Search results for: indigenous environmental knowledge

Authors: Mustafa Karimi, Chikamoto Tomoyuki

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The building sector consumes 36% of total global energy used, whereas only residential buildings are responsible for 22% of that. In residential buildings, energy used for space heating and cooling represents the majority part of the total energy consumption. Although Afghanistan is amongst the lowest in energy usage globally, residential buildings’ energy consumption has caused serious environmental issues, especially in the capital city, Kabul. After decades of war in Afghanistan, redevelopment of the built environment started from scratch in the past years; therefore, to create sustainable urban areas, it is critical to find the most energy-efficient design parameters for buildings that will last for decades. This study aims to assess the impact of building orientation on the energy performance of buildings in Kabul. It is found that the optimal orientation for buildings in Kabul is South and South-southeast, while West-northwest and Northeast orientations are the worst in terms of energy performance. The difference in the total energy consumption between the best and the worst orientation is 17.5%.

Keywords: building orientation, energy consumption, residential buildings, Kabul, environmental issues

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Authors: Paolo Magnata

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The energy market in the Philippines remains to have one of the highest electricity rates in the region averaging at US$0.16/kWh (PHP6.89/kWh), excluding VAT, as opposed to the overall energy market average of US$0.13/kWh. The movement towards renewable energy, specifically solar energy, will pose as an expensive one with the country’s energy sector providing Feed-in-Tariff rates as high as US$0.17/kWh (PHP8.69/kWh) for solar energy power plants. Increasing the share of renewables at the current state of the energy regulatory background would yield a three-fold increase in residential electricity bills. The issue lies in the uniform charge that consumers bear regardless of where the electricity is sourced resulting in rates that only consider costs and not the consumers. But if they are given the option to choose where their electricity comes from, a number of consumers may potentially choose economically costlier sources of electricity due to higher levels of utility coupled with the willingness to pay of consuming environmentally-friendly sourced electricity. A contingent valuation survey was conducted to determine their willingness-to-pay for solar energy on a sample that was representative of Metro Manila to elicit their willingness-to-pay and a Single Bounded Dichotomous Choice and Double Bounded Dichotomous Choice analysis was used to estimate the amount they were willing to pay. The results showed that Metro Manila residents are willing to pay a premium on top of their current electricity bill amounting to US$5.71 (PHP268.42) – US$9.26 (PHP435.37) per month which is approximately 0.97% - 1.29% of their monthly household income. It was also discovered that besides higher income of households, a higher level of self-perceived knowledge on environmental awareness significantly affected the likelihood of a consumer to pay the premium. Shifting towards renewable energy is an expensive move not only for the government because of high capital investment but also to consumers; however, the Green Energy Option (a policy mechanism which gives consumers the option to decide where their electricity comes from) can potentially balance the shift of the economic burden by transitioning from a uniformly charged electricity rate to equitably charging consumers based on their willingness to pay for renewably sourced energy.

Keywords: contingent valuation, dichotomous choice, Philippines, solar energy

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Authors: Sandra Young

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The biodiversity literature is vast and heterogeneous. In today’s data age, numbers of data integration and standardisation initiatives aim to facilitate simultaneous access to all the literature across biodiversity domains for research and forecasting purposes. Ontologies are being used increasingly to organise this information, but the rationalisation intrinsic to ontologies can hit obstacles when faced with the intrinsic fluidity and inconsistency found in the domains comprising biodiversity. Essentially the problem is a conceptual one: biological taxonomies are formed on the basis of specific, physical specimens yet nomenclatural rules are used to provide labels to describe these physical objects. These labels are ambiguous representations of the physical specimen. An example of this is with the genus Melpomene, the scientific nomenclatural representation of a genus of ferns, but also for a genus of spiders. The physical specimens for each of these are vastly different, but they have been assigned the same nomenclatural reference. While there is much research into the conceptual stability of the taxonomic concept versus the nomenclature used, to the best of our knowledge as yet no research has looked empirically at the literature to see the conceptual plurality or singularity of the use of these species’ names, the linguistic representation of a physical entity. Language itself uses words as symbols to represent real world concepts, whether physical entities or otherwise, and as such lexicography has a well-founded history in the conceptual mapping of words in context for dictionary making. This makes it an ideal candidate to explore this problem. The lexicographic approach uses corpus-based analysis to look at word use in context, with a specific focus on collocated word frequencies (the frequencies of words used in specific grammatical and collocational contexts). It allows for inconsistencies and contradictions in the source data and in fact includes these in the word characterisation so that 100% of the available evidence is counted. Corpus analysis is indeed suggested as one of the ways to identify concepts for ontology building, because of its ability to look empirically at data and show patterns in language usage, which can indicate conceptual ideas which go beyond words themselves. In this sense it could potentially be used to identify if the hierarchical structures present within the empirical body of literature match those which have been identified in ontologies created to represent them. The first stages of this research have revealed a hierarchical structure that becomes apparent in the biodiversity literature when annotating scientific species’ names, common names and more general names as classes, which will be the focus of this paper. The next step in the research is focusing on a larger corpus in which specific words can be analysed and then compared with existing ontological structures looking at the same material, to evaluate the methods by means of an alternative perspective. This research aims to provide evidence as to the validity of the current methods in knowledge representation for biological entities, and also shed light on the way that scientific nomenclature is used within the literature.

