Articoli di riviste sul tema "SELGEM (Computer program)"

The Engineering discipline has relied on computers to perform numerical calculations in many of its sub-disciplines over the last decades. The advent of graphical processing units (GPUs), parallel stream processors, has the potential to speed up generic simulations that facilitate engineering applications aside from traditional computer graphics applications, using GPGPU (general purpose programming on the GPU). The potential benefits of exploiting the GPU for general purpose computation require the program to be highly arithmetic intensive and also data independent. This paper looks at the specific application of the Conjugate Gradient method used in hydraulic network solvers on the GPU and compares the results to conventional central processing unit (CPU) implementations. The results indicate that the GPU becomes more efficient as the data set size increases. However, with the current hardware and the implementation of the Conjugate Gradient algorithm, the application of stream processing to hydraulic network solvers is only faster and more efficient for exceptionally large water distribution models, which are seldom found in practice.

Desire to learn a second language or excitement designed into the program is seldom sufficient for long-term motivation for students to use CALL programs as much as needed. Programs need to be not only closely correlated to the goals and methods of the course but also required and graded in order for students to use them conscientiously and beneficially. Development and modification of CALL use in an elementary course over a period of years allows us to draw some conclusions about how requirements and grades can serve as carrots and sticks to motivate students to use the CALL programs. We can also see some ways in which such requirements and grades can be made to seem more like carrots and less like sticks.

The field of African language CALL is expanding rapidly as part of the general trend toward foreign language CALL. Yet the assumptions and needs of the learner in such instruction are quite different from that of the more commonly taught languages. African language instruction may not always be classroom-oriented: texts are seldom available for most of the uncommonly taught languages, and a native speaker as consultant may or may not have training in foreign language instruction. These factors have led to the need for self-standing, computer-driven instruction for these languages. This paper will discuss some assumptions regarding generative-based African language CALL, with references to Bantu languages and to one particular language (the OluTsootso dialect of Luyai, a language of Kenya), and describe elements of a computer program that produces superficial forms from underlying forms of that language. The paper will close with a discussion of some of the differences between computer characterizations of certain phonological phenomena and the generative linguist's description of such phenomena.

Image recognition and classification were put in used in many places in recent years thanks to the great progress in machine learning and neural networks. However, seldom evidence indicate applications of image recognition in computer games. Since games are gradually becoming part of peoples life, it is the time to put the focus on those who are unable to enjoy this entertainment. Nowadays computer games often include the element of collecting e.g. (materials or treasure). A program that could automatically mark those collectable objects would significantly improve the gaming experience for those who have disability in their eyes. In this work the game Destiny 2 was used for training and testing and training model chose was Yolov5. 1,500 of images were put into the data set and trained with 350 epochs. The model eventually achieved 0.82 in precision, 0.96 in recall and 0.91 in F1. It also gets the average mAP value of 0.93. These results can strongly prove that this model has the potential to be used in real scenarios.

This study assessed the office competencies and challenges among the newly appointed Barangay Secretaries of Local Government Unit (LGU) of Nabua in Camarines Sur, Bicol Region in the Philippines. This descriptive method of research used questionnaire and interview using the percentage method and mean as its statistical tools using the four-scale rating to interpret the gathered data. The actual respondents of the study were the 35 of the 45 Barangay Secretaries of LGU-Nabua. Findings reveal that the office competencies of barangay secretaries along stenography, office management, records management, and human relations were all assessed as satisfactory except for computer operation which was assessed as fair. The study further revealed that challenges were seldom encountered by the respondents along their work performance. Majority of the respondents preferred training program on records management and office management but computer operation in varied software with ease may also be given emphasis. Recommendations to enhance the office competencies and address the challenges encountered by barangay secretaries in their present job were also proposed in this study.

Introduction: Linear boundary value problems for Fredholm ordinary integro-differential equations are seldom consideredwith integral boundary conditions in the literature. In our case, integro-differential equations are subject to multipoint or nonlocalintegral boundary conditions. It should be noted that finding exact solutions even for multipoint problems or problems with nonlocalintegral boundary conditions with a differential equation is a difficult task. Purpose: Finding the uniqueness and existencecriterion of solutions for Fredholm ordinary integro-differential equations with multipoint or nonlocal integral boundary conditionsand obtaining exact solutions in closed form of such problems. Results: Within the class of abstract operator equations, for thespecial case of Fredholm integro-differential equations with multipoint or nonlocal integral boundary conditions, a criterion for theexistence and uniqueness of an exact solution is proved and the analytical representation of the solution is given. A direct methodanalytically solving such problems is proposed, in which all calculations are reproducible in any program of symbolic calculations.If the user sets the input parameters and the initial conditions of the problem, the computer codes check the conditions of existenceand uniqueness and of solution generate the analytical solution. The stages of the solution method are illustrated by twoexamples. The article uses computer algebra system Mathematica to demonstrate the results.

Abstract Primary and secondary clarifiers seldom operate with constant hydraulic and solids loading; in many plants there are significant diurnal variations in flows and solids loads. Secondary clarifiers are subject to density currents due to the relatively high concentrations of suspended solids in the influent. In this study a computer program for unsteady flow in a centre-fed circular clarifier was used to predict the effects of unsteady flow on the clarifier performance. Two cases were considered, namely: diurnal variation in flow at a constant MLSS concentration and a sudden increase in the MLSS. In both cases, the results of the model simulations indicated that clarifier performance is significantly affected by the unsteadiness of the flow; a steady state analysis at the peak flow gave lower effluent concentrations than either the diurnal flow or the step increase in the MLSS. The model simulations suggested that this effect was greater for peripheral weirs than in-board launders.

This research paper conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of the Instagram campaign run by WeAreHERe, a peer-to-peer mentorship program designed for women high school students and first-year university students at Politecnico di Torino. The study scrutinizes 92 posts shared on the WeAreHERe Instagram page during the academic year 2021-2022. The primary goal of the research is, first, to bridge an existing gap in the literature by connecting studies on stereotypes, biases, and mentorship as a constructive means to promote women’s role models with research on gender-based structural oppression. Secondly, this study aims to enhance the WeAreHERe campaign through a comprehensive analysis, ultimately providing insights for shaping future policies about mentorship programs for female students in STEM fields. The analysis showed that most of the posts focus on the individual level rather than on structural oppression and the role models they depict are presented as relatable rather than unique humans. Even when the motivational posts acknowledge the existence of a gender-oppressive structure they seldom mention it clearly, failing to uncover the generative link between this structure of oppression and gender biases and stereotypes. The results show that the literature on stereotypes and biases could be enriched by an approach focused on structural oppression. From these results we developed some guidelines that could help the WeAreHERe campaign – and other similar campaigns that aims at fighting stereotypes about women in the STEM field – to tackle issues of systematic oppression. The use of role models is more effective when it highlights systematic oppression and favours the creation of communities that would help bringing systematic change.

The article concerns the current problem of organizing students’ independent work in foreign languages by applying different innovative approaches. The article aims to study and try different pedagogical technologies and teaching methods widely used in the classroom but seldom applicable within independent students’ learning and cognitive activity. The authors give reasons for integrating new pedagogical methods and technologies in learning experiences and their advantages over the traditional approaches. Practical experience in the field of using different modern pedagogical methods and technologies while organizing students’ independent work is presented. The authors describe educational potential of Internet network resources, computer programs and mobile applications, using them in students’ independent work helps solve multiple tasks such as to expand vocabulary, to overcome difficulties in grammar, to reinforce pronunciation, auditive and grammatical skills. Moreover, tests accessible in the Internet can be used as assessment materials. The capabilities of gamification include such instruments as network services, computer games or interactive presentations working on-line as well as off-line. The article presents the results of using web-quest technology, its advantages over traditional forms of work in developing different language activities. Project method is also successfully used in practice for organizing independent students’ learning activity. The article stresses that innovative approaches make possible to prepare tasks that have true interdisciplinary nature and promote professional and scientific personal enrichment of students. Presented in the article experience of organizing students’ independent work can be used in non-linguistic educational establishments for the purpose of enhancing students’ independent learning of foreign languages.

Indigenous cattle in Indonesia seldom to reach their genetic potentials due to an interaction impact of harsh tropical climate and low-quality feed. Some indigenous breeds of cattle in Indonesia, such as Bali, Madura and Crossbred Ongole have demonstrated their successful adaptation to survive in the harsh environment, but their ultimate performances are still considered less than their genetic potentials when reared under comfortable environment like in the sub-tropical climate. This is primarily due to inefficient fermentation of feed originating from inadequate supply of essential nutrients required for optimum growth of microbes in the forestomach. A rapid advancement of omics technology has been the driver for ruminant nutritionists to use such a technology to study the interrelationship between nutrients and particular genes associated with the biochemical pathways of nutrients at molecular levels. This review highlights the current issues and challenges on the use of omics technologies to improve the efficiency of feed utilization by cattle consuming low-quality diets and its potential to be used in the genetic selection program.

Quantitative analysis with the electron microprobe analyzer (EMPA) has yielded more accurate results over time as a result of improvements in ZAF and other correction routines, mass absorption coefficients, synthetic pseudocrystals for ultralight elements, computers, software programs, backscattered electron (BSE) and energy dispersive (EDS) X-ray detectors. Consequently, many geoscientists view EMPA as routine, and details of procedures, standards, and operating conditions are seldom provided in current publications. However, in overseeing a facility with many users, we have learned that acceptable analytical data are sometimes difficult to obtain even with established analytical procedures and a choice of several hundred standards. After novice users have mastered the routines of sample polishing, cleaning, coating, handling and machine focus, their choice of nonoptimal standards often prevents them from obtaining the most accurate results possible. Optimal analysis for geological problems requires choosing appropriate standards, selection of optimal operating conditions, as well as consideration of the possibility of omitted elements, peak and background overlaps, matrix absorption effects, beam damage and elemental migration, reintegration of heterogeneous materials, fluorescence effects, and variations in the oxidation state of iron.

Introduction/Objective. Having taken into account the complex role of students and teachers participating in the global education system and the creation of European Higher Education Framework, it was necessary to perform research on Informatics Literacy (IL). Therefore, our aim was to analyze IL of the students including the knowledge of each of the four core modules and two standard European Computer Driving Licence modules, as well as to propose measures to improve students? IL. The objective of the research was to evaluate the effect of therapy with stabilizing occlusal splint in the control of painful symptoms of TMD in comparison with the effect of drug therapy. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study during 2015/2016 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis, and included 292 first year students. Parts of the questionnaire that related to the self-assessment, as well as the test of knowledge in Informatics, modeled after the ECDL consisted of questions from six thematic sections. Results. The study included 88 male (30.1%) and 204 female (69.9%) students. The computer is mostly used for the Internet (69.5%), then for entertainment (24.3%), and seldom for data processing programs (6.2%). Medical students showed higher level of knowledge of all six modules (p < 0.001). Male students also had higher level of IL (OR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.20?0.73). Students who completed high school showed better IL compared to students who completed secondary medical school (OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.18?0.66). Education of parents and monthly income had no impact on students? IL. Conclusion. IL of students is not satisfactory. It is necessary to modify the Informatics curriculum according to European standards and to introduce the course to all study groups.

Software attacks like worm, botnet, and DDoS are the increasingly serious problems in IoT, which had caused large-scale cyber attack and even breakdown of important information infrastructure. Software measurement and attestation are general methods to detect software integrity and their executing states in IoT. However, they cannot resist TOCTOU attack due to their static features and seldom verify correctness of control flow integrity. In this paper, we propose a novel and practical scheme for software trusted execution based on lightweight trust. Our scheme RIPTE combines dynamic measurement and control flow integrity with PUF device binding key. Through encrypting return address of program function by PUF key, RIPTE can protect software integrity at runtime on IoT device, enabling to prevent the code reuse attacks. The results of our prototype’s experiment show that it only increases a small size TCB and has a tiny overhead in IoT devices under the constraint on function calling. In sum, RIPTE is secure and efficient in IoT device protection at runtime.

