary conditions are presented for the micropolar fluid. The detail of geometry reveals the effects of several parameters on the parts of the system. The nonlinear partial differential equations are converted into nonlinear ordinary differential equations, and a famous shooting scheme is used to present the numerical solutions. The comparison of the obtained results by the shooting technique and the numerical bvp4c technique is presented. The behavior of local skin friction numbers and couple stress number is tabulated for different parameters, and some figures are plotted to present the different parameters. For uplifting the values of AE for parameter λA, the concentration profile is increased because of the Arrhenius function, and AE increases with the reduction of this function. The increasing values of the parameter of rotation G show the decrement in velocity because of the rotation of the particle of the fluid, so the linear motion decreases. Thermophoresis is responsible for shifting the molecules within the fluid, and due to this, an increment in boundary layer thickness is found, so by a greater value of Nt, the concentration profile decreases and temperature profile goes down.

AN EVALUATION ON THE MIHMANDAR COST BOOK OF H. 25 ŞABAN 1189 / AD. OCTOBER 1775

Devletlerarası ilişkilerde hükümdar, hanedan mensubu, elçi gibi resmi sıfatlı yabancı misafirlerin ağırlanması hususuna mihmandarlar nezaret ederdi. Geçmişi oldukça eski dönemlere giden mihmandarlık geleneği, Osmanlı Devleti tarafından da Türk-İslam gelenekleri çerçevesinde uygulanmıştır. Osmanlı mihmandarları, ülkeye gelen yabancı misafirlerin rahatını temin etmekle yükümlüydüler. Bu bağlamda Osmanlı diplomasi anlayışı gereği, elçi gibi resmi sıfatlı yabancı misafirlerin devlet tarafından karşılanan zaruri harcamalarına da mihmandarlar nezaret ederdi. Mihmandarlar, hesap verilebilirlik adına, yaptıkları bu harcamaları en ince ayrıntısına kadar kayıt altına alırlardı. Bu şekilde tutulan kayıtlardan birisi de İran elçisi Abdullah Bey’in mihmandarlığını yapmış olan Ali Ağa tarafından tutulan masraf defteridir. H. 25 Şaban 1189 / M. 21 Ekim 1775 tarihli bu defter, Osmanlı mihmandar geleneği hakkında önemli bilgiler içermektedir.

Climatology of aerosol optical depth over Eastern Europe based on 19 years (2000–2018) MODIS TERRA data

AbstractThis study investigates the spatial–temporal evolution of aerosols, their optical properties (aerosol optical depth [AOD] and ångström exponent [AE]) and the trend over a period of 19 years in the Eastern European countries. The data used for the study are from moderate‐resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra Collection 6.1 aerosol products with the use of Dark Target algorithm for the period from 2000 to 2018. The satellite‐based AOD products were validated against the AERONET AOD measurements in four stations, located in different regions. The results demonstrate high coherence in the setting of high values of correlation (R = 0.8–0.9) and low values of root‐mean‐square error (RMSE [0.066–0.130]) and mean absolute error (MAE [0.048–0.067]). However, of the total amount of data from AERONET stations, only 68.9% of available data fall within expected error (EE) over land. Generally, all countries recorded a low AOD (83.2% less than 0.2) and high AE (82.5% higher than 1). Mean AOD and AE values varied from 0.17 ± 0.12 and 1.31 ± 0.27 (Russia) to 0.24 ± 0.14 and 1.31 ± 0.33 (Czech Republic). There was a gradual decrease in aerosol load in all countries, the highest tendencies of AOD reduction are observed in Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary (by −0.0028, −0.0027, −0.0026 and −0.0025 per year), while the lowest tendencies of reduction are observed in Russia and Moldova (by −0.001 and −0.0006 per year). Seasonal averaged AOD values have maximum values in summer and minimum values in winter. We studied predominant aerosol types, which are based on AOD and AE interrelation, the results showed the predominance of clean continental and mixed aerosols over all countries of the region.