Keywords: ontology, biodiversity, lexicography, knowledge representation, corpus linguistics

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Authors: Chinwendu R. Nnabalu, Gioia Falcone, Imma Bortone

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Petroleum refining is a chemical process in which the raw material (crude oil) is converted to finished commercial products for end users. The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit is a key asset in refineries, requiring optimised processes in the context of engineering design. Following the first stage of separation of crude oil in a distillation tower, an additional 40 per cent quantity is attainable in the gasoline pool with further conversion of the downgraded product of crude oil (residue from the distillation tower) using a catalyst in the FCC process. Effective removal of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon and heavy metals from FCC gasoline requires greater separation efficiency and involves an enormous environmental significance. The FCC unit is primarily a reactor and regeneration system which employs cyclone systems for separation.  Catalyst losses in FCC cyclones lead to high particulate matter emission on the regenerator side and fines carryover into the product on the reactor side. This paper aims at demonstrating the importance of FCC unit design criteria in terms of technical performance and compliance with environmental legislation. A systematic review of state-of-the-art FCC technology was carried out, identifying its key technical challenges and sources of emissions.  Case studies of petroleum refineries in Nigeria were assessed against selected global case studies. The review highlights the need for further modelling investigations to help improve FCC design to more effectively meet product specification requirements while complying with stricter environmental legislation.

Keywords: design, emission, fluid catalytic cracking, petroleum refineries

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Authors: Luís Rocha, Adam Gąska, Enrico Savio, Michael Marxer, Christoph Battaglia

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The changes observed in the last years in the field of manufacturing and production engineering, popularly known as "Fourth Industry Revolution", utilizes the achievements in the different areas of computer sciences, introducing new solutions at almost every stage of the production process, just to mention such concepts as mass customization, cloud computing, knowledge-based engineering, virtual reality, rapid prototyping, or virtual models of measuring systems. To effectively speed up the production process and make it more flexible, it is necessary to tighten the bonds connecting individual stages of the production process and to raise the awareness and knowledge of employees of individual sectors about the nature and specificity of work in other stages. It is important to discover and develop a suitable education method adapted to the specificities of each stage of the production process, becoming an extremely crucial issue to exploit the potential of the fourth industrial revolution properly. Because of it, the project “Train4Dim” (T4D) intends to develop complex training material for digital manufacturing, including content for design, manufacturing, and quality control, with a focus on coordinate metrology and portable measuring systems. In this paper, the authors present an approach to using an active learning methodology for digital manufacturing. T4D main objective is to develop a multi-degree (apprenticeship up to master’s degree studies) and educational approach that can be adapted to different teaching levels. It’s also described the process of creating the underneath methodology. The paper will share the steps to achieve the aims of the project (training model for digital manufacturing): 1) surveying the stakeholders, 2) Defining the learning aims, 3) producing all contents and curriculum, 4) training for tutors, and 5) Pilot courses test and improvements.

Keywords: learning, Industry 4.0, active learning, digital manufacturing

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Authors: M. A. Mabasa, O. Ramokolo, M. Z. Mnikathi, D. Mathabatha, T. Manyapelo

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The study examines the importance of translating South African folklore from Oral into Written Literature in a Multilingual Education. Therefore, the study postulates that translation can be regarded as a valuable tool when oral and written literature is transmitted from one generation to another. The study entails that translation does not take place in a haphazard fashion; for that reason, skills such as translation principles are required to translate folklore significantly and effectively. The purpose of the study is to indicate the significance of using translation relating to folklore in teaching and learning. The study also observed that Modernism in literature should be shared amongst varieties of cultures because folklore is interactive in narrating stories, folktales and myths to sharpen the reader’s knowledge and intellect because they are informative and educative in nature. As a technological tool, the study points out that translation is of paramount importance in the sense that the meanings of different data can be made available in all South African official languages using oral and written forms of folklore. The study opines that tradition and customary beliefs and practices in the institution of higher learning. The study envisages the way in which literature of folklore can be juxtaposed to ensure that translated folklore is of quality assured standards. The study alludes that well-translated folklore can serve as oral and written literature, which may contribute to the child’s learning and acquisition of knowledge and insights during cognitive development toward maturity. Methodologically, the study selects a qualitative research approach and selects content analysis as an instrument for data gathering, which will be analyzed qualitatively in consideration of the significance of translating folklore as written and spoken literature in a documented way. The study reveals that the translation of folktales promotes functional multilingualism in high-function formal contexts like a university. The study emphasizes that translated and preserved literary folklore may serve as a language repository from one generation to another because of the archival and storage of information in the form of a term bank.

