Search results for: gender relation
1505 Playing Safely: An Exploration of Irish Parental Attitudes Towards Risky Play and Its Impact on Play Opportunities for Children
Authors: Fiona Armstrong, David Gaul, Michael Barrett, Lorraine D'Arcy
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Playing is an instinctive and universal human behavior, is a child’s way of learning and an outlet for their innate need of activity. Risky play can be defined as any play that is thrilling or exciting involving the risk of injury. The benefits of risky play have been acknowledged as helping children to explore and conquer fears, develop confidence, reduce anxiety, and develop risk-management skills. Studies indicate that children learn sound judgment by assessing and confronting risks in relation to their own capabilities through exposure to carefully managed play experiences. Risky play has been associated with danger and increased risk of injury, with families focusing on risk aversion and protecting children from the risks inherent in the modern world. Despite children needing cultural, social, emotional, physical, and geographical space to play, the opportunity for children to play is diminishing. Aim: This study explores play behaviors and risky play in an Irish context by investigating parental attitudes to risky play. Methodology: This is a mixed methods study involving the State of Play survey and semi-structured interviews exploring parental attitudes to risky play. Data will be quantitatively analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using IBM SPSS and qualitatively analyzed via thematic analysis using NVivo. Conclusion: The information gathered could advise stakeholders regarding the creation and provision of developmentally appropriate, challenging, stimulating, adaptable, accessible, and safe as necessary outdoor play areas. This research can inform parents, planners, architects, and authorities involved in creating environments for play and contribute to policy development.Keywords: child development, parental attitudes, play opportunities, risky play
Procedia PDF Downloads 591504 Use and Health Effects of Caffeinated Beverages in Omani Students
Authors: Nasiruddin Khan
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The increased use of caffeinated beverages and energy drink is posing threat to all ages and gender especially, younger adults. There is a lack of scientific evidence in Oman regarding caffeine and energy drink consumption. Our study aims to demonstrate the prevalence, pattern, knowledge and awareness, and side effects of caffeine intake among university students. This cross-sectional study including (N=365) apparently healthy male and female Omani university students aged 18-30 years, was carried out from February 2018-June 2018. A self-administered questionnaire with various sections was used to obtain information. The prevalence of caffeinated beverage consumption was commonly high among participants (97%). The males preferred Nescafe, coffee (both p < 0.001), espresso (p < 0.022), and soda (p < 0.008) while females consumed more tea (p < 0.029). The awareness about negative health impact of caffeine intake was significantly higher in females rather than males (p < 0.002). The overall prevalence of energy drink consumption was 42.1% (n=149), and higher in males (75%, p < 0.001). More males consumed 3-5 and > 5 cans/day while females used 1-2 cans/day. The starting age of energy drink use was higher in females (16-20 years (51.1%)) as compared to males (11-15 years (33.3%)). Females were more aware of caffeine as energy drink ingredient (p < 0.036) than males. The major source of information about enery drink was family and friends (58.3%). Red Bull was the commonly used brand (55.5%) among participants. Common reasons for high energy drink consumption were energy boost (68.4 %), taste (62.9%), reduce fatigue (52.1%), and better performance (47.3%). Females reported breathing problem, and abnormal heart beat (p < 0.004, 0.054, respectively), while more males reported irritability than females (p < 0.052). The prevalence of caffeinated beverage and energy drink consumption is high among participants. The awareness, and knowledge among university student is not satisfactory and needs immediate action to avoid excess use of such consumption.Keywords: energy drink, caffeinated beverages, awareness, Oman
Procedia PDF Downloads 1331503 Analysis of the Demographic Variable Associated with Common Pregnancy Related Illnesses among Pregnant Mothers in Anambra
Authors: Nkiru Nnaemezie, J. O. Okafor
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The high mortality as a result of pregnancy related illnesses is a global public health problem and a source of concern to most countries including Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to determine the Demographic Variables associated with common pregnancy related illnesses among pregnant mothers in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The design of the study was an expost-facto research design. All the folders of the pregnant mothers that were studied from 2010-2014 formed the population of the study which included 10,250 folders. Based on the content of the folders, a researcher developed pro-forma (RDP) was used for data collection. Five research questions and five hypotheses were postulated for the study. Research questions postulated were answered using simple percentage. Hypotheses stated were analyzed at 0.05 level of significance using chi-square (X²) statistics. The result among others showed that pregnant mothers within 15-29 years had the most pregnancy related illnesses than mothers on other age brackets. Pregnant mothers with 0-1 parity level experienced the most pregnancy related illnesses than mothers on other parity levels. Public servants experienced the most pregnancy related illnesses than mothers in other occupations. Married pregnant mothers experienced the most pregnancy related illnesses than single mothers. Pregnant mothers with secondary education had the most pregnancy related illnesses than mothers in other education levels. There were significant differences in the common pregnancy related illnesses among the pregnant mothers of the study in relation to the demographic variables of the study which included age, parity, occupation, marital status and educational level. Based on the findings, conclusions were drawn, and the following recommendations among others were made: there is need for health education in terms of educating those pregnant mothers during antenatal clinics; single mothers should be advised to register for antenatal early enough.Keywords: analysis, demographic variables, pregnancy related illnesses, pregnant mothers
Procedia PDF Downloads 2611502 Bioprospecting for Indigenous Ruderal Plants with Potentials for Phytoremediation of Soil Heavy Metals in the Southern Guinea Savanna of North Western Nigeria
Authors: Sunday Paul Bako, Augustine Uwanekwu Ezealor, Yahuza Tanimu
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In a study to evaluate the response of indigenous ruderal plants to the metal deposition regime imposed by anthropogenic modification in the Southern Guinea Savanna of north Western Nigeria during the dry and wet seasons, herbaceous plants and samples of soils were collected in three 5m by 5m quadrats laid around the environs of the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company and the banks of River Kaduna. Heavy metal concentration (Cd, Ni, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) in soil and plant samples was determined using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence. Concentrations of heavy metals in soils were generally observed to be higher during the wet season in both locations although the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Concentrations of Cd, Zn, Cr, Cu and Ni in all the plants observed were found to be below levels described as phytotoxic to plants. However, above ‘normal’ concentrations of Cr was observed in most of the plant species sampled. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn in soils around the KRPC and RKB were found to be above the acceptable limits. Although no hyper accumulator plant species was encountered in this study, twenty (20) plant species were identified to have high bioconcentration (BCF > 1.0) of Cd and Cu, which indicated tolerance of these plants to excessive or phytotoxic concentrations of these metals. In addition, they generally produce high above ground biomass, due to rapid vegetative growth. These are likely species for phytoextraction. Elevated concentration of metals in both soil and plant materials may cause a decrease in biodiversity due to direct toxicity. There are also risks to humans and other animals due to bioaccumulation across the food chain. There are further possibilities of further evaluating and genetically improving metal tolerance traits in some of these plant species in relation to their potential use in phytoremediation programmes in metal polluted sites.Keywords: bioprospecting, phytoremediation, heavy metals, Nigeria