AN EVALUATION ON FORMS OF MOVIE WATCHING AND INTERACTIVE CINEMA IN DIGITAL AGE: BANDERSNATCH MOVIE

AN EVALUATION ON FORMS OF MOVIE WATCHING AND INTERACTIVE CINEMA IN DIGITAL AGE: BANDERSNATCH MOVIE

ОБРАЗ МИРУ В НАРОДНОПОЕТИЧНОМУ ДИСКУРСІ (НА МАТЕРІАЛІ НІМЕЦЬКОЇ ЕПІЧНОЇ ПОЕМИ «KUDRUN»)

The results of the study of the nature of the verbal image of the world of folk poetical discourse in the field of a new branch of philological science – cognitive poetics are presented in the article. Cognitive poetics studies artistic semantics through linguistic cognitive strategies for the formation and elaboration of knowledge about the outside world (real or quasi-real), embodied in poetic texts. Using the method of cognitive perspective analysis of verbal poetic image (L.I. Belekhova), the content and meaning of pre-conceptual, conceptual and verbal sides of the object of the study were revealed. An attempt was made to reconstruct the etymology of the word vride for the most ancient period of Indo-European speech, to outline the linguistic-cognitive mechanisms of the creation of German-speaking verbal poetic images of the 13th century, to trace the dynamics and development of their semantic content. In the process of juxtaposition of modern and medieval concepts of “peace” it is found out that the general conception of the phenomenon has changed in the direction: “whole”/“part”. Nomen vride is a *prita- form with the meaning of “size” and occurs in other Indo-European (Sanskrit, Latin) and Nostratic (Uralic, Altaic, Semitic-Hamitic, Dravidian, Kartvelian) languages. It is established that the verbal poetic image of the world of the XIII century was crystallized in the bowels of basic (archetypal), conventional (stereotype) and individual knowledge of ethnicity, the degree of its novelty depends on the type of linguistic-cognitive mechanism underlying the internal form of this image. The inner form shows that the world is a dynamic mental formation, which synthesizes sensory-evaluative and object-cognitive activity of the medial person, which correlates with the types of poetic thinking (associative, analogue and paradoxical). The type of cognitive mechanism is determined through the analysis of cognitive operations of formation of verbal poetic image in the analyzed epic poem. It is proved that the mechanisms of creation of verbal poetic images of the world are based on cognitive operations of mapping, deployment, specialization and modification, which include cognitive procedures of generalization, concretization, compression, combinations, extensions. The cognitive mechanism of creating a verbal image is the archetypal conceptual concept of WORLD IS MERCY. Highlight prototypovu conceptual scheme peace is harmony, which led to the emergence of two stereotypical conceptual schemes peace is interpersonal relationships and PEACE is friendship, which became the conceptual basis of verbal poetic images peace is positive / negative experiences, peace is life, peace is negative artifacts peace is violence, PEACE IS A BILATERAL AGREEMENT, PEACE IS A CHOICE, PEACE IS A NEGATIVE EMOTION, PEACE IS A PROPERTY, PEACE IS A SECRET, PEACE IS A TABLE, A PEACE IS A EVALUATION, A PEACE IS AN EVALUATION, A PEACE IS A ESTIMATE.

Vectors of arboviruses in the state of São Paulo: 30 years of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To describe the infestation of the municipalities of São Paulo by the vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, characterize seasonality and analyze average temperatures and larval densities.METHODS We used maps with information on the infestation of municipalities between 1986 and 2015. The analysis of larval density of the species by the Wilcoxon test used the Breteau index values for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus obtained from the Superintendency for Endemic Diseases Control database. In the seasonal description, arithmetic means of each vector were calculated by month and year. Mean temperature analyses were presented on maps with color gradients.RESULTS The state of São Paulo is currently almost totally infested, with co-occurrence of species in 93.64% of the municipalities. The seasonality analysis showed the first quarter as the most favorable period for larval abundance. The increase of mean temperatures in geographical areas coincided with the temporal trajectory of Ae. aegypti territorial expansion. The mean larval density found was higher for Ae. aegypti than for Ae. albopictus (p = 0.00).CONCLUSIONS Initially, these Culicidae occupied distinct and opposing areas. Over time, however, co-occurrence showed how great their capacity for adaptation is, even in the face of different social and urban conjunctures. The increase of the mean temperature contributed to Ae. Aegypti ’s geographic expansion, as well as to the clearly seasonal profile of both species. In general, larval infestation by Ae. aegypti prevailed, which evidenced its competitive superiority. These data provide a better understanding of the dynamics of arboviral transmission in the state of São Paulo and can be used in vector surveillance and control.

