Plasmatic Music:A system of music making based on Acoustics and Psychoacoustics

This thesis provides specific insight and commentary for the accompanying composition portfolio. The text offers an alternative model of composition that is based on acoustical and psychoacoustical considerations. Drawing inspiration from the works and writings of Horatiu Radulescu, I have called this otherwise personal compositional approach 'Plasmatic Music'. Radulescu used the term Sound Plasma to describe his all-encompassing musical thinking. In trying to indicate the similarities and the differences between my own compositional approach and those of Radulescu, the thesis first investigates Radulescu’s ideas of Sound Plasma and demonstrates how the Sound Plasma is a larger philosophical vision stepping beyond aesthetical or compositional realms and into mysticism and metaphysics. This is followed by looking at few of his compositions purely from compositional/acoustical point of view. In the second chapter I establish my definition of Plasmatic Music as a model of musical composition based on acoustics and psychoacoustics. In the final chapter I provide analysis for the compositions in the portfolio, where the ideas and techniques of creating Plasmatic Music are demonstrated in practice. The thesis concludes by giving suggestion and proposal for future research and case studies in the field of applied psychoacoustics which could benefit other composers and musicians. Through analysing the works contained within the portfolio, I will illustrate the systematic processes that lies behind them. This approach that I call Plasmatic Music, is a sound production system that places the emphasis on sound itself. The thesis offers an insight into why it is crucial to have an in-depth knowledge of acoustics to envision the auditory situations of Plasmatic Music and how this has been applied to a unique body of compositional works

Synthesizing and Characterization of Amino Acid Based Ionic Liquids for Pharmaceutical Applications

There has been a growing attention towards amino acid based ionic liquids (AAILs) since the past decade. Synthesizing ionic liquids (ILs) from renewable biomaterials is a promising method to improve the biocompatibility and biodegradability of ionic liquids. In this project, 10 choline based ILs were synthesized with different\ud amino acids and tested towards gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to show the relationship between the anion structure and the degree of toxicity. All the AAILs demonstrated a high biocompatibility towards the tested bacteria and their toxicity decreased by smaller molecular size of anion. Additionally, biodegradability of the synthesized AAILs were assessed via the method of closed bottle test employing river water microorganisms and it turned out that all the AAILs had over 60% biodegradation which classifies them as “readily biodegradable”. Longer chain length and presence of functional groups in the structure of anion directly affected the molecular breakdown by microbial activities

Characterization of a TetR/AcrR family transcriptional repressor gene NpR3597 in Nostoc punctiforme

Nostoc punctiforme is a filamentous cyanobacterium capable of differentiating its vegetative cells into spore-like akinetes that can withstand desiccation and cold. The NpR3597 gene was previously identified in a time-course DNA microarray experiment to be up-regulated during akinete formation, and up-regulated in dividing cells of the filament as indicated by GFP transcriptional reporter strains. Sequence similarity to characterized proteins indicates that this is a putative tetracycline repressor family protein similar to TetR/AcrR found in a vast array of bacteria species that represses divergently transcribed genes encoding for ABC transport proteins. The mechanism of AcrR repression typically involves binding to an inverted repeat in the promoter of the divergently transcribed gene, inhibiting attachment of RNA polymerase. Although no phenotype could be determined for a NpR3597 deletion mutant strain, an over-expression strain bearing multiple copies of this gene on a plasmid under control of its own promoter caused pigmentation changes. Desiccation-revival tests showed that over-expression of NpR3597 results in nonfunctional akinetes. Spectrophotometric examination of the over-expression strain indicated that the levels of phycocyanin, a light harvesting protein subunit of the photosynthetic phycobilisome apparatus, was significantly higher than normal. Through a second round of microarray analysis, it was found that over-expression of NpR3597 correlated to increased transcription of genes involved in phycocyanin synthesis as well as other photosynthetic genes, and down-regulation of upstream divergently transcribed multi-drug resistance efflux pump gene NpF3598. Strong down-regulation of a number of additional genes with inverted repeat sequences in their upstream intergenic region, particularly another multi-drug resistance efflux pump gene NpF1932, was also observed. To determine the binding site for NpR3597, a conserved inverted repeat sequence found upstream of both NpF3598 and NpF1932 was used in Electric Mobility Gel Shift Assays (EMSA). A plasmid encoding for a 6xHistidine tagged NpR3597 was constructed, and the His-tagged protein purified. DNA fragments containing or lacking the putative inverted repeat binding sites were generated by PCR, end-labeled with biotin and used for EMSA with the purified protein. Only fragments containing the following motif ANNNNACNN - N2 - CNGTNTAGT in their inverted repeat sequence exhibited a gel mobility shift, indicating NpR3597 likely acts as a dimer and represses transcription by binding to these inverted repeat (IR) sequences.Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-52)California State University, Northridge. Department of Biology

