Search results for: continuous improvement

Authors: Adedapo Jepson Olumide, Kurowska Ewa, K. Schoeneich, Ikpokonte A. Enoch

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In this paper, subsurface temperature measured from continuous temperature logs were used to determine the geothermal gradient of NigerDelta sedimentary basin. The measured temperatures were corrected to the true subsurface temperatures by applying the American Association of Petroleum Resources (AAPG) correction factor, borehole temperature correction factor with La Max’s correction factor and Zeta Utilities borehole correction factor. Geothermal gradient in this basin ranges from 1.20C to 7.560C/100m. Six geothermal anomalies centres were observed at depth in the southern parts of the Abakaliki anticlinorium around Onitsha, Ihiala, Umuaha area and named A1 to A6 while two more centre appeared at depth of 3500m and 4000m named A7 and A8 respectively. Anomaly A1 describes the southern end of the Abakaliki anticlinorium and extends southwards, anomaly A2 to A5 were found associated with a NW-SE structural alignment of the Calabar hinge line with structures describing the edge of the Niger Delta basin with the basement block of the Oban massif. Anomaly A6 locates in the south-eastern part of the basin offshore while A7 and A8 are located in the south western part of the basin offshore. At the average exploratory depth of 3500m, the geothermal gradient values for these anomalies A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, and A8 are 6.50C/100m, 1.750C/100m, 7.50C/100m, 1.250C/100m, 6.50C/100m, 5.50C/100m, 60C/100m, and 2.250C/100m respectively. Anomaly A8 area may yield higher thermal value at greater depth than 3500m. These results show that anomalies areas of A1, A3, A5, A6 and A7 are potentially prospective and explorable for geothermal energy using abandoned oil wells in the study area. Anomalies A1, A3.A5, A6 occur at areas where drilled boreholes were not exploitable for oil and gas but for the remaining areas where wells are so exploitable there appears no geothermal anomaly. Geothermal energy is environmentally friendly, clean and reversible.

Keywords: temperature logs, geothermal gradient anomalies, alternative energy, Niger delta basin

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Authors: Maha Deif, Alaa Eldin Hassan, Eman Shaat, Nesrine Elazhary, Eman Magdy

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Background: Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hematopoietic factor with multiple protective effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effect of EPO administration on renal functions and hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1a) in diabetic rat kidneys. Methodology: The current study was carried out on 40 male albino rats divided into four groups (n= 10 in each). Group I served as normal control, group II was the diabetic control, group III rats received EPO on the same day of diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM), while group IV received the first dose of EPO 2 weeks after the diagnosis of DM. Results: The results showed that EPO supplementation leads to a significant decrease in serum urea, urinary protein and creatinine clearance as well as a significant increase in renal HIF-1a in group III and IV rats compared to the diabetic control group (group II). However, fasting blood glucose was significantly decreased in group III as compared to the diabetic control group in the third week, but no significant difference was reported in the fourth week among groups II, III and IV. Conclusion: EPO administration leads to the improvement of renal functions and increased levels of HIF-1a in diabetic rats.

Keywords: erythropoietin, diabetic nephropathy, hypoxia-inducible factor1-alpha, renal functions

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Authors: Endalamaw Ewnu Kassa, Ade Kurniawan, Ya-Fen Wu, Sajal Biring

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Perovskite-based gas sensors represent a highly promising materials within the realm of gas sensing technology, with a particular focus on detecting ammonia (NH3) due to its potential hazards. Our work conducted thorough comparison of various solvents, including dimethylformamide (DMF), DMF-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylacetamide (DMAC), and DMAC-DMSO, for the preparation of our perovskite solution (MAPbI3). Significantly, we achieved an exceptional response at 10 ppm of ammonia gas by employing a binary solvent mixture of DMAC-DMSO. In contrast to prior reports that relied on single solvents for MAPbI3 precursor preparation, our approach using mixed solvents demonstrated a marked improvement in gas sensing performance. We attained enhanced surface coverage, a reduction in pinhole occurrences, and precise control over grain size in our perovskite films through the careful selection and mixtures of appropriate solvents. This study shows a promising potential of employing binary and multi-solvent mixture strategies as a means to propel advancements in gas sensor technology, opening up new opportunities for practical applications in environmental monitoring and industrial safety.

Keywords: sensors, binary solvents, ammonia, sensitivity, grain size, pinholes, surface coverage

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Authors: Maria Ghorbanian, Mohammad Ghahramani, Mahmood Abolghasemi

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Universities and institutions of higher education in Iran, like other higher education institutions in the world, have a heavy mission and task to educate students based on the needs of the country. Taking on such a serious responsibility requires having a good governance system for planning, formulating executive plans, evaluating, and finally modifying them in accordance with the current conditions and challenges ahead. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying the components of good governance in the Iranian higher education system by survey method and with a quantitative approach. In order to collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used, which includes two parts: personal and professional characteristics (5 questions) and the three components of good governance in the Iranian higher education system, including good management and leadership (8 items), continuous evaluation and effective (university performance, finance, and university appointments) (8 items) and civic responsibility and sustainable development (7 items). These variables were measured and coded in the form of a five-level Likert scale from "Very Low = 1" to "Very High = 5". First, the validity and reliability of the research model were examined. In order to calculate the reliability of the questionnaire, two methods of Cronbach's alpha and combined reliability were used. Fornell-Larker interaction and criterion were also used to determine the degree of diagnostic validity. The statistical population of this study included all faculty members of public universities in Tehran (N = 4429). The sample size was estimated to be 340 using the Cochran's formula. These numbers were studied using a randomized method with a proportional assignment. The data were analyzed by the structural equation method with the least-squares approach. The results showed that the component of civil responsibility and sustainable development with a factor load of 0.827 is the most important element of good governance.