These days, the demand on electronic systems operating at high temperature is increasing owing to bursting interest in applications adaptable to harsh environments on earth, as well as in the unpaved spaces in the universe. However, research on memory technologies suitable to high-temperature conditions have been seldom reported yet. In this work, a novel one-transistor dynamic random-access memory (1T DRAM) featuring the device channel with partially inserted wide-bandgap semiconductor material toward the high-temperature application is proposed and designed, and its device performances are investigated with an emphasis at 500 K. The possibilities of the program operation by impact ionization and the erase operation via drift conduction by a properly high drain voltage have been verified through a series of technology computer-aided design (TCAD) device simulations at 500 K. Analyses of the energy-band structures in the hold state reveals that the electrons stored in the channel can be effectively confined and retained by the surrounding thin wide-bandgap semiconductor barriers. Additionally, for more realistic and practical claims, transient characteristics of the proposed volatile memory device have been closely investigated quantifying the programming window and retention time. Although there is an inevitable degradation in state-1/state-0 current ratio compared with the case of room-temperature operation, the high-temperature operation capabilities of the proposed memory device at 500 K have been confirmed to fall into the regime permissible for practical use.

Background Non-adherence to Tuberculosis (TB) medication is a serious threat to TB prevention and control programs, especially in resource-limited settings. The growth of the popularity of mobile phones provides opportunities to address non-adherence, by facilitating direct communication more frequently between healthcare providers and patients through SMS texts and voice phone calls. However, the existing evidence is inconsistent about the effect of SMS interventions on TB treatment adherence. Such interventions are also seldom developed based on appropriate theoretical foundations. Therefore, there is a reason to approach this problem more rigorously, by developing the intervention systematically with evidence-based theory and conducting the trial with strong measurement methods. Methods This study is a single-blind parallel-group design individual randomized control trial. A total of 186 participants (93 per group) will be individually randomized into one of the two groups with a 1:1 allocation ratio by a computer-generated algorithm. Group one (intervention) participants will receive daily SMS texts and weekly phone calls concerning their daily medication intake and medication refill clinic visit reminder and group two (control) participants will receive the same routine standard treatment care as the intervention group, but no SMS text and phone calls. All participants will be followed for two months of home-based self-administered medication during the continuation phases of the standard treatment period. Urine test for the presence of isoniazid (INH) drug metabolites in urine will be undertaken at the random point at the fourth and eighth weeks of intervention to measure medication adherence. Medication adherence will also be assessed by self-report measurements using the AIDS Clinical Trial Group adherence (ACTG) and Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) questionnaires, and clinic appointment attendance registration. Multivariable regression model analysis will be employed to assess the effect of the Ma-MAS intervention at a significance level of P-value < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Discussion For this trial, a mobile-assisted medication adherence intervention will first be developed systematically based on the Medical Research Council framework using appropriate behavioural theory and evidence. The trial will then evaluate the effect of SMS texts and phone calls on TB medication adherence. Evidence generated from this trial will be highly valuable for policymakers, program managers, and healthcare providers working in Ethiopia and beyond. Trial registration The trial is registered in the Pan-Africa Clinical Trials Registry with trial number PACTR202002831201865.

The model of the incentive pricing scheme-based quasi-linear utility function in wireless network was designed. Previous research seldom focusses on user’s satisfaction while using network. Therefore, the model is then attempted to be set up that is derived from the modification of bundling and models of reverse charging and maintain the quality of service to users by utilizing quasi-linear utility function. The pricing schemes then are applied to local data server traffic. The model used is known as mathematical programming problem that can be solved by LINGO 13.0 program as optimization tool to get the optimal solution. The optimal results show that the improved incentive pricing can achieve better solution compared to original reverse charging where the models will be obtained in flat fee, usage-based, and two-part tariff strategies for homogeneous consumers.

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is a modern powerful technique that can be used for studying the externaland internal anatomy of arthropods. CLSM has seldom been used in acarology and very rarely for studying eriophyoidmites. It allows the capture of precise digital images of the fine details of external and internal chitinous structures, whichcan be further analysed using various computer programs. CLSM can serve as an effective tool for comparing closelyrelated and/or cryptic species, correcting diagnoses of poorly described taxa, studying immature instars, and particularly,for studying the structures and the functioning of the internal genitalia of adult females and males. In this paper, thepotential use of CLSM for the study of eriophyoids is demonstrated using specimens of 13 mite species and eight generafrom the families Phytoptidae Murray 1877 and Eriophyidae Nalepa 1898. This study showed that freshly mountedspecimens on microscope slides appeared to be the most appropriate for CLSM as older specimens tended to have reducedautofluorescence. The best choice for studying the external morphology and internal genital apparatus of eriophyoid mitesappeared to be the blue laser. Green and light blue wavelengths (488 nm and 532 nm) were found to be less useful. Thequality of CLSM images depended on the slide-mounting medium used. Among those compared, Hoyer’s medium wasfound to be the most appropriate whereas Heinze medium and media including Iodium gave poorer results. The empodiaand proximal parts of setae were shown to have very weak autofluorescence signals, but they reflected red (635 nm) and blue (405 nm) laser light, which could be detected with CLSM.

Preston’s equation is a general model describing the egg shape of birds. The parameters of Preston’s equation are usually estimated after re-expressing it as the Todd-Smart equation and scaling the egg’s actual length to two. This method assumes that the straight line through the two points on an egg’s profile separated by the maximum distance (i.e., the longest axis of an egg’s profile) is the mid-line. It hypothesizes that the photographed egg’s profile is perfectly bilaterally symmetrical, which seldom holds true because of photographic errors and placement errors. The existing parameter estimation method for Preston’s equation considers an angle of deviation for the longest axis of an egg’s profile from the mid-line, which decreases prediction errors to a certain degree. Nevertheless, this method cannot provide an accurate estimate of the coordinates of the egg’s center, and it leads to sub-optimal parameter estimation. Thus, it is better to account for the possible asymmetry between the two sides of an egg’s profile along its mid-line when fitting egg-shape data. In this paper, we propose a method based on the optimization algorithm (optimPE) to fit egg-shape data and better estimate the parameters of Preston’s equation by automatically searching for the optimal mid-line of an egg’s profile and testing its validity using profiles of 59 bird eggs spanning a wide range of existing egg shapes. We further compared this method with the existing one based on multiple linear regression (lmPE). This study demonstrated the ability of the optimPE method to estimate numerical values of the parameters of Preston’s equation and provide the theoretical egg length (i.e., the distance between two ends of the mid-line of an egg’s profile) and the egg’s maximum breadth. This provides a valuable approach for comparing egg shapes among conspecifics or across different species, or even different classes (e.g., birds and reptiles), in future investigations.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of sustainability app on environmental citizenship behavior on the basis of norm-activation model. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey, which comprises five variables (i.e. awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, personal norms, environmental citizenship behavior in a private sphere and environmental citizenship behavior in a public sphere) measured through 16 items, was conducted in the USA by using Amazon Mechanical Turk. With 549 valid respondents’ answers in hand, the collected data were analyzed applying a multi-group structural equation modelling technique with IBM SPSS AMOS 23 software program. Findings The results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, personal norms and environmental citizenship behavior in both private and public sphere. Furthermore, this study attested that sustainability apps utilization has a moderating effect on the predictors of environmental citizenship behaviors. Originality/value Past studies have seldom examined the contribution of mobile apps to environmental sustainability. This paper enriches the extant academic literature in the field of technology for behavior change, and bears significant implications on how sustainability apps can be adopted by governments, policymakers, organizations and teacher educators to engage people and stimulate environmental citizenship behaviors.

Introduction / Innovation Concept: Orbital compartment syndrome (OCS) is a vision threatening ocular emergency that occurs when there is a sudden rise in orbital pressure resulting in damage to intraocular structures. Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis (LCC) is a simple procedure used to decompress the orbit. Emergency physicians should be comfortable evaluating and diagnosing OCS, and performing a LCC to decrease the risk of vision loss in the event that consultation and intervention by an ophthalmologist is not possible in a timely manner. Developing this skill is challenging as this procedure is seldom performed, therefore resources need to be available. Current training videos are an excellent learning tool but are limited by several factors, such as not capturing from the perspective of the physician performing the procedure. Point-of-view (POV) cameras show the physician’s perspective, which is more conducive to training as it mimics the experience for trainees. We report our novel technique of recording a LCC using a head-mounted POV camera as a resource for emergency physician trainees in learning this procedure. Methods: We used a head mounted POV GoPro Hero 4 Silver camera (GoPro, San Mateo, CA, U.S.A.) with a modified 5.4mm f/2.5 aftermarket lens with a 60° field of view (Peau Productions Inc, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.). This lens was pre-focused to a working distance of 17 inches, set to 1080P on narrow recording at 48 frames per second, and had spot metering and the low light functions turned on. The camera functions were controlled remotely by an assistant with the use of GoPro App on a tablet computer to ensure proper framing of the camera. Curriculum, Tool, or Material: Our novel use of a POV camera for recording LCC is an efficient, cost effective tool useful for medical education at an academic institution as well as a valuable resource for emergency room clinicians. The POV recording system can be a training device in an emergency setting for performing a LCC or other procedures that emergency physicians may seldom encounter. Conclusion: Point-of-view cameras have great potential in assisting the education at the post-graduate level within residency training programs. Video recording from the physician’s perspective simulates the experience for trainees and could leave them feeling more confident in their ability to perform the procedure.

Since higher education qualifications and digital transition are considered key factors for economic development and individual opportunities, distance learning has been presented as a solution to improve the labor force’s skills and employability. However, such links were seldom studied systematically in specific contexts, and doubts exist regarding online programs. Based on the results of three successive follow-up surveys to the graduates of the Portuguese distance learning public university (Universidade Aberta), from 2011 to 2018 (n = 1358), our article examines the graduates’ perception of acquired transversal competences, in relation to employability and social mobility gains. The statistical analysis points out a positive perception of transversal competences development, especially analytical capacity, autonomy, and communication, although some concerns were raised regarding digital skills, teamwork, job search skills, and social capital. The impacts on employability and socioeconomic mobility are positive for most students, but variable according to analyzed competences, and tend to occur mostly through internal mobility rather than through job search skills or entrepreneurship. Although exploratory, such findings allow some final considerations regarding the effective ability of higher education distance learning to enhance economic growth and employability, through transversal competences, as well as to sketch some suggestions to improve such ability.

In broccoli, anthocyanin pigments can be accumulated in the flower bud epidermis, resulting in a purple-green head. This study aimed to create non-anthocyanin green broccoli varieties and anthocyanin-rich purple broccoli varieties using new F3′H and Pur7.1-K1 molecular markers, respectively. The breeding program started with crosses of the recipient (superior variety and line) LF02 line with the donor line SN60 carrying the recessive allele f3′h and the donor line BT126 carrying the dominant allele Pur7.1. The F1 hybrids were confirmed with molecular markers and backcrossed with the recurrent parent LF02, followed by cycles of foreground and background selection at each stage. A total of 161 green plants with the f3′hf3′h genotype and 152 purple plants with the Pur7.1Pur7.1 genotype were selected from the BC3F2 line. Among these, 34 green plants and 28 purple plants demonstrated >85% background recovery. The identified plants were selfed to obtain 301 green and 416 purple BC3F3 plants for assessment of major agronomic traits. After these investigations, two green broccoli lines without anthocyanin and three anthocyanin-rich purple lines with the best yield/quality characteristics were obtained. The development of these lines might help provide basic materials and the theoretical basis for breeding commercial broccoli varieties.

