Search results for: high school gifted pupils

Authors: Vahab Behmanesh

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Metabolic syndrome is defined as having at least three of the five metabolic risk factors, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL, and insulin resistance. Lifestyle changes towards reducing physical activity, unhealthy eating habits Especially the high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet is directly related to metabolic syndrome, and due to the epidemic of overweight and sedentary life, metabolic syndrome is a serious problem worldwide. On the other hand, vitamin D deficiency is considered as one of the most common problems in the world, which is related to the dysfunction of beta cells and insulin resistance, and therefore, vitamin D deficiency is considered as a factor in the occurrence of metabolic syndrome. 40 subjects (age: 16.12 ± 4.4 years and body mass index 25.61 ± 4.4 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to groups of aerobic exercise and placebo, aerobic exercise and vitamin D and placebo (no exercise) were divided. Vitamin D was taken at a dose of 50,000 units per week in a double-blind format for eight weeks, and the daily aerobic exercise program was performed for 50 to 60 minutes, three doses per week, with an intensity of 50-60% of the maximum heart rate. From one-way analysis of variance, Factorial variance analysis (2x2) repeated measurement and correlated t-test were used for data analysis. Aerobic exercise and vitamin D intake reduced all metabolic risk indicators and blood insulin (P < 0.05). However, the subjective feeling of hunger did not change significantly (P < 0.05). Regarding waist circumference and blood glucose, the effect of exercise combined with vitamin D consumption was greater than the corresponding effect in the vitamin D group (P < 0.05). Aerobic exercises and vitamin D intake are safe and effective for improving cardiometabolic health, Imam adds vitamin D to the exercise program has more benefits for weight and blood sugar control, which suggests prescribing it for patients with metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: vitamin D, aerobic exercise, metabolic control, adolescents

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Authors: Asmaa Zaraq

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In the present work we report X-ray powder diffraction measurements of SrCaCoTeO6 and SrCaNiTeO6, at different temperatures. The crystal structures at room temperature of both compounds are determined; and results showing the existence of high-temperature phase transitions in them are presented. Both compounds have double perovskite structure with 1:1 ordered arrangement of the B site cations. At room temperature their symmetries are described with the P21/n space group, that correspond to the (a+b-b-) tilt system. The evolution with temperature of the structure of both compounds shows the presence of three phase transitions: a continuous one, at 450 and 500 K, a discontinuous one, at 700 and 775 K, and a continuous one at 900 and 950 K for SrCaCoTeO6 and SrCaNiTeO6, respectively with the following phase-transition sequence: P21/n → I2/m → I4/m → Fm-3m.

Keywords: double perovskites, caracterisation DRX, transition de phase

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Authors: Ahmed Torad

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Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain and functional impairment. While various rehabilitation approaches have been employed, the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) compared to traditional rehabilitation exercises remains unclear. Objective: This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effects of HIIT and traditional rehabilitation exercises on pain reduction, functional improvement, and quality of life in individuals with knee OA. Methods: A total of 120 participants diagnosed with knee OA were randomly allocated into two groups: the HIIT group (n=60) and the traditional rehabilitation group (n=60). The HIIT group participated in a 12-week supervised program consisting of high-intensity interval exercises, while the traditional rehabilitation group followed a conventional physiotherapy regimen. Outcome measures included visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) at baseline and after the intervention period. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in pain scores, functional outcomes (WOMAC), and quality of life (SF-36) after 12 weeks of intervention. However, the HIIT group demonstrated superior pain reduction (p<0.001), functional improvement (p<0.001), and physical health-related quality of life (p=0.002) compared to the traditional rehabilitation group. No significant differences were observed in mental health-related quality of life between the two groups. Conclusion: High-intensity interval training appears to be a more effective rehabilitation approach than traditional exercises for individuals with knee osteoarthritis, resulting in greater pain reduction, improved function, and enhanced physical health-related quality of life. These findings suggest that HIIT may represent a promising intervention strategy for managing knee OA and enhancing the overall well-being of affected individuals.