Keywords: good governance, higher education, sustainable, development

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Authors: Babatunde Johnson

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The rate of diseases and death from preventable diseases among ethnic minority groups is high when compared with the wider white population in the UK. This can be due in part to the diet consumed and various cultural reasons. Changes in dietary practices and the health of ethnic minority groups can be caused by the adoption of food practices of the host culture after migration (acculturation) and generational differences among migrants. However, understanding how and why these changes occur is limited due to the challenges of data collection in research. This research utilizes the interpretive phenomenological approach, coupled with Bourdieu’s theory used as the conceptual framework, and seeks an in-depth understanding of how adult immigrant Nigerians in the UK interpret their experience of the influence of ethnic and prevailing cultures on their dietary practice. Recruiting participants from a close-knit community, such as the Nigerian population in the UK, can be complex and problematic and is determined by the accessibility to the community. Although complex, the researcher leveraged the principles of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in gaining access to participants within the Nigerian community. This study emphasizes the need for a culturally tailored and community-centered approach to interventions geared toward the reduction of ethnic health inequality in the UK other than the existing practice, which focuses on better healthy eating through the improvement of skills and knowledge about food groups.

Keywords: culture, dietary practice, ethnic minority, health inequality

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Authors: Ndje Ndje Mireille

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The improvement in the physical aspects of hysterectomy has tended to make us forget the psychological burden of this operation for many women. African women closely associate fertility and femininity, and they fear that their desire will diminish, that they will be less desirable after having undergone a hysterectomy. Medicine may be tempted to trivialize this surgical intervention by relying on the evolution of current surgery that leaves little or no marks. It is possible to think that the uterus is useless for a nun who has decided to freely disregard her motherhood. We used the clinical research method for this study. Through a semi-directive interview guide, we collected the verbatims of an hysterectomized catholic nun. The verbatims were transcribed and analyzed with the thematic content analysis. This analysis shows that the medical reality does not always correspond to the subjective experience of women, for whom hysterectomy can imply strong symbolic damage. The uterus is not essential to life, but it is essential to give life, and this lack can reactivate a desire for motherhood. The experience of hysterectomy is unique for each woman in relation to her history. This operation will eliminate all hope of pregnancy; it will be felt as intimate mutilation and an attack on femininity, it will bring up concerns about sexuality. Even if a woman has past the age of having children, has gone through menopause, or has freely decided not to have children, she still find it difficult to accept this procedure. The lack of uterus make a woman feel useless.

Keywords: hysterectomy, symbolic damage, desire for motherhood, feminity, nun

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Authors: Swee Yang Low, Dong Eon Kim, Canh Tien Trinh Nguyen, Yixiong Cai, Shie-Yui Liong

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Nee Soon swamp forest is one of the last vestiges of tropical wetland in Singapore. Understanding the hydrological regime of the swamp forest and implications for water quality is critical to guide stakeholders in implementing effective measures to preserve the wetland against anthropogenic impacts. In particular, although current field measurement data do not indicate a concern with organic pollution, reviewing the ways in which the wetland responds to elevated organic waste influx (and the corresponding impact on dissolved oxygen, DO) can help identify potential hotspots, and the impact on the outflow from the catchment which drains into downstream controlled watercourses. An integrated water quality model is therefore developed in this study to investigate spatial and temporal concentrations of DO levels and organic pollution (as quantified by biochemical oxygen demand, BOD) within the catchment’s river network under hypothetical, projected scenarios of spiked upstream inflow. The model was developed using MIKE HYDRO for modelling the study domain, as well as the MIKE ECO Lab numerical laboratory for characterising water quality processes. Model parameters are calibrated against time series of observed discharges at three measurement stations along the river network. Over a simulation period of April 2014 to December 2015, the calibrated model predicted that a continuous spiked inflow of 400 mg/l BOD will elevate downstream concentrations at the catchment outlet to an average of 12 mg/l, from an assumed nominal baseline BOD of 1 mg/l. Levels of DO were decreased from an initial 5 mg/l to 0.4 mg/l. Though a scenario of spiked organic influx at the swamp forest’s undeveloped upstream sub-catchments is currently unlikely to occur, the outcomes nevertheless will be beneficial for future planning studies in understanding how the water quality of the catchment will be impacted should urban redevelopment works be considered around the swamp forest.

