Search results for: cognitive space

Authors: Ming Ma, Zhenyu Cai, Rui Li

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People are more vulnerable to health problems than ever before, such as overweight and obesity due to the change of built environment. In the high-rise buildings, the core-tube layout is closely associated with user’s physical activities which will affect human’s health in a long-term. As for the white-collars who spends the amount of time working in the office tower, using staircase seems to provide an opportunity for them to increase the physical activities in the workplaces. This paper is aiming to find out the specific relationship between health and core-tube in the office tower through analyzing the correlation between staircase’s layout and user’s health. The variables of staircase’s layout are consisted of two indicators: plan layout and space design, including nine factors while health variable is applying BIM as the only main factor. 14 office towers in downtown Shanghai are selected as the research samples because of its typical users’ pattern and similar core-tube layout. In the result, it is obvious that the users from these 14 cases have higher BMI than average partly because that the staircases are mainly designed for emergency and fire instead of daily use. After the regression and correlation analysis of the variables of health and staircases, it’s found that users’ BMI is significantly associated with the factors of floor guide-signs and distance from lobby to the staircase. In addition, the factors of comfort level of staircase such as width and daylighting have a certain correlation with users’ BMI.

Keywords: office tower, staircase, design, obesity, physical activity

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Authors: Eliziane Navarro, Aparecida Citta

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Child of the dark is the work of the Brazilian author Carolina Maria de Jesus published at the first time by Ática & Francisco Alves in 1960. It is, mostly, a story of lack of rights. It lacks to men who live in the slums what is essential in order to take advantage of the privilege of rationality to develop themselves as civilized humans. It is, therefore, in the withholding of the basic rights that inequality finds space to build itself to be the main misery on Earth. Antonio Candido, a Brazilian sociologist, claims that it is the right to literature has the ability to humanize men, once the aptitude to create fiction and fable is essential to the social balance. Hence, for the forming role that literature holds, it must be thought as the number of rights that assure human dignity, such as housing, education, health, freedom, etc. When talking about her routine, Carolina puts in evidence something that has great influence over the formation of human beings, contributing to the way they live: the slum. Even though it happens in a distinct way and using her linguistics variation, Carolina writes about something that will only be discussed later on Brazil’s Cities Statute and Ermia Maricato: the right to the city, and how the slums are, although inserted in the city, an attachment, an illegal city, a dismissing room. It interests ourselves, for that matter, in this work, to analyse how the deprivation of the rights to the city and literature, detailed in Carolina’s journal, conditions human beings to a life where the instincts overcome the social values.

Keywords: Child of the dark, slum, Brazil, architecture and literature

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Authors: Hung-Chu Chen, Han Qi, Bauke de Vries

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Energy consumption in the urban environment has attracted numerous researches in recent decades. However, it is comparatively rare to find literary works which investigated 3D spatial analysis of urban energy demand modelling. In order to analyze the spatial correlation between urban morphology and energy demand comprehensively, this paper investigates their relation by using the spatial regression tool. In addition, the spatial regression tool which is applied in this paper is ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and building volume are explainers of urban morphology, which act as independent variables of Energy-land use (E-L) model. NDBI and NDVI are used as the index to describe five types of land use: urban area (U), open space (O), artificial green area (G), natural green area (V), and water body (W). Accordingly, annual electricity, gas demand and energy demand are dependent variables of the E-L model. Based on the analytical result of E-L model relation, it revealed that energy demand and urban morphology are closely connected and the possible causes and practical use are discussed. Besides, the spatial analysis methods of OLS and GWR are compared.

Keywords: energy demand model, geographically weighted regression, normalized difference built-up index, normalized difference vegetation index, spatial statistics

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Authors: Justina Ijeoma Ezebuwa, Catherine C. Ikewuchi, Eka B. Essien, Francis C. Anacletus

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Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a significant problem in Nigeria, especially in children under five. Intervention options for treating anemia in under-five children have also been the subject of research. This study aims to synthesize the evidence on dietary interventions for managing iron deficiency anemia in under-five children in Nigeria. This study uses a systematic review method to collect relevant studies to answer the research questions and a narrative synthesis to analyze and synthesize the findings of this study. Cochrane, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases were thoroughly searched, and five (5) articles were selected for this study. The results show that dietary interventions, such as daily multi-nutrient fortified dairy-based drinks, biofortified (yellow/ white) cassava rich in pro-vitamin A, iron supplementation in foods, and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) may be relevant to the management of iron deficiency anemia in under-five children in Nigeria. The study also shows that daily multi-nutrient fortified dairy-based drinks may be more effective, feasible, and culturally acceptable for managing anemia in under-5 children in Nigeria. In addition, daily multi-nutrient fortified dairy-based drinks and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) were reported to have the potential to improve the growth, cognitive development, and overall health outcomes of under-five children with iron deficiency anemia in Nigeria. Recommendations for future studies in this research area and for public health practitioners and policymakers were provided.

