Search results for: layer of consumers.

Authors: Barbara Behre, Verolien Cauberghe, Dieneke Van de Sompel

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Sustainable consumption is on the rise, yet it has still not entered the mainstream in several industries, such as the fashion industry. In online fashion contexts, sustainability cues have been used to signal the sustainable benefits of certain garments to promote sustainable consumption. These sustainable cues may focus on the ecological or social dimension of sustainability. Since sustainability, in general, relates to distant, abstract benefits, the current study aims to examine if and how psychological distance may mediate the effects of exposure to different sustainability cues on consumption outcomes. Following the framework of Construal Level Theory of Psychological Distance, reduced psychological distance renders the construal level more concrete, which may influence attitudes and subsequent behavior in situations like fashion shopping. Most studies investigated sustainability as a composite, failing to differentiate between ecological and societal aspects of sustainability. The few studies examining sustainability more in detail uncovered that environmental sustainability is rather perceived in abstract cognitive construal, whereas social sustainability is linked to concrete construal. However, the construal level affiliation of the sustainability dimensions likely is not universally applicable to different domains and stages of consumption, which further suggest a need to clarify the relationships between environmental and social sustainability dimensions and the construal level of psychological distance within fashion brand consumption. While psychological distance and construal level have been examined in the context of sustainability, these studies yielded mixed results. The inconsistent findings of past studies might be due to the context-dependence of psychological distance as inducing construal differently in diverse situations. Especially in a hedonic consumption context like online fashion shopping, the role of visual processing of information could determine behavioural outcomes as linked to situational construal. Given the influence of the mode of processing on psychological distance and construal level, the current study examines the moderating role of verbal versus non-verbal presentation of the sustainability cues. In a 3 (environmental sustainability vs. social sustainability vs. control) x 2 (non-verbal message vs. verbal message) between subjects experiment, the present study thus examines how consumers evaluate sustainable brands in online shopping contexts in terms of psychological distance and construal level, as well as the impact on brand attitudes and buying intentions. The results among 246 participants verify the differential impact of the sustainability dimensions on fashion brand purchase intent as mediated by construal level and perceived psychological distance. The ecological sustainability cue is perceived as more concrete, which might be explained by consumer bias induced by the predominance of pro-environmental sustainability messages. The verbal versus non-verbal presentation of the sustainability cue neither had a significant influence on distance perceptions and construal level nor on buying intentions. This study offers valuable contributions to the sustainable consumption literature, as well as a theoretical basis for construal-level framing as applied in sustainable fashion branding.

Keywords: construal level theory, environmental vs social sustainability, online fashion shopping, sustainable fashion

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Authors: Neha Farid

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Due to the abuse of antimicrobial medications in animal feed, the occurrence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens in foods is currently a growing public health concern on a global scale. MDR infections have the potential to penetrate the food chain by posing a serious risk to both consumers and animals. Food pathogens are those biological agents that have the tendency to cause pathogenicity in the host body upon ingestion. The major reservoirs of foodborne pathogens include food-producing fauna like cows, pigs, goats, sheep, deer, etc. The intestines of these animals are highly condensed with several different types of food pathogens. Bacterial food pathogens are the main cause of foodborne disease in humans; almost 66% of the reported cases of food illness in a year are caused by the infestation of bacterial food pathogens. When ingested, these pathogens reproduce and survive or form different kinds of toxins inside host cells causing severe infections. The genus Listeria consists of gram-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. The disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes is listeriosis or gastroenteritis, which induces fever, vomiting, and severe diarrhea in the affected body. Campylobacter jejuni is a gram-negative, curved-rod-shaped bacteria causing foodborne illness. The major source of Campylobacter jejuni is livestock and poultry; particularly, chicken is highly colonized with Campylobacter jejuni. Serious public health concerns include the widespread growth of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and the slowing in the discovery of new classes of medicines. The objective of this study is to provide some potential antibacterial activities with certain broad-range antibiotics and our desired bacteriocins, i.e., Enterococcus faecium from specific strains preventing microbial contamination pathways in order to safeguard the food by lowering food deterioration, contamination, and foodborne illnesses. The food pathogens were isolated from various sources of dairy products and meat samples. The isolates were tested for the presence of Listeria and Campylobacter by gram staining and biochemical testing. They were further sub-cultured on selective media enriched with the growth supplements for Listeria and Campylobacter. All six strains of Listeria and Campylobacter were tested against ten antibiotics. Campylobacter strains showed resistance against all the antibiotics, whereas Listeria was found to be resistant only against Nalidixic Acid and Erythromycin. Further, the strains were tested against the two bacteriocins isolated from Enterococcus faecium. It was found that bacteriocins showed better antimicrobial activity against food pathogens. They can be used as a potential antimicrobial for food preservation. Thus, the study concluded that natural antimicrobials could be used as alternatives to synthetic antimicrobials to overcome the problem of food spoilage and severe food diseases.

Keywords: food pathogens, listeria, campylobacter, antibiotics, bacteriocins

Procedia PDF Downloads 64

Authors: Jakub Berčík, Elena Horská, Ľudmila Nagyová

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Nowadays, the point of sale remains one of the few channels of communication which is not oversaturated yet and has great potential for the future. The fact that purchasing decisions are significantly affected by emotions, while up to 75 % of them are implemented at the point of sale, only demonstrates its importance. The share of impulsive purchases is about 60-75 %, depending on the particular product category. Nevertheless, habits predetermine the content of the shopping cart above all and hence in this regard the role of in-store communication is to disrupt the routine and compel the customer to try something new. This is the reason why it is essential to know how to work with this relatively young branch of marketing communication as efficiently as possible. New global trend in this discipline is evaluating the effectiveness of particular tools in the in-store communication. To increase the efficiency it is necessary to become familiar with the factors affecting the customer both consciously and unconsciously, and that is a task for neuromarketing and sensory marketing. It is generally known that the customer remembers the negative experience much longer and more intensely than the positive ones, therefore it is essential for marketers to avoid this negative experience. The final effect of POP (Point of Purchase) or POS (Point of Sale) tools is conditional not only on their quality and design, but also on the location at the point of sale which contributes to the overall positive atmosphere in the store. Therefore, in-store advertising is increasingly in the center of attention and companies are willing to spend even a third of their marketing communication budget on it. The paper deals with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary research of the impact of traditional as well as innovative tools of in-store communication on the attention and emotional state (valence and arousal) of consumers on the food market. The research integrates measurements with eye camera (Eye tracker) and electroencephalograph (EEG) in real grocery stores as well as in laboratory conditions with the purpose of recognizing attention and emotional response among respondents under the influence of selected tools of in-store communication. The object of the research includes traditional (e.g. wobblers, stoppers, floor graphics) and innovative (e.g. displays, wobblers with LED elements, interactive floor graphics) tools of in-store communication in the fresh unpackaged food segment. By using a mobile 16-channel electroencephalograph (EEG equipment) from the company EPOC, a mobile eye camera (Eye tracker) from the company Tobii and a stationary eye camera (Eye tracker) from the company Gazepoint, we observe the attention and emotional state (valence and arousal) to reveal true consumer preferences using traditional and new unusual communication tools at the point of sale of the selected foodstuffs. The paper concludes with suggesting possibilities for rational, effective and energy-efficient combination of in-store communication tools, by which the retailer can accomplish not only captivating and attractive presentation of displayed goods, but ultimately also an increase in retail sales of the store.