Keywords: hydrology, modeling, water quality, wetland

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Authors: Eiman Kattan

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This study aims to evaluate the impact of classifying labelled remote sensing images conventional neural network (CNN) architecture, i.e., AlexNet on different land cover scenarios based on two remotely sensed datasets from different point of views such as the computational time and performance. Thus, a set of experiments were conducted to specify the effectiveness of the selected convolutional neural network using two implementing approaches, named fully trained and fine-tuned. For validation purposes, two remote sensing datasets, AID, and RSSCN7 which are publicly available and have different land covers features were used in the experiments. These datasets have a wide diversity of input data, number of classes, amount of labelled data, and texture patterns. A specifically designed interactive deep learning GPU training platform for image classification (Nvidia Digit) was employed in the experiments. It has shown efficiency in training, validation, and testing. As a result, the fully trained approach has achieved a trivial result for both of the two data sets, AID and RSSCN7 by 73.346% and 71.857% within 24 min, 1 sec and 8 min, 3 sec respectively. However, dramatic improvement of the classification performance using the fine-tuning approach has been recorded by 92.5% and 91% respectively within 24min, 44 secs and 8 min 41 sec respectively. The represented conclusion opens the opportunities for a better classification performance in various applications such as agriculture and crops remote sensing.

Keywords: conventional neural network, remote sensing, land cover, land use

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Authors: Waode Nurmayani, Nikmatul Riswanda

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Broilers are chickens which are kept with the most efficient time and hoped get a good body weight. All things are done, for example with the improvement of feed and use antibiotics. Feed cost is the most cost to be spent. Nearly 80% of the cost is spent just for buy feed. Earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) is a good choice to reduce the cost of feed protein source. The Earthworm has a high crude protein content of about 48.5%-61.9%, rich with proline amino acid about 15% of the 62 amino acids. Not only about protein, this earthworm also has a role in disease prevention. Prevention of disease in livestock usual with use feed supplement. Earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) is one of the natural materials used as feed. In addition, several types of earthworms that have been known to contain active substances about antibacterial pathogens namely Lumbricus rubellus. The earthworm could be used as an antibiotic because it contain the antibody of Lumbricine active substance. So that, this animal feed from Lumbricus rubellus could improve the performance of broilers. Bioactive of anti-bacterial is called Lumbricine able to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal wall so that the population of pathogenic bacteria is reduced. The method of write in this scientific writing is divided into 3 techniques, namely data completion, data analysis, and thinking pan from various literature about earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) as broiler feed. It is expected that innovation of feed material of earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) could reduce the cost of protein feed and the use of chemical antibiotics.

Keywords: earthworm, broiler, protein, antibiotic

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Authors: Kenneth O. Otasowie, Matthew Ikuabe, Clinton Aigbavboa, Ayodeji Oke

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Subcontracting has become a fundamental feature in the construction industry, particularly as most projects in South Africa (SA) are executed by subcontractors. However, the sector in SA contributes to the high level of occupational hazards and injuries recorded, despite Health and Safety (H&S) regulations being enforced in the industry. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the barriers to health and safety practices by subcontractors in SA Construction Industry. A survey design was adopted. A total number of one hundred and forty-four (144) questionnaires were administered to quantity surveyors, construction managers, construction project managers, project managers, architects, and civil and structural engineers, who are owners or work in small and medium enterprises in Guateng Province, SA and eighty-three (83) were returned and found suitable for analysis. Collected data were analysed using percentage, mean item score, standard deviation, and one-sample t-test. The findings show that lack of skilled workers, lack of safety training, and insufficient safety awareness are the most significant barriers to health and safety practices in SA Construction Industry. Therefore, the study recommends the improvement in skills of staff and adequate training for the safe execution of work be provided to all employees and supervisors in these subcontracting firms. These will mitigate the rate of accident occurrence on construction sites.

Keywords: barriers, health and safety, subcontractors, South Africa

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Authors: Angela Maria Sarmiento

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Since the end of the 19th century, the Bora people struggled to survive two stages of colonial domination, which resulted in situations of forced contact with the Western world. Their inclusion in global designs altered the configuration of their local spaces and social practices; thus the Bora language was affected and prone to transformation. This descriptive, interpretive study, within the indigenous and minoritized groups’ research field, aimed at analysing the linguistic attitudes as well as the contextual situation of the Bora language in Providencia, an ancestral territory and a speech community contained in the midst of the Colombian Amazon rainforest. Through the inquiry of their sociolinguistic practices, this study also considered the effects of the course of events derived from the rubber exploitation in the late 19th century, and the arrival of the Capuchin’s mission in the early 20th century. The methodology used in this study had an ethnographic approach, which allowed the researcher to study the social phenomena from the perspective of the participants. Fieldwork, diary, field notes, and semi-structured interviews were conducted and then triangulated with participant observations. The findings of this study suggest that there is a transition from current individual bilingualism towards Spanish monolingualism; this is enhanced by the absence of a functional distribution of the three varieties (Bora, Huitoto, and Spanish). Also, the positive attitudes towards the Spanish language are based on its functionality while positive attitudes towards the Bora language mostly refer to pride and identity. Negative attitudes are only directed towards the Bora language. In the search for the roots of these negative attitudes, appeared the traumatic experiences of the rubber exploitation and the indigenous experiences at the capuchin’s boarding school. Finally, the situation of the Bora language can be configured as a social fact strongly connected to previous years of colonial dominations and to the current and continuous incursion of new global-colonial designs.