Keywords: dietary intervention, iron deficiency anemia, under-five children, Nigeria

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Authors: Magali Mari, Fabrice Clement

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The present study investigated the influence of implicit stereotypes on adults’ visual information processing, using an eye-tracking device. Implicit stereotyping is an automatic and implicit process; it happens relatively quickly, outside of awareness. In the presence of a member of a social group, a set of expectations about the characteristics of this social group appears automatically in people’s minds. The study aimed to shed light on the cognitive processes involved in stereotyping and to further investigate the use of eye movements to measure implicit stereotypes. With an eye-tracking device, the eye movements of participants were analyzed, while they viewed everyday scenes depicting women and men in congruent or incongruent gender role activities (e.g., a woman ironing or a man ironing). The settings of these scenes had to be analyzed to infer the character’s role. Also, participants completed an implicit association test that combined the concept of gender with attributes of occupation (home/work), while measuring reaction times to assess participants’ implicit stereotypes about gender. The results showed that implicit stereotypes do influence people’s visual attention; within a fraction of a second, the number of returns, between stereotypical and counter-stereotypical scenes, differed significantly, meaning that participants interpreted the scene itself as a whole before identifying the character. They predicted that, in such a situation, the character was supposed to be a woman or a man. Also, the study showed that eye movements could be used as a fast and reliable supplement for traditional implicit association tests to measure implicit stereotypes. Altogether, this research provides further understanding of implicit stereotypes processing as well as a natural method to study implicit stereotypes.

Keywords: eye-tracking, implicit stereotypes, social cognition, visual attention

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Authors: Nia Kurniati, Efa Laela Fakhriah

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The regulation in Indonesia provides space for the land dispute to be settled outside the court by the government through National Land. In this case, the bureaucrat of Badan Pertanahan Nasional (BPN) acts as mediator to reach a fair agreement between the disputing parties. Land dispute is from a party who denies the ownership of the other party of a land and denies legal-technical facts written on land certificate published by BPN. Appointing the bureaucrat of BPN as mediator in dispute settlements may possibly create conflict of interest since the object. It has become a concern since bureaucrat of BPN acts as mediator, he will be bias and partial in assisting the dispute settlement, thus the spirit and purposes of mediation will be hampered. This issue triggers to be thoroughly examined further in a relation with the role and function of BPN as land dispute mediator. The methodology used in this research is a normative-legal one with qualitative-legal analytical method. The object of this research is in the form of random sampling of land dispute cases being occurred in some areas. Several principles in mediation have to be made as the base of the consideration to appoint bureaucrat of BPN as mediator since the mediator is an impartial third party, working with both disputing parties and assisting them to reach a fair resolution written in agreement as a foundation of land dispute settlement. The existence of BPN as mediator in land dispute settlement encounters conflict of interest which uphold legal uncertainty to act objectively.

Keywords: Indonesia, land dispute, mediator, national land authority

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Authors: Yan Zi, Han Xiao

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Across the globe, ICTs are influencing employment both as an industry that creates jobs and as a tool that empowers disabled people to access new forms of work, in innovative and more flexible ways. The advancements in ICT and the number of apps and solutions that support persons with physical, cognitive and intellectual disabilities challenge traditional biased notions and offer a pathway out of traditional sheltered workshops. As the global leader in digital technology innovation, China is arguably a leader in the use of digital technology as a 'lever' in ending the economic and social marginalization of the disabled. This study investigates factors that influence adoption and use of employment-oriented ICT applications among disabled people in China and seeks to integrate three theoretical approaches: the technology acceptance model (TAM), the uses and gratifications (U&G) approach, and the social model of disability. To that end, the study used data from self-reported survey of 214 disabled adults who have been involved in two top-down 'Internet + employment' programs promoted by local disabled persons’ federation in Shanghai. A structural equation model employed in the study demonstrates that the use of employment-oriented ICT applications is affected by demographic factors of gender, categories of disability, education and marital status. The organizational support of local social organizations demonstrates significate effects on the motivations of disabled people. Results from the focus group interviews particularly suggested that to maximize the positive impact of ICTs on employment, there is significant need to build stakeholder capacity on how ICTs could benefits persons with disabilities.

Keywords: disabled people, ICTs, technology acceptance model, uses and gratifications, the social model of disability

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Authors: Oluwaseun Amusa

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The online space has continued to be a platform for not only private and mundane discussions but also a tribune for voicing critical political and national opinions. Nigerians and the international community have employed the online media, as well as other media platforms to articulate their thoughts on the claims which favour possibilities of the demise of the incumbent president of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, after a prolonged illness in year 2007 and the ploy of a Jubril of Sudan clone in his place. This study thus examines the pragmatic strategies employed in the online articles on the national dilemma caused by the Buhari/Jubril claims and refutals, in response to the lacuna in the literature on such analytical investigations on the subject. Two online articles titled, 'Buhari: The real, the fake and the dead' and 'Taking the Buhari/Jubril story seriously', authored by two Nigerian writers, Tunde Odesola and Abimbola Adelakun, respectively and retrieved online from 360nobs.com and Nairaland blogs, on December 3, 2018, and December 7, 2018, respectively, served as data for the study. The data were analysed using the Stance Theory and the Pragmatic Act Theory. Findings showed that the writers employed stance acts, rhetorical questions, metaphors, histo-political allusions, name-calling, and derogatives, in achieving the pragmeme of disabusing. This results in a pragmatic reconstruction of readers' views on the issue.