Keywords: electroencephalograph (EEG), emotion, eye tracker, in-store communication

Procedia PDF Downloads 385

Authors: Zahid Ullah, Atlas Khan

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This research endeavors to explore the regularity properties associated with a specific class of equations, namely extremely degenerate elliptic equations. These equations hold significance in understanding complex physical systems like porous media flow, with applications spanning various branches of mathematics. The focus is on unraveling and analyzing regularity results to gain insights into the smoothness of solutions for these highly degenerate equations. Elliptic equations, fundamental in expressing and understanding diverse physical phenomena through partial differential equations (PDEs), are particularly adept at modeling steady-state and equilibrium behaviors. However, within the realm of elliptic equations, the subset of extremely degenerate cases presents a level of complexity that challenges traditional analytical methods, necessitating a deeper exploration of mathematical theory. While elliptic equations are celebrated for their versatility in capturing smooth and continuous behaviors across different disciplines, the introduction of degeneracy adds a layer of intricacy. Extremely degenerate elliptic equations are characterized by coefficients approaching singular behavior, posing non-trivial challenges in establishing classical solutions. Still, the exploration of extremely degenerate cases remains uncharted territory, requiring a profound understanding of mathematical structures and their implications. The motivation behind this research lies in addressing gaps in the current understanding of regularity properties within solutions to extremely degenerate elliptic equations. The study of extreme degeneracy is prompted by its prevalence in real-world applications, where physical phenomena often exhibit characteristics defying conventional mathematical modeling. Whether examining porous media flow or highly anisotropic materials, comprehending the regularity of solutions becomes crucial. Through this research, the aim is to contribute not only to the theoretical foundations of mathematics but also to the practical applicability of mathematical models in diverse scientific fields.

Keywords: elliptic equations, extremely degenerate, regularity results, partial differential equations, mathematical modeling, porous media flow

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Authors: Amatulraheem Al-Abassi, K. Khanafer, Ibrahim Deiab

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The coronary artery stent is a promising technology that can treat various coronary diseases. Materials used for manufacturing medical stents should have high biocompatible properties. Stent alloys, in particular, are remarkably promising good clinical outcomes, however, there is threaten of restenosis (reoccurring of artery narrowing due to fatty plaque), stent recoiling, or in long-term the occurrence of stent fracture. However, stents that are made of Nickel-titanium (Nitinol) can bare extensive plastic deformation and resist restenosis. This shape memory alloy has outstanding mechanical properties. Nitinol is a unique shape memory alloy as it has unique mechanical properties such as; biocompatibility, super-elasticity, and recovery to original shape under certain loads. Stent failure may cause complications in vascular diseases and possibly blockage of blood flow. Thus, studying the behaviors of the stent under different medical conditions will help the doctors and cardiologists to predict when it is necessary to change the stent in order to prevent any severe morbidity outcomes. To the best of our knowledge, there are limited published papers that analyze the stent behavior with regards to the contact surfaces of plaque layer and blood vessel. Thus, stent material properties will be discussed in this investigation to highlight the mechanical and clinical differences between various stents. This research analyzes the performance of Nitinol stent in well-known stent design to determine its bearing with stress and its dislocation in blood vessels, in comparison to stents made of different biocompatible materials. In addition, a study of its performance will be represented in the system. Finite Element Analysis is the core of this study. Thus, a physical representative model will be discussed to show the distribution of stress and strain along the interaction surface between the stent and the artery. The reaction of vascular tissue to the stent will be evaluated to predict the possibility of restenosis within the treated area.

Keywords: shape memory alloy, stent, coronary artery, finite element analysis

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Authors: Kinga Mylkie, Pawel Nowak, Marta Z. Borowska

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The most important proteins in human serum responsible for drug binding are human serum albumin (HSA) and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). The AGP molecule is a glycoconjugate containing a single polypeptide chain composed of 183 amino acids (the core of the protein), and five glycan branched chains (sugar part) covalently linked by an N-glycosidic bond with aspartyl residues (Asp(N) -15, -38, -54, -75, - 85) of polypeptide chain. This protein plays an important role in binding alkaline drugs, a large group of drugs used in psychiatry, some acid drugs (e.g., coumarin anticoagulants), and neutral drugs (steroid hormones). The main goal of the research was to obtain magnetic nanoparticles coated with biopolymers in a chemically modified form, which will have highly reactive functional groups able to effectively immobilize the glycoprotein (acid α1-glycoprotein) without losing the ability to bind active substances. The first phase of the project involved the chemical modification of biopolymer starch. Modification of starch was carried out by methods of organic synthesis, leading to the preparation of a polymer enriched on its surface with aldehyde groups, which in the next step was coupled with 3-aminophenylboronic acid. Magnetite nanoparticles coated with starch were prepared by in situ co-precipitation and then oxidized with a 1 M sodium periodate solution to form a dialdehyde starch coating. Afterward, the reaction between the magnetite nanoparticles coated with dialdehyde starch and 3-aminophenylboronic acid was carried out. The obtained materials consist of a magnetite core surrounded by a layer of modified polymer, which contains on its surface dihydroxyboryl groups of boronic acids which are capable of binding glycoproteins. Magnetic nanoparticles obtained as carriers for plasma protein immobilization were fully characterized by ATR-FTIR, TEM, SEM, and DLS. The glycoprotein was immobilized on the obtained nanoparticles. The amount of mobilized protein was determined by the Bradford method.

Keywords: glycoproteins, immobilization, magnetic nanoparticles, polysaccharides

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Authors: S. M. Chabane sari S. Zargou, A.R. Senoudi, F. Benmouna

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Immobilization of nano particles (NPs) is the subject of numerous studies pertaining to the design of polymer nano composites, supported catalysts, bioactive colloidal crystals, inverse opals for novel optical materials, latex templated-hollow inorganic capsules, immunodiagnostic assays; “Pickering” emulsion polymerization for making latex particles and film-forming composites or Janus particles; chemo- and biosensors, tunable plasmonic nano structures, hybrid porous monoliths for separation science and technology, biocidal polymer/metal nano particle composite coatings, and so on. Particularly, in the recent years, the literature has witnessed an impressive progress of investigations on polymer coatings, grafts and particles as supports for anchoring nano particles. This is actually due to several factors: polymer chains are flexible and may contain a variety of functional groups that are able to efficiently immobilize nano particles and their precursors by dispersive or van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrogen or covalent bonds. We review methods to prepare polymer-immobilized nano particles through a plethora of strategies in view of developing systems for separation, sensing, extraction and catalysis. The emphasis is on methods to provide (i) polymer brushes and grafts; (ii) monoliths and porous polymer systems; (iii) natural polymers and (iv) conjugated polymers as platforms for anchoring nano particles. The latter range from soft bio macromolecular species (proteins, DNA) to metallic, C60, semiconductor and oxide nano particles; they can be attached through electrostatic interactions or covalent bonding. It is very clear that physicochemical properties of polymers (e.g. sensing and separation) are enhanced by anchored nano particles, while polymers provide excellent platforms for dispersing nano particles for e.g. high catalytic performances. We thus anticipate that the synergetic role of polymeric supports and anchored particles will increasingly be exploited in view of designing unique hybrid systems with unprecedented properties.