Procedia PDF Downloads 2881501 Designing Urban Spaces Differently: A Case Study of the Hercity Herstreets Public Space Improvement Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Rehema Kabare
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As urban development initiatives continue to emerge and are implemented amid rapid urbanization and climate change effects in the global south, the plight of women is only being noticed. The pandemic exposed the atrocities, violence and unsafety women and girls face daily both in their homes and in public urban spaces. This is a result of poorly implemented and managed urban structures, which women have been left out of during design and implementation for centuries. The UN Habitat’s HerCity toolkit provides a unique opportunity to change course for both governments and civil society actors where women and girls are onboarded onto urban development initiatives, with their designs and ideas being the focal point. This toolkit proves that when women and girls design, they design for everyone. The HerCity HerStreets, Public Space Improvement Initiative, resulted in a design that focused on two aspects: Streets are a shared resource, and Streets are public spaces. These two concepts illustrate that for streets to be experienced effectively as cultural spaces, they need to be user-friendly, safe and inclusive. This report demonstrates how the HerCity HerStreets as a pilot project can be a benchmark for designing urban spaces in African cities. The project focused on five dimensions to improve the air quality of the space, the space allocation to street vending and bodaboda (passenger motorcycle) stops parking and the green coverage. The process displays how digital tools such as Minecraft and Kobo Toolbox can be utilized to improve citizens’ participation in the development of public spaces, with a special focus on including vulnerable groups such as women, girls and youth.Keywords: urban space, sustainable development, gender and the city, digital tools and urban development
Procedia PDF Downloads 841500 The Influence of Forest Management Histories on Dead and Habitat Trees in the Old Growth Forest in Northern Iran
Authors: Kiomars Sefidi
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Dead and habitat tree such as fallen logs, snags, stumps and cracks and loos bark etc. is regarded as an important ecological component of forests on which many forest dwelling species depend, yet its relation to management history in Caspian forest has gone unreported. The aim of research was to compare the amounts of dead tree and habitat in the forests with historically different intensities of management, including: forests with the long term implication of management (PS), the short-term implication of management (NS) which were compared with semi virgin forest (GS). The number of 405 individual dead and habitat trees were recorded and measured at 109 sampling locations. ANOVA revealed volume of the dead tree in the form and decay classes significantly differ within sites and dead volume in the semi virgin forest significantly higher than managed sites. Comparing the amount of dead and habitat tree in three sites showed that dead tree volume related with management history and significantly differ in three study sites. Also, the numbers of habitat trees including cavities, Cracks and loose bark and Fork split trees significantly vary among sites. Reaching their highest in virgin site and their lowest in the site with the long term implication of management, it was concluded that forest management cause reduction of the amount of dead and habitat tree. Forest management history affect the forest's ability to generate dead tree especially in a large size, thus managing this forest according to ecological sustainable principles require a commitment to maintaining stand structure that allow, continued generation of dead tree in a full range of size.Keywords: forest biodiversity, cracks trees, fork split trees, sustainable management, Fagus orientalis, Iran
Procedia PDF Downloads 5581499 Socio-Cultural Representations through Lived Religions in Dalrymple’s Nine Lives
Authors: Suman
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In the continuous interaction between the past and the present that historiography is, each time when history gets re/written, a new representation emerges. This new representation is a reflection of the earlier archives and their interpretations, fragmented remembrances of the past, as well as the reactions to the present. Memory, or lack thereof, and stereotyping generally play a major role in this representation. William Dalrymple’s Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India (2009) is one such written account that sets out to narrate the representations of religion and culture of India and contemporary reactions to it. Dalrymple’s nine saints belong to different castes, sects, religions, and regions. By dealing with their religions and expressions of those religions, and through the lived mysticism of these nine individuals, the book engages with some important issues like class, caste and gender in the contexts provided by historical as well as present India. The paper studies the development of religion and accompanied feeling of religiosity in modern as well as historical contexts through a study of these elements in the book. Since, the language used in creation of texts and the literary texts thus produced create a new reality that questions the stereotypes of the past, and in turn often end up creating new stereotypes or stereotypical representations at times, the paper seeks to actively engage with the text in order to identify and study such stereotypes, along with their changing representations. Through a detailed examination of the book, the paper seeks to unravel whether some socio-cultural stereotypes existed earlier, and whether there is development of new stereotypes from Dalrymple’s point of view as an outsider writing on issues that are deeply rooted in the cultural milieu of the country. For this analysis, the paper takes help from the psycho-literary theories of stereotyping and representation.Keywords: stereotyping, representation, William Dalrymple, religion
Procedia PDF Downloads 3121498 Women in Urban Agriculture: Institutional Challenges, COVID-19 and the War in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Authors: Meseret Gebeyehu Yehuala
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Women represent the majority of urban farmers engaged in vegetable and fruit production in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. We examine urban agriculture in Bahir Dar city in the context of disruptions caused by the civil war and COVID-19. The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework serves as a conceptual frame to explore the vulnerability context, the structural and institutional challenges faced by women, and how this impacts their livelihoods. A total of 25 urban women farmers and 6 key informants were involved in the study through explorative and structured interviews conducted in 2021. Observations and informal conversations during repeated visits provided deeper insights. In addition, key informants employed in civil service institutions and experts were interviewed. Data were analysed by applying qualitative content analysis by using Atlas tia software. Women report that they experience a lack of access to land, insecurity of tenure, irregular technical support and input provision by agricultural extension services, and lack of access to credit and formal marketplaces. The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions aggravated this situation by delaying agricultural extension offices’ provision of necessary inputs and disrupting food handling and storage leading to the loss of perishable products. Bombing in relation to the civil war has destroyed harvests and left women in fear of returning to their fields. Women stated that vegetable and fruit production could contribute to their incomes, household food supplies, and more diversified diets. However, the city municipal office has, so far, not committed to supporting urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy.Keywords: urban agriculture, institutional challenges, Bahir Dar, sustainable livelihood framework
Procedia PDF Downloads 1021497 Emotional Intelligence and Sports Coaches
Authors: Stephens Oluyemi Adetunji, Nel Norma Margaret, Krogs Sozein