Keywords: Buhari/Jubril claims, online articles, pragmatic strategies, stance theory

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Authors: Azadeh Mohajer Milani

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Urbanization constitutes an irreversible global trend, presenting myriad challenges such as heightened energy consumption, pollution, congestion, and the depletion of natural resources. Today's urban landscapes have emerged as focal points for economic, social, and environmental challenges, underscoring the pressing need for sustainable development. This article delves into the realm of sustainable urban development, concentrating on the pivotal role played by integrated green spaces as an optimal solution to address environmental concerns within cities. The study utilizes Tehran as a case study. Our findings underscore the imperative of preserving and expanding green spaces in urban areas, coupled with the establishment of well-designed ecological networks, to enhance environmental quality and elevate the sustainability of cities. Notably, Tehran's urban green spaces exhibit a disjointed design, lacking a cohesive network to connect various patches and corridors, resulting in significant environmental impacts. The results emphasize the necessity of a balanced and proportional distribution of urban green spaces and the creation of a cohesive patch-corridor-matrix network tailored to the ecological and social needs of residents. This approach is crucial for fostering a more sustainable and livable urban environment for all species, with a specific focus on humans.

Keywords: ecology, sustainable urban development, sustainable landscape, urban green space network

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Authors: Tien-Ching Yao, Ching-Ching Lu

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Understanding human language processing is one of the main challenges of current cognitive neuroscience. The aims of the present study were to use a sentence decision task combined with event-related potentials to investigate the psychological reality of "cross-sentence patterns." Therefore, we take the math word problems the experimental materials and use the ERPs' P600 component to verify. In this study, the experimental material consisted of 200 math word problems with three different conditions were used ( multiplication word problems、division word problems type 1、division word problems type 2 ). Eighteen Mandarin native speakers participated in the ERPs study (14 of whom were female). The result of the grand average waveforms suggests a later posterior positivity at around 500ms - 900ms. These findings were tested statistically using repeated measures ANOVAs at the component caused by the stimulus type of different questions. Results suggest that three conditions present significant (P < 0.05) on the Mean Amplitude, Latency, and Peak Amplitude. The result showed the characteristic timing and posterior scalp distribution of a P600 effect. We interpreted these characteristic responses as the psychological reality of "cross-sentence patterns." These results provide insights into the sentence processing issues in linguistic theory and psycholinguistic models of language processing and advance our understanding of how people make sense of information during language comprehension.

Keywords: language processing, sentence comprehension, event-related potentials, cross-sentence patterns

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Authors: Bronwyn Bell, Lizelle Brink

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Workplaces of today are populated by employees from different generations; emerging adults being the most recent demographic group entering the workplace. These individuals form part of Generation Y and are between the ages of 18 to 25. Emerging adults bring unique and different characteristics to the workplace. These individuals also differ from other generations with regards to their employment desires and ways of working. Age-stereotypes of emerging adults is, therefore, a common occurrence within workplaces. The general objective of the study was therefore to explore age-related stereotypes experienced regarding emerging adults within the South African work context and to determine the influences thereof. A qualitative research design from the social constructivism paradigm was employed in order to reach the objectives of this research study. A phenomenological approach using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling was employed within this study. A sample of 25 employees (N = 25) from various South African organisations were interviewed for the purpose of this study and formed part of three generations namely Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers. In order to analyse the collected data, the steps of thematic analysis were used. The main findings of this study indicated that emerging adults experience various positive and negative stereotypes within the workplace. Results further indicated that these stereotypes influence emerging adults in a behavioural, cognitive and emotional manner. These stereotypes also influence the way emerging adults are treated by older employees within the workplace. Recommendations based on the results of this study were made for future research and practice. This study creates awareness within organisations regarding age-stereotypes of emerging adults. By being aware, employees can manage the influences thereof within the workplace.