Keywords: gold, layer, polymer, macromolecular

Procedia PDF Downloads 388

Authors: Folong Tchoffo Marlyse Fabiola, Anaba Onana Achille Basile

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Located in the western region of Cameroon, in the BAMBOUTOS department, the city of Mbouda belongs to the Pan-African basement. The water resources exploited in this region consist of surface water and groundwater from weathered and fractured aquifers within the same basement. To study the factors determining the productivity of aquifers in the Mbouda area, we adopted a methodology based on collecting data from boreholes drilled in the region, identifying different types of rocks, analyzing structures, and conducting geophysical surveys in the field. The results obtained allowed us to distinguish two main types of rocks: metamorphic rocks composed of amphibolites and migmatitic gneisses and igneous rocks, namely granodiorites and granites. Several types of structures were also observed, including planar structures (foliation and schistosity), folded structures (folds), and brittle structures (fractures and lineaments). A structural synthesis combines all these elements into three major phases of deformation. Phase D1 is characterized by foliation and schistosity, phase D2 is marked by shear planes and phase D3 is characterized by open and sealed fractures. The analysis of structures (fractures in outcrops, Landsat lineaments, subsurface structures) shows a predominance of ENE-WSW and WNW-ESE directions. Through electrical surveys and borehole data, we were able to identify the sequence of different geological formations. Four geo-electric layers were identified, each with a different electrical conductivity: conductive, semi-resistive, or resistive. The last conductive layer is considered a potentially aquiferous zone. The flow rates of the boreholes ranged from 2.6 to 12 m3/h, classified as moderate to high according to the CIEH classification. The boreholes were mainly located in basalts, which are mineralogically rich in ferromagnesian minerals. This mineral composition contributes to their high productivity as they are more likely to be weathered. The boreholes were positioned along linear structures or at their intersections.

Keywords: Mbouda, Pan-African basement, productivity, west-Cameroon

Procedia PDF Downloads 55

Authors: B. Dehghan, T. Toppi, M. Aprile, M. Motta

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The environmental concerns related to global warming and ozone layer depletion along with the growing worldwide demand for heating and cooling have brought an increasing attention toward ecological and efficient Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Furthermore, since space heating accounts for a considerable part of the European primary/final energy use, it has been identified as one of the sectors with the most challenging targets in energy use reduction. Heat pumps are commonly considered as a technology able to contribute to the achievement of the targets. Current research focuses on the full load operation and seasonal performance assessment of three gas-driven absorption heat pump cycles. To do this, investigations of the gas-driven air-source ammonia-water absorption heat pump systems for small-scale space heating applications are presented. For each of the presented cycles, both full-load under various temperature conditions and seasonal performances are predicted by means of numerical simulations. It has been considered that small capacity appliances are usually equipped with fixed geometry restrictors, meaning that the solution mass flow rate is driven by the pressure difference across the associated restrictor valve. Results show that gas utilization efficiency (GUE) of the cycles varies between 1.2 and 1.7 for both full and partial loads and vapor exchange (VX) cycle is found to achieve the highest efficiency. It is noticed that, for typical space heating applications, heat pumps operate over a wide range of capacities and thermal lifts. Thus, partially, the novelty introduced in the paper is the investigation based on a seasonal performance approach, following the method prescribed in a recent European standard (EN 12309). The overall result is a modest variation in the seasonal performance for analyzed cycles, from 1.427 (single-effect) to 1.493 (vapor-exchange).

Keywords: absorption cycles, gas utilization efficiency, heat pump, seasonal performance, vapor exchange cycle

Procedia PDF Downloads 104

Authors: Daniela Manila Bianchi, Samantha Lupi, Elisa Barcucci, Sandra Fragassi, Clara Tramuta, Lucia Decastelli

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Introduction: The undeclared allergens detection in food products plays a fundamental role in the safety of the allergic consumer. The protection of allergic consumers is guaranteed, in Europe, by Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament, which governs the consumer's right to information and identifies 14 food allergens to be mandatorily indicated on food labels: among these, an egg is included. An egg can be present as an ingredient or as contamination in raw and cooked products. The main allergen egg proteins are ovomucoid, ovalbumin, lysozyme, and ovotransferrin. This study presents the results of a survey conducted in Northern Italy aimed at detecting the presence of undeclared egg proteins in food matrices in the latest ten years (2011-2021). Method: In the period January 2011 - October 2021, a total of 1205 different types of food matrices (ready-to-eat, meats, and meat products, bakery and pastry products, baby foods, food supplements, pasta, fish and fish products, preparations for soups and broths) were delivered to Food Control Laboratory of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Piemonte Liguria and Valle d’Aosta to be analyzed as official samples in the frame of Regional Monitoring Plan of Food Safety or in the contest of food poisoning. The laboratory is ISO 17025 accredited, and since 2019, it has represented the National Reference Centre for the detection in foods of substances causing food allergies or intolerances (CreNaRiA). All samples were stored in the laboratory according to food business operator instructions and analyzed within the expiry date for the detection of undeclared egg proteins. Analyses were performed with RIDASCREEN®FAST Ei/Egg (R-Biopharm ® Italia srl) kit: the method was internally validated and accredited with a Limit of Detection (LOD) equal to 2 ppm (mg/Kg). It is a sandwich enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative analysis of whole egg powder in foods. Results: The results obtained through this study showed that egg proteins were found in 2% (n. 28) of food matrices, including meats and meat products (n. 16), fish and fish products (n. 4), bakery and pastry products (n. 4), pasta (n. 2), preparations for soups and broths (n.1) and ready-to-eat (n. 1). In particular, in 2011 egg proteins were detected in 5% of samples, in 2012 in 4%, in 2013, 2016 and 2018 in 2%, in 2014, 2015 and 2019 in 3%. No egg protein traces were detected in 2017, 2020, and 2021. Discussion: Food allergies occur in the Western World in 2% of adults and up to 8% of children. Allergy to eggs is one of the most common food allergies in the pediatrics context. The percentage of positivity obtained from this study is, however, low. The trend over the ten years has been slightly variable, with comparable data.

Keywords: allergens, food, egg proteins, immunoassay

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Ravi Ande, Mousumi Hazari

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One of the common geophysical techniques for mapping subsurface geo-electrical structures, extensive hydro-geological research, and engineering and environmental geophysics applications is the use of time domain electromagnetic (TDEM)/transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings. A large transmitter loop for energising the ground and a small receiver loop or magnetometer for recording the transient voltage or magnetic field in the air or on the surface of the earth, with the receiver at the center of the loop or at any random point inside or outside the source loop, make up a large loop TEM system. In general, one can acquire data using one of the configurations with a large loop source, namely, with the receiver at the center point of the loop (central loop method), at an arbitrary in-loop point (in-loop method), coincident with the transmitter loop (coincidence-loop method), and at an arbitrary offset loop point (offset-loop method), respectively. Because of the mathematical simplicity associated with the expressions of EM fields, as compared to the in-loop and offset-loop systems, the central loop system (for ground surveys) and coincident loop system (for ground as well as airborne surveys) have been developed and used extensively for the exploration of mineral and geothermal resources, for mapping contaminated groundwater caused by hazardous waste and thickness of permafrost layer. Because a proper analytical expression for the TEM response over the layered earth model for the large loop TEM system does not exist, the forward problem used in this inversion scheme is first formulated in the frequency domain and then it is transformed in the time domain using Fourier cosine or sine transforms. Using the EMLCLLER algorithm, the forward computation is initially carried out in the frequency domain. As a result, the EMLCLLER modified the forward calculation scheme in NLSTCI to compute frequency domain answers before converting them to the time domain using Fourier Cosine and/or Sine transforms.