Keywords: Bora language, language contact, linguistic attitudes, speech communities

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Authors: Tamas Garamhegyi, Jozsef Kovacs, Rita Pongracz, Peter Tanos, Balazs Trasy, Norbert Magyar, Istvan G. Hatvani

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Like most environmental processes, shallow groundwater fluctuation under natural circumstances also behaves periodically. With the statistical tools at hand, it can easily be determined if a period exists in the data or not. Thus, the question may be raised: Does the estimated average period time characterize the whole time period, or not? This is especially important in the case of such complex phenomena as shallow groundwater fluctuation, driven by numerous factors. Because of the continuous changes in the oscillating components of shallow groundwater time series, the most appropriate method should be used to investigate its periodicity, this is wavelet spectrum analysis. The aims of the research were to investigate the periodic behavior of the shallow groundwater time series of an agriculturally important and drought sensitive region in Central-Eastern Europe and its relationship to the European pressure action centers. During the research ~216 shallow groundwater observation wells located in the eastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain with a temporal coverage of 50 years were scanned for periodicity. By taking the full-time interval as 100%, the presence of any period could be determined in percentages. With the complex hydrogeological/meteorological model developed in this study, non-periodic time intervals were found in the shallow groundwater levels. On the local scale, this phenomenon linked to drought conditions, and on a regional scale linked to the maxima of the regional air pressures in the Gulf of Genoa. The study documented an important link between shallow groundwater levels and climate variables/indices facilitating the necessary adaptation strategies on national and/or regional scales, which have to take into account the predictions of drought-related climatic conditions.

Keywords: climate change, drought, groundwater periodicity, wavelet spectrum and coherence analyses

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Authors: Diana A. Sokolova

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This article is devoted to one of the possibilities for identifying the author of an oral or written text - sociolinguistic profiling. Sociolinguistic profiling is utilized as a forensic linguistics technique to identify individuals through language patterns, particularly in criminal cases. It examines how social factors influence language use. This study aims to showcase the significance of linguistic profiling for attributing authorship in texts and emphasizes the necessity for its continuous enhancement while considering its strengths and weaknesses. The study employs semantic-syntactic, lexical-semantic, linguopragmatic, logical, presupposition, authorization, and content analysis methods to investigate linguistic profiling. The research highlights the relevance of sociolinguistic profiling in authorship attribution and underscores the importance of ongoing refinement of the technique, considering its limitations. This study emphasizes the practical application of linguistic profiling in legal settings and underscores the impact of social factors on language use, contributing to the field of forensic linguistics. Data collection involves collecting oral and written texts from criminal and civil court cases to analyze language patterns for authorship attribution. The collected data is analyzed using various linguistic analysis methods to identify individual characteristics and patterns that can aid in authorship attribution. The study addresses the effectiveness of sociolinguistic profiling in identifying authors of texts and explores the impact of social factors on language use in legal contexts. In spite of advantages challenges in linguistics profiling have spurred debates and controversies in academic circles, legal environments, and the public sphere. So, this research highlights the significance of sociolinguistic profiling in authorship attribution and emphasizes the need for further development of this method, considering its strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords: authorship attribution, detection of identifying, dialect, features, forensic linguistics, social influence, sociolinguistics, unique speech characteristics

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Authors: Igor Michel Gachig, Samanta Tiague

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Baka ‘Pygmies’ is an indigenous community living in the rainforest region of Cameroon. This community is known to be poor and marginalized from the political, economic and social life, regardless of sedentarization and development efforts. In fact, the social exclusion of ‘Pygmy’ people prevents them from gaining basic citizen’s rights, among which access to education, land, healthcare, employment and justice. In this study, social interactions, behaviors, and perceptions were considered. An interview guide and focus group discussions were used to collect data. A sample size of 97 was used, with 60 Baka Pygmies and 37 Bantus from two Baka-Bantu settlements/villages of the south region of Cameroon. The data were classified in terms of homogenous, exhaustive and exclusive categories. This classification has enabled factors explaining social exclusion in the Baka community to be highlighted using content analysis. The study shows that (i) limited access to education, natural resources and care in modern healthcare organizations, and (ii) different views on the development expectations and integration approaches both highlight the social exclusion in the Baka ‘Pygmies’ community. Therefore, an effective and adequate social integration of ‘Pygmies’ based on cultural peculiarities and identity, as well as reduction of disparities and improvement of their access to education should be of major concern to the government and policy makers.

Keywords: development, indigenous people, integration, social exclusion

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Authors: Y. S. Mohamed, L. A. Ahmed, H. A. Salem, A. M. Agha

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Liver Fibrosis is one of the most serious conditions that affect the Egyptian society. In the present study, the effect of nicorandil was investigated in experimentally-induced liver fibrosis by bile duct ligation in rats. Nicorandil (3mg/kg/day) was given orally 24 h after bile duct ligation for 14 days till the end of the experiment. Nicorandil group showed a significant improvement in liver function tests (ALT and ALP) as well as a significant decrease in oxidative stress biomarkers (TBARS and GSH), area of fibrosis and activity of hepatic stellate cells as indicated by decreased expression of alpha smooth muscle actin.Moreover, nicorandil treatment decreased HSCs proliferation due to its inhibitory effects on protein kinase C(PKC) and Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) . Oral administration of either glibenclamide (10 mg/kg/day)(a KATP channel blocker) or L-NAME (30 mg/kg/day) (an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase) blocked the protective effects of nicorandil. However, nicorandil and L-NAME treated group showed more or less results similar to that of untreated bile duct ligated group. In conclusion, nicorandil was effective against the development of bile duct ligated-induced liver fibrosis in rats where activation of the NO pathway plays an important role in the protective effect nicorandil.