Keywords: translation, editing, teaching, learning, folklores

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Authors: Akhila Potluru

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Worldwide, more than 250 bodies of water are transboundary, meaning they cross the political boundaries of multiple countries. This creates a system of hydrological, economic, and social interdependence between communities reliant on these water sources. Transboundary water conflicts can occur as a result of this intense interdependence. Many factors contribute to the sparking of transboundary water conflicts, ranging from natural hydrological factors to hydro-political interactions. Previous attempts to predict transboundary water conflicts by analysing changes or trends in the contributing factors have typically failed because patterns in the data are hard to identify. However, there is potential for artificial intelligence and machine learning to fill this gap and identify future ‘hotspots’ up to a year in advance by identifying patterns in data where humans can’t. This research determines the extent to which AI can be used to predict and prevent transboundary water conflicts. This is done via a critical literature review of previous case studies and datasets where AI was deployed to predict water conflict. This research not only delivered a more nuanced understanding of previously undervalued factors that contribute toward transboundary water conflicts (in particular, culture and disinformation) but also by detecting conflict early, governance bodies can engage in processes to de-escalate conflict by providing pre-emptive solutions. Looking forward, this gives rise to significant policy implications and water-sharing agreements, which may be able to prevent water conflicts from developing into wide-scale disasters. Additionally, AI can be used to gain a fuller picture of water-based conflicts in areas where security concerns mean it is not possible to have staff on the ground. Therefore, AI enhances not only the depth of our knowledge about transboundary water conflicts but also the breadth of our knowledge. With demand for water constantly growing, competition between countries over shared water will increasingly lead to water conflict. There has never been a more significant time for us to be able to accurately predict and take precautions to prevent global water conflicts.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, machine learning, transboundary water conflict, water management

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Authors: He Chao, Zhang Lei, Liu Ran, Li Ang

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Temperature regulating system by gaseous nitrogen is of importance to the space environment simulator, which keep the shrouds in the temperature range from -150℃ to +150℃. Liquid nitrogen spray equipment is one of the most critical parts in the temperature regulating system by gaseous nitrogen. Y type jet atomizer and internal mixing atomizer of the liquid nitrogen spray equipment are studied in this paper, 2D/3D atomizer model was established and grid division was conducted respectively by the software of Catia and ICEM. Based on the above preparation, numerical simulation on the spraying process of the atomizer by FLUENT is performed. Using air and water as the medium, comparison between the tests and numerical simulation was conducted and the results of two ways match well. Hence, it can be conclude that this atomizer model can be applied in the numerical simulation of liquid nitrogen spray equipment.

Keywords: space environmental simulator, liquid nitrogen spray, Y type jet atomizer, internal mixing atomizer, numerical simulation, fluent

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Authors: Muhammad Suhail Ibrahim, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Sultan, Uzair Sajjad, Khalid Hamid, Tahir Mahmood Qureshi, Sadaf Javaria

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Metabolic disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease etc., are major threats to public health and economy. Management and prevention of alarmingly increasing disorders have attracted researchers to explore natural barriers against these disorders. The objective of this study was to explore oats as a potential source of dietary fiber. Extraction of dietary was optimized by response surface methodology, and five indigenous oat cultivars, including SGD2011, Avon, SGD81, PD2LV65, and S2000, were also characterized for techno-functional characteristics, mineral composition and phytochemical quantification. These cultivars varied significantly (p < 0.05) for oil holding capacity, water saturation, and water holding capacity, respectively. SGD81 showed the highest oil-holding capacity, water-holding capacity, and water saturation due to the highest fraction of dietary fiber. The highest values of total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, total flavonol contents, 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, and anthocyanin were shown by SGD81, and SGD2011, respectively. All cultivars varied significantly (P<0.05) with respect to phytochemical quantification. Oat cultivars SGD81 and SGD2011 showed the best phenolic acid profile and can be effectively used as a source of nutraceuticals. Beyond the nutritional properties of oats, these also contribute and emerged as potential sources of dietary fiber and have gained attention as nutraceutical cereal crops. This approach offers oats as a natural means of dietary fiber to protect humans from alarmingly increasing metabolic disorders, and its extraction by sonication has made it a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy.

Keywords: oat cultivars, dietary fibers, mineral profile, antioxidant activity, color properties

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Authors: Yu-Min Chang, Kuo-Sheng Tsai, Hung-Te Tsai, Chia-Hsin Li

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This paper presents the early-warning lights classification management system for industrial parks promoted by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) since 2011, including the definition of each early-warning light, objectives, action program and accomplishments. All of the 151 industrial parks in Taiwan were classified into four early-warning lights, including red, orange, yellow and green, for carrying out respective pollution management according to the monitoring data of soil and groundwater quality, regulatory compliance, and regulatory listing of control site or remediation site. The Taiwan EPA set up a priority list for high potential polluted industrial parks and investigated their soil and groundwater qualities based on the results of the light classification and pollution potential assessment. In 2011-2013, there were 44 industrial parks selected and carried out different investigation, such as the early warning groundwater well networks establishment and pollution investigation/verification for the red and orange-light industrial parks and the environmental background survey for the yellow-light industrial parks. Among them, 22 industrial parks were newly or continuously confirmed that the concentrations of pollutants exceeded those in soil or groundwater pollution control standards. Thus, the further investigation, groundwater use restriction, listing of pollution control site or remediation site, and pollutant isolation measures were implemented by the local environmental protection and industry competent authorities; the early warning lights of those industrial parks were proposed to adjust up to orange or red-light. Up to the present, the preliminary positive effect of the soil and groundwater quality management system for industrial parks has been noticed in several aspects, such as environmental background information collection, early warning of pollution risk, pollution investigation and control, information integration and application, and inter-agency collaboration. Finally, the work and goal of self-initiated quality management of industrial parks will be carried out on the basis of the inter-agency collaboration by the classified lights system of early warning and management as well as the regular announcement of the status of each industrial park.