Keywords: time domain electromagnetic (TDEM), TEM system, geoelectrical sounding structure, Fourier cosine

Procedia PDF Downloads 87

Authors: Robert L. Fine, Zhiyong Yang, Christy Spivey, Bonnie Boardman, Maureen Courtney

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Importance: Barriers to traditional advance care planning (ACP) and advance directive (AD) creation have limited the promise of ACP/AD for individuals and families, the healthcare team, and society. Reengineering ACP by using a web-based, consumer-driven process has recently been suggested. We report early experience with such a process. Objective: Begin to analyze the potential of the creation and use of ACP/ADs as generated by a consumer-friendly, digital process by 1) assessing the likelihood that consumers would create ACP/ADs without structured intervention by medical or legal professionals, and 2) analyzing the responses to determine if the plans can help doctors better understand a person’s goals, preferences, and priorities for their medical treatments and the naming of healthcare agents. Design: The authors chose 900 users of MyDirectives.com, a digital ACP/AD tool, solely based on their state of residence in order to achieve proportional representation of all 50 states by population size and then reviewed their responses, summarizing these through descriptive statistics including treatment preferences, demographics, and revision of preferences. Setting: General United States population. Participants: The 900 participants had an average age of 50.8 years (SD = 16.6); 84.3% of the men and 91% of the women were in self-reported good health when signing their ADs. Main measures: Preferences regarding the use of life-sustaining treatments, where to spend final days, consulting a supportive and palliative care team, attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), autopsy, and organ and tissue donation. Results: Nearly 85% of respondents prefer cessation of life-sustaining treatments during their final days whenever those may be, 76% prefer to spend their final days at home or in a hospice facility, and 94% wanted their future doctors to consult a supportive and palliative care team. 70% would accept attempted CPR in certain limited circumstances. Most respondents would want an autopsy under certain conditions, and 62% would like to donate their organs. Conclusions and relevance: Analysis of early experience with an all-digital web-based ACP/AD platform demonstrates that individuals from a wide range of ages and conditions can engage in an interrogatory process about values, goals, preferences, and priorities for their medical treatments by developing advance directives and easily make changes to the AD created. Online creation, storage, and retrieval of advance directives has the potential to remove barriers to ACP/AD and, thus, to further improve patient-centered end-of-life care.

Keywords: Advance Care Plan, Advance Decisions, Advance Directives, Consumer; Digital, End of Life Care, Goals, Living Wills, Prefences, Universal Advance Directive, Statements

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Authors: Ritwik Saha, Anindita Chaudhuri

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The psychological dimension of work-based mobility of the contemporary time in the context of the ever-changing socio-economic process mounting the interest to address the consequential issues of quality of life and well-being of the migrant section of society. The negotiation with the fluidity of the job market and the changing psychosocial dimensions within and between psychosocial relations may disentangle the resilience as well as the mechanism of diligence toward migrant (marginal) life. The work-based mobility and its associated phenomena have highly impacted the migrant’s quality of life especially the marginalized (socioeconomically weak) ones along with their family members staying away from them. The subjective experiences of the journey of their migrant life and reconstruction of the psychosocial being in terms of existence and well-being at the host place are the minimal addressed issues in migrant literature. Hence this gap instigates to bring forth the issue with the present study exploring the phenomenal aspects of lived experiences, resilience, and sense-making of the well-being of migrant living by the marginalized migrant people engaging in unorganized space. In doing so qualitative research method was followed, and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection from the four selected migrant groups (Fuchkawala, Bhunjawala, Bhari - drinking water supplier, Construction worker) as they migrated to Kolkata and its metropolis area from different states of India, Five participants from each group (20 participants in total) age range between 20 to 45 were interviewed physically and participants’ observatory notes were taken to capture their lived experiences, audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed systematically following Charmaz’s three-layer coding of grounded theory. Being truthful to daily industry, the strong desire to build children’s future, the mastering mechanism to dual existence, use of traditional social network these four themes emerges after analysis of the data. However, incorporating fate as their usual way of life and making sense of well-being through their assertion is another evolving aspect of migrant life.

Keywords: lived experiences, marginal living, resilience, sense-making process, well-being

Procedia PDF Downloads 58

Authors: A. M. Ferrari, L. Volpi, M. Pini, C. Siligardi, F. E. Garcia Muina, D. Settembre Blundo

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A long tradition in the ceramic manufacturing since the 18th century, primarily due to the availability of raw materials and an efficient transport system, let to the birth and development of the Italian ceramic tiles district that nowadays represents a reference point for this sector even at global level. This economic growth has been coupled to attention towards environmental sustainability issues throughout various initiatives undertaken over the years at the level of the production sector, such as certification activities and sustainability policies. In this way, starting from an evaluation of the sustainability in all its aspects, the present work aims to develop a benchmarking helping both producers and consumers. In the present study, throughout the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) framework, the sustainability has been assessed in all its dimensions: environmental with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), economic with the Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and social with the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA). The annual district production of stoneware tiles during the 2016 reference year has been taken as reference flow for all the three assessments, and the system boundaries cover the entire life cycle of the tiles, except for the LCC for which only the production costs have been considered at the moment. In addition, a preliminary method for the evaluation of local and indoor emissions has been introduced in order to assess the impact due to atmospheric emissions on both people living in the area surrounding the factories and workers. The Life Cycle Assessment results, obtained from IMPACT 2002+ modified assessment method, highlight that the manufacturing process is responsible for the main impact, especially because of atmospheric emissions at a local scale, followed by the distribution to end users, the installation and the ordinary maintenance of the tiles. With regard to the economic evaluation, both the internal and external costs have been considered. For the LCC, primary data from the analysis of the financial statements of Italian ceramic companies show that the higher cost items refer to expenses for goods and services and costs of human resources. The analysis of externalities with the EPS 2015dx method attributes the main damages to the distribution and installation of the tiles. The social dimension has been investigated with a preliminary approach by using the Social Hotspots Database, and the results indicate that the most affected damage categories are health and safety and labor rights and decent work. This study shows the potential of the LCSA framework applied to an industrial sector; in particular, it can be a useful tool for building a comprehensive benchmark for the sustainability of the ceramic industry, and it can help companies to actively integrate sustainability principles into their business models.

Keywords: benchmarking, Italian ceramic industry, life cycle sustainability assessment, porcelain stoneware tiles

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Authors: Dheyaa W. Abbood, Rafa H. AL-Suhaili, May S. Saleh

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A model using the artificial neural networks and genetic algorithm technique is developed for obtaining optimum dimensions of the foundation length and protections of small hydraulic structures. The procedure involves optimizing an objective function comprising a weighted summation of the state variables. The decision variables considered in the optimization are the upstream and downstream cutoffs length sand their angles of inclination, the foundation length, and the length of the downstream soil protection. These were obtained for a given maximum difference in head, depth of impervious layer and degree of anisotropy.The optimization carried out subjected to constraints that ensure a safe structure against the uplift pressure force and sufficient protection length at the downstream side of the structure to overcome an excessive exit gradient. The Geo-studios oft ware, was used to analyze 1200 different cases. For each case the length of protection and volume of structure required to satisfy the safety factors mentioned previously were estimated. An ANN model was developed and verified using these cases input-output sets as its data base. A MatLAB code was written to perform a genetic algorithm optimization modeling coupled with this ANN model using a formulated optimization model. A sensitivity analysis was done for selecting the cross-over probability, the mutation probability and level ,the number of population, the position of the crossover and the weights distribution for all the terms of the objective function. Results indicate that the most factor that affects the optimum solution is the number of population required. The minimum value that gives stable global optimum solution of this parameters is (30000) while other variables have little effect on the optimum solution.