In the article the conceptual and terminological apparatus of the research are outlined and the essence of concepts «information», «communication», «information and communication technologies» is clarified, in particular the latter is interpreted as a combination of software, methods and means that ensure the effective assimilation of material as a result of transmission, processing, receiving, sharing, storing new information with the help of modern technical (information) resources.
 Classification of means of information and communication technologies is worked out, which focuses on priority tasks (educational, health improving and upbringing), that physical culture teacher solves. These specified groups are divided into types (with the use of computer and without using it) and categories (with the help of Internet and without it). Group of realization of educational tasks involves such means of ІCТ as: electronic encyclopaedias, video data, cloudy technologies, TV conference, games, interactive board, application software, presentation, smartphone; health improving – smartphone and fitness gadgets; upbringing – electronic encyclopaedias, video data, games, interactive board, presentation. It is discovered that information and communication technologies, as part of innovative education, assist the effectiveness of education, development and upbringing, increase of the personal interest and motivation of students to lessons, their application is inalienable part of professional activity of physical culture teacher.
 On the basis of investigation with experimental methods it turns out that most physical education teachers use ICT in their professional activities to some extent, but do not have profound knowledge regarding the completeness of their technical and educational capabilities, seldom use them in training, do not use the full range of tools. Almost half (49.5 %) of respondents understand the concept of «information and communication technologies» as computer programs, most of them indicate that in their professional activity they mostly use presentations and video materials (31 % and 38.5 %, respectively), less often teachers apply fitness gadgets and smartphone apps (22.5 % and 16 %, respectively), and cloud technology are rarely used by teachers. The correlation between teachers’ age, their experience and the degree of ICT use in professional activity was found out. It turned out that middle-aged teachers (31-36 years old) use ICT more often, but those with 5 to 20 years of experience, and rarely – young teachers with up to 5 years of experience. Teachers over 40 do not often use innovative technical means. It has been found out that young teachers (with work experience up to 5 years ) mostly use gadgets for personal purposes, but have no experience in using them in their professional activities; experienced teachers prefer traditional teaching methods and reject innovative opportunities, that is why teachers with average age of 31-36 years and average work experience of 15 years fall into the category of frequent ICT users.

Software systems are to be developed based on expectations of customers. These expectations are expressed using natural languages. To design a software meeting the needs of the customer and the stakeholders, the intentions, feedbacks and reviews are to be understood accurately and without ambiguity. These textual inputs often contain inaccuracies, contradictions and are seldom given in a well-structured form. The issues mentioned in the previous thought frequently result in the program not satisfying the expectation of the stakeholders. In particular, for non-functional requirements, clients rarely emphasize these specifications as much as they might be justified. Identifying, classifying and reconciling the requirements is one of the main duty of the System Analyst, which task, without using a proper tool, can be very demanding and time-consuming. Tools which support text processing are expected to improve the accuracy of identification and classification of requirements even in an unstructured set of inputs. System Analysts can use them also in document archeology tasks where many documents, regulations, standards, etc. have to be processed. Methods elaborated in natural language processing and machine learning offer a solid basis, however, their usability and the possibility to improve the performance utilizing the specific knowledge from the domain of the software engineering are to be examined thoroughly. In this paper, we present the results of our work adapting natural language processing and machine learning methods for handling and transforming textual inputs of software development. The major contribution of our work is providing a comparison of the performance and applicability of the state-of-the-art techniques used in natural language processing and machine learning in software engineering. Based on the results of our experiments, tools can be designed which can support System Analysts working on textual inputs.

Pyramiding multiple desirable genes is an important method for the development of improved breeding materials and/or new cultivars. When the number of genes to be pyramided is many, or the genes are tightly linked in repulsion, it is practically impossible to recover the desirable recombinants in a single generation using a realistic population size, and repeated selection at several generations is required. The availability of markers tightly linked to the desirable genes makes it possible to conduct effective individual selection at early generations. This reduces the number of lines tested in the later generations and increases the desirable genotype frequency in the selected progeny. Computer simulation was used to develop such a marker-based pedigree selection strategy for the development of a barley line that contains 6 desired genes from 3 parental breeding lines (HS078 (H): 221222; PI366444 (P): 212222; Sloop Vic. (S): 122111; with 1 and 2 representing desirable and undesirable alleles, respectively), using the top cross H/P//S. The 6 genes targetted contribute to photoperiod sensitivity, Russian wheat aphid resistance, leaf rust resistance, boron tolerance, earliness per se, and cereal cyst nematode resistance. Under the assumption that perfect markers were available for all the 6 genes, a TC1 population of 300 plants was required to obtain 3 or more lines of the best genotype ‘211222/122111’, in which 3 loci were fixed for the desirable alleles, while the remaining 3 were kept as heterozygous. When single seed descent was used from the TC2 generation until complete homozygosity, the probability of obtaining lines of the desirable genotype (fixed for the desirable alleles at all 6 loci) was low due to the tight repulsion linkage between some of the genes. About 4000 individuals would be required to ensure with 99% probability the recovery of at least 1 line with the desirable genotype. The total number of lines that would need to be genotyped would be at least 5000. When the pedigree method was used in all test-cross generations, many schemes resulted in more lines of the fixed desirable genotype by genotyping fewer lines. The various options were compared using the genetic simulation software module QuLine, based on the QU-GENE simulation platform. The optimum scheme in terms of high success rate and relatively low genotyping costs consisted of the following steps: (1) in TC1 genotyping of 300 individuals allows for 3 or more individuals with the genotype ‘211222/122111’ to be identified; (2) in the TC2 individuals that are fixed for 3 loci and segregating for the remaining 3, loci can be selected from among 500 TC2 plants; (3) in the TC3, 50 or more individuals per TC3 line are genotyped for the 3 segregating loci, and individuals fixed for 5 loci and segregating for the 6th locus can be detected (genotyping is only needed for the segregating loci); (4) 25 individuals per TC4 line are genotyped for the single remaining segregating locus and several individuals of the desirable genotype (111111/111111) are finally selected. The desirable line is then obtained by collecting selfed seed from the selected TC4 plants. Using this scheme, on average, 320 desired TC5 lines were obtained by genotyping fewer than 2000 lines. When markers were tightly linked to the target genes but not diagnostic (perfect), not only was more genotyping required, but also appropriate phenotyping at the end of the marker selection process was necessary to confirm the presence of all the target genes. Under the assumption that recombination between marker and target gene was 5%, the best selection scheme identified, on average, 30 fixed desirable lines by genotyping 8000 lines and phenotyping 700 TC5 lines. If double haploid lines were produced from the F1 generation between H and P, and marker and phenotypic screening were conducted, followed by crossing of the individual with the target 2 loci in desired homozygous allelic status with parent S, the total amount of genotyping and phenotyping could be halved. This study showed that genetic simulation allows for numerous strategies to be compared using real data, and to develop an optimal crossing and selection strategy to combine desired alleles in the most effective and efficient way. This approach could likewise be used in other marker-assisted breeding programs.

Tainung82 (TNG82) is one of the most popular japonica varieties in Taiwan due to its relatively high yield and grain quality, however, TNG82 is susceptible to bacterial blight (BB) disease. The most economical and eco-friendly way to control BB disease in japonica is through the utilization of varieties that are resistant to the disease. In order to improve TNG82’s resistance to BB disease, five bacterial blight resistance genes (Xa4, xa5, Xa7, xa13 and Xa21) were derived from a donor parent, IRBB66 and transferred into TNG82 via marker-assisted backcrossing breeding. Five BB-resistant gene-linked markers were integrated into the backcross breeding program in order to identify individuals possessing the five identified BB-resistant genes (Xa4, xa5, Xa7, xa13 and Xa21). The polymorphic markers between the donor and recurrent parent were used for background selection. Plants having maximum contribution from the recurrent parent genome were selected in each generation and crossed with the recipient parent. Selected BC3F1 plants were selfed in order to generate homozygous BC3F2 plants. Nine pyramided plants, possessing all five BB-resistant genes, were obtained. These individuals displayed a high level of resistance against the BB strain, XF89-b. Different BB gene pyramiding lines were also inoculated against the BB pathogen, resulting in more than three gene pyramided lines that exhibited high levels of resistance. The five identified BB gene pyramided lines exhibited yield levels and other desirable agronomic traits, including grain quality and palatability, consistent with TNG82. Bacterial blight-resistant lines possessing the five identified BB genes exhibited not only higher levels of resistance to the disease, but also greater yield levels and grain quality. Pyramiding multiple genes with potential characteristics into a single genotype through marker-assisted selection can improve the efficiency of generating new crop varieties exhibiting disease resistance, as well as other desirable traits.

Corrigendum: On 25/10/2013 the author “Dr. Mahmudul Hasan Siddiqui” was replaced by “Dr. Mahmudul Hasan Siddiqi”.This cross-sectional descriptive study evaluated the general health knowledge and practices of hygiene among semi-urban school children in Bangladesh and assessed the extent to which proper knowledge of hygiene was associated with personal hygiene characteristics. The study population was limited within mature students of class VIII and class X, which were randomly selected. The objectives of the study was first to assess the health knowledge acquired and health care practice undertaken by the students and finally to assess needs for improvement so that they could enjoy a better living and quality life. A well written pre-tested questionnaire was supplied to each student under study. Data were collected and analyzed using Computer Excel Program. The result of the study revealed that approximately 59% of students were classified as having little or no idea or knowledge of health. The majority of the respondents (44.95%) considered early going to bed. Only 11.01% respondents mentioned that they liked to go to bed at late hours after 11 pm. Regarding awakening time, 94.92% respondents in favor of get up early in the morning before sunrise, but actually 36(15%) habituated to get up early in the morning before the sun rise and a great number 200(84.74%) were habituated to late rise. A great number of students (78.81%) were in favor of taking home-made foods and majority respondents considered these foods as safe and wholesome. More than 98% respondents admitted that street vender foods were unhygienic and might cause intestinal disturbances, nausea, vomiting and worm infestation. 100% respondents had access to drink tube well water and it was safe and portable according to 84.75% respondents. To mention about access to proper and adequate defecation facilities it was reported that 90.68% students had the habit to use sanitary latrines. A very low percent of respondents (4.24%) used soap for washing of hands after defecation. About 95.76% of students reported that they washed their hands with water only and soaps were seldom used. The findings with respect to oral hygiene practice, 55.08% respondents preferred to brush teeth. A good number of respondents 50.85%, 20.34%, 15.25%, 8.47% and 5.08% used ash, followed by neem stick, tooth paste, Kalo Majon and magic tooth powder respectively. Although 87.29% of respondents never smoked, but it is very undesirable that more than 10% of students developed smoking habit. The present study revealed that 83.00% of respondents were in favor of keeping nails short. Regarding personal cleanliness 14.83% of the students reported not taking bathing regularly. About 83% realized the importance of wearing underwear. Lastly, the students under interview although clearly stressed upon the need of regular exercise which is good for health, but quite a big number of respondents (91.53%) were not inclined to take exercise regularly. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cbmj.v2i1.14186 Community Based Medical Journal Vol.2(1) 2013 55-62