Keywords: industrial park, soil and groundwater quality management, early-warning lights classification, SOP for reporting and treatment of monitored abnormal events

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Authors: Ngoc-Hieu Vu

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Although dairy production in Vietnam is a relatively new agricultural activity, milk production increased remarkably in recent years. Smallholders are still the main drivers for this development, especially in the southern part of the country. However, information on the farming practices is very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize husbandry practices, educational experiences, decision-making practices, constraints, income and expenses of smallholder dairy farms in Southern Vietnam. A total of 200 farms, located in the regions Ho Chi Minh (HCM, N=80 farms), Lam Dong (N=40 farms), Binh Duong (N=40 farms) and Long An (N=40 farms) were included. Between October 2013 and December 2014 farmers were interviewed twice. On average, farms owned 3.200m2, 2.000m2, and 193m2 of pasture, cropping and housing area, respectively. The number of total, milking and dry cows, heifers, and calves were 20.4, 11.6, 4.7, 3.3, and 2.9 head. The number of lactating dairy cows was higher (p<0.001) in HCM (15.5) and Lam Dong (14.7) than in Binh Duong (6.7) and Long An (10.7). Animals were mainly crossbred Holstein-Friesian (HF) cows with at least 75% HF origin (84%), whereas a higher (P<0.001) percentage of purebred HF was found in HCM and Lam Dong and crossbreds in Binh Duong and Long An. Animals were mainly raised in tie-stalls (94%) and machine-milked (80%). Farmers used their own replacement animals (76%), and both genetic and phenotypic information (67%) for selecting sires. Farmers were predominantly educated at primary school level (53%). Major constraints for dairy farming were the lack of capital (43%), diseases (17%), marketing (22%), lack of knowledge (8%) and feed (7%). Monthly profit per lactating cow was superior in Lam Dong (2,817 thousand VND) and HCM (2,798 thousand VND) compared to other regions in Long An (2,597 thousand VND), and Binh Duong (1,775 thousand VND). Regional differences may be mainly attributed to environmental factors, urbanization, and particularly governmental support and the availability of extension and financial institutions. Results from this study provide important information on farming practices of smallholders in Southern Vietnam that are useful in determining regions that need to be addressed by authorities in order to improve dairy production.

Keywords: dairy farms, milk yield, Southern Vietnam, socio-economics

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Authors: Satu Lautamäki

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This paper presents findings from a multidisciplinary course (bachelor level) implemented at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland. The course aims to develop innovative thinking of students, by having projects given by companies, using design thinking methods as a tool for creativity and by integrating students into multidisciplinary teams working on the given projects. The course is obligatory for all first year bachelor students across four faculties (business and culture, food and agriculture, health care and social work, and technology). The course involves around 800 students and 30 pedagogical coaches, and it is implemented as an intensive one-week course each year. The paper discusses the pedagogy, structure and coordination of the course. Also, reflections on methods for the development of creative skills are given. Experts in contemporary, global context often work in teams, which consist of people who have different areas of expertise and represent various professional backgrounds. That is why there is a strong need for new training methods where multidisciplinary approach is at the heart of learning. Creative learning takes place when different parties bring information to the discussion and learn from each other. When students in different fields are looking for professional growth for themselves and take responsibility for the professional growth of other learners, they form a mutual learning relationship with each other. Multidisciplinary team members make decisions both individually and collectively, which helps them to understand and appreciate other disciplines. Our results show that creative and multidisciplinary project learning can develop diversity of knowledge and competences, for instance, students’ cultural knowledge, teamwork and innovation competences, time management and presentation skills as well as support a student’s personal development as an expert. It is highly recommended that higher education curricula should include various studies for students from different study fields to work in multidisciplinary teams.