Evaluation of hydraulic performance: a case study of etana small scale irrigation scheme: wolaita zone, Ethiopia

The conventional furrow irrigation system is inherently inefficient in wolaita zone, while the suboptimal management and operation (inflow discharge and cutoff time) are considered as one of the main reasons for satisfactory hydraulic performance. Addressing these issues, the furrow irrigation system which is only practiced in the study area was evaluated on three fields under routine farmer management in wolaita zone. The study consisted of field experiments and simulation modeling. Irrigation performance including application efficiency, Potential Application Efficiency, Adequacy and distribution uniformity, runoff ratio and deep percolation ratio of two irrigation events were evaluated using surface irrigation evaluation and simulation Model WinSRFR 4.1.3. The study revealed satisfactory irrigation efficiencies, with higher distribution uniformity and water losses. Therefore, hydraulic performance of the study area had a value of application efficiency (55% to 73%), low quarter adequacy (0.96 to 1.28) and low quarter distribution uniformity (0.89 to 0.96), runoff ratio (7% to 38%) and deep percolation ratio (1% to 25%) on farms. In addition, irrigation over irrigation status practiced was found in study area with the average low quarter adequacy of 1.14. The existing irrigation application efficiencies of irrigated fields at ETANA SSIS are poor having a mean value of AE and LQDU are 62% and 0.93.

AN EVALUATION OF THE EARLIEST THOUGHT AND PHILOSOPHY ON MOSQUES IN MALACCA

Purpose of the study: This study discusses architectural thought and philosophy that focus on traditional mosques in Melaka in the 18th century. Amongst the oldest and most famous mosques in Melaka are the Peringgit Mosque (1720 AD), Kampung Hulu Mosque (1728 AD), Tengkera Mosque (1728 AD) and Kampung Keling Mosque (1748 AD).
 Methodology: In this study, the qualitative methodology focusing on research was used where the analysis of documents and observations were conducted.
 Main Findings: The finding of this study revealed that the architectural philosophy shows human relationships with nature are based on the divine concept. The architectural features also illustrate the philosophy of human life and the beauty of the architecture illustrates the height or level of values in individuals. The beauty of the mosque is highlighted through the motifs in the mosque’s decorations which have no contradiction to Islamic values. 
 Applications of this study: This study involved two historical mosques in Melaka, which are the Tengkera Mosque (1728 AD) and Kampung Hulu Mosque (1728 AD). 
 Novelty/Originality of this study: These mosques have been directly influenced by the characteristics of Islamic, Chinese and Indian architecture; in the context of building structures, designs and decorations. This study showed that although the Islamic community was influenced by external elements, they were an open-minded community and willing to accept and adapt to such influence.

Step Over (ae) Effect on Cutting Parameters when Trochoidal Pocket Milling of Titanium Alloy Ti-6Al-4V

Titanium alloy is highly demanding in the aerospace industry due to its unique properties such are high strength-to-weight ratio and high thermal conductivity thus, made the material widely used in aerospace industries and excellent in its applications. However, those criteria’s become a crucial issue for machinists as titanium is categorized as difficult-to-machined material. High thermal conductivity caused shorten tool life because of the heat generated during machining was transferred directly to the cutting tool and leads to rapid tool wear. This experiment was conducted using 3 axis CNC Milling machine under wet cutting conditions. In order to identify the effect of step over, cutting speed and feed rate were fixed at constant values while step over (ae) values were varieties. The effect investigated were tool wear, wear mechanisms and tool failure modes. Tools experienced a longer tool life at low cutting speed of 60m/min, while chipping and notch wear appeared at high cutting speed 90m/min. The increasing of the step over value give less than 10% of the wear and reduced only 15% of machining time. With this, trochoidal milling proved that the step over give a minor contribution to wear while the dominant contribution was cutting speed followed by feed rate where the wear rate increased as the cutting speed increased.

APP (Amberg-perforation-project) - development and evaluation ofan interdisciplinary, systematic approach for endoscopic management of iatrogenic perforation in a German secondary referral center

Recently, there has been a significant change in the management of iatrogenic gastrointestinal perforation from surgery towards primary endoscopic therapy. All perforations occurring in all consecutive endoscopies from 1/1/2014 to 12/31/2017 in our hospital (Klinikum St. Marien Amberg, Germany) were recorded, evaluated and followed up prospectively. In-house SOPs were designed and communicated with all physicians within our hospital. Endoscopic closure of the perforation was primarily attempted, always in consent with the abdominal surgeon. In total, we observed 24 perforations in 18 627 consecutive endoscopies (0.13 %). There were also 24 cases of free extraluminal gas without perforation (12 post-polypectomy-syndromes und 12 post-ERCP with papillotomy). Diagnosis of perforation could be established within 12 hours in 95.8 % (23/24) (in 20 cases during endoscopy). Initial therapeutic approach was surgical in 3 cases, conservative in 3cases and interventional-endoscopic closure of perforation in 17 cases (4 × Clips, 10 × OTSC, 3 × SEMS). In 1 case, no therapy was performed. Mortality was 4.2 % (1/24). In 3 cases, the patient had to be operated on secondary to endoscopic therapy. In summary, surgical therapy was necessary in 6 of 24 cases (25 %). Interventional-endoscopic therapy was successful technically in 94.1 % (16/17) and clinically in 87.5 % (14/16). Primary interventional-endoscopic closure of iatrogenic gastrointestinal perforation is a safe and successful option in the everyday practice of a secondary referral hospital. The most important factor is prevention of delay until closure of perforation. Also, interdisciplinary consensus between endoscopist and surgeon is essential. Based on our own data, we developed and introduced a system for documentation and management of all endoscopic complications in endoscopy called "KEMS", which could be successfully integrated in our IT-system.

EVOLUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN INDIA: AN EVALUATION

The paper proposes to present and elaborate and critically analyze the main concepts of ‘evolution of human rights education in India’ with an evaluation. The concept of human rights means that everybody has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Initial liquid dispersion and mass transfer performance in a rotating packed bed

Initial liquid dispersion significantly affects the liquid distribution and mass transfer performance in a rotating packed bed (RPB). However, investigation of initial liquid dispersion in the RPB by using a hydrophobic wire mesh was scarce. In this work, hydrophobic surface-modified stainless steel wire mesh (SSM) and non- surface-modified stainless steel wire mesh (NSM) were prepared and then used as the initial liquid disperser in a RPB. Compared with NSM, the liquid dispersion cone angle of SSM was much bigger after liquid jet impacted on the above rotating single-layer wire mesh, recorded by a high-speed camera. The effective interfacial area (ae) of the RPB with Packing A (single-layer SSM + multilayer NSM) and Packing B (single-layer NSM + multilayer NSM) was experimentally measured by a NaOH−CO2 absorption system. Results show that the values of ae in the RPB with Packing A were 22% higher than with Packing B at optimum operating conditions, which showed that a better initial liquid dispersion was beneficial for better mass transfer performance in the RPB.

Evaluation of a microhaplotypes panel for forensic genetics using massive parallel sequencing technology

Massive parallel DNA sequencing (MPS) makes it possible to explore a new type of genetic marker, known as microhaplotypes or microhaps. These loci were recently introduced in the landscape of forensic genetic and appear to be useful for identification purposes, reconstruction of family relationships, ancestry prediction and DNA mixtures deconvolution. Microhaplotypes loci, based on 89 loci in ALFRED, were selected and their genetic variations in 100 Italian individuals were evaluated by using MPS, in order to make inference about utility of a set of microhaps in forensic genetics. After MPS, the panel was reduced to 87 microhaps, comprised of 266 different SNPs and spread across 22 human autosomes. Genotype and haplotype frequencies were estimated, as well as the effective number of alleles at each locus (Ae), which relates to the usefulness of the locus in resolution of relationships and deconvolution of DNA mixtures. Overall, the Ae values for the 87 microhaps range from 1.010 to 8.344, with about 80% showing values greater than 2.0. Noteworthy, 32 microhaps display Ae values greater than 3.0 and 18 loci Ae above 4.0.To explore the suitability of microhaplotypes in mixture deconvolution, the probability of detecting a mixture, as a function of Ae, was inferred for different groups of loci. Considering the fourteen loci with Ae between 3.0 and 3.999 the probability of detecting a mixture was at least 0.99973, while considering the ten loci with Ae between 4.0 and 4.999 the probability was at least 0.99998. Moreover, when considering just the six loci with Ae between 5.0 and 5.999 the probability of detecting a mixture was at least 0.99984, while when considering just the two loci with Ae above 6 the probability was 0.97228. Combining these 32 MH loci, the theoretical probability of detecting a mixture was 0.999999999999973. These results make the subset of 32 loci with Ae above three informative for mixture resolution.The individual matching probabilities (PI) of the 87 microhaps ranged from 0.032 to 0.9802. Considering the 32 microhap loci with Ae greater than 3.0, the cumulative PI value was 1.6 × 10−33, while considering the 18 microhap loci with Ae above 4.0, the cumulative PI value was 2.34 × 10-21. Overall the results of this study confirmed the utility of microhaps in forensic genetics.