<p>ABSTRAK</p><p>Kelapa Dalam Mapanget (DMT) merupakan salah satu kelapadalam unggul produksi dan kadar minyak serta protein yang baik.Beberapa populasi generasi DMT telah diseleksi selama tahun 1957 –1979 menghasilkan populasi DMT 32. Penelitian ini bertujuan untukmelacak tetua melalui aliran gen dalam beberapa generasi populasi kelapaDMT-32 hasil penyerbukan campuran polen, pada taraf DNA berdasarkanpenanda mikrosatelit (SSR). Bahan tanaman yang digunakan dalampenelitian ini adalah populasi hasil penyerbukan kelapa DMT-32 generasikedua (DMT-32 S2), populasi DMT-32 generasi ketiga (DMT-32 S3), danpopulasi DMT-32 generasi keempat (DMT-32 S4) berturut-turut sebanyak9, 40, dan 38 pohon. Analisis hubungan tetua dengan zuriatnya meng-gunakan program komputer CERVUS ver. 2.0. Jumlah primer SSR yangdigunakan sebanyak 19 primer dan 15 di antaranya dapat digunakan untukmelacak tetua dari individu-individu kelapa DMT-32 S3 dan DMT-32 S4.Semua individu DMT-32 S2 menjadi tetua dari individu-individu DMT-32S3, tetapi tidak semua individu DMT-32 S3 menjadi tetua dari DMT-32S4. Hasil pelacakan tetua menunjukkan bahwa 2 pohon DMT-32 S3 yangbenar-benar hasil penyerbukan hasil zigot polen sendiri dari satu pohonkelapa DMT-32 S2 No.8, dan 1 pohon zuriat dari DMT-32 S2 No.3. PadaDMT-32 S4 ada 2 individu pohon yang benar-benar merupakan hasilpenyerbukan zigot polen sendiri pohon DMT-32 S3 No.28, masing-masing1 pohon zuriat dari DMT-32 S3 No.32 dan DMT-32 S3 No.35. DMT-32S2 No.1 merupakan tetua dari 8 individu DMT-32 S3, dan lima darizuriatnya adalah tetua dari 13 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No. 2adalah tetua dari 9 individu DMT-32 S3 dan empat nomor di antaranyamenjadi tetua dari 14 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.3 merupakantetua dari 11 individu DMT-32 S3 dan enam nomor pohon di antaranyamenjadi tetua dari 18 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.4 memiliki 5zuriat dan dua nomor pohon di antaranya menjadi tetua dari 7 individuDMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.5 merupakan tetua dari 10 pohon DMT-32S3 dan enam nomor pohon di antaranya menjadi tetua dari 24 pohonDMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.6 adalah tetua dari 4 zuriat DMT-32 S3 danhanya satu nomor pohon yang menjadi tetua dari 4 individu pohon DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.7 merupakan tetua dari 10 zuriat pohon DMT-32S3, lima di antaranya merupakan tetua dari 20 pohon DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.8 memiliki 12 zuriat DMT-32 S3, dan empat di antaranyaadalah tetua dari 15 pohon DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 nomor 9 merupakantetua dari 7 pohon DMT-32 S3, dan empat diantaranya adalah tetua dari17 pohon DMT-32 S4.Kata kunci : Cocos nucifera L, Mapanget Tall Coconut (DMT 32),mikrosatelit, SSR, pelacakan tetua</p><p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Parentage analysis of Mapanget Tall Coconut No.32 (DMT-32)population via gene flow based on Microsatellite Markers (SSR)Mapanget Tall Coconut (DMT) is one of the superior coconut for itsproduction, coconut oil and protein. Several generation of the DMTpopulation has been selected in 1957 – 1979 producing DMT 32generations. The aim of this research was to analyze the parents ofMapanget Tall Coconut No.32 (DMT-32) in DNA level via gene flowbased on microsatellite markers (SSR). Plant materials used in thisresearch were nine (9) palms of DMT-32 S2, 40 palms of DMT-32 S3 and38 palms of DMT-32 S4. Relationship between parents and progeny wereanalyzed by using CERVUS ver. 2.0 computer program. Among 19 SSRprimers used, 15 of them can be used in parentage analysis of MapangetTall Coconut No.32 of third and fourth generations. All of 9 (nine) palmsof DMT-32 S2 are the parents of DMT-32 S3, but some of those palms ofDMT-32 S3 are not the parents of DMT-32 S4. The result of parentageanalysis showed that two palms of DMT-32 S3 were progeny of selfedDMT-32 S2 No.8, and one palm was progeny of selfed DMT-32 S2 No.3.In DMT-32 S4 there were two palms progeny of DMT-32 S3 No.28 andone palm was progeny of DMT-32 S3 No.32 and DMT-32 S3 No.35respectively. DMT-32 S2 No.1 had 8 progeny in DMT-32 S3 and five ofthose were the parents of 13 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No. 2 had9 progeny in DMT-32 S3 and four of those were the parents of 14 individuDMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.3 had11 progeny in DMT-32 S3 and six ofthose were the parents of 18 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.4 had 5progeny in DMT-32 S3 and two of those were the parents of 7 individuDMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.5 had 10 progeny in DMT-32 S3 and six ofthose were the parents of 24 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.6 had 4progeny in DMT-32 S3 and only one was the parent of 4 individu DMT-32S4. DMT-32 S2 No.7 had 10 progeny in DMT-32 S3 and five of thosewere the parents of 20 individu DMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.8 had 12progeny in DMT-32 S3 and four of those were the parents of 15 individuDMT-32 S4. DMT-32 S2 No.9 had 7 progeny in DMT-32 S3 and four ofthose were the parents of 17 individu DMT-32 S4.Key words : Cocos nucifera L, Mapanget Tall Coconut (DMT-32),microsatellite, SSR, parentage analysis</p>

Context With the introduction of computer science (CS) into curricula worldwide, teachers’ adoption of CS-pedagogical content is essential to ensure the long-term success of reform initiatives. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs play a key role in this process. Unfortunately, adoption is seldom evaluated in CS-CPDs, or CPDs in general. The result is a dearth of studies i) modelling teachers’ adoption of CS-pedagogical content, or ii) investigating factors influencing the uptake of this new discipline. Both aspects are crucial to design and characterise successful CPD programs. Objectives We thus propose the Teachers’ Adoption of CS (TACS) model to investigate factors influencing the adoption of CS-pedagogical content by teachers who are following a mandatory CS-CPD program. More specifically, the model proposes that contextual factors (e.g. age, gender, and general teaching experience), prior factors (e.g. experience, and CS perception), and acceptance factors (e.g. interest, and self-efficacy) may impact teachers’ adoption of CS-pedagogical content. Methods The study included 180 grade 5-6 teachers (students aged 9-11) that were following a mandatory CS-CPD program. The CS-CPD program involved participation in three day-long sessions distributed over the 2019-2020 academic year. In between sessions, with the support of instructional coaches in the schools, teachers were encouraged, but not required, to adopt the CS-pedagogical content. Therefore, during the CPD, and employing surveys based on the TACS model, we evaluated teachers’ adoption of the proposed content and investigated how the different factors influenced it. Results At the PD-level, the results indicate that self-efficacy and interest queried during the CS-CPD are indicative of CS-pedagogical content adoption. To shed more light on the relationship between these metrics, a more in-depth analysis was conducted with n=92 teachers whose responses could be matched between sessions. While interest relates to how teachers adopt CS-pedagogical content overall, both interest and self-efficacy are necessary to ensure the likelihood of a specific activity being adopted. Finally, individual teacher characteristics appear to impact adoption, with teachers with low ICT experience requiring onboarding, while middle-aged teachers require convincing to adopt CS-pedagogical content. Conclusion Three takeaways emerge from the study. First, the analyses confirm the foundation of the TACS model. Second, the findings establish the key role that interest plays in said model. Finally, the results support the relationship between the contextual, prior and acceptance factors on the adoption of primary school CS-pedagogical content.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) integration is embraced in education to improve the quality of learning and performance globally. In 1996, the Ministry of Education in Kenya directed secondary schools to introduce computer studies into their curriculum. In 2006 (with studies having demonstrated a positive correlation between ICT integration and performance), under its national ICT policy, the ministry encouraged ICT integration in education using even basic infrastructure, including mobile phones and the Internet. It jumpstarted the program with grants for ICT equipment to 5 schools in every constituency in the republic. Chemistry is expected to benefit more because the versatile ICT tools concretize concepts and enhance the learning of its abstract content. This study aimed to assess stakeholders' perceptions of ICT integration on Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Chemistry performance. The study was anchored on the 'stimulus and response' theory involving Teacher Quality, Instructional Quality, and Student Outcome. A descriptive survey and a sequential exploratory design were used. Quantitative analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics that included frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations, while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Findings indicated that stakeholders had positive perceptions that ICT integration improves performance, but teachers seldom used it in instruction. The study concluded that all schools should have instructional websites and go digital with all their pedagogical activities.

Introduction: Sleep and diet are closely-related aspects of lifestyle health. Several studies have examined relationships between sleep and diet. However, longitudinal relationships are largely unknown. The present study examined whether sleep predicted changes in diet. Methods: Data from the Kansas State Employee Wellness Program from 2008 (N=5,634) and 2009 (N=3,286) were used. Sleep quality was assessed categorized as “Never,” “Seldom,” “Sometimes,” “Often,” or “Always.” Change scores were computed and classified as “Same,” “Better” or “Worse.” Habitual diet was classified as high fat and high vegetable. For both dietary variables, change scores were computed and categorized as no change, no to yes, or yes to no. Binary logistic regressions examined whether sleep quality (reference=”Never”) was associated with high fat or vegetable diets. Multinomial logistic regressions examined whether sleep quality at baseline and change in sleep quality (Better or Worse vs Same) was associated with change in diet. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). Results: At baseline, 50.01% of the sample had a high-fat diet, and 48.79% had a high-vegetable diet; notably, 39.98% of those with high fat diets also had high vegetable diets. Overall, poor sleep quality at baseline was associated with an increased likelihood of high-fat diet and decreased likelihood of high-vegetable diet (see Table). Sleep disturbance at baseline was not associated with change in diet, except that sleep disturbance “Always” was associated with an increased likelihood of losing a high-vegetable diet (OR=1.85, 95%CI [1.12,3.05], p=0.016). If sleep quality improved, gaining a high vegetable diet was more likely (OR=1.49, 95%CI [1.07,2.05], p=0.017). Conclusions: Poor sleep was associated with poor dietary behaviors. Further, both poor baseline sleep and worsening sleep over time predicted worsening of dietary behaviors. Sleep may therefore play a causal role in dietary change.

AbstractStudent persistence in the first year of studies is a crucial concern in online higher education. Recent accelerated growth in online programs due to the COVID pandemic has increased concerns over higher dropout rates, which are often connected to students’ time challenges—time poverty, juggling multiple commitments, and fitting studies into busy lives. However, research seldom focuses on students’ perceptions of time issues related to persistence. This study addresses this gap by exploring how 20 second-year students retrospectively viewed their experiences of time challenges and how they impacted their persistence in their first year at an online open university. Content analysis of in-depth interviews demonstrated that time pressure and time-conflicts were crucial barriers for success in the foundational semester; the main barrier was juggling study with multiple priorities. Most persisters had good time management and high levels of intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, and self-determination. However, even procrastinators with heavy work-family duties managed to persevere due to their resilience and personal motivation. Lastly, recommendations and strategies for effective student-based interventions to foster persistence are suggested.