Keywords: age-stereotypes, baby boomers, emerging adults, generation x, generation y, South African work environment, stereotypes

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Authors: Amorn Kritsanaphan

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This paper illustrates the decentralization of cultural heritage management in local Thailand, a place similar to other middle- income developing countries characterized by rapid tourism-industrialization, weakness formal state institutions and procedures, and intensity use of the cultural heritage resources. The author conducted field research in local Thailand, principally using qualitative primary data gathering. These were combined with records reviews and content analysis of documents. The author also attended local public meetings, and social activities, and interacted casually with local residents and governments. Cultural heritage management has been supposed to improve through multi-stakeholder participation and decentralization. However, processes and outcomes are far from being straightforward and depend on a variety of contingencies and contexts involved. Multi-stakeholder and participatory approach in decentralization of the cultural heritage management in Thailand have pushed to the forefront and sharpened a number of existing problems. However, under the decentralization, the most significant contribution has been in creating real political space where various local stakeholders have become active, respond and address their concerns in various ways vis-à-vis cultural heritage problems. Improving cultural heritage sustainability and viability of local livelihoods through decentralization and participatory approach is by no means certain. However, the shift instead creates spaces potent with possibilities for a meaningful and constructive engagement between and among local state and non-state actors that can lead to synergies and positive outcomes.

Keywords: decentralization, participatory approach, cultural heritage management, multi-stakeholder approach

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Authors: Parisa Mansour

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was discovered and rapidly spread to various countries around the world since the end of 2019. Computed tomography (CT) images have been used as an important alternative to the time-consuming RT. PCR test. However, manual segmentation of CT images alone is a major challenge as the number of suspected cases increases. Thus, accurate and automatic segmentation of COVID-19 infections is urgently needed. Because the imaging features of the COVID-19 infection are different and similar to the background, existing medical image segmentation methods cannot achieve satisfactory performance. In this work, we try to build a deep convolutional neural network adapted for the segmentation of chest CT images with COVID-19 infections. First, we maintain a large and novel chest CT image database containing 165,667 annotated chest CT images from 861 patients with confirmed COVID-19. Inspired by the observation that the boundary of an infected lung can be improved by global intensity adjustment, we introduce a feature variable block into the proposed deep CNN, which adjusts the global features of features to segment the COVID-19 infection. The proposed PV array can effectively and adaptively improve the performance of functions in different cases. We combine features of different scales by proposing a progressive atrocious space pyramid fusion scheme to deal with advanced infection regions with various aspects and shapes. We conducted experiments on data collected in China and Germany and showed that the proposed deep CNN can effectively produce impressive performance.

Keywords: chest, COVID-19, chest Image, coronavirus, CT image, chest CT

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Authors: Mohamamd Ayish

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This study addresses media diplomacy as an integral component of public diplomacy which emerged in the United States in the post-World War II era and found applications in other countries around the world. The study seeks to evolve a conceptual framework for understanding the practice of public diplomacy through social networks, often referred to as social engagement diplomacy. This form of diplomacy is considered far more ahead of the other two forms associated with both government controlled and independent media. The cases of the Voice of America Arabic Service and the 1977 CBS interviews with the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin are cited in this study as reflecting the two traditional models. The new social engagement model sees public diplomacy as an act of communication that seeks to effect changes in target audiences through a process of persuasion shaped by discourse orientations and technological features. The proposed conceptual framework for social, diplomatic engagement draws on an open communication environment, an empowered audience, an interactive and symmetrical process of communication, multimedia-based flows of information, direct and credible feedback, distortion and high risk. The writer believes this study would be helpful in providing appropriate knowledge pertaining to our understanding of social diplomacy and furnishing concrete insights into how diplomats could harness virtual space to maximize their goals in the global environment.

Keywords: diplomacy, engagement, social, globalization

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Authors: Nemanja Kajtez, Yue Zhan, Basel Halak

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The significant rise in the cost of manufacturing of nanoscale integrated circuits (IC) has led the majority of IC design companies to outsource the fabrication of their products to other companies, often located in different countries. This multinational nature of the hardware supply chain has led to a host of security threats, including IP piracy, IC overproduction, and Trojan insertion. To combat that, researchers have proposed logic locking techniques to protect the intellectual properties of the design and increase the difficulty of malicious modification of its functionality. However, the adoption of logic locking approaches is rather slow due to the lack of the integration with IC production process and the lack of efficacy of existing algorithms. This work automates the logic locking process by developing software using Python that performs the locking on a gate-level netlist and can be integrated with the existing digital synthesis tools. Analysis of the latest logic locking algorithms has demonstrated that the SFLL-HD algorithm is one of the most secure and versatile in trading-off levels of protection against different types of attacks and was thus selected for implementation. The presented tool can also be expanded to incorporate the latest locking mechanisms to keep up with the fast-paced development in this field. The paper also presents a case study to demonstrate the functionality of the tool and how it could be used to explore the design space and compare different locking solutions. The source code of this tool is available freely from (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353195333_Source_Code_for_The_Lockit_Tool).