Keywords: multidisciplinary learning, creative skills, innovative thinking, project-based learning

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Authors: J. J. Lloyd, J. S. Phillips

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Background: HIV/AIDS has made a huge impact on human development and sexual reproductive habits in this century in the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It has only recently been acknowledged that HIV/AIDS has an equal if not greater effect on or threat to people with disabilities. Survivors of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) with resultant disability are incorrectly believed to be sexually inactive, unlikely to use drugs or alcohol and at less risk of violence or rape than their non-disabled peers. This group can thus be described as economically, educationally and socially disadvantaged, which in itself, suggest that they are a high-risk group for HIV infection. Objectives: Thus, the overall objective of this study was to assess the factors that exacerbate the risk and vulnerability of individuals with spinal cord injuries to HIV infection in order to develop a more effective HIV intervention. Methodology: This paper reports on the cross-sectional data gathered from individuals with a traumatic spinal cord injury in 4 conveniently selected provinces in South Africa. Data was collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of various sections requesting for information on Demographics; HIV-Knowledge (HIV- KQ-18); Sexual behaviours; sexual communication, and negotiation skills and Self-efficacy to refuse sex. Results: The majority of the study sample was males (72.7%) with a mean age of 34.6 years. The majority reported lifetime sexual intercourse (92.4%) but only 31.8% reported condom use with last sexual intercourse. Low level of HIV knowledge, and being male were the strongest predictor of risky sexual behaviours in this sample. Conclusion: Significant numbers of individuals with spinal cord injuries are thus engaging in risky sexual behaviours pointing to a need to strengthen comprehensive sexual health education to increase access to HIV testing, promote safe sex and condom use among this group.

Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), individuals with spinal cord injuries, risky sexual behaviours, HIV risk factors, sub-saharan Africa

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Authors: Ashwini Mohan, Haris Batley

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An orthodontic index is used to rate or categorise an individual’s occlusion using a numeric or alphanumeric score. Indexing of malocclusions and their correction is important in epidemiology, diagnosis, communication between clinicians as well as their patients and assessing treatment outcomes. Many useful indices have been put forward, but to the author’s best knowledge, no one method to this day appears to be equally suitable for the use of epidemiologists, public health program planners and clinicians. This article describes the common clinical orthodontic indices and classifications used in United Kingdom.

Keywords: classification, indices, orthodontics, validity

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Authors: D. Berg, N. Hartley, L. Nasr

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This paper presents a conceptual model of human-robot interaction within service encounters and the effect on the well-being of both consumers and service providers. In this paper, service providers are those employees who work alongside frontline service robots. The significance of this paper lies in the knowledge created which outlines how frontline service robots can be effectively utilized in service encounters for the benefit of organizations and society as a whole. As this paper is conceptual in nature, the main methodologies employed are theoretical, namely problematization and theory building. The significance of this paper is underpinned by the shift of service robots from manufacturing plants and factory floors to consumer-facing service environments. This service environment places robots in direct contact with frontline employees and consumers creating a hybrid workplace where humans work alongside service robots. This change from back-end to front-end roles may have implications not only on the physical environment, servicescape, design, and strategy of service offerings and encounters but also on the human parties of the service encounter itself. Questions such as ‘how are frontline service robots impacting and changing the service encounter?’ and ‘what effect are such changes having on the well-being of the human actors in a service encounter?’ spring to mind. These questions form the research question of this paper. To truly understand social service robots, an interdisciplinary perspective is required. Besides understanding the function, system, design or mechanics of a service robot, it is also necessary to understand human-robot interaction. However not simply human-robot interaction, but particularly what happens when such robots are placed in commercial settings and when human-robot interaction becomes consumer-robot interaction and employee-robot interaction? A service robot in this paper is characterized by two main factors; its social characteristics and the consumer-facing environment within which it operates. The conceptual framework presented in this paper contributes to interdisciplinary discussions surrounding social robotics, service, and technology’s impact on consumer and service provider well-being, and hopes that such knowledge will help improve services, as well as the prosperity and well-being of society.

Keywords: frontline service robots, human-robot interaction, service encounters, well-being

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Authors: M. Priscila Ramos, Omar O. Chisari, Juan Pablo Vila Martínez

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Current literature about trade liberalization of environmental goods and services (EGS) raises doubts about the extent of the triple win-win situation for trade, development and the environment. However, much of this literature does not consider the possibility that this agreement carries technological transmissions, either through trade or foreign direct investment. This paper presents a computable general equilibrium model calibrated for Argentina, where there are alternative technologies (one dirty and one clean according to carbon emissions) to produce the same goods. In this context, the trade liberalization of EGS allows to increase GDP, trade, reduce unemployment and improve the households welfare. However, the capital mobility appears as the key assumption to jointly reach the environmental target, when the positive scale effect generated by the increase in trade is offset by the change in the composition of production (composition and technical effects by the use of the clean alternative technology) and of consumption (composition effect by substitution of relatively lesspolluting imported goods).

Keywords: CGE modeling, CO2 emissions, composition effect, scale effect, technique effect, trade liberalization of EGS

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Authors: Seung-Ho Yoo, Jong-Ryeul Sohn

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An environmental friendly or efficient heating & cooling systems attract a great attention, due to the energy or environmental problems. Especially the heat balance of human body is about 50% influenced by radiation exchange in built environment. Therefore, a thermal comfort characteristics in a radiant built environment need to be accessed through the development of an efficient evaluation method. Almost of Korean housings use traditionally the radiant floor heating system. A radiant cooling system attracts also many attention nowadays in the viewpoint of energy conservation and comfort. Thermal comfort characteristics in an enclosure with a radiant heating and cooling system are investigated by experiment, thermal sensation vote analysis and mean radiant temperature simulation. Asymmetric radiation between radiant heating ceiling and air heating system in 9 points of room is compared with each other.