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There has been a shift in the role of sports from being a form of entertainment and relaxation to becoming a huge business concern and high money spinning venture. This shift has placed a greater demand on sport coaches as regards expectations for high performance from investors as well as other stake holders. The responsibility of sports coaches in ensuring high performance of sports men and women has become increasingly more demanding from both spectators and sports organisers. Coaches are leaders who should possess soft skills such as emotional intelligence aside from employing skills and drills to ensure high performance of athletes. This study is, therefore, designed to determine the emotional intelligence of sports coaches in South Africa. An assessment of the emotional intelligence of sports coaches would enable the researchers to identify those who have low emotional intelligence and to design an intervention program that could improve their emotional intelligence. This study will adopt the pragmatic world view of research using the mixed methods research design of the quantitative and qualitative approach. The non-probability sampling technique will be used to select fifty sports coaches for the quantitative study while fifteen sports coaches will be purposively selected for the qualitative study. One research question which seeks to ascertain the level of emotional intelligence of sports coaches will be raised to guide this study. In addition, two research hypotheses stating that there will be no significant difference in the level of emotional intelligence of sports coaches on the basis of gender and type of sports will be formulated and statistically analysed at 0.05 level of significance. For the quantitative study, an emotional intelligence test will be used to measure the emotional intelligence of sport coaches. Focus group interviews and open ended questions will be used to obtain the qualitative data. Quantitative data obtained will be statistically analysed using the SPSS version 22.0 while the qualitative data will be analysed using atlas ti. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations will be made.Keywords: emotional intelligence, high performance, sports coaches, South Africa
Procedia PDF Downloads 4561496 Lymphomas as Estrogen-Regulated Cancers
Authors: M. S. Hasni, J. Guan, K. Yakimchuk, M. Berglund, B. Sander, G. Enblad, R. M. Amini, S. Okret
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Lymphomas are generally not considered as endocrine-related cancers. However, most lymphoid malignancies show gender differences in incidence and show prognosis with males being more affected. Furthermore, some epidemiological data indicate a protective role of estrogens against Non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Recent studies have demonstrated estrogen receptor β (ERβ) to be the major ER expressed in normal and malignant cells of lymphoid origin. We have analyzed the effects of estradiol and selective ERα and ERβ agonists on lymphoma growth in culture and in vivo. Treating lymphoma cells with estradiol or ERα selective agonist had minor or no effect on cell growth while selective ERβ agonist treatment showed an antiproliferative effect. When grafting mice with murine T lymphoma cells, male mice developed larger tumors compared to female mice, a difference that was abolished following ovariectomy, demonstrating estrogen-dependent growth in vivo. When subcutaneously grafting lymphoma cells to mice, so far growth of all tested human B lymphoma tumors (Raji and Ramos Burkitt lymphoma, SU.DHL4 (GC) and U2932 (ABC) DLBCL, Granta-519, Maver1 and Z138 MCL cells), were reduced following treatment with ERβ selective agonist (ref. 2 and unpublished). Moreover, the number and size of liver foci of disseminating Raji cells was reduced. We have identified target genes and mechanism that could explain the above effects of ERβ agonists. This included effects on angio and lymphangiogenesis. Now we have further analyzed effects of ERβ agonists on Ibrutinib-sensitive and -insensitive MCL cells in xenograft experiments as well as ERβ expression in primary lymphoma material (DLBCL). Preliminary statistical analysis has been done correlating ERβ expression to other biomarkers and clinical data.Keywords: lymphomas, estrogen receptors, cancer, liver foci
Procedia PDF Downloads 4121495 Distributed Leadership and Emergency Response: A Study on Seafarers
Authors: Delna Shroff
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Merchant shipping is an occupation with a high rate of fatal injuries caused by organizational accidents and maritime disasters. In most accident investigations, the leader’s actions are under scrutiny and point out the necessity to investigate the leader’s decisions in critical conditions. While several leadership studies have been carried out in the past, there is a tendency for most research to focus on holders of formal positions. The unit of analysis in most studies has been the ‘individual.’ A need is, therefore, felt to adopt a practice-based perspective of leadership, understand how leadership emerges to affect maritime safety. This paper explores the phenomenon of distributed leadership among seafarers more holistically. It further examines the role of one form of distributed leadership, that is, planfully aligned leadership in the emergency response of the team. A mixed design will be applied. In the first phase, the data gathered by way of semi-structured interviews will be used to explore the seafarer’s implicit understanding of leadership. The data will be used to develop a conceptual framework of distributed leadership, specific to the maritime context. This framework will be used to develop a simulation. Experimental design will be used to examine the relationship between planfully aligned leadership and emergency response of the team members during navigation. Findings show that planfully aligned leadership significantly and positively predicts the emergency response of team members. Planfully aligned leadership leads to a better emergency response of the team members as compared to authoritarian leadership. In the third qualitative phase, additional data will be gathered through semi-structured interviews to further validate the findings to gain a more complete understanding of distributed leadership and its relation to emergency response. Above are the predictive results; the study expects to be a cornerstone of safety leadership research and has important implications for leadership development and training within the maritime industry.Keywords: authoritarian leadership, distributed leadership, emergency response , planfully aligned leadership
Procedia PDF Downloads 1771494 Risk Factors Associated with Obesity Among Adults in Tshikota, Makhado Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Authors: Ndou Rembuluwani Moddy, Daniel Ter Goon, Takalani Grace Tshitangano, Lindelani Fhumudzani Mushaphi
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Obesity is a global public health problem. The study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with and the consequences of obesity among residents of Tshikota, Makhado Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A cross-sectional study involving 318 randomly selected adults aged 18-45 years residing at Tshikota, Makhado Local Municipality, South Africa. Sociodemographic information includes age, gender, educational level, occupation, behavioral lifestyle, environmental, psychological, and family history. Anthropometric, blood pressure, and blood glucose measurements followed standard procedure. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was 35.5% and 28.6%, respectively. About 75.2% of obese do not engage in physical activity. Most participants (63.5%) take meals three times a day, and 19.2% do not skip breakfast. Most participants do not have access to fruits and vegetables. Participants who were pre-hypertensive were 92(28.9%) and 32(10.1%) were in Stage 1 hypertension. Of the participants with Class 1 obesity, 40.9% were pre-hypertensive, and 15.2% were in Stage 1 hypertension. In Class 2 obesity, 37.8% were pre-hypertensive, and 26.7% were in Stage 1 hypertension. There was a significant difference between BMI and blood pressure among participants (p=0.00). About 6.1% of the participants in Class 1 obesity were at high risk, and 3.0% were at very high risk of glucose levels. Regarding cholesterol levels, 65 (20.4%) were at borderline, and 17(5.3%) were at high risk. There was no significant difference in BMI and cholesterol levels among participants (p= 0.20). The prevalence of obesity and overweight was high among residents of this setting. Age, marital and educational status, and employment were significantly associated with obesity. An obesity awareness campaign is crucial, and the availability of supermarkets and full-service grocery stores would provide accessibility to healthy food such as fruits and vegetables.Keywords: obesity, overweight, risk factors, adults.