Keywords: design automation, hardware security, IP piracy, logic locking

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Authors: Elżbieta Antczak

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Cities offer important opportunities for economic development and for expanding access to basic services, including health care and education, for large numbers of people. Moreover, green areas (as an integral part of sustainable urban development) present a major opportunity for improving urban environments, quality of lives and livelihoods. This paper examines, using spatial concentration and spatial taxonomic measures, regional diversification of greenery in the cities of Poland. The analysis includes location quotients, Lorenz curve, Locational Gini Index, and the synthetic index of greenery and spatial statistics tools: (1) To verify the occurrence of strong concentration or dispersion of the phenomenon in time and space depending on the variable category, and, (2) To study if the level of greenery depends on the spatial autocorrelation. The data includes the greatest Polish cities, categories of the urban greenery (parks, lawns, street greenery, and green areas on housing estates, cemeteries, and forests) and the time span 2004-2015. According to the obtained estimations, most of cites in Poland are already taking measures to become greener. However, in the country there are still many barriers to well-balanced urban greenery development (e.g. uncontrolled urban sprawl, poor management as well as lack of spatial urban planning systems).

Keywords: greenery, urban areas, regional spatial diversification and concentration, spatial taxonomic measure

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Authors: Mukhlis Abu Bakar

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Certain languages are held in higher regard than others given their respective socio-economic and political value, perceived or real. The different positioning of languages manifests in a state’s language-in-education policy, such as Singapore’s which places a premium on English in relation to the mother tongue (MT) languages (Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil). Among the latter, Mandarin Chinese, as the language of the majority ethnic group, has a more privileged status. The relative positioning of the four official languages shapes Singaporeans’ attitude towards their bilingualism. This paper offers an overview of the attitudes towards English-Malay (EM) bilingualism among Malay youths in Singapore, those who are in school and those already working. It examines how 200 respondents perceive the benefits of their EM bilingualism and their EM bilingual identity. The sample is stratified along gender, socio-economic status, dominant home language and self-rated language proficiency. The online survey comprises questions on the cognitive, communicative, pragmatic and religious benefits of bilingualism, and on language identity. The paper highlight significant trends relating to respondents' positive attitudes towards their EM bilingualism and their bilingual identity. Positive ratings are lowest among young working adults. EM bilinguals also perceive their bilingualism as less useful than English-Chinese bilingualism. These findings are framed within Bourdieu’s metaphor of field and habitus in order to understand why Malay youths make their language choices and why they recalibrate their linguistic capital upon entering the workforce, and in so doing understand the impact a state’s language-in-education policy has on its citizens’ attitude towards their respective English-MT bilingualism.

Keywords: English-Malay bilingualism, language attitude, language identity, recalibrating capital

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Authors: Minaj Ranjita Singh, Meghna Mukherjee, Abhijeet Jadhav

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This is an exploratory qualitative study with an objective to understand the bathing practices followed by rural women and its consequences. Access to safe bathing spaces in rural India is a neglected issue due to which women are affected in various ways. Today, government policies are largely focused towards the building of toilets, but no importance has been given to the construction of bathrooms. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using in-depth interviews and focused group discussions with rural women in six villages of Odisha, India. The study was approved by an Institutional Research and Ethics Committee, and informed consent was taken from participants. For most of the participants, the access to water, bathing space and toilet was compromised posing various challenges in their daily lives. Women's daily schedule, hygiene practices, dignity, and health are greatly affected due to this lack. Since bathing in the open has been an ancient practice, the community's perception is benign towards the hardship of women. Lack of exposure to concealed bathing, necessary funds, and competing priorities are some of the household level factors which never let them think about having bathrooms and the lack of water supply, proper drainage system, subsidy or financial support are the governance and policy related factors which prevent their access to secured bathing spaces.

Keywords: bathrooms, dignity, exploratory, rural, qualitative, women's health, women

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Authors: Gbenga F. Akomolafe, Joseph Omojola, Ezekiel S. Joshua, Seyi C. Adediwura, Elijah T. Adesuji, Michael O. Odey, Oyinade A. Dedeke, Ayo H. Labulo

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Microgravity is known to be a major abiotic stress in space which affects plants depending on the duration of exposure. In this work, tomatoes seeds were exposed to long hours of simulated microgravity condition using a one-axis clinostat. The seeds were sown on a 1.5% combination of plant nutrient and agar-agar solidified medium in three Petri dishes. One of the Petri dishes was mounted on the clinostat and allowed to rotate at the speed of 20 rpm for 72 hours, while the others were subjected to the normal gravity vector. The anatomical sections of both clinorotated and normal gravity plants were made after 72 hours and observed using a Phase-contrast digital microscope. The percentage germination, as well as the growth rate of the normal gravity seeds, was higher than the clinorotated ones. The germinated clinorotated roots followed different directions unlike the normal gravity ones which grew towards the direction of gravity vector. The clinostat was able to switch off gravistimulation. Distinct cellular arrangement was observed for tomatoes under normal gravity condition, unlike those of clinorotated ones. The root epidermis and cortex of normal gravity are thicker than the clinorotated ones. This implied that under long-term microgravity influence, plants do alter their anatomical features as a way of adapting to the stress condition.