Keywords: inclined cutoff, optimization, genetic algorithm, artificial neural networks, geo-studio, uplift pressure, exit gradient, factor of safety

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Authors: Roberto M. G. Velásquez, Jonas R. Gazoli, Nelson Ponce Jr, Valério L. Borges, Alessandro Sete, Fernanda M. C. Tomé, Julian D. Hunt, Heitor C. Lira, Cristiano L. de Souza, Fabio T. Bindemann, Wilmar Wounnsoscky

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Nowadays, society is working toward reducing energy losses and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as seeking clean energy sources, as a result of the constant increase in energy demand and emissions. Energy loss occurs in the gas pressure reduction stations at the delivery points in natural gas distribution systems (city gates). Installing pressure reduction turbines (PRT) parallel to the static reduction valves at the city gates enhances the energy efficiency of the system by recovering the enthalpy of the pressurized natural gas, obtaining in the pressure-lowering process shaft work and generating electrical power. Currently, the Brazilian natural gas transportation network has 9,409 km in extension, while the system has 16 national and 3 international natural gas processing plants, including more than 143 delivery points to final consumers. Thus, the potential of installing PRT in Brazil is 66 MW of power, which could yearly avoid the emission of 235,800 tons of CO2 and generate 333 GWh/year of electricity. On the other hand, an economic viability analysis of these energy efficiency projects is commonly carried out based on estimates of the project's cash flow obtained from several variables forecast. Usually, the cash flow analysis is performed using representative values of these variables, obtaining a deterministic set of financial indicators associated with the project. However, in most cases, these variables cannot be predicted with sufficient accuracy, resulting in the need to consider, to a greater or lesser degree, the risk associated with the calculated financial return. This paper presents an approach applied to the technical-economic viability analysis of PRTs projects that explicitly considers the uncertainties associated with the input parameters for the financial model, such as gas pressure at the delivery point, amount of energy generated by TRP, the future price of energy, among others, using sensitivity analysis techniques, scenario analysis, and Monte Carlo methods. In the latter case, estimates of several financial risk indicators, as well as their empirical probability distributions, can be obtained. This is a methodology for the financial risk analysis of PRT projects. The results of this paper allow a more accurate assessment of the potential PRT project's financial feasibility in Brazil. This methodology will be tested at the Cuiabá thermoelectric plant, located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, and can be applied to study the potential in other countries.

Keywords: pressure reduction turbine, natural gas pressure drop station, energy efficiency, electricity generation, monte carlo methods

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Authors: Mona Nada, Fahmy Fahmy

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Background: Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma is a rare form of skin cancer affecting cutaneous layer and, in some cases associated with recurrence and metastasis, very commonly to seen in elderly patient affecting the area of head and neck. Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma rises in ultraviolet light exposed areas. The symptoms and severity of this kind of skin cancer varies according to histological factors. The differentiation of Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma needs extensive immunohistochemistry, as the diagnosis depends mainly on exclusion to rule out other malignancy like poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, angiosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. Objective: assessing the management of Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma in our unit and compared to the updated guidelines. Design: Retrospective study Collection of patient data from medical records at countess of Chester plastic surgery unit of the last 5 years, all histologically confirmed Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (2017-2023). Data were collected confirmed to be Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma were included in the study. The data collected: clinical description of the lesions at first presentation, operation time, multidisciplinary team discussion, plan, referral as well as second operation and investigation done. With comparison of histological examination, immunohistochemistry staining, the excision and rate of recurrence. Results: data collected N19 from (2017-2023) showed the disease predominantly affecting males and the lesion mainly in head and neck, the diagnosis needed extensive immunohistochemistry to differentiate between other malignancy. recurrence present in numbers of the cases which managed after multidisciplinary team discussion either by excision or radiotherapy. Conclusion: Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma is a rare malignancy which needs more understanding and avoid missing as it is aggressive form of skin cancer, there is a chance of metastasis and recurrence which makes it very important to understand the process of development of the cancer and frequent review of the management guidelines.

Keywords: pleomorphic dermal sarcoma, recurrence, radiotherapy, surgical

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Authors: Burcu Doymus, Fatma N. Kok, Sakip Onder

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Titanium and titanium-based materials are commonly used to replace or regenerate the injured or lost tissues because of accidents or illnesses. Hospital infections and strong bond formation at the implant-tissue interface are directly affecting the success of the implantation as weak bonding with the native tissue and hospital infections lead to revision surgery. The purpose of the presented study is to modify the surface of the titanium substrates with nano/microspheres for local drug delivery and to prevent hospital infections. Firstly, titanium surfaces were silanized with APTES (3-Triethoxysilylpropylamine) following the negatively charged oxide layer formation. Then characterization studies using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were done on the modified surfaces. Secondly, microspheres/nanospheres were prepared with chitosan that is a natural polymer and having valuable properties such as non-toxicity, high biocompatibility, low allergen city and biodegradability for biomedical applications. Antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) loaded micro/nanospheres have been fabricated using emulsion cross-linking method and have been immobilized onto the titanium surfaces with different immobilization techniques such as covalent bond and entrapment. Optimization studies on size and drug loading capacities of micro/nanospheres were conducted before the immobilization process. Light microscopy and SEM were used to visualize and measure the size of the produced micro/nanospheres. Loaded and released drug amounts were determined by using UV- spectrophotometer at 278 nm. Finally, SEM analysis and drug release studies on the micro/nanospheres coated Ti surfaces were done. As a conclusion, it was shown that micro/nanospheres were immobilized onto the surfaces successfully and drug release from these surfaces was in a controlled manner. Moreover, the density of the micro/nanospheres after the drug release studies was higher on the surfaces where the entrapment technique was used for immobilization. Acknowledgement: This work is financially supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council Of Turkey (Project # 217M220)

Keywords: chitosan, controlled drug release, nanosphere, nosocomial infections, titanium

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Authors: Sibani Bisoyi, Ute Zschieschang, Alexander Hoyer, Hagen Klauk

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Abstract— Organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) have great potential to be used for various applications such as flexible displays or sensors. For some of these applications, the TFTs must be able to withstand temperatures in excess of 100 °C, for example to permit the integration with devices or components that require high process temperatures, or to make it possible that the devices can be subjected to the standard sterilization protocols required for biomedical applications. In this work, we have investigated how the thermal stability of low-voltage small-molecule semiconductor dinaphtho[2,3-b:2’,3’-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) TFTs is affected by the encapsulation of the TFTs and by the ambient in which the thermal stress is performed. We also studied to which extent the thermal stability of the TFTs depends on the channel length. Some of the TFTs were encapsulated with a layer of vacuum-deposited Teflon, while others were left without encapsulation, and the thermal stress was performed either in nitrogen or in air. We found that the encapsulation with Teflon has virtually no effect on the thermal stability of our TFTs. In contrast, the ambient in which the thermal stress is conducted was found to have a measurable effect, but in a surprising way: When the thermal stress is carried out in nitrogen, the mobility drops to 70% of its initial value at a temperature of 160 °C and to close to zero at 170 °C, whereas when the stress is performed in air, the mobility remains at 75% of its initial value up to a temperature of 160 °C and at 60% up to 180 °C. To understand this behavior, we studied the effect of the thermal stress on the semiconductor thin-film morphology by scanning electron microscopy. While the DNTT films remain continuous and conducting when the heating is carried out in air, the semiconductor morphology undergoes a dramatic change, including the formation of large, thick crystals of DNTT and a complete loss of percolation, when the heating is conducted in nitrogen. We also found that when the TFTs are heated to a temperature of 200 °C in air, all TFTs with a channel length greater than 50 µm are destroyed, while TFTs with a channel length of less than 50 µm survive, whereas when the TFTs are heated to the same temperature (200 °C) in nitrogen, only the TFTs with a channel smaller than 8 µm survive. This result is also linked to the thermally induced changes in the semiconductor morphology.