Procedia PDF Downloads 891493 The Role of Leader, Member Exchange on Psychological Capital, Mediated by Person-Organisational Fit
Authors: Sonja Grobler
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Background: Leadership and specifically Leader, member exchange has a definite impact on employee behaviour and attitudes, and specifically their state of psychological capital. The interactionist construct of person-organisational fit (P-O fit), consisting of a combination of supplementary fit (indirect fit or value congruence) and complementary fit (direct or person-job fit, as well as needs-supply fit) may, however, impact on the relationship between LMX and psychological capital. The unique permutations of these relationships are important not only for conceptualisation purposes but also for intervention design to enhance the employees’ psychological capital; this would contribute to positive employee behaviour and attitudes. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between Leader, Member Exchange (LMX) and psychological capital, with possible mediation by P-O fit. Setting: The research was conducted with ± 60 employees from each of 43 private sectors and four public sector organisations in South Africa. Method: This study utilised a positivist methodology based on an empirical approach while using a cross-sectional design and quantitative analysis. The sample is relatively representative (in terms of race, gender, and the South African work force), as it consisted of 60 employees from each of the 43 South African organisations that participated in the study, with 2 486 respondents in total. Results: Significant, positive relationships were found between LMX, P-O fit, and psychological capital. Additionally, it was found that P-O fit partially mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and supervisory trust, confirming the proposed model. Conclusion: A strong, positive relationship exists between LMX (consisting of Affect, Loyalty, Contribution, and Professional Respect) and psychological capital (consisting of Self-efficacy, Hope, Resilience and Optimism) which is partially mediated by P-O fit (consisting of supplementary fit and complementary fit).Keywords: leader and member exchange, person-organisational fit, psychological capital, positive psychology, interactionist approach
Procedia PDF Downloads 1531492 Demographic Characteristics and Factors Affecting Mortality in Pediatric Trauma Patients Who Are Admitted to Emergency Service
Authors: Latif Duran, Erdem Aydin, Ahmet Baydin, Ali Kemal Erenler, Iskender Aksoy
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Aim: In this retrospective study, we aim to contribute to the literature by presenting the proposals for taking measures to reduce the mortality by examining the demographic characteristics of the pediatric age group patients presenting with trauma and the factors that may cause mortality Material and Method: This study has been performed by retrospectively investigating the data obtained from the patient files and the hospital automation registration system of the pediatric trauma patients who applied to the Adult Emergency Department of the Ondokuz Mayıs University Medical Faculty between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016. Results: 289 of 415 patients involved in our study, were males. The median age was 11.3 years. The most common trauma mechanism was falling from the high. A significant statistical difference was found on the association between trauma mechanisms and gender. An increase in the number of trauma cases was found especially in the summer months. The study showed that thoracic and abdominal trauma was relevant to the increased mortality. Computerized tomography was the most common diagnostic imaging modality. The presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage has increased the risk of mortality by 62.3 fold. Eight of the patients (1.9%) died. Scoring systems were statistically significant to predict mortality. Conclusion: Children are vulnerable to trauma because of their unique anatomical and physiological differences compared to adult patient groups. It will be more successful in the mortality rate and in the post-traumatic healing process by administering the patient triage fast and most appropriate trauma centers in the prehospital period, management of the critical patients with the scoring systems and management with standard treatment protocolsKeywords: emergency service, pediatric patients, scoring systems, trauma, age groups
Procedia PDF Downloads 1991491 Lexical Based Method for Opinion Detection on Tripadvisor Collection
Authors: Faiza Belbachir, Thibault Schienhinski
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The massive development of online social networks allows users to post and share their opinions on various topics. With this huge volume of opinion, it is interesting to extract and interpret these information for different domains, e.g., product and service benchmarking, politic, system of recommendation. This is why opinion detection is one of the most important research tasks. It consists on differentiating between opinion data and factual data. The difficulty of this task is to determine an approach which returns opinionated document. Generally, there are two approaches used for opinion detection i.e. Lexical based approaches and Machine Learning based approaches. In Lexical based approaches, a dictionary of sentimental words is used, words are associated with weights. The opinion score of document is derived by the occurrence of words from this dictionary. In Machine learning approaches, usually a classifier is trained using a set of annotated document containing sentiment, and features such as n-grams of words, part-of-speech tags, and logical forms. Majority of these works are based on documents text to determine opinion score but dont take into account if these texts are really correct. Thus, it is interesting to exploit other information to improve opinion detection. In our work, we will develop a new way to consider the opinion score. We introduce the notion of trust score. We determine opinionated documents but also if these opinions are really trustable information in relation with topics. For that we use lexical SentiWordNet to calculate opinion and trust scores, we compute different features about users like (numbers of their comments, numbers of their useful comments, Average useful review). After that, we combine opinion score and trust score to obtain a final score. We applied our method to detect trust opinions in TRIPADVISOR collection. Our experimental results report that the combination between opinion score and trust score improves opinion detection.Keywords: Tripadvisor, opinion detection, SentiWordNet, trust score
Procedia PDF Downloads 2011490 H. P. Grice’s Cooperative Principle in a Reproductive Health Clinic in Kenya
Authors: Melvin Ouma
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Language is one of the most crucial tools in medical interaction. Its importance is as great today as it was many decades ago. Difficulty in openly discussing certain diseases and body parts is one of the challenges in language use in medical contexts. Guided by H. P. Grice’s Cooperative Principle, this paper explores the flouting of the cooperative principles in Swahili speaking medical setting. The paper examines how men flout the maxims using the Swahili language when reporting reproductive health problems to the doctor. The data used was gathered from a qualitative study carried out in a reproductive health clinic in a public facility in Nakuru County, Kenya. All the research protocols were observed by acquiring all the research permits. Respondents' ethical considerations of consent, privacy, and confidentiality were observed. The respondents recruited were men who visited the reproductive health clinic and voluntarily agreed to participate in the study without coercion or compensation. Participant observation was the key data collection tool, with the doctor and patient conversation digitally recorded. The researcher was allowed into the clinic in a socially acceptable role. Male patients flouted the maxims of quantity, quality, relation, and manner in order to describe their reproductive health problems without embarrassment using the Swahili language. The flouting was done through the discursive strategies of narration and circumlocution. Flouting of the maxims was acceptable to the doctor and patient due to the fact that sexual intercourse and private body parts are taboo topics and uncomfortable to talk about. The quality of health care received by the patient depended on the doctor’s patience when all the maxims were flouted. In the reproductive health clinic, flouting of maxims hindered communication and, at the same time, enhanced communication between the doctor and patient.Keywords: cooperative principle, doctor, men, reproductive health