Synthesizing and Characterization of Amino Acid Based Ionic Liquids for Pharmaceutical Applications

There has been a growing attention towards amino acid based ionic liquids (AAILs) since the past decade. Synthesizing ionic liquids (ILs) from renewable biomaterials is a promising method to improve the biocompatibility and biodegradability of ionic liquids. In this project, 10 choline based ILs were synthesized with different amino acids and tested towards gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to show the relationship between the anion structure and the degree of toxicity. All the AAILs demonstrated a high biocompatibility towards the tested bacteria and their toxicity decreased by smaller molecular size of anion. Additionally, biodegradability of the synthesized AAILs were assessed via the method of closed bottle test employing river water microorganisms and it turned out that all the AAILs had over 60% biodegradation which classifies them as “readily biodegradable”. Longer chain length and presence of functional groups in the structure of anion directly affected the molecular breakdown by microbial activities

Estimation and prediction of avoidable health care costs of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes through adequate dairy food consumption: a systematic review and micro simulation modeling study

Background: Recent evidence from prospective cohort studies show a relationship between consumption of dairy foods and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This association highlights the importance of dairy foods consumption in prevention of these diseases and also reduction of associated healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to estimate avoidable healthcare costs of CVD and T2D through adequate dairy foods consumption in Iran. Methods: This was a multistage modelling study. We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed and EMBASE to identify any association between incidence of CVD and T2DM and dairy foods intake, and also associated relative risks. We obtained age- and sex-specific dairy foods consumption level and healthcare expenditures from national surveys and studies. Patient level simulation Markov models were constructed to predict the disease incidence, patient population size and associated healthcare costs for current and optimal dairy foods consumption at different time horizons (1, 5, 10 and 20 years). All parameters including costs and transition probabilities were defined as statistical distributions in the models, and all analyses were conducted by accounting for first and second order uncertainty. Results: The systematic review results indicated that dairy foods consumption was inversely associated with incidence of T2DM, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. We estimated that the introduction of a diet containing 3 servings of dairy foods per day may produce a $0.43 saving in annual per capita healthcare costs in Iran in the first year due to saving in cost of CVD and T2DM treatment. The estimated savings in per capita healthcare costs were$8.42, $39.97 and$190.25 in 5, 10 and 20-years’ time, respectively. Corresponding total aggregated avoidable costs for the entire Iranian population within the study time horizons were $33.83,$661.31, $3,138.21 and$14,934.63 million, respectively. Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrated that increasing dairy foods consumption to recommended levels would be associated with reductions in healthcare costs. Further randomized trial studies are required to investigate the effect of dairy foods intake on cost of CVD and T2DM in the population

Designing a Forecasting Model and Evaluating the Strategic Cooperation between the Banking System and Fintech Startups using the Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)