Keywords: radiant heating and cooling ceiling, asymmetric radiation, thermal comfort, thermal sensation vote

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Authors: Swarna Shikha, Pammi Gauba

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Heavy metal pollution in water bodies and soil is a major and ever increasing environmental issue nowadays, and most conventional remediation approaches do not provide appropriate solutions. By using specially selected and engineered metal-accumulating plants for environmental clean-up is an emerging technology called as phytoremediation. The aim of this study was to find the effect of phytoextraction of Chromium in hydroponics culture by using Vigna mungo, Vigna radiata and Cicer arietinum. The plants were allowed to grow in static hydroponic culture at 0, 50, 250, 500 and 750 ppm concentrations of Chromium dichromate. The germination percentage was determined. It was found that the germination percentage of the seeds decreased with an increase in the concentration of the heavy metals. The maximum permissible limit of Cr for Vigna radiate and Cicer arietinum was 500 ppm and toxicity was observed whereas at even at 750 ppm no toxicity was observed in Vigna mungo. The main aim of our experiment was to study the impact of Chromium on all the three selected plants.

Keywords: phytoremediation, phytoextraction metal-accumulation, heavy metals, pollutants

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Authors: Juni C. Kim, Anna R. Robuck, Douglas I. Walker

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The human exposome, which includes chemical exposures over the lifetime and their effects, is now recognized as an important measure for understanding human health; however, the complexity of the data makes the identification of environmental chemicals challenging. The goal of our project was to establish a computational workflow for the improved identification of environmental pollutants containing chlorine or bromine. Using the “pattern. search” function available in the R package NonTarget, we wrote a multifunctional script that searches mass spectral clusters from untargeted gas-chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) for the presence of spectra consistent with chlorine and bromine-containing organic compounds. The “pattern. search” function was incorporated into a different function that allows the evaluation of clusters containing multiple analyte fragments, has multi-core support, and provides a simplified output identifying listing compounds containing chlorine and/or bromine. The new function was able to process 46,000 spectral clusters in under 8 seconds and identified over 150 potential halogenated spectra. We next applied our function to a deidentified dataset from patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and healthy controls. Twenty-two spectra corresponded to potential halogenated compounds in the PSC and PBC dataset, including six significantly different in PBC patients, while four differed in PSC patients. We have developed an improved algorithm for detecting halogenated compounds in GC-HRMS data, providing a strategy for prioritizing exposures in the study of human disease.

Keywords: exposome, metabolome, computational metabolomics, high-resolution mass spectrometry, exposure, pollutants

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Authors: T. Hansen

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Many consumers are uncertain of what financial borrowing behavior may serve their interests in the best way. This is important since consumers’ risky financial decisions may not only negatively affect their short-term liquidity but may haunt them for years after they are made. Obviously, this is especially critical for young adults who often carry large amounts of student loans or credit card debt, which in turn may hinder their future ability to obtain financial healthiness. Even though factors such as financial knowledge, attitudes towards risk, gender, and motivations of borrowing, among others, are known to influence consumer borrowing behavior, no existing model comprehensibly describes the mechanisms behind young adults’ risky borrowing behavior. This is unfortunate since a better understanding of the relationships between such factors and young adults’ risky borrowing behavior may be of value to financial service providers and financial authorities aiming to improve young adults’ borrowing behavior. This research extends prior research by developing a conceptual framework for the purpose of understanding young adults’ risky borrowing behavior. The study is based on two survey samples comprising 488 young adults aged 18-25 who have not obtained a risky loan (sample 1) and 214 young adults aged 18-25 who already have obtained a risky loan (sample 2), respectively. The results suggest several psychological, sociological, and behavioral factors that may influence young adults’ intentional risky borrowing behavior, which in turn is shown to affect actualized risky borrowing behavior. We also found that the relationship between intentional risky borrowing behavior and actualized risky borrowing behavior is negatively moderated by perceived risk – but not by perceived complexity. In particular, the results of this study indicate that public policy makers, banks and financial educators should seek to eliminate less desirable social norms on how to behave financially. In addition, they should seek to enhance young adults’ risky borrowing perceived risk, thereby preventing that intentional risky borrowing behavior translates into actualized risky behavior.

Keywords: financial services, risky borrowing behavior, young adults, financial knowledge, social norms, perceived risk, financial trust, public financial policy

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Authors: Hong Bae Kim, Chang Ho Hur

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Many governments have tried to reduce CO₂ emissions which are believed to be the main cause for global warming. The deployment of electric automobiles is regarded as an effective way to reduce CO₂ emissions. The Korean government has planned to deploy about 200,000 electric automobiles. The policy for the deployment of electric automobiles aims at not only decreasing gasoline consumption but also increasing electricity production. However, if an electricity consuming regions is not consistent with an electricity producing region, the policy generates environmental problems between regions. Hence, this paper has established the energy multi-region input-output model to specifically analyze the impacts of the deployment of electric automobiles on regional energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Finally, the paper suggests policy directions regarding the deployment of electric automobiles.