Procedia PDF Downloads 1111489 Understanding the Excited State Dynamics of a Phase Transformable Photo-Active Metal-Organic Framework MIP 177 through Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Aneek Kuila, Yaron Paz
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MIP 177 LT and HT are two-phase transformable metal organic frameworks consisting of a Ti12O15 oxocluster and a tetracarboxylate ligand that exhibits robust chemical stability and improved photoactivity. LT to HT only shows the changes in dimensionality from 0D to 1D without any change in the overall chemical structure. In terms of chemical and photoactivity MIP 177 LT is found to perform better than the MIP 177HT. Step-scan Fourier transform absorption difference time-resolved spectroscopy has been used to collect mid-IR time-resolved infrared spectra of the transient electronic excited states of a nano-porous metal–organic framework MIP 177-LT and HT with 2.5 ns time resolution. Analyzing the time-resolved vibrational data after 355nm LASER excitation reveals the presence of the temporal changes of ν (O-Ti-O) of Ti-O metal cluster and ν (-COO) of the ligand concluding the fact that these moieties are the ultimate acceptors of the excited charges which are localized over those regions on the nanosecond timescale. A direct negative correlation between the differential absorbance (Δ Absorbance) reveals the charge transfer relation among these two moieties. A longer-lived transient signal up to 180ns for MIP 177 LT compared to the 100 ns of MIP 177 HT shows the extended lifetime of the reactive charges over the surface that exerts in their effectivity. An ultrafast change of bidentate to monodentate bridging in the -COO-Ti-O ligand-metal coordination environment was observed after the photoexcitation of MIP 177 LT which remains and lives with for seconds after photoexcitation is halted. This phenomenon is very unique to MIP 177 LT but not observed with HT. This in-situ change in the coordination denticity during the photoexcitation was not observed previously which can rationalize the reason behind the ability of MIP 177 LT to accumulate electrons during continuous photoexcitation leading to a superior photocatalytic activity.Keywords: time resolved FTIR, metal organic framework, denticity, photoacatalysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 611488 The Effect of the Side-Weir Crest Height to Scour in Clay-Sand Mixed Sediments
Authors: F. A. Saracoglu Varol, H. Agaccıoglu
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Experimental studies to investigate the depth of the scour conducted at a side-weir intersection located at the 1800 curved flume which located Hydraulic Laboratory of Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. Side weirs were located at the middle of the straight part of the main channel. Three different lengths (25, 40 and 50 cm) and three different weir crest height (7, 10 and 12 cm) of the side weir placed on the side weir station. There is no scour when the material is only kaolin. Therefore, the cohesive bed was prepared by properly mixing clay material (kaolin) with 31% sand in all experiments. Following 24h consolidation time, in order to observe the effect of flow intensity on the scour depth, experiments were carried out for five different upstream Froude numbers in the range of 0.33-0.81. As a result of this study the relation between scour depth and upstream flow intensity as a function of time have been established. The longitudinal velocities decreased along the side weir; towards the downstream due to overflow over the side-weirs. At the beginning, the scour depth increases rapidly with time and then asymptotically approached constant values in all experiments for all side weir dimensions as in non-cohesive sediment. Thus, the scour depth reached equilibrium conditions. Time to equilibrium depends on the approach flow intensity and the dimensions of side weirs. For different heights of the weir crest, dimensionless scour depths increased with increasing upstream Froude number. Equilibrium scour depths which formed 7 cm side-weir crest height were obtained higher than that of the 12 cm side-weir crest height. This means when side-weir crest height increased equilibrium scour depths decreased. Although the upstream side of the scour hole is almost vertical, the downstream side of the hole is inclined.Keywords: clay-sand mixed sediments, scour, side weir, hydraulic structures
Procedia PDF Downloads 3111487 The Relevance of Psychology in South Africa: A Content Analysis of Psychology Masters Theses from 1998 to 2017
Authors: Elron Fouten
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Recently, debates surrounding the social relevance of psychology in South Africa have focussed on how the growing neoliberal rationality within academia has again resulted in the discipline catering to the needs of powerful social groupings to protect its own economic interests, rather than producing socially relevant knowledge. Consequently, this study aimed to conduct a content analysis of the recent research output of psychology masters students, to establish whether it has produced research that addresses local and national psychosocial issues and as such deemed socially relevant knowledge. The study sampled clinical, counselling, and research psychology masters theses from 16 South African universities submitted between 1998 and 2017. Overall, 2001 theses were sampled, which were analysed using qualitative content analysis predominantly based on the descriptive categories identified in similar studies using published journal articles. Results indicated that empirical qualitative theses, using systems-oriented theory and post-modern frameworks were most prevalent. Further, traditional topics within psychology had relatively more weighting compared to more social topics. Although a significant number of theses recruited participants from working-class or poor backgrounds, there was an overreliance on participants from urban areas located in some of the country’s wealthiest provinces. Despite a strong adult-centric focus, trends regarding participants’ race and gender roughly resembled current population demographics. Overall, the results indicate that psychology in South Africa, at least at university-level, is to some extent trying to engage with national psychosocial concerns. However, there are still several key areas which need to be addressed to ensure the continued social relevance of the discipline.Keywords: adult-centric, content analysis, relevance, psychosocial
Procedia PDF Downloads 1451486 Social Networks And Social Complexity: The Southern Italian Drive For Trade Exchange During The Late Bronze Age
Authors: Sara Fioretti