Keywords: anatomy, clinostat, germination, lycopersicon esculentum, microgravity

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Authors: Rosita Kanapeckaite

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The modern operational military environment is a combination of factors such as change, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Stiehm (2002) refers to such situations as VUCA situations. VUCA is an acronym commonly used to describe the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of various situations and conditions. Increasingly fast-paced military operations require military personnel to demonstrate readiness and resilience under stressful conditions in order to maintain the optimum cognitive and physical performance necessary to achieve success. Military resilience can be defined as the ability to cope with the negative effects of setbacks and associated stress on military performance and combat effectiveness. In the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous modern operational environment, both current and future operations require and place a higher priority on enhancing and maintaining troop readiness and resilience to win decisively in multidimensional combat. This paper explores the phenomenon of soldiers' psychological resilience, theories of leadership, and commitment to the organisation. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between soldiers' psychological resilience, leadership style and commitment to the organisation. The study involved 425 professional soldiers, the research method was a questionnaire survey. The instruments used were measures of psychological resilience, leadership styles and commitment to the organisation. Results: transformational leadership style predicts higher psychological resilience, and psychologically resilient professional servicemen are more committed to the organisation. The study confirms the importance of soldiers' psychological resilience for their commitment to the organisation. The paper also discusses practical applications.

Keywords: resilience, commitment, solders, leadership style

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Authors: Bhuvanesh Baniya

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Alzheimer disease is illnesses that are responsible for neuronal cell death and resulting in lifelong cognitive problems. Due to their unclear mechanism, there are no effective drugs available for the treatment. For a long time, herbal drugs have been used as a role model in the field of the drug discovery process. Holy basil in the Indian medicinal system (Ayurveda) is used for several neuronal disorders like insomnia and memory loss for decades. This study aims to identify active components of holy basil as potential inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer disease. To fulfill this objective, the Network pharmacology approach, gene ontology, pharmacokinetics analysis, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) studies were performed. A total of 7 active components in holy basil, 12 predicted neurodegenerative targets of holy basil, and 8063 Alzheimer-related targets were identified from different databases. The network analysis showed that the top ten targets APP, EGFR, MAPK1, ESR1, HSPA4, PRKCD, MAPK3, ABL1, JUN, and GSK3B were found as significant target related to Alzheimer disease. On the basis of gene ontology and topology analysis results, APP was found as a significant target related to Alzheimer’s disease pathways. Further, the molecular docking results to found that various compounds showed the best binding affinities. Further, MDS top results suggested could be used as potential inhibitors against APP protein and could be useful for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Keywords: holy basil, network pharmacology, neurodegeneration, active phytochemicals, molecular docking and simulation

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Authors: A. Tereci, M. Atmaca

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Recreational spaces designed or build for refreshment of the users through natural riches and/or activities. Those places contribute to the quality of city life by providing relaxation point for citizens and maintaining the environmental equilibrium. The elements which constitute the recreational areas also promote long-term environmental and social sustainability of cities. Preservation and creation of the recreation open spaces are important for water and air quality, natural habitat and also social communication. On this point, it is also a good area for promoting the renewable energy sources through comprehension of the sustainable development which is possible only with using nature and technic together. Energy production is mainly technical issue, and architectural design of these elements to the site always ignores or avoid. The main problems for integration of renewable energy sources are the system suitability, security, durability, and resiliency. In this paper, one of the city recreational open spaces in Konya, Turkey was evaluated for integration of possible renewable energy sources. It shows that the solar energy potential is high and PV integration is the best option. On the other hand wind, energy power and area is not suitable for wind turbine, so wind belts were decided to integrate on the design. According to recreational activities, the chosen elements was designed for site application, and their performance was calculated. According to possible installation on the furniture, there is 50 MWh/a electricity production capacity.

Keywords: energy, integrated design, recreational space, renewables

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Authors: Ahmad Torkaman, Suogol Shomtob, Hadi Akbari Seddigh

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In this paper it has been attempted to investigate the lack of attention to how specific spatial characteristics of the children except existing places such as nurseries. In order to achieve the standard center to faster children understanding their mentality is the first issue that must be studied. Exploring the spiritual characteristics and complexities of children cannot be possible except in accordance with the different aspects and background of their growth in various age periods. In order to achieving the standard center for fostering children, the first issue that must be studied understands their mentality. Exploring the spiritual qualities and complexities of children are not provided except in accordance with the characteristics and their different growth backgrounds in different age periods. According to previous researches game or playing is the most important activity that helps children to communicate and educate and sometimes therapy in specific fields. Investigating game as a proper way to train, the variety of games, the various kind of play environment and how to treat some abnormalities thereby are the issues discussed in recent research. Another consideration concerns the importance of artistic activities among children which is very evident in studying identification of their abnormalities. At the end of this study after investigating how to understand child and communicate with him/her, aiming to recognize Specific spatial characteristics for better training children, the physical and physiological criteria and characteristics is Reviewed and ends up to a list of required spaces and dimensional characteristic of spaces and needed children's equipment.