Keywords: hepatic stellate cells, nicorandil, nitric oxide donor, liver fibrosis

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Authors: Raúl González Muñoz, Essam Shehab, Martin Weinitzke, Chris Fowler, Paul Baguley

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Software applications have become crucial to the aerospace industry, providing a wide range of functionalities and capabilities used during the design, manufacturing and support of aircraft. However, as this criticality increases, so too does the risk for business operations when facing a software failure. Hence, there is a need for new methodologies to be developed to support aerospace companies in effectively managing their software portfolios, avoiding the hazards of business disruption and additional costs. This paper aims to provide a definition of operational software maturity, and how this can be used to assess software operational behaviour, as well as a view on the different aspects that drive software maturity within the aerospace industry. The key research question addressed is, how can operational software maturity monitoring assist the aerospace industry in effectively managing large software portfolios? This question has been addressed by conducting an in depth review of current literature, by working closely with aerospace professionals and by running an industry case study within a major aircraft manufacturer. The results are a software maturity model composed of a set of drivers and a prototype tool used for the testing and validation of the research findings. By utilising these methodologies to assess the operational maturity of software applications in aerospace, benefits in maintenance activities and operations disruption avoidance have been observed, supporting business cases for system improvement.

Keywords: aerospace, software lifecycle, software maintenance, software maturity

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Authors: Abdelkader T. Ahmed, Ayed E. Alluqmani

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The population growth in the KSA beside the increase in the urbanization level and standard of living improvement have resulted in the rapid growth of the country’s Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation. Municipalities are managing the MSW system in the KSA by collecting and getting rid of it by dumping it in nearest open landfill sites. Solid waste management is one of the main critical issues considered worldwide due to its significant impact on the environment and the public health. In this study, municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, composition and collection of Madinah city, as one of largest cities in KSA, were examined to provide an overview of current state of MSW management, an analysis of existing problem in MSW management, and recommendations for improving the waste treatment and management system in this area. These recommendations would be not specific to Madinah region, but also would be applied to other cities in KSA or any other regions with similar features. The trend of waste generation showed that current waste generation would be increased as much as two to three folds in 2030. Approximately 25% of total generated waste is disposed to a sanitary landfill, while 75% is sent to normal dumpsites. This study also investigated the environmental impacts of MSW through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of waste generations and related processes. LCA results revealed that among the seven scenarios, recycling and composting are the best scenario for the solid waste management in Madinah and similar regions.

Keywords: municipal solid waste, waste recycling and land-filling, waste management, life cycle assessment

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Authors: Hyo Jung Lee

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The purpose of this study is to develop a literature appreciation education program for classic literatures and apply them to the field, and to derive the achievements and improvement points. Classic literature is a work of value recognized in the context of literature history and culture history, and learners can develop interest in literature and inherit tradition through appreciation of classic literature. However, in Korean educational environment, classic literature is a means for college entrance examination, and many learners analyze contents and language in textbooks and concentrate on memorizing the whole plot. This study is one of the reasons that classic literature appreciation education is not done properly and it is not able to give an opportunity to appreciate the whole work in the early learning stage. In Korean primary education, classic literature is used as a means to achieve the goals of reading, writing, speaking and listening, rather than being used as a material for its own appreciation. It is problematic to make the piece appreciation experience fragmentary. This study proposes a program to experience classic literatures by linking school education and school library with primary school students in grades 4-6. We work with local primary schools (siheung-si, gyeonggi-do, Korea) to provide appropriate activities and rewards to learners, observe their participation, and introduce student learning outcomes. Through this, we are able to systematically improve the learner 's ability to appreciate the literature and to diversify primary education.

Keywords: classic literature education, primary education, out-of-school program, learning by appreciation experience

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Authors: Zaka Nisa, Farooq Sher

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Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) underreporting is a great challenge to Pharmacovigilance. Health care professionals have to consider ADR reporting as their professional obligation, an effective system of ADR reporting is important to improve patient health care and safety. The present study is designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and factors associated with ADR reporting by health care professionals (physicians and pharmacists) in public and private hospitals of Pakistan. A pretested questionnaire was administered to 384 physicians and pharmacists in public and private hospitals. Respondents were evaluated for their knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ADR reporting. The data was analyzed using the SPSS statistical software, the factors which encourage and discourage respondents in reporting ADRs were determined. Most of the respondents have shown a positive attitude towards ADR reporting. The response rate was 95.32%. Of the 367 questionnaires, including 333 (86.5%) physicians and 34 (8.8%) pharmacists with the mean age 28.34 (SD= 6.69), most of the respondents showed poor ADR reporting knowledge (83.1%). The majority of respondents (78.2%) showed positive attitude towards ADR reporting and only (12.3%) hospitals have good ADR reporting practice. Knowledge of respondents in public hospitals (8.6%) was less as compare to those in the private hospitals (29.7%) (P < 0.001). Attitude of respondents in private hospitals was more positive (92.4%) than those in public hospitals (68.8%) (P < 0.001). No significant difference was observed in practicing of ADR reporting in public (11.8%) and private hospitals (13.1%) (P value 0.89). Seriousness of ADR, unusualness of reaction, new drug involvement and confidence in diagnosis of ADR were the factors which encourage respondents to report ADR, however, lack of knowledge regarding where and how to report ADR, lack of access to ADR reporting form, managing patients was more important than reporting ADR, legal liability issues were the factors which discourage respondents to report ADR. The study reveals poor knowledge and practice regarding ADR reporting. However positive attitude was seen regarding ADR reporting. There is a need of educational training for health care professionals as well as genuine and continuous efforts are required by Government and health authorities to ensure the proper implementation of ADR reporting system in all of the hospitals.