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During the Middle Bronze Age, southern Italy underwent a reorganisation of social structures where local cultures, such as the sub-Apennine and Nuragic, flourished and participated in maritime trade. This paper explores the socio-economic relationships, in both cross-cultural and potentially inter-regional settings, present within the archaeological repertoire of the southern Italian Late Bronze Age (LBA 1600 -1050 BCE). The emergence of economic relations within the connectivity of the regional settlements is explored through ceramic contexts found in the case studies Punta di Zambrone, Broglio di Trebisacce, and Nuraghe Antigori. This paper discusses the findings of a statistical and theoretical approach from an ongoing study in relation to the Mediterranean’s characterisation as a period dominated by Mycenaean influence. This study engages with a theoretical bricolage of Social Networks Entanglement, and Assertive Objects Theory to address the selective and assertive dynamics evident in the cross-cultural trade exchanges as well as consider inter-regional dynamics. Through this intersection of theory and statistical analysis, the case studies establish a small percentage of pottery as imported, whilst assertive productions have a relatively higher quantity. Overall, the majority still adheres to regional Italian traditions. Therefore, we can dissect the rhizomatic relationships cultivated by the Italian coasts and Mycenaeans and their roles within their networks through the intersection of theoretical and statistical analysis. This research offers a new perspective on the complex nature of the Late Bronze Age relational structures.Keywords: late bronze age, mediterranean archaeology, exchanges and trade, frequency distribution of ceramic assemblages, social network theory, rhizomatic exchanges
Procedia PDF Downloads 491485 Oral Lichen Planus a Manifestation of Grinspan's Syndrome or a Lichenoid Reaction to Medication
Authors: Sahar Iqrar, Malik Adeel Anwar, Zain Akram, Maria Noor
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Introduction: Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory condition of unknown etiology. Oral lichen planus may be related with several other diseases. Grinspan's Syndrome is characterized by a triad of oral lichen planus, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Other associations reported in the literature are with chronic liver disease and, with dyslipidemia. The nature of these associations is still not fully understood. Material and methods: Study was conducted in Department of Oral Medicine, Fatima Memorial Hospital College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan. A total of n=89 clinically diagnosed patients of oral lichen planus of both gender and all age groups were recruited and detailed history were recorded in the designed performs. Results: A total of n=89 patients were taken with male to female ratio of 3:8 in which 24 were male and 65 females. Mean age was 48.8 ± 13.8 years. Age range of 10-74 years was seen. Among these patients suffering from oral lichen planus, 41.6% (n=37) had a positive history for hypertension with 59.5% (n=22) of these patients were taking different medication for their condition. Whereas Diabetes Mellitus was found in 24.7% (n=22) patients with 72.7% (n=16) of these patients using the hypoglycemic drug (oral or injectable) to control their blood glucose levels. Out of these n=89 lichen planus patients 21.3% had both hypertension and diabetes mellitus (fulfilling the criteria for Grinspan's Syndrome). Out of this Grinspan's Syndrome pool 94.7% (n=19) were taking drug atleast for one of the two conditions. Conclusion: As noticed form the medical history of the patients, most of them were using hypoglycemic drugs for diabetes mellitus and beta blockers, diuretics and calcium channel blockers for hypertension. These drugs are known for lichenoid reaction. Therefore, it should be ruled out at histopathological/ immunological and molecular level whether these patients are suffering from lichen planus or lichenoid drug reaction to truly declare them as patients with Grinspan’s Syndrome.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, grinspan's syndrome, lichenoid drug reaction, oral lichen planus
Procedia PDF Downloads 2441484 Associations of Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms with Coronary Artery Diseases
Authors: Elham Sharif, Nasser Rizk, Sirin Abu Aqel, Ofelia Masoud
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Background: Previous studies have investigated the association of rs1544410, rs7975232 and rs731236 polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor gene and its impact on diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension in different ethnic backgrounds. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between VDR polymorphisms using three SNP’s (rs1544410, rs7975232 and rs731236) and the severity of the significant lesion in coronary arteries among angiographically diagnosed CAD. Methods: A prospective-retrospective study was conducted on 192 CAD patients enrolled from the cardiology department-Heart Hospital HMC, grouped in 96 subjects with significant stenosis and 96 with non-significant stenosis with a mean age between 30 and 75 years old. Genotyping was performed for the following SNPs rs1544410, rs7975232 and rs731236 using TaqMan assay by the Real Time PCR, ABI 7500 in Health Sciences Labs at Qatar University Biomedical Research Center. Results: The results showed that both groups have matched age and gender distribution but patients with the significant stenosis have significantly higher; BMI (p=0.047); smoking status (p=0.039); FBS (p= 0.031); CK-MB (p=0.025) and Troponin (p=0.002) than the patients with non–significant lesion. Among the traditional risk factors, smoking increases the odds of the severe stenotic lesion in CAD patients by 1.984, with 95% CI between 1.024 – 7.063, with p= 0.042.HWE showed deviations of the rs1544410 and rs731236 among the study subjects. The most frequent genotype in distribution of rs7975232 is the AA among the significant stenosis patients, while the heterozygous AC was the frequent genotype in distribution among the non-significant stenosis group. The carriers of CC genotype in rs7975232 increased the risk of having significant coronary arteries stenotic lesion by 1.83 with 95% CI (1.020 – 3.280), p=0.043. No association was found between the rs7975232 with vitamin D and VDBP. Conclusion: There is a significant association between rs7975232 and the severity of CAD lesion. The carrier of CC genotype in rs7975232 increased the risk of having significant coronary arteries atherosclerotic lesion especially in patients with smoking history independent of vitamin D.Keywords: vitamin D, vitamin D receptor, polymorphism, coronary harat disease
Procedia PDF Downloads 3141483 A Pilot Study of Bangkok High School Students’ Satisfaction Towards Online Learning Platform During Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Aung Aung Kyi, Khin Khin Aye
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The mode of teaching and learning has been changed dramatically due to the Covid-19 pandemic that made schools close and students may have been away from the campus. However, many schools all over the countries are helping students to facilitate e-learning through online teaching and learning platform. Regarding this, Sarasas bilingual school in Bangkok conducted the high school students’ satisfaction survey since it is important for every school to improve its quality of education that must meet the students' need. For the good of the school's reputation, the purpose of the study is to examine the level of satisfaction that enhances the best services in the future. This study applied random sampling techniques and the data were collected using a self-administered survey. Descriptive analysis and independent sample t-tests were used to measure the importance of satisfaction components. The results showed G-11 (A) students were extremely satisfied with “Accessibility of course resources and materials through online platform” and “Ontime homework submission” while G-11 (B) students were extremely satisfied with “Teacher assisted with guiding my learning activities” and “Course teacher for this online course interacted with me in a timely fashion”. Additionally, they were also satisfied with a clear understanding of the teacher’s introduction during online learning. A significant difference in the satisfaction was observed between G-11 (A) and G-11 (B) students in terms of “A clear understanding on introduction was given by the teacher at the beginning of this online course”(P=0.03), “Teacher assisted with guiding my learning activities” (P=0.003), and “Comfortable surrounding during online learning” (P=0.02). With regard to gender, it has been seen that female high school students were extremely satisfied with the amount of course interaction with their teacher and her guidance with learning activities during online learning. By understanding the survey assessment, schools can improve their quality of education through the best digital educational platform that helps satisfy their students in the future.Keywords: Bangkok high school students., covid-19 pandemic, online learning platform, satisfaction