Keywords: organic thin-film transistors, encapsulation, thermal stability, thin-film morphology

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Authors: Monika Trzaskowska, Dorota Zielinska, Anna Lepecka, Katarzyna Neffe-Skocinska, Beata Bilska, Marzena Tomaszewska, Danuta Kolozyn-Krajewska

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Microbiological quality and food safety are important food characteristics. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers introduces the obligation to provide information on the 'use-by' date or the date of minimum durability (DMD). The second term is the date until which the properly stored or transported foodstuff retains its physical, chemical, microbiological and organoleptic properties. The date should be preceded by 'best before'. It is used for durable products, e.g., pasta. In relation to reducing food losses, the question may be asked whether products with the date of minimum durability currently declared retain quality and safety beyond this. The aim of the study was to assess the sensory quality and microbiological safety of selected cereal products, i.e., pasta and millet after DMD. The scope of the study was to determine the markers of microbiological quality, i.e., the total viable count (TVC), the number of bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family and the number of yeast and mold (TYMC) on the last day of DMD and after 1 and 3 months of storage. In addition, the presence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes was examined on the last day of DMD. The sensory quality of products was assessed by quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), the intensity of 14 differentiators and overall quality were defined and determined. In the tested samples of millet and pasta, no pathogenic bacteria Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were found. The value of the distinguishing features of selected quality and microbiological safety indicators on the last DMD day was in the range of about 3-1 log cfu/g. This demonstrates the good microbiological quality of the tested food. Comparing the products, a higher number of microorganisms was found in the samples of millet. After 3 months of storage, TVC decreased in millet, while in pasta, it was found to increase in value. In both products, the number of bacteria from the Enterobacretiaceae family decreased. In contrast, the number of TYMCs increased in samples of millet, and in pasta decreased. The intensity of sensory characteristic in the studied period varied. It remained at a similar level or increased. Millet was found to increase the intensity and flavor of 'cooked porridge' 3 months after DMD. Similarly, in the pasta, the smell and taste of 'cooked pasta' was more intense. To sum up, the researched products on the last day of the minimum durability date were characterized by very good microbiological and sensory quality, which was maintained for 3 months after this date. Based on these results, the date of minimum durability of tested products could be extended. The publication was financed on the basis of an agreement with the National Center for Research and Development No. Gospostrateg 1/385753/1/NCBR/2018 for the implementation and financing of the project under the strategic research and development program 'social and economic development of Poland in the conditions of globalizing markets – GOSPOSTRATEG - acronym PROM'.

Keywords: date of minimum durability, food losses, food quality and safety, millet, pasta

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Authors: Henry Kiptum Yatich, Ronald Chepkilot, Aquilars Mutuku Kalio

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Studies on energy management have focused on environmental conservation, reduction in production and operation expenses. However, transferring gains of energy management practices to competitive advantage is importance to manufacturers in Kenya. Success in managing competitive advantage arises out of a firm’s ability in identifying and implementing actions that can give the company an edge over its rivals. Manufacturing firms in Kenya are the highest consumers of both electricity and petroleum products. In this regard, the study posits that transfer of the gains of energy management practices to competitive advantage is imperative. The study was carried in Nairobi and its environs, which hosts the largest number of manufacturers. The study objectives were; to determine the level of implementing energy management regulations on sustaining competitive advantage, to determine the level of implementing company energy management policy on competitive advantage, to examine the level of implementing energy efficient technology on sustaining competitive advantage, and to assess the percentage energy expenditure on sustaining competitive advantage among manufacturing firms. The study adopted a survey research design, with a study population of 145,987. A sample of 384 respondents was selected randomly from 21 proportionately selected firms. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (correlation, regression, and T-test). Data is presented using tables and diagrams. The study found that Energy Management Regulations, Company Energy Management Policies, and Energy Expenses are significant predictors of Competitive Advantage (CA). However, Energy Efficient Technology as a component of Energy Management Practices did not have a significant relationship with Competitive Advantage. The study revealed that the level of awareness in the sector stood at 49.3%. Energy Expenses in the sector stood at an average of 10.53% of the firm’s total revenue. The study showed that gains from energy efficiency practices can be transferred to competitive strategies so as to improve firm competitiveness. The study recommends that manufacturing firms should consider energy management practices as part of its strategic agenda in assessing and reviewing their energy management practices as possible strategies for sustaining competitiveness. The government agencies such as Energy Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, and Kenya Association of Manufacturers should enforce the energy management regulations 2012, and with enhanced stakeholder involvement and sensitization so as promote sustenance of firm competitiveness. Government support in providing incentives and rebates for acquisition of energy efficient technologies should be pursued. From the study limitation, future experimental and longitudinal studies need to be carried out. It should be noted that energy management practices yield enormous benefits to all stakeholders and that the practice should not be considered a competitive tool but rather as a universal practice.

Keywords: energy, efficiency, management, guidelines, policy, technology, competitive advantage

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Authors: Timilehin Martins Oyinloye, Won Byong Yoon

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Simulation technology is being adopted in many industries, with research focusing on the development of new ways in which technology becomes embedded within production, services, and society in general. 3D printing (3DP) technology is fast developing in the food industry. However, the limited processability of high-performance material restricts the robustness of the process in some cases. Significantly, the printability of materials becomes the foundation for extrusion-based 3DP, with residual stress being a major challenge in the printing of complex geometry. In many situations, the trial-a-error method is being used to determine the optimum printing condition, which results in time and resource wastage. In this report, the analysis of 3 moisture levels for surimi paste was investigated for an optimum 3DP material and printing conditions by probing its rheology, flow characteristics in the nozzle, and post-deposition process using the finite element method (FEM) model. Rheological tests revealed that surimi pastes with 82% moisture are suitable for 3DP. According to the FEM model, decreasing the nozzle diameter from 1.2 mm to 0.6 mm, increased the die swell from 9.8% to 14.1%. The die swell ratio increased due to an increase in the pressure gradient (1.15107 Pa to 7.80107 Pa) at the nozzle exit. The nozzle diameter influenced the fluid properties, i.e., the shear rate, velocity, and pressure in the flow field, as well as the residual stress and the deformation of the printed sample, according to FEM simulation. The post-printing stability of the model was investigated using the additive layer manufacturing (ALM) model. The ALM simulation revealed that the residual stress and total deformation of the sample were dependent on the nozzle diameter. A small nozzle diameter (0.6 mm) resulted in a greater total deformation (0.023), particularly at the top part of the model, which eventually resulted in the sample collapsing. As the nozzle diameter increased, the accuracy of the model improved until the optimum nozzle size (1.0 mm). Validation with 3D-printed surimi products confirmed that the nozzle diameter was a key parameter affecting the geometry accuracy of 3DP of surimi paste.