Keywords: knee osteoarthritis, high-intensity interval training, traditional rehabilitation exercises, randomized controlled trial, pain reduction, functional improvement, quality of life

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Authors: O. G. Onuk, L. S. Taura, C. M. Eze, S. M. Ngaram

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The decay chain of radioactive elements in the laboratory and the verification of natural radioactivity of the human body was investigated using the High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. Properties of the HPGe detectors were also investigated. The efficiency and energy resolution of HPGe detector used in the laboratory was found to be excellent. The detector was calibrated three times so as to cover a wider energy range. Also the Centroid C of the detector was found to have a linear relationship with the energies of the known gamma-rays. Using the three calibrations of the detector, the energy of an unknown radionuclide was found to follow the decay chain of thorium-232 (232Th) and it was also found that an average adult has about 2.5g Potasium-40 (40K) in the body.

Keywords: detector, efficiency, energy, radionuclides, resolution

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Authors: Jayesh M. Sonawane, Prakash C. Ghosh

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Landfill leachate emerges as a promising feedstock for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In the present investigation, direct air-breathing cathode-based MFCs are fabricated to investigate the potential of landfill leachate. Three MFCs that have different cathode areas are fabricated and investigated for 17 days under open circuit conditions. The maximum open circuit voltage (OCV) is observed to be as high as 1.29 V. The maximum cathode area specific power density achieved in the reactor is 1513 mW m^-2. Further studies are under progress to understand the origin of high OCV obtained from landfill leachate-based MFCs.

Keywords: microbial fuel cells, landfill leachate, air-breathing cathode, performance study

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Authors: G. H. Li, M. Liu, H. J. Qi, Q. Zhu, W. Z. He

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The drilling and riveting processes are widely used in the assembly of carrier rocket, which makes the efficiency and quality of drilling become the important factor affecting the assembly process. According to the problem existing in the drilling of thick stacked plate (thickness larger than 10mm) of carrier rocket, such as drill break, large noise and burr etc., experimental study of the influence of tool material on the drilling was carried out. The cutting force was measured by a piezoelectric dynamometer, the aperture was measured with an outline projector, and the burr is observed and measured by a digital stereo microscope. Through the measurement, the effects of tool material on the drilling were analyzed from the aspects of drilling force, diameter, and burr. The results show that, compared with carbide drill and coated carbide one, the drilling force of high speed steel is larger. But, the application of high speed steel also has some advantages, e.g. a higher number of hole can be obtained, the height of burr is small, the exit is smooth and the slim burr is less, and the tool experiences wear but not fracture. Therefore, the high speed steel tool is suitable for the drilling of thick stacked plate of 2219 Aluminum alloy.

Keywords: 2219 aluminum alloy, thick stacked plate, drilling, tool material

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Authors: Johna Bernice Ablaza, Bryan Lim Corpuz, Joanna Marie Estrada, Mary Ann Cristine Olgado, Rhina Recato

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This study aimed to describe the mathematical beliefs and attitudes in relation to the mathematics performance of freshman college students. The descriptive design using the correlational study was used to describe the relationship among mathematical beliefs, attitudes, and performance of freshman college students. This study involved one hundred fifty (150) freshman college students of Philippine Normal University during the third trimester of school year 2015-2016. The research instruments used to gather the information needed in the study are the beliefs about Mathematics Questionnaire, the KIM-Project Questionnaire, and the ACT Compass Mathematics Test. The data gathered were analyzed using the percentages, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson r-moment correlation. The results of this study have shown that although students believe that Mathematics is significant in their lives, the overall result on their beliefs and attitudes are positively low. There is a significant relationship between the students’ mathematical beliefs and mathematics performance. Likewise, their attitudes in mathematics have significant relationship to mathematics performance.

Keywords: attitudes, diligence, interest, mathematical beliefs, mathematical performance, self-confidence

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Authors: Hui Fang Huang Su, Leanne Lai, Pei-Fen Li, Mei-Hwei Ho, Yu-Wen Chiu

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This study aimed to provide a practical, systematic, and comprehensive intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A pilot study of quasi-experimental pre-post intervention with control group design was conducted to evaluate if the mathematical intervention (Project MIND - Math Is Not Difficult) increases the math comprehension of children with ASD Children with ASD in the primary grades (K-1, 2) participated in math interventions to enhance their math comprehension and cognitive ability. The Bracken basic concept scale was used to evaluate subjects’ language skills, cognitive development, and school readiness. The study found that our systemic interventions of Project MIND significantly improved the mathematical and cognitive abilities in children with autism. The results of this study may lead to a major change in effective and adequate health care services for children with ASD and their families. All statistical analyses were performed with the IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25 for Windows. The significant level was set at 0.05 P-value.