Procedia PDF Downloads 2171482 Motivation and Attitudes toward Learning English and German as Foreign Languages among Sudanese University Students
Authors: A. Ishag, E. Witruk, C. Altmayer
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Motivation and attitudes are considered as hypothetical psychological constructs in explaining the process of second language learning. Gardner (1985) – who first systematically investigated the motivational factors in second language acquisition – found that L2 achievement is related not only to the individual learner’s linguistic aptitude or general intelligence but also to the learner’s motivation and interest in learning the target language. Traditionally language learning motivation can be divided into two types: integrative motivation – the desire to integrate oneself with the target culture; and instrumental motivation – the desire to learn a language in order to meet a specific language requirement such as for employment. One of the Gardner’s main ideas is that the integrative motivation plays an important role in second language acquisition. It is directly and positively related to second language achievement more than instrumental motivation. However, the significance of integrative motivation reflects a rather controversial set of findings. On the other hand, Students’ attitudes towards the target language, its speakers and the learning context may all play some part in explaining their success in learning a language. Accordingly, the present study aims at exploring the significance of motivational and attitudinal factors in learning foreign languages, namely English and German among Sudanese undergraduate students from a psycholinguistic and interdisciplinary perspective. The sample composed of 221 students from the English and German language departments respectively at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. The results indicate that English language’s learners are instrumentally motivated and that German language’s learners have positive attitudes towards the German language community and culture. Furthermore, there are statistical significant differences in the attitudes toward the two languages due to gender; where female students have more positive attitudes than their male counterparts. However, there are no differences along the variables of academic grade and study level. Finally, the reasons of studying the English or German language have also been indicated.Keywords: motivation and attitudes, foreign language learning, english language, german language
Procedia PDF Downloads 6871481 Mental Health in Young People Living Poverty in Southeastern Mexico
Authors: Teresita Castillo, Concepción Campo, Carlos Carrillo
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Attention, comprehension and solution of poverty can be worked considering a socioeconomic approach; but it also can be attended from a multidimensional perspective that allows considering other dimensions including psychological variables manifested in behaviors, thoughts and feelings concerning this phenomenon. Considering the importance of research regarding psychology and poverty, this paper presents results about psychosocial impacts of poverty on young people related to mental health issues and its relation to fatalism. These results are part of a bigger transcultural study done in collaboration with the Federal University of Ceará, in Brazil. Participants were 101 young men and women, between 12 and 29 years old, living in two emarginated suburbs in Mérida, Mexico, located in the southeastern zone of the country. Participants responded the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ- 20), with 20 items dichotomous presence/absence that assess anxious and depressive issues and the Fatalism Scale, with 30 items Likert five-point spread over five factors. Results show that one third of participants mentioned to get easily frightened, feeling nervous, tense or worried as well as unhappy, difficulty on making decisions, and troubles in thinking clearly. About 20% mentioned to have headaches, to sleep badly, to cry more than usual and to feel tired all the time. Regarding Fatalism, results show there is a greater internal allocation and lower external attribution in young participants, but they have some symptoms regarding poor mental health. Discussion is in terms of possible explanations about the results and emphasizes the importance of holistic approaches for a better understanding of the psychosocial impacts of poverty on young people and strengthening the resilience to increase positive mental health in emarginated contexts, where Community Psychology could have an important duty in community health promotion.Keywords: fatalism, mental health, poverty, youth
Procedia PDF Downloads 3461480 Modeling of Gas Migration in High-Pressure–High-Temperature Fields
Authors: Deane Roehl, Roberto Quevedo
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Gas migration from pressurized formations is a problem reported in the oil and gas industry. This means increased risks for drilling, production, well integrity, and hydrocarbon escape. Different processes can contribute to the development of pressurized formations, particularly in High-Pressure–High-Temperature (HPHT) gas fields. Over geological time-scales, the different formations of those fields have maintained and/or developed abnormal pressures owing to low permeability and the presence of an impermeable seal. However, if this seal is broken, large volumes of gas could migrate into other less pressurized formations. Three main mechanisms for gas migration have been identified in the literature –molecular diffusion, continuous-phase flow, and continuous-phase flow coupled with mechanical effects. In relation to the latter, gas migration can occur as a consequence of the mechanical effects triggered by reservoir depletion. The compaction of the reservoir can redistribute the in-situ stresses sufficiently to induce deformations that may increase the permeability of rocks and lead to fracture processes or reactivate nearby faults. The understanding of gas flow through discontinuities is still under development. However, some models based on porosity changes and fracture aperture have been developed in order to obtain enhanced permeabilities in numerical simulations. In this work, a simple relationship to integrate fluid flow through rock matrix and discontinuities has been implemented in a fully thermo-hydro-mechanical simulator developed in-house. Numerical simulations of hydrocarbon production in an HPHT field were carried out. Results suggest that rock permeability can be considerably affected by the deformation of the field, creating preferential flow paths for the transport of large volumes of gas.Keywords: gas migration, pressurized formations, fractured rocks, numerical modeling
Procedia PDF Downloads 1511479 Bio-Estimation of Selected Heavy Metals in Shellfish and Their Surrounding Environmental Media
Authors: Ebeed A. Saleh, Kadry M. Sadek, Safaa H. Ghorbal