Keywords: 3D printing, deformation analysis, die swell, numerical simulation, surimi paste

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Authors: C. Bay, A. Mahr, H. Groneberg, F. Döpper

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Additive Manufacturing processes are becoming increasingly established in the industry for the economic production of complex prototypes and functional components. Laser beam melting (LBM), the most frequently used Additive Manufacturing technology for metal parts, has been gaining in industrial importance for several years. The LBM process chain – from material storage to machine set-up and component post-processing – requires many manual operations. These steps often depend on the manufactured component and are therefore not standardized. These operations are often not performed in a standardized manner, but depend on the experience of the machine operator, e.g., levelling of the build plate and adjusting the first powder layer in the LBM machine. This lack of standardization limits the reproducibility of the component quality. When processing metal powders with inhalable and alveolar particle fractions, the machine operator is at high risk due to the high reactivity and the toxic (e.g., carcinogenic) effect of the various metal powders. Faulty execution of the operation or unintentional omission of safety-relevant steps can impair the health of the machine operator. In this paper, all the steps of the LBM process chain are first analysed in terms of their influence on the two aforementioned challenges: reproducibility and work safety. Standardization to avoid errors increases the reproducibility of component quality as well as the adherence to and correct execution of safety-relevant operations. The corresponding lean method 5S will therefore be applied, in order to develop approaches in the form of recommended actions that standardize the work processes. These approaches will then be evaluated in terms of ease of implementation and their potential for improving reproducibility and work safety. The analysis and evaluation showed that sorting tools and spare parts as well as standardizing the workflow are likely to increase reproducibility. Organizing the operational steps and production environment decreases the hazards of material handling and consequently improves work safety.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, lean production, reproducibility, work safety

Procedia PDF Downloads 182

Authors: Hoora Dehghani, Meisam Shahbazi, Reza Zare

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During the previous decade, a significant evolution has occurred in the number of private educational centers and, accordingly, the increase in the number of providers and students of these centers around the world. The number of language teaching institutes in Iran that are considered private educational sectors is also growing exponentially as the request for learning foreign languages has extremely increased in recent years. This fact caused competition among the institutions in improving better services tailored to the students’ demands to win the competition. Along with the growth in the industry of education, higher education institutes should apply the marketing-related concepts and view students as customers because students’ outlooks are similar to consumers with education. Studying the influential factors in the selection of an institute has multiple benefits. Firstly, it acknowledges the institutions of the students’ choice factors. Secondly, the institutions use the obtained information to improve their marketing methods. It also helps institutions know students’ outlooks that can be applied to expand the student know-how. Moreover, it provides practical evidence for educational centers to plan useful amenities and programs, and use efficient policies to cater to the market, and also helps them execute the methods that increase students’ feeling of contentment and assurance. Thus, this study explored the influencing factors in the selection of a language learning institute by language learners and examined and compared the importance among the varying age groups and genders. In the first phase of the study, the researchers selected 15 language learners as representative cases within the specified age ranges and genders purposefully and interviewed them to explore the comprising elements in their language institute selection process and analyzed the results qualitatively. In the second phase, the researchers identified elements as specified items of a questionnaire, and 1000 English learners across varying educational contexts rated them. The TOPSIS method was used to analyze the data quantitatively by representing the level of importance of the items for the participants generally and specifically in each subcategory; genders and age groups. The results indicated that the educational quality, teaching method, duration of training course, establishing need-oriented courses, and easy access were the most important elements. On the other hand, offering training in different languages, the specialized education of only one language, the uniform and appropriate appearance of office staff, having native professors to the language of instruction, applying Computer or online tests instead of the usual paper tests respectively as the least important choice factors in selecting a language institute. Besides, some comparisons among different groups’ ratings of choice factors were made, which revealed the differences among different groups' priorities in choosing a language institute.

Keywords: choice factors, EFL institute selection, english learning, need analysis, TOPSIS

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Authors: S. Jayalakshmi, Gayathri S., Subiksa V., Nithyasri P., Agasthiya

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Paleochannels are the buried part of an active river system which was separated from the active river channel by the process of cutoff or abandonment during the dynamic evolution of the active river. Over time, they are filled by young unconsolidated or semi-consolidated sediments. Additionally, it is impacted by geo morphological influences, lineament alterations, and other factors. The primary goal of this study is to identify the paleochannels in Periyar river basin for the year 2023. Those channels has a high probability in the presence of natural resources, including gold, platinum,tin,an duranium. Numerous techniques are used to map the paleochannel. Using the optical data, Satellite images were collected from various sources, which comprises multispectral satellite images from which indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI),Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Soil Adjusted Vegetative Index (SAVI) and thematic layers such as Lithology, Stream Network, Lineament were prepared. Weights are assigned to each layer based on its importance, and overlay analysis has done, which concluded that the northwest region of the area has shown some paleochannel patterns. The results were cross-verified using the results obtained using microwave data. Using Sentinel data, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Image was extracted from European Space Agency (ESA) portal, pre-processed it using SNAP 6.0. In addition to that, Polarimetric decomposition technique has incorporated to detect the paleochannels based on its scattering property. Further, Principal component analysis has done for enhanced output imagery. Results obtained from optical and microwave radar data were compared and the location of paleochannels were detected. It resulted six paleochannels in the study area out of which three paleochannels were validated with the existing data published by Department of Geology and Environmental Science, Kerala. The other three paleochannels were newly detected with the help of SAR image.

Keywords: paleochannels, optical data, SAR image, SNAP

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Authors: Adel Ahmed Aly Elhabab, Ibrahim Adsani

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The present study deals with detailed geochemical and mineralogical studies of the coastal plain sediments formed along the shoreline of the Arabian Gulf area, Kuwait. These deposits are mainly fluviomarine and beach sands. The coastal plain deposits of the central Kuwait shoreline zone were found to consist of average medium-grained sand. The sand composed, on average of about 90% sand, and about 10% or less is mud, and has a unimodal distribution with a mode of medium sand (1-2 ф). The sediments consist mainly quartz, Feldspar, clay minerals with carbonate minerals (detritus calcite and dolomite) and rock fragments (chert). The mineralogy of the clay fractions of the sediments is dominated by illite, palygorskite, mixed layer illite-montmorillonite with minor amounts of chlorite and Kaolinite Heavy minerals are concentrated in the very fine sand fraction and are dominated by opaque minerals, and non opaque minerals which represented by amphiboles, pyroxenes, epidotes, dolomite, zircon, tourmaline, rutile, garnet and other which represented by Staurolite, Kyanite, Andalusite and Sillimenite as a trace amounts. The chemical analysis for the detrital amphibole grains from sandstone of coastal plain sediments shows the following features; the grains which have (Na+K) <0.50 its composition ranges from actino hornblende to magnesio hornblende, but the grains which have (Na+K) >0.50 its composition have wide variation and on the (Na+K)-AlIV diagram can be characterized two association: Association 1 which characterized by low amount of AlIV and low amount of (Na+K), by comparing the chemical composition of this association and the chemical composition of amphibole grains from older basement rock, can be say, these association may be derived from metamorphic source rocks and association 2 which characterized by high amount of AlIV and low amount of (Na+K), may be derived from volcanic source rocks.