This research aims to develop a robust predictive model for evaluating the strategic cooperation between Iran's banking system and fintech startups. Leveraging insights from 14 experts within the banking and fintech sectors, a hybrid methodology involving the foundation's interview tool and data analysis was employed. Thirty-one indicators, categorized into six key factors influencing strategic cooperation, were identified. Using a fuzzy approach and MATLAB software, a conceptual model was crafted to assess the strategic cooperation of the banking system with fintech startups. Input from 320 industry professionals and managers further enriched the analysis. The findings underscore the pivotal dimensions shaping this cooperation, including barriers to entry, external factors, explanatory elements, varying cooperation levels, consequences of collaboration, and the motivations driving banks and fintechs. The level of strategic cooperation was determined to be in the medium to high range. Notably, the Anfis-designed model exhibited acceptable validity and predictive power. This study contributes not only by unraveling critical cooperation dimensions but also by furnishing a reliable predictive tool. The comprehensive approach, amalgamating expert insights, diverse indicators, and advanced analytical tools offers valuable insights to fortify strategic cooperation in the banking-fintech nexus.Keywords: Startup, Fintech, Strategic Cooperation, Banking System, Fuzzy Inference System. IntroductionThe rapid evolution of financial technology (fintech) has instigated a profound transformation in the global banking sector, challenging established norms and prompting the need for strategic collaboration (Li et al., 2023). In response, this study delves into the strategic cooperation between traditional banks and fintech startups, recognizing that these entities must leverage each other's strengths, share resources, and attain common objectives (Jia et al., 2023).Collaboration between banks and fintech startups unlocks numerous benefits, enhancing growth and innovation within the financial ecosystem. Banks with regulatory knowledge and expansive customer bases provide fintech access to networks and financial resources. Concurrently, fintechs, with technical expertise and disruptive ideas, propel technological advancements and accelerate processes (Hu et al., 2019). Despite the extensive exploration of fintech's impact, a research gap persists in understanding the dimensions influencing strategic cooperation between banks and fintech startups (Yang & Wang, 2022).In the context of Iran's burgeoning fintech sector, the dynamics of strategic cooperation with traditional banks remain largely unexplored. This study addresses this gap by crafting a comprehensive model through a literature review, in-depth interviews, and content analysis. The primary research question guiding this inquiry is: What dimensions and key components influence strategic cooperation between Iran's banking system and fintech startups?This research is pivotal, uncovering untapped potential in Iranian collaboration and providing a framework for policymakers and industry stakeholders. It facilitates efficient collaboration, fosters innovation, improves financial services, and benefits customers and the Iranian banking industry. Materials and MethodsEmploying a grounded theory approach, this study formulates, rather than tests, theories through inductive reasoning. Initially, a semi-structured questionnaire was designed, informed by the literature, and administered to 14 experts with a minimum of a master's degree, and over a decade of experience in digital banking, startup management, and fintech. Utilizing snowball sampling, interviews achieved theoretical saturation by the twelfth, with two additional interviews for verification. ATLAS.ti software facilitated data analysis, extracting dimensions used to formulate and test a model via a questionnaire. Face and content validities, along with Cronbach's alpha, ensured questionnaire reliability.Calculating a sample size of 291 with Sample Power v3.0.1, 321 questionnaires were distributed, receiving 320 responses from experienced banking and fintech professionals. Respondents, purposively selected, rated strategic cooperation on a scale of 0 to 10. Neuro-adaptive fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was employed for inference rule design using MATLAB.ANFIS, a blend of fuzzy inference and neural networks, was chosen for its capacity for nonlinear problem-solving. The model's accuracy surpasses regression, aligning with reality for precise forecasting (Azar & Faraji, 2017). ANFIS building involves clustering the output variable and fuzzy expansion in input spaces, forming a rule base. This approach ensures flexibility in adjusting weights, presenting a superior alternative to multivariate regressions.The study adheres to a systematic process, from data collection to ANFIS modeling, to scrutinize the adaptive neural fuzzy system intricacies (Azar & Faraji, 2017). FindingsThe study unfolds an innovative framework, leveraging an Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), to scrutinize strategic collaboration dynamics between Iran's banking realm and burgeoning fintech