Keywords: electric automobiles, CO2 emissions, regional imbalances in electricity production and consumption, energy multi-region input-output model

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Authors: Mohammed Abdullah Alrajhi

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The rapid growth in the number of mobile phone subscribers has resulted in an increased number of mobile base stations all over the world. Generally, mobile base stations are existing in huge numbers in populated areas than in non-populated ones to serve the largest number of users. The total number of mobile subscriptions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached around 50 million at the end of 2014, with a penetration rate of 165.1% according to the quarterly electronic newsletter issued by the Communications and Information Technology Commission. The current investigation was conducted primarily to measure the level of electromagnetic fields emitted from 400 mobile base stations for the purpose of environmental safety and radiation protection in light of national guidelines for public exposure as well as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The outcomes of this investigation provide valuable comments and recommendation for safety and protection of electromagnetic fields emitted from mobile base stations.

Keywords: electromagnetic fields, mobile, safety, protection, ICNIRP

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Authors: Indu Gupta

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Climate change and global warming is most burning issue for “our common future”. For this common global interest. Countries organize conferences of government and nongovernment type. Human being destroying the non-renewable resources and polluting the renewable resources of planet for economic growth. Air pollution is mainly responsible for global warming and climate change .Due to global warming ice glaciers are shrinking and melting. Forests are shrinking, deserts expanding and soil eroding. The depletion of stratospheric ozone layer is depleting and hole in ozone layer that protect us from harmful ultra violet radiation. Extreme high temperature in summer and extreme low temperature and smog in winters, floods in rainy season. These all are indication of climate change. The level of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases in the atmosphere is increasing at high speed. Nation’s are worried about environmental degradation.

Keywords: environmental degradation, global warming, soil eroding, ultra-Violate radiation

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Authors: Ruqyyah Mushtaq, Chiacar Gamberdella, Roberta Miroglio, Fabio Novelli, Domenica Papro, M. Paturzo, A. Rubano, Angela Sardo

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Microalgae, particularly diatoms, are well suited for monitoring environmental health, especially in assessing the quality of seas and rivers in terms of organic matter, nutrients, and heavy metal pollution. They respond rapidly to changes in habitat quality. In this study, we focused on Skeletonema pseudocostatum, a unicellular alga that forms chains depending on environmental conditions. Specifically, we explored whether metal toxicants could affect the growth of these algal chains, potentially serving as an ecotoxicological indicator of heavy metal pollution. We utilized THz spectroscopy in conjunction with standard optical microscopy to observe the formation of these chains and their response to toxicants. Despite the strong absorption of terahertz radiation in water, we demonstrate that changes in water absorption in the terahertz range due to water-diatom interaction can provide insights into diatom chain length.

Keywords: THz-TDS spectroscopy, diatoms, marine ecotoxicology, marine pollution

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Authors: Juliana Chiarini Balbino Fernandes

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This article aims to investigate the Spanish didactic book, entitled ‘El Calculo y La Medida en El Primer Grado de La Escuela Decroly’, written by Dr. O. Decroly and A. Hamaide, published in Madrid, in the year 1934. In addition to analyzing how mathematical knowledge is present in the proposed Centers of Interest. The textbooks, in addition to pedagogical tools, reflect a certain moment in society and allow the analysis of the theoretical-methodological proposal that can be implemented by the teacher. The study proposed here will be carried out by the lens of Cultural History, supported by Roger Chartier (1991) and by the concepts on textbooks, based on Alain Choppin (2004). The textbook selected for this study exposes a program of ideas associated with the method of Centers of Interest and arithmetic is linked to these interests. In the first courses (six to eight years), most centers can be considered to correspond to occasional calls, as they take advantage of events that arise spontaneously to work with observation, measurement, association and expression exercises. The program of ideas associated with Centers of Interest addresses the biological and social aspects of children, as long as they can express their needs for activities and games, satisfying the natural curiosity. Still, the program of associated ideas offers occasions for problems whose data are taken in observation exercises and concrete expressions (manuals, drawings). In the method applied at the school of L'Ermitage, school created by Decroly in Belgium in 1907, observation, is the basis of each center of interest. It offers the chance to compare and measure. To observe is more than to perceive; it is also to establish relations between the graded aspects of the same object, to seek relations between different intensities; is to verify successions, special and temporary relationships; is to make comparisons, to notice differences and similarities in block or datable (analysis), is to establish a bridge between the world and the thought. To make the observation more precise, it is important to compare, measure, and resort to considered objects as natural units of measure. Measurement and calculation are, therefore, quite naturally subject to observation. Thus, it is possible to make the child enter into the interest in the calculation, linking it to the observation. It was observed that the Centers of Interest, according to Decroly, should respond to the concerns and attend to the motivations of the students and the teaching of arithmetical must obey a logical seriation, considering the interest and the experience of the children. The teaching of arithmetical should not be limited to the schedule, it should cover every quantitative aspect that arises in the other disciplines. The feeling of unity is established in observation, association and expression, which coordinate a whole program of cultural activities, concentrating it around a central idea.