Keywords: adverse drugs reactions (ADR), pharmacovigilance, spontaneous ADR reporting, knowledge of ADR, attitude of health care profesionals, practice of ADR reporting

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Authors: Mohammed W. Abdulrahman

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The thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle is considered as a sustainable and efficient technology for a hydrogen production, when linked with clean-energy systems such as nuclear reactors or solar thermal plants. In the Cu-Cl cycle, water is decomposed thermally into hydrogen and oxygen through a series of intermediate reactions. This paper investigates the thermal scale up analysis of the three phase oxygen production reactor in the Cu-Cl cycle, where the reaction is endothermic and the temperature is about 530 ^oC. The paper focuses on examining the size and number of oxygen reactors required to provide enough heat input for different rates of hydrogen production. The type of the multiphase reactor used in this paper is the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) that is heated by a half pipe jacket. The thermal resistance of each section in the jacketed reactor system is studied to examine its effect on the heat balance of the reactor. It is found that the dominant contribution to the system thermal resistance is from the reactor wall. In the analysis, the Cu-Cl cycle is assumed to be driven by a nuclear reactor where two types of nuclear reactors are examined as the heat source to the oxygen reactor. These types are the CANDU Super Critical Water Reactor (CANDU-SCWR) and High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR). It is concluded that a better heat transfer rate has to be provided for CANDU-SCWR by 3-4 times than HTGR. The effect of the reactor aspect ratio is also examined in this paper and is found that increasing the aspect ratio decreases the number of reactors and the rate of decrease in the number of reactors decreases by increasing the aspect ratio. Finally, a comparison between the results of heat balance and existing results of mass balance is performed and is found that the size of the oxygen reactor is dominated by the heat balance rather than the material balance.

Keywords: sustainable energy, clean energy, Cu-Cl cycle, heat transfer, hydrogen, oxygen

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Authors: Sophia Cyril Vincent

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Background: As per the Indian Census 2011, there is nearly 104 million elderly population aged above 60 years (53 million females and 51 males), and the count is expected to be 173 million by the end of 2026. Nearly 5.5% of women and 1.5% of men are living alone.1 In India, even though it is the moral duty of the children to take care of aged parents, many elders are landing in old age homes due to the social transformation factors like mushrooming of nuclear families, migration of children, cultural echoes, differences in mindset and values. Nearly 728 old age homes are seen across the country, out of which 78 old age homes with approximately 3000 inmates are seen only in Bangalore2. The existing literature shows that elderly women residing in old age homes experience the challenges like- loneliness, health issues, rejection from children, grief, death anxiety, etc, which leads to mental and physical wellbeing in numerous and tangible ways3. Hence the best and cost-effective way to improve the meaning and quality of life among elderly females is logotherapy, a type of psychotherapeutic analysis and treatment, motivating and driving force4 within the human experience to lead a decent life. Aim: The current research is aimed at studying the effectiveness of a logotherapy intervention on meaning and quality of life among elderly women of old age homes. Samples:200 women aged < 60 years and staying in the old age home for more than 1 year were randomly allocated to the control group and experimental group. Methodology: Using the Meaning in life questionnaire (MLQ)and the World health organization quality of life (WHOQOL) questionnaire, meaning and quality of life were assessed among both groups' women. Intensive Logotherapy and meaning in life program for five days were provided for the experimental group and the control group, with no treatment. Result: Under analysis. Conclusion: It is the right of the elderly woman to lead a happy and peaceful life till her death irrespective of the residing place. Hence, continuous monitoring and effective management are necessary for elderly women.

Keywords: quality of life, meaning of life, logo therapy, old age home

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Authors: Rajat Mittal, Harshal Raut, Jung Hee Seo

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Wave-assisted propulsion (WAP) systems convert wave energy into thrust using elastically mounted hydrofoils. We employ sharp-interface immersed boundary simulations to examine the effect of two key parameters on the flow physics, the fluid-structure interaction, as well as thrust performance of these systems - the stiffness of the torsional spring and the location of the rotational center. The variation in spring stiffness leads to different amplitude of pitch motion, phase difference with respect to heaving motion and thrust coefficient and we show the utility of ‘maps’ of energy exchange between the flow and the hydrofoil system, as a way to understand and predict this behavior. The Force Partitioning Method (FPM) is used to decompose the pressure forces into individual components and understand the mechanism behind increase in thrust. Next, a scaling law is presented for the thrust coefficient generated by heaving and pitching foil. The parameters within the scaling law are calculated based on direct-numerical simulations based parametric study utilized to generate the energy maps. The predictions of the proposed scaling law are then compared with those of a similar model from the literature, showing a noticeable improvement in the prediction of the thrust coefficient.