Keywords: children, space, interior design, development, growth

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Authors: Triloki Prasad, Subhankar Ghosh, Asis Goswami

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The information received from visual organ plays an important role in human locomotion and human beings generally veer from the straight line in the absence of visual cue. Since in case of visually impaired persons this support is unavailable they are expected to have a different type of locomotion behaviour than the sighted persons. Higher degree of veering can result in accident or injury during indoor and outdoor activities. Hence, it is important to know the degree of veering that may happen in case of a sighted individual loosing the visual input. The present study was conducted on fifty three volunteers who walked with open and closed eyes, at their comfortable pace, in a grid marked area of 17m by 10m space. The volunteers had to walk in a straight line from a central starting point during three trials and their walking path was marked with a pair of sponge absorbed with three different colours. All volunteers had walked expectedly in straight line during open eye condition but had varied degree of veering during closed eye state. The correlation between the first step side and the side of deviation was not significant in closed eye condition. The number of steps taken in open eye and closed eye condition were significantly different while travelling similar distances. This study reveals that sighted persons become cautious during walking if the visual cue is not available and they reduce the step length so there is increase in step number.

Keywords: Closed eye, Open eye, Footprint, Veering

Procedia PDF Downloads 194

Authors: N. Hatraf, l. Merabeti, M. Abbas

Abstract:

The interest in air conditioning using renewable energies is increasing. The Thermal energy produced from the solar energy can be transformed to useful cooling and heating through the thermo chemical or thermo physical processes by using thermally activated energy conversion system. Solid desiccant conditioning systems can represent a reliable alternative solution compared with other thermal cooling technologies. Their basic characteristics refer to the capability to regulate both temperature and humidity of the conditioned space in one side and to its potential in electrical energy saving in the other side. The ambient air contains so much water that very high dehumidification rates are required. For a continuous dehumidification of the process air the water adsorbed on the desiccant material has to be removed, which is done by allowing hot air to flow through the desiccant material (regeneration). Basically, solid desiccant cooling system transfers moisture from the inlet air to the silica gel by using two processes: absorption process and the regeneration process; The silica gel in the desiccant wheel which is the most important device in the system absorbs the moisture from the incoming air to the desiccant material in this case the silica gel, then it changes the heat with an rotary heat exchanger, after that the air passes through an humidifier to have the humidity required before entering to the local. The main aim of this paper is to study how the dehumidification rate, the generation temperature and many other factors influence the efficiency of a solid desiccant system by using TRNSYS software.

Keywords: desiccation, dehumidification, TRNSYS, efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 405

Authors: Aderet Pantierer, Shmuel Pantierer, Atif Saeed, Amir Elzawawy

Abstract:

In recent years, air travel has seen volatile growth. Due to this growth, the maximization of efficiency and space utilization has been a major issue for aircraft manufacturers. Elongation of the wingspan of aircraft has resulted in increased lift; and, thereby, efficiency. However, increasing the wingspan of aircraft has been detrimental to the manufacturing process and has led to airport congestion and required airport reconfiguration to accommodate the extended wingspans of aircraft. This project outlines differing wing configurations of a commercial aircraft and the effects on the aerodynamic loads produced. Multiple wing configurations are analyzed using Finite Element Models. These models are then validated by testing one wing configuration in a wind tunnel under laminar flow and turbulent flow conditions. The wing configurations to be tested include high and low wing aircraft, as well as various combinations of the two, including a unique model hereon referred to as an infinity wing. The infinity wing configuration consists of both a high and low wing, with the two wings connected by a vertical airfoil. This project seeks to determine if a wing configuration consisting of multiple airfoils produces more lift than the standard wing configurations and is able to provide a solution to manufacturing limitations as well as airport congestion. If the analysis confirms the hypothesis, a trade study will be performed to determine if and when an arrangement of multiple wings would be cost-effective.

Keywords: aerodynamics, aircraft design, aircraft efficiency, wing configuration, wing design

Procedia PDF Downloads 239

Authors: Maria Lita Sudo

Abstract:

The debate is an effective tool in cultivating critical thinking skills in English classes. It involves writing evidence-based arguments about a resolution in a form of constructive speech and oral discussion using constructive speech, which will then be attacked and defended. In the process of writing, EFL learners may experience anxiety, an emotional problem that affects writing achievement and cognitive processing. Thus, this study explored the sources and effect of English writing anxiety in the context of debate writing with a view to providing EFL teachers pedagogical suggestions in alleviating English writing anxiety in debate writing. The participants of this study are 95 Japanese senior high school EFL learners and 3 Japanese senior high school English teachers. In selecting the participants, opportunity sampling was employed and consent from Japanese English teachers was sought. Data were collected thru (1) observation (2) open-ended questionnaire and (3) semi-structured interview. This study revealed that not all teachers of English in the context of this study recognize the existence of English writing anxiety among their students and that the very nature of the debate, in general, may also be a source of English writing anxiety in the context of debate writing. The interview revealed that English writing anxiety affects students’ ability to retrieve L2 vocabulary. Further, this study revealed different sources of writing anxiety in debate writing, which can be categorized into four main categories: (1) L2 linguistic ability-related factors (2) instructional –related factors, (3) interpersonal-related factors, and (4) debate- related factors. Based on the findings, recommendations for EFL teachers and EFL learners in managing writing anxiety in debate writing are provided.