Keywords: autism, mathematics, technology, family

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Authors: B. Sudarsan Baskar, S. Pooja Pragati, S. Raj Kumar

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The cost effectiveness in aircraft maintenance is of high privilege in the recent days. The cost effectiveness can be effectively made when line maintenance activities are incorporated at airports during Turn around time (TAT). The present work outcomes the shortcomings that affect the dispatching of the aircrafts, aiming at high fleet operability and low maintenance cost. The operational and cost constraints have been discussed and a suggestive alternative mechanism is proposed. The possible allocation of all deferred maintenance tasks to a set of all deferred maintenance tasks to a set of suitable airport resources have termed as alternative and is discussed in this paper from the data’s collected from the kingfisher airlines.

Keywords: decision support system, aircraft maintenance planning, maintenance-cost, RUL(remaining useful life), logistics, supply chain management

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Authors: Boukrida Rafiq

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Democracy is based on the notion that all citizens have the right to participate in the managing of political affairs and that every citizens input is of equal importance. This basic assumption clearly places emphasis on public participation in maintaining a stable democracy. The level of public participation, however is highly contested with many theorists arguing that too much public participation would overwhelm and ultimately cripple democratic systems. On the other hand, others who favor high levels of participation argue that more citizen involvement leads to greater representation. Regardless of these disagreements over the utopian level of participation, there is widespread agreement amongst scholars that, at the very least, some participation is necessary to maintain democratic systems. The ways in which citizens participate vary greatly and depending on the method used, influence political decision making at varying levels. The method of political participation is a key in controlling public influence over political affairs and therefore is also an integral part of maintaining democracy, whether it be "thin" (low levels of participation) or "Robust" (high levels of participation). High levels of participation or "robust" democracy are argued by some theorists to enhance democracy through providing the opportunity for more issues to be represented during decision making. The notion of widespread participation was first advanced by classical theorists.

Keywords: assumption clearly places emphasis, ultimately cripple, influence political decision making at varying, classical theorists

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Authors: Malavika Sundararajan

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This study introduces the use of mindfulness techniques in the classroom to make individuals aware of how the creative thinking process works, resulting in more constructive learning and application. Case observation method was utilized within a classroom setting in a graduate class in the Business School. It entailed, briefing the student participants about the use of a template called the dots and depths map, and having them complete it for themselves, compare it to their team members and reflect on the outputs. Finally, they were debriefed about the use of the template and its value to their learning and creative application process. The major finding is the increase in awareness levels of the participants following the use of the template, leading to a subsequent pursuit of diverse knowledge and acquisition of relevant information and not jumping to solutions directly, which increased their overall creative outputs for the given assignment. The significant value of this study is that it can be applied to any classroom on any subject as a powerful mindfulness tool which increases creative problem solving through constructive knowledge building.

Keywords: connecting dots, mindful awareness, constructive knowledge building, learning creatively

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Authors: Voodi Kalandhar, Veera Reddy, Yuva Tejasree

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Researchers have become interested in multilevel inverters (MLI) because of their potential for medium- and high-power applications. MLIs are becoming more popular as a result of their ability to generate higher voltage levels, minimal power losses, small size, and low price. These inverters used in high voltage and high-power applications because the stress on the switch is low. Even though many traditional topologies, such as the cascaded H-bridge MLI, the flying capacitor MLI, and the diode clamped MLI, exist, they all have some drawbacks. A complicated control system is needed for the flying capacitor MLI to balance the voltage across the capacitor and diode clamped MLI requires more no of diodes when no of levels increases. Even though the cascaded H-Bridge MLI is popular in terms of modularity and simple control, it requires more no of isolated DC source. Therefore, a topology with fewer devices has always been necessary for greater efficiency and reliability. A new single-phase MLI topology has been introduced to minimize the required switch count in the circuit and increase output levels. With 3 dc voltage sources, 8 switches, and 13 levels at the output, this new single- phase MLI topology was developed. To demonstrate the proposed converter's superiority over the other MLI topologies currently in use, a thorough analysis of the proposed topology will be conducted.