enterprises. In this endeavor, six pivotal dimensions, embracing collaboration incentives, influential factors, diverse cooperation levels, external organizational elements, hurdles, and resultant outcomes, constitute the ANFIS inputs. The resulting mathematical model incorporates a principal ANFIS and six sub-ANFIS modules, each scrutinizing the ramifications of a specific dimension, illustrated in Table 1. Table 1: Research Dimensions and ComponentsComponentsSymbolDimensionsMain componentMarket development needs (MD), Financial aspects (FA),Innovation motivations (IM), Emerging business ecosystem (BE)SCMStrategic Cooperation Motivations Strategic cooperation between the banking system and fin-tech startups (SCOBF)Digital transformation (DT), Technology infrastructures (TI), Structural factors (SF), Organizational factors (OF), Cultural factors (CF), Manager tact (MT),Trust making (TM), Legal features (LF)EFOCEffective Factors on CooperationConventional cooperation (CC), Strategic cooperation (SC),Dynamic cooperation (DC)LCBFLevels of Cooperation Between Banks and FintechPeripheral factors (PF). International factors (IF), Law making (LM),Policy making (PM), Government and parliament (GP), Banking syndication (BS)EOFExternal Organizational FactorsTechnology limitations (TL), Economic barriers (EB), Procedure barriers (PB), Security challenges (SC), Legal barriers (LB)SCBStrategic Cooperation BarriersBusiness development (BD), Value making (VM), Efficiency improvement (EI), Transparency improvement (TM), Risk indicators (RI)SCOStrategic Cooperation Outcomes Moreover, the ANFIS design integrates Gaussian functions, ensuring differentiability and adaptability to diverse data patterns. The initial membership functions, depicted in Figure 1, set the stage for subsequent modeling by illustrating the shape and characteristics of linguistic variables in the ANFIS system. These initial functions provide the groundwork for the ANFIS to effectively capture the intricacies and relationships inherent in the strategic cooperation between the banking system and fintech startups.  Figure 1: Initial membership function for evaluating the strategic cooperation of the banking system and fintech startups The study proceeds to the ANFIS training and error analysis phase, employing both backpropagation and hybrid methods. The average error of 7.7 * 10-8 showcases the high validity and accuracy of the model. The subsequent implementation of the mathematical model, as detailed in Table 2, illustrates the input and output values for the main model, offering a comprehensive overview of the strategic cooperation evaluation. Table 2: ANFIS Input and Output Values for Strategic CooperationSCOBFSCOSCBEOFLCBFEFOCSCMInput variables7.606.176.96.686.176.66Output values Furthermore, the model undergoes meticulous validation through dataset testing and limit condition testing, ensuring its applicability, accuracy, and reliability. Additionally, sensitivity analysis and impact rate ranking of research dimensions underscore the pivotal role of overcoming barriers, as encapsulated by the dimension "SCB", in shaping and fostering effective strategic cooperation. Discussion and ConclusionsThe research concludes with a comprehensive exploration of strategic cooperation between Iran's banking sector and fintech startups, illuminating key dimensions that significantly influence collaboration. The study introduces a robust model comprising 31 indicators across six factors, elucidating the intricacies of strategic cooperation. Emphasizing the transformative potential of collaboration, the analysis pinpoints crucial dimensions, including barriers, organizational factors, effective cooperation factors, and motivational aspects. The model, evaluating strategic cooperation at a commendable score of 7.06, underlines the prospect for innovation and positive transformation in financial services.Recommendations for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and regulators are delineated, focusing on fostering a culture of cooperation, facilitating strategic partnerships, embracing digital transformation, ensuring regulatory support, prioritizing talent acquisition, and developing customer-centric solutions. These proposals aim to cultivate an environment conducive to effective collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth in the Iranian banking industry.The study identifies limitations, cautioning against generalizing findings to other regions and industries. Acknowledging biases associated with self-reported data, suggests future research adopt mixed-method approaches. Encouraging longitudinal studies and exploration of additional dimensions, such as technological advancements and cultural factors, is advised. The call for knowledge exchange between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers emerges as a key theme, underscoring the importance of collaboration to deepen industry insights.In essence, while providing valuable insights, the research acknowledges its limitations and proposes a roadmap for future investigations. By addressing these limitations and embracing the outlined recommendations, the field can advance, expanding knowledge and adapting to the evolving dynamics of the banking and fintech sectors