Keywords: propulsion, flapping foils, hydrodynamics, wave power

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Authors: Ogbonna Olelewe

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This quality improvement project seeks to address the background and significance of promoting antidepressant (AD) medication adherence to reduce depression symptoms in patients diagnosed with major depression. This project aims to substantiate using daily encrypted short message service (SMS) text reminders to take prescribed antidepressant medications with the goal of increasing medication adherence to reduce depression scores in patients diagnosed with major depression, thereby preventing relapses and increasing remission rates. Depression symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. The PHQ-9 provides a total score of depression symptoms from mild to severe, ranging from 0 to 27. A -pretest/post-test design was used, with a convenience sample size of 35 adult patients aged 18 years old to 45 years old, diagnosed with MDD, and prescribed at least one antidepressant for one year or more. Pre- and post-test PHQ-9 scores were conducted to compare depression scores before and after the four-week intervention period. The results indicated improved post-intervention PHQ-9 scores, improved AD medication adherence, and a significant reduction in depression symptoms.

Keywords: major depressive disorder, antidepressants, short message services, text reminders, Medication adherence/non-adherence, Patient Health Questionnaire 9

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Authors: Shola Haruna Adeosun, Ajoke F. Adebiyi

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Business organizations in Nigeria have failed to realize the role of a good corporate image policy in business dealings. This is probably because they do not understand the concept of corporate image and the necessary tools for promoting it. Corporate image goes beyond attractive products or rendering quality services, advertising and paying good salary. It pervades every aspect of business concern, from the least worker’s personality to the dealings within the organization and with the large society. In the face of the societal dynamics, especially in the business world, brought by technology, companies are faced with stiff competition that maintaining a competitive edge requires aggressive strategies. One of such strategies in effective corporate image management is promotion. This study investigates the strategies that could be deployed in order to build and promote the effective corporate image, as well as enhance profit margins of an organization, using Phinomar Nigeria Limited, Ngwo as case study. The study reveals that Phinomar Nigeria Limited has a laid down corporate image policy but not effectively managed; and that, strategies deployed to promote corporate image are limited; while responses to Phinomar products are fairly high. It, therefore, suggests profitable products but requires periodical improvement in the employee's welfare and work environment; as well as, the need to increase the scope of Phinomar’s social responsibility.

Keywords: corporate image, effective, enhancing, management, profitability, strategy

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Authors: Kulachai Kultawanich, Prakob Koraneekij, Jaitip Na-Songkhla

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The way of learning has been changed into a new paradigm since the improvement of network and communication technology, so learners have to interact with massive amount of the information. Thus, information literacy has become a critical set of abilities required by every college and university in the world. Connectivism is considered to be an alternative way to design information literacy course in online learning environment, such as Virtual Classroom (VC). With the change of learning pedagogy, VC is employed to improve the social capability by integrating cloud-based technology. This paper aims to study the use of Cloud-based Virtual Classroom (CBVC) in Connectivism learning process to enhance information literacy and self-efficacy of twenty-one undergraduate students who registered in an e-publishing course at Chulalongkorn University. The data were gathered during 6 weeks of the study by using the following instruments: (1) Information literacy test (2) Information literacy rubrics (3) Information Literacy Self-Efficacy (ILSE) Scales and (4) Questionnaire. The result indicated that students have information literacy and self-efficacy posttest mean scores higher than pretest mean scores at .05 level of significant after using CBVC in Connectivism learning process. Additionally, the study identified that the Connectivism learning process proved useful for developing information rich environment and a sense of community, and the CBVC proved useful for developing social connection.

Keywords: cloud-based, virtual classroom, connectivism, information literacy

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Authors: Xiaoqin Wang, Li Yin

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Background and purpose: In many practices, one estimates causal effects arising from a complex stochastic process, where a sequence of treatments are assigned to influence a certain outcome of interest, and there exist time-dependent covariates between treatments. When covariates are plentiful and/or continuous, statistical modeling is needed to reduce the huge dimensionality of the problem and allow for the estimation of causal effects. Recently, Wang and Yin (Annals of statistics, 2020) derived a new general formula, which expresses these causal effects in terms of the point effects of treatments in single-point causal inference. As a result, it is possible to conduct the modeling via point effects. The purpose of the work is to study the modeling of these causal effects via point effects. Challenges and solutions: The time-dependent covariates often have influences from earlier treatments as well as on subsequent treatments. Consequently, the standard parameters – i.e., the mean of the outcome given all treatments and covariates-- are essentially all different (null paradox). Furthermore, the dimension of the parameters is huge (curse of dimensionality). Therefore, it can be difficult to conduct the modeling in terms of standard parameters. Instead of standard parameters, we have use point effects of treatments to develop likelihood-based parametric approach to the modeling of these causal effects and are able to model the causal effects of a sequence of treatments by modeling a small number of point effects of individual treatment Achievements: We are able to conduct the modeling of the causal effects from a sequence of treatments in the familiar framework of single-point causal inference. The simulation shows that our method achieves not only an unbiased estimate for the causal effect but also the nominal level of type I error and a low level of type II error for the hypothesis testing. We have applied this method to a longitudinal study of COVID-19 mortality among Scandinavian countries and found that the Swedish approach performed far worse than the other countries' approach for COVID-19 mortality and the poor performance was largely due to its early measure during the initial period of the pandemic.