Keywords: DC-AC converter, multi-level inverter (MLI), diodes, H-bridge inverter, switches

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Authors: Hope Amba Neji

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The study adopted a quasi-experimental design. Two schools were used for the experimental study, while one school was used for the control. The experimental groups were subjected to treatment for four weeks with chemistry museum artifacts and a visit as made to the museum so that learners would have real-life learning experiences with museum resources, while the control group was taught with the conventional method. The instrument for the study was a 20-item Chemistry Memory Test (CMT) and a 10-item Chemistry Interest Questionnaire (CIQ). The reliability was ascertained using (KR-20) and alpha reliability coefficient, which yielded a reliability coefficient of .83 and .81, respectively. Data obtained was analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that museum artifacts have a significant effect on students’ memory enhancement and interest in chemistry. It was recommended chemistry learning should be enhanced, motivating and real with museum artifacts, which significantly aid memory enhancement and interest in chemistry.

Keywords: museum artifacts, memory, chemistry, atitude

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Authors: A. Abdi, A. Barari, A. Hojatollah Nikbakht, Khosro Ebrahim

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Aim: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of a high intensity treadmill running training (8 weeks) with or without aqueous extraction of Crataegus pentagyna on heart and plasma LDH and CK. Design: Thirty-two Wistar male rats (4-6 weeks old, 125-135 gr weight) were used. Animals were randomly assigned into training (n = 16) and control (n = 16) groups and further divided into saline-control (SC, n = 8), saline-training (ST, n = 8), red Crataegus pentagyna extraction -control (CPEC, n = 8), and red Crataegus pentagyna extraction -training (CPET, n = 8) groups. Training groups have performed a high-intensity running program 34 m/min on 0% grade, 60 min/day, 5 days/week) on a motor-driven treadmill for 8 weeks. Animals were fed orally with Crataegus extraction and saline solution (500mg/kg body weight/or 10ml/kg body weight) for last six weeks. Seventy- two hours after the last training session, rats were sacrificed; plasma and heart were excised and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. LDH and CK levels were measured by colorimetric method. Statistical analysis was performed using a one way analysis of variance and Tukey test. Significance was accepted at P = 0.05. Results: Result showed that consumption crataegus lowers LDH and CK in heart and plasma. Also the heart LDH and CK were lower in the CPET compared to the ST, while plasma LDH and CK in CPET was higher than the ST. The results of ANOVA showed that the due high-intensity exercise and consumption crataegus, there are significant differences between levels of hearth LDH (P < 0/001), plasma (P < 0/006) and hearth (P < 0/001) CK. Conclusion: It appears that high-intensity exercise led to increased tissue damage and inflammatory factors in plasma. In other hand, consumption aqueous extraction of Red Crataegus maybe inhibits these factors and prevents muscle and heart damage.

Keywords: LDH, CK, crataegus, intensity

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Authors: Mohamed A. Hammad, Dzul Azri Mohamed Noor, Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman, Ahmed A. Khamis, Abeer Kharshid, Nor Azizah Aziz

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The effect of statins dose intensity (SDI) on glycemic control in patients with existing diabetes is unclear. Also, there are many contradictory findings were reported in the literature; thus, it is limiting the possibility to draw conclusions. This project was designed to compare the effect of SDI on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c%) control in outpatients with Type 2 diabetes in the endocrine clinic at Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, between July 2015 and August 2016. A prospective cohort study was conducted, where records of 345 patients with Type 2 diabetes (Moderate-SDI group 289 patients and high-SDI cohort 56 patients) were reviewed to identify demographics and laboratory tests. The target of glycemic control (HbA1c < 7% for patient < 65 years, and < 8% for patient ≥ 65 years) was estimated, and the results were presented as descriptive statistics. From 289 moderate-SDI cohorts with a mean age of 57.3 ± 12.4 years, only 86 (29.8%) cases were shown to have controlled glycemia, while there were 203 (70.2%) cases with uncontrolled glycemia with confidence interval (CI) of 95% (6.2–10.8). On the other hand, the high-SDI group of 56 patients with Type 2 diabetes with a mean age 57.7±12.4 years is distributed among 11 (19.6%) patients with controlled diabetes, and 45 (80.4%) of them had uncontrolled glycemia, CI: 95% (7.1–11.9). The study has demonstrated that the relative risk (RR) of uncontrolled glycemia in patients with Type 2 diabetes that used high-SDI is 1.15, and the excessive relative risk (ERR) is 15%. The absolute risk (AR) is 10.2%, and the number needed to harm (NNH) is 10. Outpatients with Type 2 diabetes who use high-SDI of statin have a higher risk of uncontrolled glycemia than outpatients who had been treated with a moderate-SDI.