Keywords: didactic book, centers of interest, mathematical knowledge, primary education

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Authors: Emna Hlel, Salma Jamousi, Abdelmajid Ben Hamadou

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Every model for knowledge representation to model real-world applications must be able to cope with the effects of uncertain phenomena. One of main defects of classical ontology is its inability to represent and reason with uncertainty. To remedy this defect, we try to propose a method to construct probabilistic ontology for integrating uncertain information in an ontology modeling a set of basic publications DBLP (Digital Bibliography & Library Project) using a probabilistic model.

Keywords: classical ontology, probabilistic ontology, uncertainty, Bayesian network

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Authors: Rakan A. Ahmed, Raja S. Khan, Mohammed M. Qahtani

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This paper explores the transformative impact of laser cladding technology on the circular economy, emphasizing its role in reducing environmental impact compared to traditional welding methods. Laser cladding, an innovative manufacturing process, optimizes resource efficiency and sustainability by significantly decreasing power consumption and minimizing material waste. The study explores how laser cladding operates within the framework of the circular economy, promoting energy efficiency, waste reduction, and emissions control. Through a comparative analysis of energy and material consumption between laser cladding and conventional welding methods, the paper highlights the significant strides in environmental conservation and resource optimization made possible by laser cladding. The findings highlight the potential for this technology to revolutionize industrial practices and propel a more sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing landscape.

Keywords: laser cladding, circular economy, carbon emission, energy

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Authors: Fatemeh Yazdandoust

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Sustainability is a growing concern in architecture and urban planning due to the environmental impact of the built environment. Ecological challenges persist despite the proliferation of sustainable design strategies, prompting a critical reevaluation of existing approaches. This study examines sustainable design practices, focusing on the origins and processes of production, environmental impact, and socioeconomic dimensions. It also discusses ‘cleantech’ initiatives, which often prioritize profitability over ecological stewardship. The study advocates for a paradigm shift in urban design towards greater adaptability, complexity, and inclusivity, embracing porosity, incompleteness, and seed planning. This holistic approach emphasizes citizen participation and bottom-up interventions, reimagining urban spaces as evolving ecosystems. The study calls for a reimagining of sustainability that transcends conventional green design concepts, promoting a more resilient and inclusive built environment through an open system approach grounded in adaptability, diversity, and equity principles.

Keywords: sustainability, clean-tech, open system design, sustainable design

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Authors: Indu ray

Abstract:

In today’s digital world the internet is already flooded with information on how to master grammar in a foreign language. It is well known that one cannot master a language without grammar. Grammar is the backbone of any language. Without grammar there would be no structure to help you speak/write or listen/read. Successful communication is only possible if the form and function of linguistic utterances are firmly related to one another. Grammar has its own rules of use to formulate an easier-to-understand language. Like a tool, grammar formulates our thoughts and knowledge in a meaningful way. Every language has its own grammar. With grammar, we can quickly analyze whether there is any action in this text: (Present, past, future). Knowledge of grammar is an important prerequisite for mastering a foreign language. What’s most important is how teachers can make grammar lessons more interesting for students and thus promote grammar skills more successfully. Through this paper, we discuss a few important methods like (Interactive Grammar Exercises between students, Interactive Grammar Exercise between student to teacher, Grammar translation method, Audio -Visual Method, Deductive Method, Inductive Method). This paper is divided into two sections. In the first part, brief definitions and principles of these approaches will be provided. Then the possibility and the case of combination of this approach will be analyzed. In the last section of the paper, I would like to present a survey result conducted at my university on a few methods to quickly learn grammar in Foreign Language. We divided the Grammatical Skills in six Parts. 1.Grammatical Competence 2. Speaking Skills 3. Phonology 4. The syntax and the Semantics 5. Rule 6. Cognitive Function and conducted a survey among students. From our survey results, we can observe that phonology, speaking ability, syntax and semantics can be improved by inductive method, Audio-visual Method, and grammatical translation method, for grammar rules and cognitive functions we should choose IGE (teacher-student) method. and the IGE method (pupil-pupil). The study’s findings revealed, that the teacher delivery Methods should be blend or fusion based on the content of the Grammar.

Keywords: innovative method, grammatical skills, audio-visual, translation

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Authors: Kuanrong Qiu, Sebnem Madrali, Evgueniy Entchev

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To achieve the satisfactory objectives in deploying integrated renewable energy systems, it is crucial to consider all the related parameters affecting the design and decision-making. The multi-criteria evaluation method is a reliable and efficient tool for achieving the most appropriate solution. The approach considers the influential factors and their relative importance in prioritizing the alternatives. In this paper, a multi-criteria decision framework, based on the criteria including technical, economic, environmental and reliability, is developed to evaluate and prioritize renewable energy technologies and configurations of their integrated systems for community applications, identify their viability, and thus support the adoption of the clean energy technologies and the decision-making regarding energy transitions and transition patterns. Case studies for communities in Canada show that resource availability and the configurations of the integrated systems significantly impact the economic performance and environmental performance.

Keywords: multi-criteria, renewables, integrated energy systems, decision-making, model

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