Abstract Objectives Reference intervals of total cholesterol concentrations in plasma and of their fractions low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-and non-HDL concentrations are seldom studied with respect to the relevance of age and sex. Therefore, the effect of age and sex on the reference intervals was reinvestigated with 2 indirect procedures. Methods As an indirect approach, the truncated minimum chi-square method was applied. All analyses were performed by computer programs available. The script published on the homepage of the German Society of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) allows to derive a continuous age dependency of reference intervals together with their confidence and equivalence limits. The results of this approach were compared with those obtained by an indirect method developed more recently, the refineR algorithm. Results In the present study, the upper reference limits of total cholesterol varied from 5.1 to 7.8 mmol/L (197–302 mg/dL) depending on various biological variables (as age, sex, inpatients versus outpatients). These upper limits increased with age. Differences between sexes can be neglected except for the age above 80 years. The pattern of reference limits of LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol paralleled those of total cholesterol. The reference limits of HDL cholesterol were higher in women than in men but were independent of age. Conclusions Reference limits for the concentrations of total cholesterol and their fractions LDL-, HDL-and non-HDL concentrations should be stratified for age and sex.

Abstract Traditional drug discovery is very laborious, expensive, and time-consuming, due to the huge combinatorial complexity of the discrete molecular search space. Researchers have turned to machine learning methods for help to tackle this difficult problem. However, most existing methods are either virtual screening on the available database of compounds by protein-ligand affinity prediction, or unconditional molecular generation which does not take into account the information of the protein target. In this paper, we propose a protein target-oriented de novo drug design method, called AlphaDrug. Our method is able to automatically generate molecular drug candidates in an autoregressive way, and the drug candidates can dock into the given target protein well. To fulfill this goal, we devise a modified transformer network for the joint embedding of protein target and the molecule, and a Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) algorithm for the conditional molecular generation. In the transformer variant, we impose a hierarchy of skip connections from protein encoder to molecule decoder for efficient feature transfer. The transformer variant computes the probabilities of next atoms based on the protein target and the molecule intermediate. We use the probabilities to guide the look-ahead search by MCTS to enhance or correct the next-atom selection. Moreover, MCTS is also guided by a value function implemented by a docking program, such that the paths with many low docking values are seldom chosen. Experiments on diverse protein targets demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods, indicating that AlphaDrug is a potentially promising solution to target-specific de novo drug design.

AbstractWe study the problem of privately emulating shared memory in message-passing networks. The system includes clients that store and retrieve replicated information on N servers, out of which e are data-corrupting malicious. When a client accesses a data-corrupting malicious server, the data field of that server response might be different from the value it originally stored. However, all other control variables in the server reply and protocol actions are according to the server algorithm. For the coded atomic storage algorithms by Cadambe et al., we present an enhancement that ensures no information leakage and data-corrupting malicious fault-tolerance. We also consider recovery after the occurrence of transient faults that violate the assumptions according to which the system was designed to operate. After their last occurrence, transient faults leave the system in an arbitrary state (while the program code stays intact). We present a self-stabilizing algorithm, which recovers after the occurrence of transient faults. This addition to Cadambe et al. considers asynchronous settings as long as no transient faults occur. The recovery from transient faults that bring the system counters (close) to their maximal values may include the use of a global reset procedure, which requires the system run to be controlled by a fair scheduler. After the recovery period, the safety properties are provided for asynchronous system runs that are not necessarily controlled by fair schedulers. Since the recovery period is bounded and the occurrence of transient faults is extremely rare, we call this design criteria self-stabilization in the presence of seldom fairness. Our self-stabilizing algorithm uses a bounded amount of storage during asynchronous executions (that are not necessarily controlled by fair schedulers). To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to address privacy, data-corrupting malicious behavior, and self-stabilization in the context of emulating atomic shared memory in message-passing systems.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyse the fierce debate regarding children and young people’s use of digital social media, going on in Denmark (and in many other countries) in both mass media and social media. The overall question is what this panic is about and why the mass media and the public do not listen to the media sociologists than to self-appointed experts? Design/methodology/approach Using a systems-theoretical angle, this paper analyses the debate and answers the following questions: Why are researchers not taken more seriously, and why are their views neglected and criticised? What part does morality play in such debates? How and why do the mass media act as they do, for instance, listening more to debaters than to the researchers? 4) What is the role of the so-called social media? And are these debates best understood as conflicts? Findings The scientific code is only one among several other codes. The mass media also communicates about truth but only as a result of their own code and programs, which also counts for other functional systems such as the juridical and the political system. In the code and programmes of a given mass medium, it has information value that different actors has different truths, to which comes that conflicts between different opinions of truth is a direct selection criterium. This is the function of the mass media, and nobody would like to live in a society without (except for dictators and their henchmen). Finally, science is very programmatic and communicates only through its own code and programs why research results seldom reach the public in its own form (scientific books and articles) but through the lens of mass media organisations and the debaters. When science is observed from other systems, it happens through their codes and programs why science often does not count more than ordinary people’s meanings. Research limitations/implications The debate is polarised: on the one hand, there are debaters (self-appointed experts), whereas on the other hand, there are media researchers especially media sociologists. It turns out that the debaters have better communication possibilities than the researchers, as the scientific code does not trigger the news criteria as good as the often alarming statements from the debaters, who also use the moral code of communication that the researchers do not, as they are obligated to communicate solely in the scientific code. Originality/value There is no other systems-theoretical analysis of the moral media panic debates. The application of Luhmann’s systems theory is well suited, as it is both a communication theory and a sociological theory, whereas it is including both the relevant functional systems, such as the mass media, and the relevant communication codes, such as the news criteria of the mass media.

AbstractBackgroundStroke profoundly affects quality of life (QOL), including loss of employment, reduced social activity, shrinking social networks and low mood. Dysgraphia (impaired writing) is a common symptom of aphasia yet is rarely targeted in rehabilitation. Recent technological advances might challenge this, since much communication is now conducted digitally through writing. The rehabilitation of writing may therefore help to address the wider consequences of stroke and aphasia.AimsCan assistive technology (AT) training for people with dysgraphia: (1) improve written output, and are gains achieved only with AT? (2) improve reading comprehension scores, and are gains achieved only with AT? and (3) affect social participation, mood or QOLMethods and Procedures: DesignA mixed‐methods, repeated measures, small group study design was adopted (qualitative outcomes will be reported elsewhere).ParticipantsRecruited from community settings, for example, Stroke Association communication support groups. Inclusion criteria: over 18 years old, aphasia due to stroke, acquired dysgraphia, writing more impaired than speech, fluent English prior to stroke, access to computer and Internet. Exclusion criteria: currently receiving speech and language therapy, significant cognitive impairment, neuromuscular/motor‐speech impairments/structural abnormalities, developmental dyslexia, uncorrected visual/auditory impairments.ProceduresScreening and diagnostic assessments at time T1 (first baseline). Outcome measures at T1; repeated at T2 (second baseline), T3 (end of intervention), T4 (3‐month follow up). Social participation assessment and cognitive monitoring at T2, T3, T4. Intervention: Seven–ten hours individual therapy weekly and additional email support. Participants were trained to operate Dragon NaturallySpeaking (speech to text package) and ClaroRead (read writing aloud). Outcome measures were administered on pen and paper (control) and on computer, with AT enabled only at T3, T4.Outcomes and ResultsComputer narrative writing was significantly improved by AT training (Friedman's χ2 (3) = 8.27, p = 0.041), indicating a compensatory effect of AT. Though reading comprehension significantly improved in the computer condition (Friedman's χ2 (3) = 21.07, p = 0.001), gains could not be attributed to the AT. Gains were achieved only when measures were administered on the keyboard, with AT enabled. Thus, a compensatory rather than remediatory effect was suggested. Social network size significantly increased; there were no significant changes in mood/QOL. Individual success rates varied.Conclusion and ImplicationsThe customisable AT training was acceptable to participants and resulted in significantly improved narrative writing. Compensatory AT interventions are a useful adjunct to remediatory writing interventions and may particularly support functional writing.WHAT THIS PAPER ADDSWhat is already known on this subject Writing is rarely spared in aphasia and may present as the most impaired communication modality. Yet, people with aphasia report that writing is seldom included in their rehabilitation. Many communication activities are now conducted digitally through writing, therefore rehabilitation of this is more important than ever before. This study sought to address whether an assistive technology (AT) software package can improve writing and whether any changes were compensatory or remediatory.What this study adds to existing knowledge This group study found that AT training led to gains in written discourse and social network in people with aphasia and dysgraphia. Gains were not replicated in handwritten tasks, suggesting this was a compensatory therapeutic approach.What are the clinical implications of this work? AT programs such as this may present speech and language therapists with a practical, pragmatic adjunct to writing or typing therapy, particularly for clients with chronic, intractable impairments for whom remediatory therapy may have a low chance of success.

Abstract Background Understanding the factors that influence adolescent’s perception of fast food and their fluid consumption is crucial for designing effective nutrition education programs tailored to this population. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of sex and the use of media and the internet with adolescents' perception of fast foods and the amount of fluid consumption. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on school adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 years in Kuwait, using a multistage stratified random sampling method (N = 706 adolescents; 343 boys and 363 girls). A pre-tested and specifically designed self-report questionnaire covering several measures such as: (a) types of foods that are considered fast foods; and (b) participant’s fluid consumption. Body weight and height were measured using calibrated medical scales. Body mass index (BMI) was computed. The adolescents were stratified by sex into two groups: boys and girls, for the purpose of analysis. Results Seven out of 14 food choices showed significant sex differences (p values ranged from 0.016 to < 0.001) in the adolescents’ responses to whether they perceived such food choice as fast food or not. Although differences were found between sexes, the majority of the listed fast foods were correctly recognized as fast foods by the adolescents. In addition, there were significant differences between males and females in the amount of daily drinks (ml/week) consumed from full fat milk (males = l197.1 ± 27,652.1 and females = 1662.8 ± 2221, p = 0.013), sugar-sweetened beverage (males = 2350.8 ± 3324.3 and females = 3088.9 ± 3701.1, p = 0.004), and energy drinks (males = 429.5 ± 1117.2 and females = 267.6 ± 733.8, p = 0.037). Compared to adolescents who seldom or do not watch TV or use the internet, those who engage in these sedentary activities are less likely to classify pizza (aOR (95% CI) = 0.660 (0.440–0.990), p = 0.045), grilled meat (aOR (95% CI) = 0.674 (0.477–0.954), p = 0.026), fried egg sandwiches (aOR (95% CI) = 0.617 (0.425–0.894–0.189), p = 0.011), and rice (aOR (95% CI) = 0.598(0.409–0.875), p = 0.008) as fast foods. Conclusion The influence of TV and internet use on adolescent’s ability to accurately identify fast foods has been observed. Findings indicate the need for increased fast food nutrition education programs that are tailored towards adolescents. The study recommends further research to enhance consumer awareness of foods and drinks among adolescents in the State of Kuwait.