Keywords: cohort study, diabetes control, dose intensity, HbA1c, Malaysia, statin, type 2 diabetes mellitus, uncontrolled glycemia

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Authors: Usman Tunde Saadu

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The study examined gender differences in emotional adjustment of fresh students in Kwara State University, Malete. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study, and 300 fresh students were randomly selected across the six colleges in the University. An adapted Questionnaire from Nadia (2012) was used to collect data from respondents on emotional adjustment. One research question was answered with a descriptive statistic of frequency count and percentage, and one hypothesis was tested with t-test statistical analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that fresh students have a low level of emotional adjustment, and male students were found to have more emotional adjustment than female. Based on these findings, the researcher, therefore, concluded that fresh students have a low level of emotional adjustment. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended among others that emotional adjustment skills should be introduced into the secondary school curriculum to give students the opportunity to learn about these skills before they are being admitted into University.

Keywords: emotional adjustment, fresh students, gender differences, students

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Authors: J. Zekri, N. Souilah, W. Abdelaziz, D. Alatou

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Our study shall focus on the ability of trees cork oak that showed vis-à-vis sensitivity to climate change, including late spring frosts. The combination of these factors resulted in damage alarmed, therefore forest ecosystems weakened trees that can affect their ability to support other abiotic and biotic stresses, For this we tested its tolerance to thermal variations and cold weather conditions by estimating some stress markers (quantification of proteins, RNA, soluble sugars) that are quantified to evaluate the cold tolerance of seedlings. Sowing of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is grown in controlled conditions at 25° C ± 2° C in long days 16h. These seedlings are transferred at low temperatures between 5° C and -6° C for a period of 3 hours. Biochemical analyzes were performed in the various organs of the cork oak seedlings. Cool temperatures induced a significant accumulation of proline in different organs of seedlings and the optimum concentrations were observed in the roots with very high concentrations (4 times larger than those of the control). The accumulation of soluble sugars is significantly in stems and roots at 0° C. Protein concentrations are very high in leaves of both growth and high waves in rod at -4° C to -2° C. Tolerance cork oak seems to be at the thermal limit of -2°C. The concentration of these metabolites in the various organs showed the ability oak cork hardening during the winter.

Keywords: climate change, thermal change, semi-aride, biochemical markers, heat stress

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Authors: M. A. Zeinelabdeen, A. E. Abasaeed, M. H. Gaily, A. K. Sulieman, M. D. Putra

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The effect of temperature on the production of fructose and bioethanol from date syrup via selective fermentation by S. cerevisiae ATCC 36859 strain was studied. Various temperatures have been tested (27, 30 and 33 ᵒC). The fermentation experiments were conducted in a water shaker bath at the three temperatures under testing and 120 rpm. The results showed that a high fructose yield can be achieved at all temperatures under testing while the optimal is 27 ᵒC with 84% fructose yield. A high ethanol yield can be obtained for all temperatures under testing. However; the maximum biomass concentration and ethanol yield (86.22%) were obtained at 30 ᵒC.