Keywords: causal effect, point effect, statistical modelling, sequential causal inference

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Authors: Fares A. Mayia, Mahmoud A. Yamany, Mushabbab A. Asiri

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In recent years, non-invasive Focused Ultrasound (FU) has been utilized for generating bubbles (cavities) to ablate target tissue by mechanical fractionation. Intensities >10 kW/cm² are required to generate the inertial cavities. The generation, rapid growth, and collapse of these inertial cavities cause tissue fractionation and the process is called Histotripsy. The ability to fractionate tissue from outside the body has many clinical applications including the destruction of the tumor mass. The process of tissue fractionation leaves a void at the treated site, where all the affected tissue is liquefied to particles at sub-micron size. The liquefied tissue will eventually be absorbed by the body. Histotripsy is a promising non-invasive treatment modality. This paper presents a technique for generating inertial cavities at lower intensities (< 1 kW/cm²). The technique (patent pending) is based on amplitude modulation (AM), whereby a low frequency signal modulates the amplitude of a higher frequency FU wave. Cavitation threshold is lower at low frequencies; the intensity required to generate cavitation in water at 10 kHz is two orders of magnitude lower than the intensity at 1 MHz. The Amplitude Modulation technique can operate in both continuous wave (CW) and pulse wave (PW) modes, and the percentage modulation (modulation index) can be varied from 0 % (thermal effect) to 100 % (cavitation effect), thus allowing a range of ablating effects from Hyperthermia to Histotripsy. Furthermore, changing the frequency of the modulating signal allows controlling the size of the generated cavities. Results from in vitro work demonstrate the efficacy of the new technique in fractionating soft tissue and solid calcium carbonate (Chalk) material. The technique, when combined with MR or Ultrasound imaging, will present a precise treatment modality for ablating diseased tissue without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue.

Keywords: focused ultrasound therapy, histotripsy, inertial cavitation, mechanical tissue ablation

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Authors: Win Zaw Hein, Khin Sandar Linn, Su Su Yi Mon, Yoshitaka Goto

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The Earth ionosphere is located at the altitude of about 70 km to several 100 km from the ground, and it is composed of ions and electrons called plasma. In the ionosphere, these plasma makes delay in GPS (Global Positioning System) signals and reflect in radio waves. The delay along the signal path from the satellite to the receiver is directly proportional to the total electron content (TEC) of plasma, and this delay is the largest error factor in satellite positioning and navigation. Sounding observation from the top and bottom of the ionosphere was popular to investigate such ionospheric plasma for a long time. Recently, continuous monitoring of the TEC using networks of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) observation stations, which are basically built for land survey, has been conducted in several countries. However, in these stations, multi-frequency support receivers are installed to estimate the effect of plasma delay using their frequency dependence and the cost of multi-frequency support receivers are much higher than single frequency support GPS receiver. In this research, single frequency GPS receiver was used instead of expensive multi-frequency GNSS receivers to measure the ionospheric plasma variation such as vertical TEC distribution. In this measurement, single-frequency support ublox GPS receiver was used to probe ionospheric TEC. The location of observation was assigned at Mandalay Technological University in Myanmar. In the method, the ionospheric TEC distribution is represented by polynomial functions for latitude and longitude, and parameters of the functions are determined by least-squares fitting on pseudorange data obtained at a known location under an assumption of thin layer ionosphere. The validity of the method was evaluated by measurements obtained by the Japanese GNSS observation network called GEONET. The performance of measurement results using single-frequency of GPS receiver was compared with the results by dual-frequency measurement.

Keywords: ionosphere, global positioning system, GPS, ionospheric delay, total electron content, TEC

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Authors: Azzeddine Atibi, Khadija El Kababi, Salim Ahmed, Mohamed Radid

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Teaching and learning occupy a significant position globally, as the sustainable development of all sectors is intrinsically linked to the improvement of the educational system. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the learning process is not optional but essential, and that proficiency in computer tools is an asset that will enhance pedagogy and ensure the continuity of learning under any circumstances. The objective of our study is to evaluate the impact of introducing computer tools on the quality of learning and the realization of conceptual change in learners. To this end, a learning situation was meticulously prepared, targeting first-year baccalaureate students in experimental sciences at a public high school, "Khadija Oum Almouminin," focusing on the chapter on glycemia regulation in the Moroccan Life and Earth Sciences (LES) curriculum. The learning situation was implemented with a pilot group that utilized computer tools and a control group that studied the same chapter without using ICT. The analysis and comparison of the results allowed us to verify the research question posed and to propose perspectives to ensure conceptual change in learners.

Keywords: information and communication technology, conceptual change, continuity of learning, life and earth sciences, glycemia regulation

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Authors: Mateusz Janas

Abstract:

Innovative implementations in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) sector are among the essential activities considering the current market realities, technological advancements, and digitization trends. MSMEs play a crucial role and significantly influence the economic conditions of countries, as their competitiveness directly impacts the global economy. Business development and investment in innovation and technology are integral parts of every modern enterprise's strategy, seeking to maintain and achieve a desired competitive position. The instability of the socio-economic environment, along with contemporary changes in artificial intelligence implementation and digitization, requires businesses to adopt increasingly newer solutions and actions. Enterprises must strive to survive in the global market and build competitive positions, especially in uncertain conditions. Being aware of the significance of innovative actions is crucial for MSMEs as it enables them to enhance their operations and expand their scope. It is essential for managers and executives of MSMEs to be focused on development and innovation, as their approach will also impact their employees, emphasizing results and maximizing the company's value. Managers of MSMEs must be aware of various threats, costs, opportunities, and gains that can arise from implementing new technical and organizational solutions. Businesses must view development as an integral part of their strategy and continuously strive for improvement.

Keywords: innovation, SME, develop, management

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