Introduction -- Making Sense of the (Virtual) World Computer games are never "just games". Computer games are models of reality and if they were not, we would never be able to understand them. Models serve three functions; they capture important, critical features of that which is to be represented while ignoring the irrelevant, they are appropriate for the person and they are appropriate for the task -- thereby enhancing the ability to make judgements and discover relevant regularities and structures (Norman 1993). Despite the inherently unvisualisable nature of computer code -- the flexible material of which all software constructs are built -- computer code is still the most "salient" ingredient in computer games. Less salient are those assumptions that are "built into" the software. By filtering out those parts of reality that are deemed irrelevant or unnecessary, different sorts of assumptions, different sorts of bias are automatically built into the software, reified in the very computer code (Friedman 1995, Friedman and Nissenbaum 1997). Here I will analyse some of the built-in structures that constitute the fabric of a special sort of game, a MUD. A MUD is an Internet-accessible "multi-participant, user-extensible virtual reality whose user interface is entirely textual" (Curtis, 1992). The specific MUD in question is a nine-year old Swedish-language adventure MUD called SvenskMUD ("SwedishMUD") that is run by Lysator, the academic computer club at Linköping University, Sweden. I have done field studies of SvenskMUD over a period of three and a half years (Pargman, forthcoming 2000). How is the SvenskMUD adventure world structured and what are the rules that are built into the fabric of this computer game? I will describe some of the ways in which danger and death, good and evil, courage, rewards and wealth are handled in the game. I will conclude the paper with a short analysis of the purpose of configuring the player according to those structures. Revocable Deaths Characters (personae/avatars) in SvenskMUD can be divided into two categories, players and magicians. Making a career as a player to a large part involves solving quests and killing "monsters" in the game. The magicians are all ex-players who have "graduated" and gone beyond playing the game of SvenskMUD. They have become the administrators, managers and programmers of SvenskMUD. A watchful eye is kept on the magicians by "God", the creator, owner and ultimate custodian of SvenskMUD. My own first battle in the game, in a sunlit graveyard with a small mouse, is an example of a bit-sized danger suitable for newcomers, or "newbies". I correctly guessed that the mouse was a suitably weak opponent for my newborn character, but still had to "tickle" the mouse on its belly (a euphemism for hitting it without much force) 50 times before I managed to kill it. Other parts of this epic battle included 45 failed attempts of mine to "tickle" the mouse, 39 successful "tickles" of the mouse and finally a wild chase around the graveyard before I caught up with the mouse, cornered it and managed to kill it and end the fight. Although I was successful in my endeavour, I was also more than half dead after my run-in with the mouse and had to spend quite some time engaged in more peaceful occupations before I was completely healed. It was only later that I learned that you can improve your odds considerably by using weapons and armour when you fight... Should a SvenskMUD player fail in his (or less often, her) risky and adventurous career and die, that does not constitute an insurmountable problem. Should such a thing pass, the player's ghost only has to find the way back to a church in one of the villages. In the church, the player is reincarnated, albeit with some loss of game-related abilities and experience. The way the unfortunate event of an occasional death is handled is part of the meta-rules of SvenskMUD. The meta-rules are the implicit, underlying rules that represent the values, practices and concerns that shape the frame from which the "ordinary" specific rules operate. Meta-rules are part of the "world view that directs the game action and represents the implicit philosophy or ideals by which the world operates" (Fine 1983, 76). Despite the adventure setting with all its hints of medieval lawlessness and unknown dangers lurking, SvenskMUD is in fact a very caring and forgiving environment. The ultimate proof of SvenskMUD's forgiveness is the revocable character of death itself. Fair Dangers Another SvenskMUD meta-rule is that dangers (and death) should be "fair". This fairness is extended so as to warn players explicitly of dangers. Before a dangerous monster is encountered, the player receives plenty of warnings: You are standing in the dark woods. You feel a little afraid. East of you is a small dark lake in the woods. There are three visible ways from here: east, north and south. It would be foolish to direct my character to go east in this situation without being adequately prepared for encountering and taking on something dangerous in battle. Those preparations should include a readiness to flee if the expected danger proves to be superior. If, in the example above, a player willingly and knowingly directs a character to walk east, that player has to face the consequences of this action. But if another player is very cautious and has no reason to suspect a deadly danger lurking behind the corner, it is not considered "fair" if that player's character dies or is hurt in such a way that it results in damage that has far-reaching consequences within the game. The dangerous monsters that roam the SvenskMUD world are restricted to roam only "dangerous" areas and it is considered good manners to warn players in some way when they enter such an area. Part of learning how to play SvenskMUD successfully becomes a matter of understanding different cues, such as the transition from a safe area to a dangerous one, or the different levels of danger signalled by different situations. Should they not know it in advance, players quickly learn that it is not advisable to enter the "Valley of Ultimate Evil" unless they have reached a very high level in the game and are prepared to take on any dangers that come their way. As with all other meta-rules, both players and magicians internalise this rule to such an extent that it becomes unquestionable and any transgression (such as a dangerous monster roaming around in a village, killing newbie characters who happen to stray its way) would immediately render complaints from players and corresponding actions on behalf of the magicians to rectify the situation. Meta-Rules as "Folk Ideas" Fine (1983, 76-8) enumerates four meta-rules that Dundes (1971) has described and applies them to the fantasy role-playing games he has studied. Dundes's term for these meta-rules is "folk ideas" and they reflect existing North American (and Western European) cultural beliefs. Fine shows that these folk ideas capture core beliefs or central values of the fantasy role-playing games he studied. Three of Dundes's four folk ideas are also directly applicable to SvenskMUD. Unlimited Wealth The first folk idea is the principle of unlimited good. There is no end to growth or wealth. For that reason, treasure found in a dungeon doesn't need a rationale for being there. This folk idea is related to the modernist concept of constant, unlimited progress. "Some referees even 'restock' their dungeons when players have found a particular treasure so that the next time someone enters that room (and kills the dragon or other beasties guarding it) they, too, will be rewarded" (Fine 1983, 76). To restock all treasures and reawaken all killed monsters at regular intervals is standard procedure in SvenskMUD and all other adventure MUDs. The technical term is that the game "resets". The reason why a MUD resets at regular intervals is that, while the MUD itself is finite, there is no end to the number of players who want their share of treasures and other goodies. The handbook for SvenskMUD magicians contains "design guidelines" for creating quests: You have to invent a small story about your quest. The typical scenario is that someone needs help with something. It is good if you can get the story together in such a way that it is possible to explain why it can be solved several times, since the quest will be solved, once for each prospective magician. Perhaps a small spectacle a short while after (while the player is pondering the reward) that in some way restore things in such a way that it can be solved again. (Tolke 1993, my translation) Good and Evil The second folk idea is that the world is a battleground between good and evil. In fantasy literature or a role-playing game there is often no in-between and very seldom any doubt whether someone encountered is good or evil, as "referees often express the alignment [moral character] of nonplayer characters through stereotyped facial features or symbolic colours" (Fine 1983, 77). "Good and evil" certainly exists as a structuring resource for the SvenskMUD world, but interestingly the players are not able to be described discretely in these terms. As distinct from role-playing games, a SvenskMUD player is not created with different alignments (good, evil or neutral). All players are instead neutral and they acquire an alignment as they go along, playing SvenskMUD -- the game. If a player kills a lot of mice and cute rabbits, that player will turn first wicked and then evil. If a player instead kills trolls and orcs, that player first turns good and then saint-like. Despite the potential fluidity of alignment in SvenskMUD, some players cultivate an aura of being good or evil and position themselves in opposition to each other. This is most apparent with two of the guilds (associations) in SvenskMUD, the Necromancer's guild and the Light order's guild. Courage Begets Rewards The third folk idea is the importance of courage. Dangers and death operate in a "fair" way, as should treasures and rewards. The SvenskMUD world is structured both so as not to harm or kill players "needlessly", and in such a way that it conveys the message "no guts, no glory" to the players. In different places in the MUD (usually close to a church, where new players start), there are "easy" areas with bit-sized dangers and rewards for beginners. My battle with the mouse was an example of such a danger/reward. A small coin or an empty bottle that can be returned for a small finder's fee are examples of other bit-sized rewards: The third folk idea is the importance of courage. Dangers and death operate in a "fair" way, as should treasures and rewards. The SvenskMUD world is structured both so as not to harm or kill players "needlessly", and in such a way that it conveys the message "no guts, no glory" to the players. In different places in the MUD (usually close to a church, where new players start), there are "easy" areas with bit-sized dangers and rewards for beginners. My battle with the mouse was an example of such a danger/reward. A small coin or an empty bottle that can be returned for a small finder's fee are examples of other bit-sized rewards: More experienced characters gain experience points (xps) and rise in levels only by seeking out and overcoming danger and "there is a positive correlation between the danger in a setting and its payoff in treasure" (Fine 1983, 78). Just as it would be "unfair" to die without adequate warning, so would it be (perceived to be) grossly unfair to seek out and overcome dangerous monsters or situations without being adequately rewarded. And conversely, it would be perceived to be unfair if someone "stumbled over the treasure" without having deserved it, i.e. if someone was rewarded without having performed an appropriately difficult task. Taken from the information on etiquette in an adventure MUD, Reid's quote is a good example of this: It's really bad form to steal someone else's kill. Someone has been working on the Cosmicly Invulnerable Utterly Unstoppable Massively Powerful Space Demon for ages, leaves to get healed, and in the interim, some dweeb comes along and whacks the Demon and gets all it's [sic] stuff and tons of xps [experience points]. This really sucks as the other person has spent lots of time and money in expectation of the benefits from killing the monster. The graceful thing to do is to give em [sic] all the stuff from the corpse and compensation for the money spent on healing. This is still a profit to you as you got all the xps and spent practically no time killing it. (Reid 1999, 122, my emphasis) The User Illusion An important objective of the magicians in SvenskMUD is to describe everything that a player experiences in the SvenskMUD world in game-related terms. The game is regarded as a stage where the players are supposed to see only what is in front of, but not behind the scenes. A consistent use of game-related terms and game-related explanations support the suspension of disbelief and engrossment in the SvenskMUD fantasy world. The main activity of the MUD users should be to enter into the game and guide their characters through a fascinating (and, as much as possible and on its own terms, believable) fantasy world. The guiding principle is therefore that the player should never be reminded of the fact that the SvenskMUD world is not for real, that SvenskMUD is only a game or a computer program. From this perspective, the worst thing players can encounter in SvenskMUD is a breakdown of the user illusion, a situation that instantly transports a person from the SvenskMUD world and leaves that person sitting in front of a computer screen. Error messages, e.g. the feared "you have encountered a bug [in the program]", are an example of this. If a magician decides to change the SvenskMUD world, that magician is supposed to do the very best to explain the change by using game-related jargon. This is reminiscent of the advice to "work within the system": "wherever possible, things that can be done within the framework of the experiential level should be. The result will be smoother operation and greater harmony among the user community" (Morningstar and Farmer 1991, 294). If for some reason a shop has to be moved from one village to another, a satisfactory explanation must be given, e.g. a fire occurring in the old shop or the old shop being closed due to competition (perhaps from the "new", relocated shop). Explanations that involve supernatural forces or magic are also fine in a fantasy world. Explanations that remind the player of the fact that the SvenskMUD world is not for real ("I moved the shop to Eriksros, because all magicians decided that it would be so much better to have it there"), or even worse, that SvenskMUD is a computer program ("I moved the program shop.c to another catalogue in the file structure") are to be avoided at all costs. Part of socialising magicians becomes teaching them to express themselves in this way even when they know better about the machinations of SvenskMud. There are several examples of ingenious and imaginative ways to render difficult-to-explain phenomena understandable in game-related terms: There was a simple problem that appeared at times that made the computer [that SvenskMUD runs on] run a little slower, and as time went by the problem got worse. I could fix the problem easily when I saw it and I did that at times. After I had fixed the problem the game went noticeably faster for the players that were logged in. For those occasions, I made up a message and displayed it to everyone who was in the system: "Linus reaches into the nether regions and cranks a little faster". (Interview with Linus Tolke, "God" in SvenskMUD) When a monster is killed in the game, it rots away (disappears) after a while. However, originally, weapons and armour that the monster wielded did not disappear; a lucky player could find valuable objects and take them without having "deserved" them. This specific characteristic of the game was deemed to be a problem, not least because it furthered a virtual inflation in the game that tended to decrease the value of "honestly" collected weapons and loot. The problem was discussed at a meeting of the SvenskMUD magicians that I attended. It was decided that when a monster is killed and the character that killed it does not take the loot, the loot should disappear ("rot") together with the monster. But how should this be explained to the players in a suitable way if they approach a magician to complain about the change, a change that in their opinion was for the worse? At the meeting it was suggested that from now on, all weapons and shields were forged with a cheaper, weaker metal. Not only would objects of this metal "rot" away together with the monster that wielded them, but it was also suggested that all weapons in the whole game should in fact be worn down as time goes by. (Not to worry, new ones appear in all the pre-designated places every time the game resets.) Conclusion -- Configuring the Player SvenskMUD can easily be perceived as a "blooming buzzing confusion" for a new player and my own first explorations in SvenskMUD often left me confused even as I was led from one enlightenment to the next. Not everyone feels inclined to take up the challenge to make sense of a world where you have to learn everything anew, including how to walk and how to talk. On the other hand, in the game world, much is settled for the best, and a crack in a subterranean cave is always exactly big enough to squeeze through... The process of becoming part of the community of SvenskMUD players is inexorably connected to learning to become an expert in the activities of that community, i.e. of playing SvenskMUD (Wenger 1998). A player who wants to program in SvenskMUD (thereby altering the fabric of the virtual world) will acquire many of the relevant concepts before actually becoming a magician, just by playing and exploring the game of SvenskMUD. Even if the user illusion succeeds in always hiding the computer code from the player, the whole SvenskMUD world constitutes a reflection of that underlying computer code. An implicit understanding of the computer code is developed through extended use of SvenskMUD. The relationship between the SvenskMUD world and the underlying computer code is in this sense analogous to the relationship between the lived-in world and the rules of physics that govern the world. All around us children "prepare themselves" to learn the subject of physics in school by throwing balls up in the air (gravity) and by pulling carts or sledges (friction). By playing SvenskMUD, a player will become accustomed to many of the concepts that govern the SvenskMUD world and will come to understand the goals, symbols, procedures and values of SvenskMUD. This process bears many similarities to the "primary socialisation" of a child into a member of society, a socialisation that serves "to make appear as necessity what is in fact a bundle of contingencies" (Berger and Luckmann 1966, 155). This is the purpose of configuring the player and it is intimately connected to the re-growth of SvenskMUD magicians and the survival of SvenskMUD itself over time. However, it is not the only possible outcome of the SvenskMUD socialisation process. The traditional function of trials and quests in fantasy literature is to teach the hero, usually through a number of external or internal encounters with evil or doubt, to make the right, moral choices. By excelling at these tests, the protagonist shows his or her worthiness and by extension also stresses and perhaps imputes these values in the reader (Dalquist et al. 1991). Adventure MUDs could thus socialise adolescents and reinforce common moral values in society; "the fantasy hero is the perfectly socialised and exemplary subject of a society" (53, my translation). My point here is not that SvenskMUD differs from other adventure MUDs. I would imagine that most of my observations are general to adventure MUDs and that many are applicable also to other computer games. My purpose here has rather been to present a perspective on how an adventure MUD is structured, to trace the meaning of that structure beyond the game itself and to suggest a purpose behind that organisation. I encourage others to question built-in bias and underlying assumptions of computer games (and other systems) in future studies. References Berger, P., and T. Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Penguin, 1966. Curtis, P. "MUDding: Social Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Realities." High Noon on the Electronic Frontier. Ed. P. Ludlow. Cambridge, MA: MIT P, 1996. 13 Oct. 2000 <http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/computer-science/virtual-reality/communications/papers/muds/muds/Mudding-Social-Phenomena.txt>. Dalquist, U., T. Lööv, and F. Miegel. "Trollkarlens lärlingar: Fantasykulturen och manlig identitetsutveckling [The Wizard's Apprentices: Fantasy Culture and Male Identity Development]." Att förstå ungdom [Understanding Youth]. Ed. A. Löfgren and M. Norell. Stockholm/Stehag: Brutus Östlings Bokförlag Symposion, 1991. Dundes, A. "Folk Ideas as Units of World View." Toward New Perspectives in Folklore. Ed. A. Paredes and R. Bauman. Austin: U of Texas P, 1971. Fine, G.A. Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1983. Friedman, B. and H. Nissenbaum. "Bias in Computer Systems." Human Values and the Design of Computer Technology. Ed. B. Friedman. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1997. Friedman, T. "Making Sense of Software: Computer Games and Interactive Textuality." Cybersociety: Computer-Mediated Communication and Community. Ed. S. Jones. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1995. Morningstar, C. and F. R. Farmer. "The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat." Cyberspace: The First Steps. Ed. M. Benedikt. Cambridge: MA, MIT P, 1991. 13 Oct. 2000 <http://www.communities.com/company/papers/lessons.php>. Norman, D. Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1993. Pargman, D. "Code Begets Community: On Social and Technical Aspects of Managing a Virtual Community." Ph.D. dissertation. Dept. of Communication Studies, Linköping University, Sweden, forthcoming, December 2000. Reid, E. "Hierarchy and Power: Social Control in Cyberspace." Communities in Cyberspace. Ed. M. Smith and P. Kollock. London, England: Routledge, 1999. Tolke, L. Handbok för SvenskMudmagiker: ett hjälpmedel för byggarna i SvenskMUD [Handbook for SvenskMudmagicians: An Aid for the Builders in SvenskMUD]. Printed and distributed by the author in a limited edition, 1993. Wenger, E. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1998. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Daniel Pargman. "The Fabric of Virtual Reality -- Courage, Rewards and Death in an Adventure MUD." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3.5 (2000). [your date of access] <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0010/mud.php>. Chicago style: Daniel Pargman, "The Fabric of Virtual Reality -- Courage, Rewards and Death in an Adventure MUD," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3, no. 5 (2000), <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0010/mud.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Daniel Pargman. (2000) The Fabric of Virtual Reality -- Courage, Rewards and Death in an Adventure MUD. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3(5). <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0010/mud.php> ([your date of access]).