Keywords: dates, ethanol, fructose, fermentation, S. cerevisiae

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Authors: Sarit Rashkovits, Anat Drach- Zahavy

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The research considers the unresolved question regarding the link between nursing team accountability and team learning and the resulted team performance in nursing teams. Empirical findings reveal disappointing evidence regarding improvement in healthcare safety and quality. Therefore, there is a need in advancing managerial knowledge regarding the factors that enhance constant healthcare teams' proactive improvement efforts, meaning team learning. We first aim to identify the organizational resources that are needed for team learning in nursing teams; second, to test the moderating role of nursing teams' learning resources in the team accountability-team learning link; and third, to test the moderated mediation model suggesting that nursing teams' accountability affects team performance by enhancing team learning when relevant resources are available to the team. We point on the intervening role of three team learning resources, namely time availability, team autonomy and performance data on the relation between team accountability and team learning and test the proposed moderated mediation model on 44 nursing teams (462 nurses and 44 nursing managers). The results showed that, as was expected, there was a positive significant link between team accountability and team learning and the subsequent team performance when time availability and team autonomy were high rather than low. Nevertheless, the positive team accountability- team learning link was significant when team performance feedback was low rather than high. Accordingly, there was a positive mediated effect of team accountability on team performance via team learning when either time availability or team autonomy were high and the availability of team performance data was low. Nevertheless, this mediated effect was negative when time availability and team autonomy were low and the availability of team performance data was high. We conclude that nurturing team accountability is not enough for achieving nursing teams' learning and the subsequent improved team performance. Rather there is need to provide nursing teams with adequate time, autonomy, and be cautious with performance feedback, as the latter may motivate nursing teams to repeat routine work strategies rather than explore improved ones.

Keywords: nursing teams' accountability, nursing teams' learning, performance feedback, teams' autonomy

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Authors: Sophio Kobauri, Tengiz Kantaria, Temur Kantaria, David Tugushi, Nina Kulikova, Ramaz Katsarava

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Polymeric disperse systems such as nanoparticles (NPs) are of high interest for numerous applications in contemporary medicine and nanobiotechnology to a considerable potential for treatment of many human diseases. The important technological advantages of NPs usage as drug carriers (nanocontainers) are their high stability, high carrier capacity, feasibility of encapsulation of both hydrophilic or hydrophobic substances, as well as a high variety of possible administration routes, including oral application and inhalation. NPs can also be designed to allow controlled (sustained) drug release from the matrix. These properties of NPs enable improvement of drug bioavailability and might allow drug dosage decrease. The targeted and controlled administration of drugs using NPs might also help to overcome drug resistance, which is one of the major obstacles in the control of epidemics. Various degradable and non-degradable polymers of both natural and synthetic origin have been used for NPs construction. One of the most promising for the design of NPs are amino acid-based biodegradable polymers (AABBPs) which can clear from the body after the fulfillment of their function. The AABBPs are composed of naturally occurring and non-toxic building blocks such as α-amino acids, fatty diols and dicarboxylic acids. The particles designed from these polymers are expected to have an improved bioavailability along with a high biocompatibility. The present work deals with a systematic study of the preparation of NPs by cost-effective polymer deposition/solvent displacement method using AABBPs. The influence of the nature and concentration of surfactants, concentration of organic phase (polymer solution), and the ratio organic phase/inorganic(water) phase, as well as of some other factors on the size of the fabricated NPs have been studied. It was established that depending on the used conditions the NPs size could be tuned within 40-330 nm. At the next step of this research was carried out an evaluation of biocompability and bioavailability of the synthesized NPs using a stable human cell culture line – A549. It was established that the obtained NPs are not only biocompatible but they stimulate the cell growth.

Keywords: amino acids, biodegradable polymers, bioavailability, nanoparticles

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Authors: Hajar Aman Key Yekani, Yusra Mushtaq, Behnaz Farahani, Hamed Abdi

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This study explores associations between parental restriction and children's appetitive traits, putting to test the hypothesis that parental 'restriction' is associated with having a child with stronger food approach tendencies (food enjoyment (FE) and food over-responsiveness (FR)). The participants, from 55 nationalities, targeting 1081 parents of 5- to 11-year-old children from 7 private schools in Dubai, UAE, who completed self-reported questionnaires over the 2011-2012 school year. The questionnaire has been a tailored amalgamation of CEBQ and CFQ in order to measure the children’s appetitive traits and parental restriction, respectively. The findings of this quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional analysis confirmed the hypothesis in that 'parental restriction' was positively associated with child food responsiveness (r, 0.183), food enjoyment (r, 0.102). To conclude, as far as the figures depict, the parents controlling their children’s food intake would seemingly a reverse impact on their eating behaviour in the short term.