Evaluation of Occupational Burnout and Job Satisfaction among Endodontists in Iran

Introduction: Occupational burnout has been introduced as one of the most critical social problems. The present study aimed to evaluate occupational burnout among a group of Iranian endodontists. Material and Methods: Seventy-two Iranian endodontists participated in this cross-sectional study by completing the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory (aMBI), consisting of one questionnaire in three domains. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21, using the chi-squared test, correlation test, and linear regression. Results: Concerning occupational burnout, 2.9% of the participants had severe emotional exhaustion, 4.2% exhibited an intense feeling of decreased accomplishment, 67.2% exhibited moderate occupational burnout, and 78.9% of the participants were satisfied with their job. Of all the variables, only the years elapsed since graduation had an inverse and significant correlation with occupational burnout among endodontists. Conclusion: The overall mean scores of endodontists showed a moderate rate of occupational burnout compared to the standard mean scores in this field. Recent graduates exhibited higher scores

Relationship between the Subscales of Mental Health and Spiritual Health in Staff of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: Spiritual health is a valuable asset that affects humans’ mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the mental health and spiritual health among the staff of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016.Method: In this cross-sectional study, 267 employees of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences were surveyed by simple random sampling. The data collection tools included Goldenberg’s General Health Questionnaire and Paloutzian and Ellison’s Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation. In this research, all ethical issues were observed. In addition, the authors did not report any conflict of interests.Results: According to the results of the study, the mean mental health score was 2.98, while the mean score of spiritual health was 3.62. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the mental and spiritual health (r=0.324). Considering the subscales of mental health, spiritual health registered the highest and lowest correlations with depression and physical symptoms respectively.Conclusion: Improving the mental health of the effective and constructive population of the society is necessary for the dynamism, prosperity and promotion of the society. Spiritual health affects the university staff's mental health. Therefore, planning to promote it is an important issue that should be considered by the relevant authorities and policy makers.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: Ziapour A, GhaderiA, VafapoorH, Yazdani V, Saeidi Sh, Zangeneh AR. Relationship between the Subscales of Mental Health and Spiritual Health in Staff of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016. J Res Relig Health. 2018; 4(3): 34- 44

ZeroQuant(4+2): Redefining LLMs Quantization with a New FP6-Centric Strategy for Diverse Generative Tasks

This study examines 4-bit quantization methods like GPTQ in large language models (LLMs), highlighting GPTQ's overfitting and limited enhancement in Zero-Shot tasks. While prior works merely focusing on zero-shot measurement, we extend task scope to more generative categories such as code generation and abstractive summarization, in which we found that INT4 quantization can significantly underperform. However, simply shifting to higher precision formats like FP6 has been particularly challenging, thus overlooked, due to poor performance caused by the lack of sophisticated integration and system acceleration strategies on current AI hardware. Our results show that FP6, even with a coarse-grain quantization scheme, performs robustly across various algorithms and tasks, demonstrating its superiority in accuracy and versatility. Notably, with the FP6 quantization, \codestar-15B model performs comparably to its FP16 counterpart in code generation, and for smaller models like the 406M it closely matches their baselines in summarization. Neither can be achieved by INT4. To better accommodate various AI hardware and achieve the best system performance, we propose a novel 4+2 design for FP6 to achieve similar latency to the state-of-the-art INT4 fine-grain quantization. With our design, FP6 can become a promising solution to the current 4-bit quantization methods used in LLMs

Global systematic review of primary immunodeficiency registries

Introduction During the last 4 decades, registration of patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) has played an essential role in different aspects of these diseases worldwide including epidemiological indexes, policymaking, quality controls of care/life, facilitation of genetic studies and clinical trials as well as improving our understanding about the natural history of the disease and the immune system function. However, due to the limitation of sustainable resources supporting these registries, inconsistency in diagnostic criteria and lack of molecular diagnosis as well as difficulties in the documentation and designing any universal platform, the global perspective of these diseases remains unclear. Areas covered Published and unpublished studies from January 1981 to June 2020 were systematically reviewed on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Additionally, the reference list of all studies was hand-searched for additional studies. This effort identified a total of 104614 registered patients and suggests identification of at least 10590 additional PID patients, mainly from countries located in Asia and Africa. Molecular defects in genes known to cause PID were identified and reported in 13852 (13.2% of all registered) patients. Expert opinion Although these data suggest some progress in the identification and documentation of PID patients worldwide, achieving the basic requirement for the global PID burden estimation and registration of undiagnosed patients will require more reinforcement of the progress, involving both improved diagnostic facilities and neonatal screening.Peer reviewe