Translation and Validation of the Nepalese Version of Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS59)

Objectives: To establish a valid and reliable translated version of Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS59) for Nepali population. Methods: A standard translation-back-translation procedure was used followed by evaluation of semantic, conceptual and society equivalence by the committee and changes were made according to recommendations. This corrected version was pretested and a final version was developed. A validation study was performed using the final version on 424 patients including 212 patients with clinical appearance problems and similar number of young adults who had no concern for facial appearance. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha value and test-retest correlation coefficient. Discriminate and convergent validity were assessed by comparison between clinical and normal population and correlation with Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and General Health questionnaire (GHQ). Results: The results indicated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.98) and good test-retest reliability (0.91 for clinical population, 0.86 for normal population). The Discriminate validity was good with statistically significant differences between clinical and normal population. The convergent validity was confirmed by good correlation with other related psychometric tools. Conclusion: A valid and reliable Nepali DAS59 version was developed which can be used for research and clinical assessment of patients with appearance problems and concerns.

A Characterization of MRA Based Wavelet Frames Generated by the Walsh Polynomials

Extension Principles play a significant role in the construction of MRA based wavelet frames and have attracted much attention for their potential applications in various scientific fields. A novel and simple procedure for the construction of tight wavelet frames generated by the Walsh polynomials using Extension Principles was recently considered by Shah in [Tight wavelet frames generated by the Walsh poly- nomials, Int. J. Wavelets, Multiresolut. Inf. Process., 11（6） （2013）, 1350042]. In this paper, we establish a complete characterization of tight wavelet frames generated by the Walsh polynomials in terms of the polyphase matrices formed by the polyphase components of the Walsh polynomials.

An Efficient Approach for Agile Web Based Project Estimation: AgileMOW

There exist numerous sophisticated models and methods for estimating the size, cost and schedule of software projects. However, the ability to accurately predict the software cost of web based software for agile software projects is still dubious. The most appropriate web based software cost estimation in an agile software development environment is a big problem due to varying levels of customer requirement and different individual personnel capabilities. Also, the need to develop a separate model to estimate web based project is rising. In this research paper, we present AgileMOW, an approach to model a software cost estimation process which will evaluate effort and cost of software development for web based projects developed using Agile methodology with a number of constraints imposed by stakeholders and environmental characteristics, thereby satisfying multitudinous criteria by making use of COCOMO II model, a famous traditional algorithmic technique. Most importantly, the paper identifies the difference between conventional and web projects. The proposed estimation model enhances the level of visibility in the planning stages.

Load balancing in cloud environs:Optimal task scheduling via hybrid algorithm

In cloud computing,a lot of challenges like the server failures,loss of confidentiality,improper workloads,etc.are still bounding the efficiency of cloud systems in real-world scenarios.For this reason,many research works are being performed to overcome the shortcoming of existing systems.Among them,load balancing seems to be the most critical issue that worsen the performance of the cloud sector,and hence there necessitates the optimal load balancing with optimal task scheduling.With the intention of accomplishing optimal load balancing by effectual task deployment,this paper plans to develop an advanced load balancing model with the assistance acquired from the metaheuristic algorithms.Usually,handling of tasks in cloud system is an NP-hard problem and moreover,nonpreemptive independent tasks are crucial in cloud computing.This paper goes with the introduction of a new optimal load balancing model by considering three major objectives:minimum makespan,priority,and load balancing,respectively.Moreover,a new single-objective function is also defined that incorporates all the three objectives mentioned above.Furthermore,the deployment of tasks must be optimal and for this a new hybrid optimization algorithm referred as Firefly Movement insistedWOA(FM-WOA)is introduced.This FM-WOA is the conceptual amalgamation of standard Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA)and Firefly(FF)algorithm.Finally,the performances of the proposed FM-WOA model is compared over the conventional models with the intention of proving its efficiency in terms of makespan,task completion(priority),and degree of imbalance as well.

Isolation and characterization of tyrosinase produced by marine actinobacteria and its application in the removal of phenol from aqueous environment

The present study was focused on screening and characterization of tyrosinase enzyme produced by marine actinobacteria and its application in phenolic compounds removal from aqueous solution. A total of 20 strains were isolated from marine sediment sample and screened for tyrosinase production by using skimmed milk agar medium. Among 20 isolates, two isolates LK-4 and LK-20 showed zone of hydrolysis and these were taken for secondary screening by using tyrosiue agar medium. Based on the result of secondary screening LK-4 was selected for further analysis, such as tyrosinase assay, protein content and specific activity of the enzyme. The tyrosinase enzyme was produced in a SS medium and was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and SDS PAGE. The isolate （LK-4） was identified as Streptomyces espinosus using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and named as ＂Streptomyces espinosus strain LK4 （KF806735）＂. The tyrosinase enzyme was immobilized in sodium alginate which was applied to remove phenolic compounds from water. The enzyme efficiently removed the phenolic compounds from aqueous solution within few hours which indicated that tyrosinasc enzyme produced by Streptomyces espinosus strain LK-4 can be potently used for the removal of phenol and phenolic compounds from wastewater in industries.