Column-integrated Aerosol Optical Properties Determined Using Ground-based Sun Photometry Measurements in the Hangzhou Region

To investigate the optical properties of aerosols in the Hangzhou region (Hangzhou, Tonglu, Jiande, and Chun'an), the aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (AE), single scattering albedo (SSA), and aerosol size distribution (ASD) were measured using CIMEL sun-photometers in 2012. The results showed that the annual average values of AOD440nm in Hangzhou, Tonglu, Jiande, and Chun'an were 0.94±0.16, 0.84±0.17, 0.82±0.22, and 0.71±0.20, respectively. The values generally decreased from the northeast to the southwest, and represented one of highest AOD districts in the Yangtze River Delta, China. The annual average values of AE440-870nm were 1.24±0.12, 1.19±0.17, 1.06±0.04, and 1.04±0.10, respectively, indicating that particles with small average effective radii were predominant. The relatively lower AE values in March and April were generally attributed to the long-range transport of dust aerosols from Northwest China. Obvious diurnal variations in the AOD were found in Hangzhou, Tonglu, and Jiande, but not in Chun'an. An average fine-mode effective radius of~0.15 μm was observed in spring, autumn, and winter, while a value of~0.25 μm was observed in summer, in conjunction with aerosol hygroscopic growth. An average coarse-mode effective radius of~2.94 μm was observed in summer, autumn, and winter, which was higher than the value in spring. The annual average values of SSA440nm were 0.91±0.01, 0.92±0.03, 0.92±0.02, 0.93±0.02, respectively, indicating that the particles had relatively strong to moderate absorption. Characterization of the aerosol types showed the predominance of biomass burning and urban industrial type aerosols in Hangzhou, while mixed type aerosols were observed in Tonglu, Jiande, and Chun'an.

A microhaplotypes panel for massively parallel sequencing analysis of DNA mixtures

Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology enables the simultaneous analysis of different kinds of forensic genetic markers as well as the detection of the alleles with minor contributions in a highly unbalanced DNA mixture. In our previous study, we presented a novel set of microhaplotype loci and evaluated their application value in analyzing the DNA mixtures. However, several issues remain unclear, for example (i) whether the major or the minor donor in an unbalanced DNA mixture can be compared with a known suspect, (ii) whether the proportion of each contributor in a DNA mixture can be inferred, (iii) whether the captured alleles can be assigned to the major or the minor donor. To further address these issues, during the present study, we increased the number of loci in a single multiplex system to 25 (all the microhaplotypes have a length less than 50 bp). The DNA samples of 60 unrelated Han Chinese individuals, 40 artificially made DNA mixtures with different mixing proportions were analyzed with MPS by using the microhaplotypes panel. By comparing the population genetic data of the 25 microhaplotypes in 26 populations from 1000 Genome Project (1000 G), the microhaplotypes were found to have similar high Ae values in different populations. The likelihood ratios were further employed to compare the mixtures and known suspects. The major contributor could be well identified in both balanced and unbalanced samples. The minor contributor could also be identified if capturing enough loci. When we divided the microhaplotypes into different subgroups, significant correlation was found between the allele depth ratio and the gradual mixing ratios. The allele depth patterns in balanced, mildly imbalanced and severely imbalanced mixtures were clarified, and we found that certain loci could be discriminated from the contributors and they could be used for direct individual identification.

Investigating the Aerosol Optical Depth and Angstrom Exponent and Their Relationships with Meteorological Parameters Over Lahore in Pakistan

In the present work, AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) data of 2006–2014 have been used to analyze the variations in aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm and Angstrom exponent (440/870) (AE). In order to have an in-depth knowledge of aerosol variability, we have analyzed the association of aerosol properties with the meteorological parameters such as temperature, mean sea level pressure, rainfall, dew point, and dust storm frequency. Long-term observations of MODIS-AOD are also validated with AERONET-AOD over Lahore. The peak monthly mean value of AOD is found in July (1.00 ± 0.34) with the corresponding AE value of 0.85 ± 0.29 pointing toward the fact that desert/soil dust aerosols dominated the atmosphere of Lahore. The lowest value of AOD is found in February (0.47 ± 0.26) with the corresponding AE value of 1.22 ± 0.29 representing the presence of urban/industrial aerosols in the atmosphere over Lahore. The monthly mean AE value is found to be maximum in January (1.36 ± 0.15), whereas lowest value of AE is found in June (0.55 ± 0.25). AOD shows positive correlations with temperature, dew point, relative humidity, visibility, rain and dust storm frequency, and negative with mean sea level pressure and wind speed. AE exhibits positive correlations with relative humidity and mean sea level pressure, while with temperature, dew point, visibility, rain and dust storm frequency, it shows negative correlations.