I sat alone on the beach under the shade of a big umbrella. My husband, Bill, and our three children were in the condo taking a break from the Florida sunshine. Dreamily, I gazed at the vast Gulf of Mexico, the brilliant blue sky stretching endlessly above. I was sitting about 50 feet from the surf, but I couldn't actually see the waves hitting the beach; I was almost blind. It was a windy day in late May and I loved feeling the ocean breeze sweeping over me. I imagined I could hear the waves crashing onto the surf, but the sound was only a memory. I was totally deaf. Although I had a cochlear implant and could hear the waves, the cry of sea gulls, and many other sounds with the technology, I wasn't wearing it at the moment and everything I heard was in my mind. As a child, my understanding of speech was better and my vision was clearer. My diagnosis was optic atrophy at age 5 and my vision gradually degenerated over the years. For unknown reasons, nerve damage caused hearing loss and during my teens, my hearing grew worse and worse until by the time I was ready for college, I was profoundly deaf. I chose to attend Gallaudet University because my high school teachers and my parents felt I would receive better services as a deaf and blind student. I feel it was a very good decision; when I entered Gallaudet, it was like entering a new and exhilarating world. Before attending Gallaudet, while I struggled to cope with hearing loss combined with severely low vision, my world grew smaller and smaller, not being able to communicate efficiently with others. At Gallaudet, I suddenly found I could communicate with almost anybody I met on campus using sign language. Thus, my self-confidence and independence grew as I proceeded to get a college education.It wasn't an easy route to follow. I didn't know Braille at the time and depended on using a CCTV (closed captioned television) electronic aid which magnified text, enabling me to read all my college books. I also relied on the assistance of a class aid who interpreted all my teachers' lectures and class discussions because I was unable to see people's signing unless they signed right in front of my face. It was slow going and often frustrating, trying to keep involved socially and keeping up with my coursework but when I was 13 years old, my vision specialist teacher who had worked with me from 5th grade until I graduated from high school, wrote a note for me saying, "Anything worthwhile seldom comes easy." The phrase stuck in my mind and I tried to follow this philosophy. In 1989 after 7 years of persistence, I graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in psychology. With the B.A. in hand and having developed good communication skills with deaf and deaf-blind people using sign language and ASL (American Sign Language), I was ready to face the world. But I wasn't exactly ready; I knew I wanted a professional job working with deaf-blind people and the way to get there was to earn a master's degree. I applied for admission into Gallaudet's graduate school and was accepted into the vocational rehabilitation counselling program. While I thoroughly enjoyed graduate school experience, I got to work with my class mates one-on-one more often and there were a lot more hands-on activities, it became obvious to me that I wasn't prepared for graduate school. I needed to learn Braille and how to use Braille technology; my vision had worsened a lot since starting college. In addition, I needed a break from school and needed to gain experience in the working world. After completing one and a half years and earning 15 credit hours in the master's program, I left Gallaudet and found a job in Baltimore, Maryland.The job was with a new program for adults who were visually and hearing impaired and mentally disabled. My job was assisting the clients with independent living and work related skills. Most of the other staff were deaf, communicating via ASL. By then, I was skilled using tactile signing, putting my hand on the back of the signer's hand to follow movements by touch, and I made friends with co-workers. I felt grown up and independent working full-time, living in my own apartment, using the subway train and bus to travel to and from work. I didn't have any serious problems living on my own. There was a supermarket up the road to which I could walk or ride a bus. But I needed a taxi ride back to the apartment when I had more groceries than I could carry. I would leave a sign I made out of cardboard and wrote my address in big black numbers, on my apartment door to help the driver find my place. I used a white cane and upon moving to Baltimore, an Orientation and Mobility (O and M) teacher who worked with blind people, showing them how to travel in the city, taught me the route to my work place using the subway and bus. Thus, I was independent and knew my way to work as well as to a nearby shopping mall. One day as I stood on the subway station platform holding my white cane, waiting for my train, the opposite train pulled in. As I stood watching passengers hurrying to board, knowing my train would arrive soon on the other side, a woman ran up to me and started pulling my arm. I handed her my notebook and black marker I used for communicating with people in the public, telling her I couldn't hear and would she please write in large print? She frantically scribbled something, but I couldn't read the note. She then gave me back the pen and pad, grabbed my arm again and started pulling me towards the train. I refused to budge, gesturing towards the opposite tracks, clearly indicating I was waiting for the other train. Finally, she let go, dashed into the train before the doors closed. I watched the train pull away, sadly reflecting that some people who wanted to help, just didn't understand how to approach disabled people. As a deaf-blind traveller, it was my duty to help educate the general public how to assist disabled persons in a humane way. After I established my new life for a few months, Bill was offered a position in the same program and moved to Baltimore to join me. He had worked at the Helen Keller National Centre in New York where I met him while doing a summer internship there three years before. I was thrilled when he got the job working beside me and we got to know each other on a daily basis. We had been dating since we met although I was in college and he was working and living in New York and then Cleveland, Ohio. Bill being hearing and sighted, was skilled in sign language and communication techniques with deaf-blind people. He had a wonderful attitude towards disabled people and made me feel like a normal person who was capable of doing things. We shared a lot and were very comfortable with each other. After nearly six months together in Baltimore, we married in May 1992, several weeks before my 28th birthday.After our first year of marriage living in Maryland, Bill and I moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. We wanted to live closer to my family and parents, Ron and Judy Cummings, who lived in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 176 miles north of Little Rock. I wanted to go back to school and entered the deaf education program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with the goal of becoming a teacher for deaf-blind students. I never dreamed I would have a deaf-blind child of my own one day. My vision and hearing loss were caused by nerve damage and no one else in my family nor Bill's had a similar disability.I was pregnant with our first child when I entered UALR. In spite of my growing belly, I enjoyed the teacher training experience. I worked with a deaf-blind 12-year-old student and her teacher at the Arkansas School for the Deaf; observed two energetic four-year-olds in the pre-school program. But when my son, Joe was born in June 1994, my world changed once again. School became less important and motherhood became the ultimate. As a deaf-blind person, I wanted to be the best mom within my abilities.I decided that establishing good communication with my child was an important aspect of being a deaf-blind mom. Bill was in full agreement and we would set Joe on the kitchen table in his infant carrier, reciting together in sign language, "The three Bears". I could see Joe's tiny fists and feet wave excitedly in the air as he watched us signing children's stories. I would encourage Joe to hold my fingers while I signed to him, trying to establish a tactile signing relationship. But he was almost two years old when he finally understood that he needed to sign into my hands. We were sitting at the table and I had a bag of cookies. I refused to give him one until he made the sign for "cookie" in my hand. I quickly rewarded him with a cookie and he got three or four each time he made the sign in my hand. Today at 16, Joe is an expert finger speller and can effectively communicate with me and his younger deaf-blind brother, Ben.When Joe was two and a half, I decided to explore a cochlear implant. It was 1996 and we were living in Poplar Bluff by then. My cousin, who was studying audiology, told me that people using cochlear implants were able to understand sound so well they didn't need good vision. I made an appointment with the St. Louis cochlear implant program and after being evaluated, I decided to go ahead. I am glad I have a cochlear implant. After months of practice I learned to use the new sound and was eventually able to understand many environmental sounds. I never regained the ability of understanding speech, though, but I could hear people's voices very clearly, the sound of laughter, birds singing, and many more. Being able to hear my children's voices is especially wonderful, even when they get noisy and I get a headache. That fall I went to Leader Dogs School for the Blind (LDSB) where I met Milo, a large yellow Labrador retriever. At LDSB I learned how to care for and work with a dog guide. Having Milo as my companion and guide was like stepping into another new and wonderful world of independence. With Milo, I could walk briskly and feel secure. Milo was a big help as a deaf-blind mom, too. With Milo's guiding help, it was wonderful following my children while they rode tricycles or bikes and the whole family enjoyed going out for walks together. Our second son, Ben, was born in February 1999. He was a perfectly healthy little boy and Bill and I were looking forward to raising two sons. Joe was four and a half years old when Ben was born and was fascinated in his new brother. But when Ben was 5 months old, he was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare childhood disease and in some cases, fatal. It was a long, scary road we followed as Ben received treatment at the children's hospital in St. Louis which involved making the 150 mile trip almost weekly for chemotherapy and doctor check-ups. Through it all, Ben was a happy little boy, in spite of the terrible rash that affected his scalp and diaper area, a symptom of LCH. Bill and I knew that we had to do everything possible to help Ben. When he was a year old, his condition seemed stable enough for me to feel comfortable leaving my family for two months to study Braille and learn new technology skills at a program in Kansas City. My vision had deteriorated to a point where I could no longer use a CCTV.Bill's mom, Marie Reid, who lived in Cleveland, Ohio, made a special trip to stay at our home in Poplar Bluff to help Bill with the boys while I was gone. I was successful at the program, learning Braille, making a change from magnification to Braille technology. Upon returning home, I began looking for a job and found employment as a deaf-blind specialist in a new project in Mississippi. The job was in Tupelo and we moved to northern Mississippi, settling into a new life. We transferred Ben's treatment to St. Judes Children's hospital located in Memphis, 94 miles west of Tupelo. I went to work and Bill stayed home with the boys, which worked well. When Ben had to go to St. Judes every three weeks for chemotherapy, Bill was able to drive him. The treatment was successful, the rash had disappeared and there were no traces of LCH in Ben's blood tests. But when he was almost 3 years old, he was diagnosed with optic atrophy, the same eye disease I suffered from and an audiologist detected signs of inner ear hearing loss.Shocked at the news that our little son would grow up legally blind and perhaps become deaf, Bill and I had to rethink our future. We knew we wanted Ben to have a good life and as a deaf-blind child, he needed quality services. We chose to move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania because I knew there were good services for deaf-blind people and I could function independently as a stay-home mom. In addition, Cleveland, Ohio, where Marie Reid and several of Bill's siblings lived, was a two hour's drive from Pittsburgh and living near family was important to us. With regret, I left my job opportunity and new friends and we re-located to Pittsburgh. We lived on a quiet street near Squirrel Hill and enrolled Joe into a near-by Catholic school. Ben received excellent early intervention services through the Pittsburgh public school, beginning Braille, using a white cane and tactile signing. The Pennsylvania services for the blind generously purchased a wonderful computer system and Braille display for me to use at home. I was able to communicate with Joe's and Ben's teachers and other contacts using e-mail. Ben's Braille teacher provided us with several print/Braille books which I read to the boys while Ben touched the tactile pictures. I made friends in the deaf and deaf-blind community and our family attended social events. Besides the social benefits of a deaf community, Pittsburgh offered a wonderful interpreting service and I was able to take Ben to doctor appointments knowing an interpreter would meet me at the hospital to assist with communication. I also found people who were willing to help me as volunteer SSPs (support Service Providers), persons whose role is to assist a deaf-blind person in any way, such as shopping, going to the bank, etc. Thus, I was able to function quite independently while Bill worked. Perhaps Bill and I were a bit crazy; after all, we had enough on our plate with a deaf-blind son and a deaf-blind mom, but love is a mysterious thing. In October 2003, Tim was born and our family was complete. Having two school-aged children and a baby on my hands was too much for me to handle alone. Bill was working and busy with culinary arts school. We realized we needed more help with the children, plus the high cost of living in the city was a struggle for us. We decided for the family's best interest, it would be better to move back to Poplar Bluff. After Joe and Ben were out of school in June, my mom flew out to Pittsburgh to escort them back to her home while Bill finished his externship for his culinary arts degree and in the late summer of 2004, we packed up our apartment, said good-bye to Pittsburgh, and drove to Missouri. The move was a good decision in many ways. Poplar Bluff, a rural town in south-eastern Missouri, has been my hometown since I was 10 years old. My extended family live there and the boys are thriving growing up among their cousins. Ben is receiving Braille and sign language services at public school and reads Braille faster than me!While both Bill and I are deeply satisfied knowing our children are happy, we have made personal sacrifices. Bill has given up his career satisfaction as a professional cook, needing to help look after the children and house. I have given up the benefits of city life such as interpreting and SSP services, not to mention the social benefits of a deaf community. But the children's well-being comes first, and I have found ways to fulfil my needs by getting involved with on-line groups for deaf-blind people, including writers and poets. I have taken a great interest in writing, especially children's stories and hope to establish a career as a writer. While I work on my computer, Bill keeps busy engaging the boys in various projects. They have built a screened-in tree house in the backyard where Ben and Tim like to sleep during warm summer nights.“It's almost 5 o'clock," Bill signed into my hand, rousing me from my thoughts. Time to prepare for our homeward journey the next day to Poplar Bluff, Missouri.Christy and Family