Keywords: chemical composition, clay minerals, coastal area, electro probe micro analyzer (EPMA), fluviomarine sediments, heavy minerals

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Authors: Fabio N. Moreno, Letícia B. Marinho, Beatriz D. Ruiz, Maria Helena R. B. Martins

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Brazil is a top consumer of pesticides worldwide, and the São Paulo State is one of the highest consumers among the Brazilian federative states. However, representative data about the occurrence of pesticides in surface waters of the São Paulo State is scarce. This paper aims to present the results of pesticides monitoring executed within the Water Quality Monitoring Network of CETESB (The Environmental Agency of the São Paulo State) between the 2018-2022 period. Surface water sampling points (21 to 25) were selected within basins of predominantly agricultural land-use (5 to 85% of cultivated areas). The samples were collected throughout the year, including high-flow and low-flow conditions. The frequency of sampling varied between 6 to 4 times per year. Selection of pesticide molecules for monitoring followed a prioritizing process from EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) databases of pesticide use. Pesticides extractions in aqueous samples were performed according to USEPA 3510C and 3546 methods following quality assurance and quality control procedures. Determination of pesticides in water (ng L-1) extracts were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and by gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus (GC-NPD) and electron capture detectors (GC-ECD). The results showed higher frequencies (20- 65%) in surface water samples for Carbendazim (fungicide), Diuron/Tebuthiuron (herbicides) and Fipronil/Imidaclopride (insecticides). The frequency of observations for these pesticides were generally higher in monitoring points located in sugarcane cultivated areas. The following pesticides were most frequently quantified above the Aquatic life benchmarks for freshwater (USEPA Office of Pesticide Programs, 2023) or Brazilian Federal Regulatory Standards (CONAMA Resolution no. 357/2005): Atrazine, Imidaclopride, Carbendazim, 2,4D, Fipronil, and Chlorpiryfos. Higher median concentrations for Diuron and Tebuthiuron in the rainy months (october to march) indicated pesticide transport through surface runoff. However, measurable concentrations in the dry season (april to september) for Fipronil and Imidaclopride also indicates pathways related to subsurface or base flow discharge after pesticide soil infiltration and leaching or dry deposition following pesticide air spraying. With exception to Diuron, no temporal trends related to median concentrations of the most frequently quantified pesticides were observed. These results are important to assist policymakers in the development of strategies aiming at reducing pesticides migration to surface waters from agricultural areas. Further studies will be carried out in selected points to investigate potential risks as a result of pesticides exposure on aquatic biota.

Keywords: pesticides monitoring, são paulo state, water quality, surface waters

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Authors: Cheila Pereira, Sara C. Cunha, Miguel A. Faria, José O. Fernandes

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The increasing world population brings several concerns, one of which is food security and sustainability. To meet this challenge, aquaculture, the farming of aquatic animals and plants, including fish, mollusks, bivalves, and algae, has experienced sustained growth and development in recent years. Recent advances in this industry have focused on reducing its economic and environmental costs, for example, the substitution of protein sources in fish feed. Plant-based proteins are now a common approach, and while it is a greener alternative to animal-based proteins, there are some disadvantages, such as their putative content and intoxicants such as mycotoxins. These are naturally occurring plant contaminants, and their exposure in fish can cause health problems, stunted growth or even death, resulting in economic losses for the producers and health concerns for the consumers. Different works have demonstrated the presence of both AFB1 (aflatoxin B1) and ENNB1 (enniatin B1) in fish feed and their capacity to be absorbed and bioaccumulate in the fish organism after digestion, further reaching humans through fish ingestion. The aim of this work was to evaluate the bioaccessibility of both mycotoxins in samples of Sparus aurata muscle using a static digestion model based on the INFOGEST protocol. The samples were subjected to different cooking procedures – raw, grilled and fried – and different seasonings – none, thyme and ginger – in order to evaluate their potential reduction effect on mycotoxins bioaccessibility, followed by the evaluation of the intestinal transport of both compounds with an in vitro cell model composed of Caco-2/HT-29 co-culture monolayers, simulating the human intestinal epithelium. The bioaccessible fractions obtained in the digestion studies were used in the transport studies for a more realistic approach to bioavailability evaluation. Results demonstrated the effect of the use of different cooking procedures and seasoning on the toxin's bioavailability. Sparus aurata was chosen in this study for its large production in aquaculture and high consumption in Europe. Also, with the continued evolution of fish farming practices and more common usage of novel feed ingredients based on plants, there is a growing concern about less studied contaminants in aquaculture and their consequences for human health. In pair with greener advances in this industry, there is a convergence towards alternative research methods, such as in vitro applications. In the case of bioavailability studies, both in vitro digestion protocols and intestinal transport assessment are excellent alternatives to in vivo studies. These methods provide fast, reliable and comparable results without ethical restraints.

Keywords: AFB1, aquaculture, bioaccessibility, ENNB1, intestinal transport.

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Authors: Antoifi Abdoulhalik, Ashraf Ahmed

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The ever growing threat of saltwater intrusion has prompted the need to further advance the understanding of underlying processes related to SWI for effective water resource management. While research efforts have mainly been focused on steady state analysis, studies on the transience of saltwater intrusion mechanism remain very scarce and studies considering transient SWI in heterogeneous medium are, as per our knowledge, simply inexistent. This study provides for the first time a quantitative analysis of the effect of both inland and coastal water level changes on the transition zone under transient conditions in layered coastal aquifer. In all, two sets of four experiments were completed, including a homogeneous case, and four layered cases: case LH and case HL presented were two bi-layered scenarios where a low K layer was set at the top and the bottom, respectively; case HLH and case LHL presented two stratified aquifers with High K–Low K–High K and Low K–High K– Low K pattern, respectively. Experimental automated image analysis technique was used here to quantify the main SWI parameters under high spatial and temporal resolution. The findings of this study provide an invaluable insight on the underlying processes responsible of transition zone dynamics in coastal aquifers. The results show that in all the investigated cases, the width of the transition zone remains almost unchanged throughout the saltwater intrusion process regardless of where the boundary change occurs. However, the results demonstrate that the width of the transition zone considerably increases during the retreat, with largest amplitude observed in cases LH and LHL, where a low K was set at the top of the system. In all the scenarios, the amplitude of widening was slightly smaller when the retreat was prompted by instantaneous drop of the saltwater level than when caused by inland freshwater rise, despite equivalent absolute head change magnitude. The magnitude of head change significantly caused larger widening during the saltwater wedge retreat, while having no impact during the intrusion phase.

Keywords: freshwater-saltwater transition-zone dynamics, heterogeneous coastal aquifers, laboratory experiments, transience seawater intrusion

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Authors: Rasha Ali Dheyab

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In today's increasingly interconnected and technologically-driven world, communication has evolved beyond traditional verbal exchanges. This paper delves into the fascinating realm of multimodal communication, a dynamic field at the intersection of linguistics, gesture studies, and technology. The study of how humans convey meaning through a combination of spoken language, gestures, facial expressions, and digital platforms has gained prominence as our modes of interaction continue to diversify. This exploration begins by examining the foundational theories in linguistics and gesture studies, tracing their historical development and mutual influences. It further investigates the role of nonverbal cues, such as gestures and facial expressions, in augmenting and sometimes even altering the meanings conveyed by spoken language. Additionally, the paper delves into the modern technological landscape, where emojis, GIFs, and other digital symbols have emerged as new linguistic tools, reshaping the ways in which we communicate and express emotions. The interaction between traditional and digital modes of communication is a central focus of this study. The paper investigates how technology has not only introduced new modes of expression but has also influenced the adaptation of existing linguistic and gestural patterns in online discourse. The emergence of virtual reality and augmented reality environments introduces yet another layer of complexity to multimodal communication, offering new avenues for studying how humans navigate and negotiate meaning in immersive digital spaces. Through a combination of literature review, case studies, and theoretical analysis, this paper seeks to shed light on the intricate interplay between language, gesture, and technology in the realm of multimodal communication. By understanding how these diverse modes of expression intersect and interact, we gain valuable insights into the ever-evolving nature of human communication and its implications for fields ranging from linguistics and psychology to human-computer interaction and digital anthropology.

Keywords: multimodal communication, linguistics ., gesture studies., emojis., verbal communication., digital

Procedia PDF Downloads 77