Keywords: debate, EFL learners, English writing anxiety, sources

Procedia PDF Downloads 124

Authors: Jasmine Adela Mutang, Rosnah Ismail, Chua Bee Seok, Ferlis Bahari, Lailawati Madlan, Walton Wider, Rickless Das

Abstract:

Waste projection is increasing and most landfills in Malaysia are running out of space. Due to that, waste management is now becoming a major challenge. The most sustainable solution is by practicing sustainable practices such as recycling. Since 1993 the government has launched several recycling campaigns and implemented the National Recycling Policy. However, public participation is still very low. Only 10.5% of solid waste was recycled up to now which is far below than of in developed countries. Nevertheless the government is optimistic that the target of 22% recycling by 2020 will be achieved if there is a positive flow pattern in sustainable practices in particular recycling behavior among Malaysian. Understanding public motivations towards recycling domestic waste are important to improve current recycling rate. Thus this study attempts to identify what are the possible motivations and hindrances for the public to recycle. Open-ended questions format were administered to 484 people in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Two specific questions we asked to explore their general determinants and barriers in practicing recycling: “What motivates you to recycle?” and “What are the barriers you encountered in doing recycling activities?” Thematic analysis was conducted on the open-ended questions in which themes were created with the raw comments. It was found that the underlying recycling motivations are awareness’ towards the environment, benefits to the society and individual, and social influence. Non participations are influence by attitudes, commitment, facilities, knowledge, inconvenience, and enforcement.

Keywords: recycling motivation, recycling barrier, sustainable, household waste

Procedia PDF Downloads 532

Authors: Wahyu Purnama Putra, Artono Isharanto

Abstract:

Thoracic trauma is trauma that hits the thoracic wall or intrathoracic organs, either due to blunt trauma or sharp trauma. Thoracic trauma often causes impaired ventilation-perfusion due to damage to the lung parenchyma. This results in impaired tissue oxygenation, which is one of the causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). These changes are caused by the release of pro-inflammatory mediators, plasmatic proteins, and proteases into the alveolar space associated with ongoing edema, as well as oxidative products that ultimately result in severe inhibition of the surfactant system. This study aims to predict the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) through human neutrophil elastase levels. This study examines the relationship between plasma elastase levels as a predictor of the incidence of ARDS in thoracic trauma patients in Malang. This study is an observational cohort study. Data analysis uses the Pearson correlation test and ROC curve (receiver operating characteristic curve). It can be concluded that there is a significant (p= 0.000, r= -0.988) relationship between elastase levels and BGA-3. If the value of elastase levels is limited to 23.79 ± 3.95, the patient will experience mild ARDS. While if the value of elastase levels is limited to 57.68 ± 18.55, in the future, the patient will experience moderate ARDS. Meanwhile, if the elastase level is between 107.85 ± 5.04, the patient will likely experience severe ARDS. Neutrophil elastase levels correlate with the degree of severity of ARDS incidence.

Keywords: ARDS, human neutrophil elastase, severity, thoracic trauma

Procedia PDF Downloads 126

Authors: Anas Rao, Hao Duan, Fanhua Ma

Abstract:

The dependency on the fossil fuels can be minimized by using the hydrogen enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG) in the transportation vehicles. However, the NOx emissions of HCNG engines are significantly higher, and this turned to be its major drawback. Therefore, the study of NOx emission of HCNG engines is a very important area of research. In this context, the experiments have been performed at the different hydrogen percentage, ignition timing, air-fuel ratio, manifold-absolute pressure, load and engine speed. Afterwards, the simulation has been accomplished by the quasi-dimensional combustion model of HCNG engine. In order to investigate the NOx emission, the NO mechanism has been coupled to the quasi-dimensional combustion model of HCNG engine. The three NOx mechanism: the thermal NOx, prompt NOx and N2O mechanism have been used to predict NOx emission. For the validation purpose, NO curve has been transformed into NO packets based on the temperature difference of 100 K for the lean-burn and 60 K for stoichiometric condition. While, the width of the packet has been taken as the ratio of crank duration of the packet to the total burnt duration. The combustion chamber of the engine has been divided into three zones, with the zone equal to the product of summation of NO packets and space. In order to check the accuracy of the model, the percentage error of NOx emission has been evaluated, and it lies in the range of ±6% and ±10% for the lean-burn and stoichiometric conditions respectively. Finally, the percentage contribution of each NO formation has been evaluated.

Keywords: quasi-dimensional combustion , thermal NO, prompt NO, NO packet

Procedia PDF Downloads 231