Now reduced share of industrial waste in comparison with the 80s is obvious in Russia Simultaneously, share ofmunicipal waste increases. A rather high part of industrial waste is used for recycling, but in the same time recycling for municipal waste is seldom. A few wastes are used for energy production. It concerns both municipal and wooden waste. The only one exception is pulp and paper mills. The most part of municipal waste is disposed in landfills and dumps including illegal ones. Waste treatment plants including incineration ones are only in several big cities (Moscow, St Petersburg, Samara). These plants are based on rather old technologies, as a rule. The main reason of such situation is absence at national and regional levels of a necessary legislation base that stimulates more effective waste treatment in Russia. In particularly, there is no a well-developed policy in renewable energy resources. Too low prices for gas are also prevention for introducing waste in energy production. Administrative decisions without economic measures are the most common method of management. It needs to use methods of project management in this sphere. There is a serious problem of absence of qualified experts. Thus it is necessary educational and training programs that include all topics of solid waste treatment. For this purpose it should be better to cooperate with the EU countries. It will give possibility to use European experience for Russia. Besides it can give possibility to use Russian technological inventions for other countries. It needs to develop a legislative initiative for separate collection of waste. Legislation that should stimulate private business activity in solid waste treatment is necessary also. It is desirably to make correction of Russian rules in waste treatment for more harmonization with rules of the EU. Now the amount and a variety of solid wastes in Russian cities and settlements is promptly growing. In spite of the fact that the amount of industrial waste in comparison with the 80's has considerably decreased, there is an appreciable increase of the amount of municipal waste. It is necessary to mean, that the significant part of industrial waste is exposed to processing, first recycling (metals, pulp-and-paper production, glass, plastics). In the same time recycling for municipal waste is developed rather poor. This situation is caused by several factors: After the beginning of market reforms in Russia the sector of trade in which modem methods of good packing began to develop very fast. It has resulted in the sharp increase of wastes, containing paper, plastic, cardboard, and glass. In the Soviet period circulation of glass packing (bottles, cans) was rather good due to a well-developed enough infrastructure and used methods of economic incentives for circulation (first on the base of a high mortgaging price). Thus the significant part of returned packing intended for a reuse. For example, glass bottles for milk were used on the average 9 - IO times. Measures of incentives for the population for recycling pulp-and-paper production were also developed. Collecting food waste for use as additives in forage to cattle was carried out. However last years big reducing of glass share and growth of plastic packing one happened changes. Packing in aluminum cans has appeared. Meanwhile, however, as a rule, glass receptacle did not be used repeatedly, and its collecting as a base for manufacture of new receptacle economically does not be stimulated. At the same time there is a certain interest to collecting aluminum cans that is connected to rather high prices for an aluminum waste. Unfortunately, because of backwardness of the infrastructure for collecting metal waste in the municipal sector a process of this collecting is sometimes rather criminal. Besides collectors is mostly the poorest part of the population. Simultaneously the amount of home electronic and electric devices ( computers, communication devices, household devices: refrigerators, TVs, radio sets, audio and video recorders and types) increases considerably with improvement of well-being of the population. Stable growth of the number of cars is observed. Revival of the construction industry promotes expansion of the list of used materials. Thus practice of application of rather dangerous materials (asbestos, PVC) is kept unfortunate] y. Food reduces are not allocated in the separate group now at collecting though use of old Soviet principles would allow to collect organic waste products for composting. These are 30-40 percents from all weight of waste, thus it would be possible to receive the ground for use in a garden facilities and in landscape gardening construction Collecting and transportation of solid waste products Russia By the present moment a basic scheme of collecting and transportation of solid waste did not change, except the increase of a number of the non-authorized dumps. City dwellers collect household waste within the limits of their apartments in waste cans, dust from which then is moved to municipal containers, which are located in courtyards. Many houses are equipped with refuse chutes from which solid waste also is got to municipal containers located in special spaces in the ground floor. Special machines come under certain schedules to transport the filled waste containers to special polygons (landfills) or incineration plants. The locations of municipal containers and clearing units of refuse chutes are mostly in unsatisfactory sanitary conditions, being a source of numerous rats and cockroaches. Offices of firms and administrative establishments have contracts with specialized transport agencies for transportation of solid waste. The vehicles belonging to specialized motor-vehicle pools, as a rule, are equipped with hydraulic elevating adaptations to lift municipal containers. However they are not completed with the equipment of dust densification in containers. The collected waste is overloaded to big volume containers in the overload points and then is transported by special transport to places of landfilling or processing. Vehicles of the specialized motor-vehicle pools are worn strongly out, as the majority of them were acquired in 1980th years. Probably, soon they will require repair or even to replacement. The account of transported dust is made according to volume of containers, instead of weight of contents that conducts to overestimate costs of the companies - carriers. Separate collecting of waste in initial stage of collecting remains while only at a level of projects and experiments. Thus, non-selected solid waste is delivered to places of landfilling or processing. Really, partial separating of collected waste is made directly in processing plants. For this purpose a special conveyor is used where workers take off some sorts of waste materials for further recycling.