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Due to the determination of the pollution status of fresh resources in the Egyptian territorial waters is very important for public health, this study was carried out to reveal the levels of heavy metals in the shellfish and their environment and its relation to the highly developed industrial activities in those areas. A total of 100 shellfish samples from the Rosetta, Edku, El-Maadiya, Abo-Kir and El-Max coasts [10 crustaceans (shrimp) and 10 mollusks (oysters)] were randomly collected from each coast. Additionally, 10 samples from both the water and the sediment were collected from each coast. Each collected sample was analyzed for cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc residues using a Perkin Elmer atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The results showed that the levels of heavy metals were higher in the water and sediment from Abo-Kir. The heavy metal levels decreased successively for the Rosetta, Edku, El-Maadiya, and El-Max coasts, and the concentrations of heavy metals, except copper and zinc, in shellfish exhibited the same pattern. For the concentration of heavy metals in shellfish tissue, the highest was zinc and the concentrations decreased successively for copper, lead, chromium and cadmium for all coasts, except the Abo-Kir coast, where the chromium level was highest and the other metals decreased successively for zinc, copper, lead and cadmium. In Rosetta, chromium was higher only in the mollusks, while the level of this metal was lower in the crustaceans; this trend was observed at the Edku, El-Maadiya and El-Max coasts as well. Herein, we discuss the importance of such contamination for public health and the sources of shellfish contamination with heavy metals. We suggest measures to minimize and prevent these pollutants in the aquatic environment and, furthermore, how to protect humans from excessive intake.Keywords: atomic absorption, heavy metals, sediment, shellfish, water
Procedia PDF Downloads 3201478 Shoulder-Arm Mobility and Upper and Lower Extremity Muscle Function are Impaired in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis
Authors: F. Bringby, A. Nordin, L. Björnådal, E. Svenungsson, C. Boström, H Alexanderson
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Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have reduced hand function and self-reported limitations in daily activities. Few studies have explored limitations in shoulder-arm mobility and muscle function, or if there are differences in physical function between diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) and limited cutaneous (lcSSc) SSc. The purpose of this study was to describe objectively assessed shoulder-arm mobility, lower extremity muscle function and muscle endurance in SSc and evaluate possible differences between lcSSc and dcSSc. 121 patients with SSc were included in this cross sectional study. Shoulder-arm mobility were examined using the Shoulder Function Assessment Scale (SFA) including 5 tasks ,lower extremity muscle function was measured by Timed stands test (TST) and muscle endurance in shoulder- and hip flexors were assessed by the Functional Index 2 (FI-2). Patients with dcSSc had median SFA hand to back score 5 (4-6) and median “hand to seat” score of 5 (4-6) compared to patients with lcSSc with corresponding median values of 6 (4-6) and 6 (5-6) respectively (p<0.01-p<0.05). 50% of both patientsgroups had lower muscle function assessed by the TST compared to age- and gender matched reference values but there were no differences in TST between the two patient groups. There was no difference in FI-2 scores between dcSSc and lcSSc. The whole group had 40 (28-83) % and 38 (32-72) % of maximal FI-2 shoulder flexion score on the right and left sides, and 40 (23-63) % and 37 (23-62) % of maximal FI-2 hip flexion score on the right and left sides. Reference values for the FI-2 indicate that healthy individuals perform in mean 100 % of maximal score. Patients with dcSSc were more limited than patients with lcSSc. Patients with SSc have reduced muscle function compared to reference values. These results highlights the importance of assessing shoulder-arm mobility and muscle function as well as a need for further research to identify exercise interventions to target these limitations.Keywords: diffuse, limited, mobility, muscle function, physical therapy, systemic sclerosis
Procedia PDF Downloads 3921477 Erectile Function and Heart Rate Variability in Men under 40 Years Old
Authors: Rui Miguel Costa, Jose Pestana, David Costa, Paula Mangia, Catarina Correia, Mafalda Pinto Coelho
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There is lack of studies examining the relation of different heart rate variability (HRV) parameters with the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in younger men. Thus, the present study aimed at examining, in a nonclinical sample of men aged 19-39 years old (mean age = 23.98 years, SD = 4.90), the relations of risk of ED with the standard deviation of the heart rate (SD of HR), high and low frequency power of HRV, and low-to-high frequency HRV ratio. Eighty-three heterosexual Portuguese men completed the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and HRV parameters were calculated from a 5-minute resting period. Risk of ED was determined by IIEF-5 scores of 21 or less. Fifteen men (18.1%) reported symptoms of ED (14 with mild and one with mild to moderate symptoms). Univariate analyses of variance revealed that risk of ED was related to lesser SD of HR and lesser low-frequency power, the two HRV parameters that express a coupling of higher vagal and sympathetic tone. Risk of ED was unrelated to high-frequency power and low-to-high frequency HRV ratio. Further, in a logistic regression, the risk of ED was independently predicted by older age and lower SD of HR, but not by low-frequency power, having a regular sexual partner, and cohabiting. The results provide preliminary evidence that, in younger men, a coupling of higher vagal and sympathetic tone, as indexed by the SD of HR, is important for erections. Greater resting SD of HR might reflect better vascular and interpersonal function via vagal tone coupled with greater motor mobilization to pursue sexual intercourse via sympathetic tone. Many interventions can elevate HRV; future research is warranted on how they can be tailored to treat ED in younger men.Keywords: erectile dysfunction, heart rate variability, standard deviation of the heart rate, younger men
Procedia PDF Downloads 2791476 Analyzing the Association between Physical Activity and Sleep Quality in College Students: Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Fildzah Badzlina, Mega Puspa Sari
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To rest the body after a full day of activities, the body needs sleep. During sleep, the body's response to external stimuli will be reduced and relatively inactive so that it is used to optimize the body's biological functions that cannot be done when awake. College students often experience poor sleep quality because of the dense activities carried out during the day. In addition, the level of physical activity of college students is also relatively low. Based on previous research, college students who have low physical activity have poor sleep quality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality in college students of the University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka. This study used a cross-sectional research design with 107 respondents as research subjects. Samples were taken using the purposive sampling technique. The data was taken using a google form which was distributed to all college students in September 2021. The statistical test used was Chi-square. The results of this study showed that 85 (79.4%) college students experienced poor sleep quality during the Covid-19 Pandemic Period. Most respondents were 96 women (89.7%) and 32.7% (35 people) aged 20 years. In the pocket money category, most college students (71%) got pocket money less than 500.000 rupiahs per month. A total of 52 respondents (48.6%) had a moderate level of physical activity category. Poor sleep quality was more common in male students (90.9%) compared to female students (78.1%) (p>0.05). In the group with poor sleep quality, 88.9% of students were categorized in Rp. 500.001 to Rp. 1.000.000 for pocket money, 80.3% of students included in the category Rp. 500.000 or less, and 61.5% of students are included in the category of Rp. 1.000.000 or more. Poor sleep quality was more common among students in the age category 20 years (84.1%), compared to students in the age category > 20 years (71.1%). For the level of physical activity in the poor sleep quality group, 87% were included in the category of heavy physical activity, 82.7% included in the moderate level of physical activity, and 68.8% included in the category of low-level physical activity. There was no significant relationship between gender, pocket money, age, and physical activity with sleep quality (p>0.05).Keywords: college students, physical activity, sleep quality, university students
Procedia PDF Downloads 143