Keywords: parental restriction, children, eating behaviour, schools in Dubai

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Authors: Jung-Ho Moon, Tae Kwon Ha

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Abstract—High temperature deformation behavior of cast Fe-20Cr-5Al alloy has been investigated in this study by performing tensile and compression tests at temperatures from 1100 to 1200oC. Rectangular ingots of which the dimensions were 300×300×100 in millimeter were cast using vacuum induction melting. Phase equilibrium was calculated using the FactSage®, thermodynamic software and database. Tensile strength of cast Fe-20Cr-5Al alloy was 4 MPa at 1200oC. With temperature decreased, tensile strength increased rapidly and reached up to 13 MPa at 1100oC. Elongation also increased from 18 to 80% with temperature decreased from 1200oC to 1100oC. Microstructure observation revealed that M23C6 carbide was precipitated along the grain boundary and within the matrix.

Keywords: 20 Cr-5Al ferritic stainless, high temperature deformation, aging treatment, microstructure, mechanical properties

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Authors: David Chapola Nggada

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This is a survey designed to find out the impact of the ongoing insurgency in north eastern Nigeria on educational attainment. It is a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative research work on a sample size of 71 secondary school students currently displaced from Baga Biu and Monguno areas of Borno State, now residing as internally displaced persons(IDPs) in Gombe and Yola IDP camps. This was done through both semi structured interview and questionnaire administration. Statistical methods used include percentage and cross tables to gain specific insight into different dimensions of what this implies. Two major aspects of the impact covered were impact on individual student and impact on societal development. These two dimensions were measured against national development variables and analyzed against reviewed literature and findings across the globe. A combination of theories from different fields led to a deeper and better insight. The results confirm a significant relationship between educational attainment and the development of the north east region and Nigeria as a whole. Recommendations were made on ways of reintegrating this group back to the educational system.

Keywords: education, insurgency, national development, threat

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Authors: Huda Alazmi

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Social studies educational research has, so far, devoted very little attention towards spatial thinking in classroom teaching. To help address such paucity, this study explores the spatial thinking instructional experiences of middle school social studies teachers in Kuwait. The goal is to learn their teaching practices and assess teacher understanding for the spatial thinking concept to enable future improvements. Using a qualitative study approach, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews to examine the relevant experiences of 14 social studies teachers. The findings revealed three major themes: (1) concepts of space, (2) tools of representation, and (3) spatial reasoning. These themes illustrated how social studies teachers focus predominantly upon simple concepts of space, using multiple tools of representation, but avoid addressing critical spatial reasoning. The findings help explain the current situation while identifying weaker areas for further analysis and improvement.

Keywords: spatial thinking, concepts of space, spatial representation, spatial reasoning

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Authors: Moh Hanif Mubarok, Muhammad Rivai

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The public's response to quality rice is very high. So it is necessary to set minimum standards in checking the quality of rice. Most rice quality measurements still use manual methods, which are prone to errors due to limited human vision and the subjectivity of testers. So, a gas detection system can be a solution that has high effectiveness and subjectivity for solving current problems. The use of gas sensors in testing rice quality must pay attention to several parameters. The parameters measured in this research are the percentage of rice water content, gas concentration, output voltage, and measurement time. Therefore, this research was carried out to identify carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) gases in rice quality using a series of gas sensors using the Neural Network method.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, dinitrogen oxide, methane, semiconductor gas sensor, neural network

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Authors: Ayad Dalloo, Sulaf Dalloo

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Electrocardiogram (ECG) recording is prone to complications, on analysis by physicians, due to noise and artifacts, thus creating ambiguity leading to possible error of diagnosis. Such drawbacks may be overcome with the advent of high resolution Methods, such as Discrete Wavelet Analysis and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) techniques. This ECG signal analysis is implemented in three stages: ECG preprocessing, features extraction and classification with the aim of realizing high resolution ECG diagnosis and improved detection of abnormal conditions in the heart. The preprocessing stage involves removing spurious artifacts (noise), due to such factors as muscle contraction, motion, respiration, etc. ECG features are extracted by applying DSP and suggested sloping method techniques. These measured features represent peak amplitude values and intervals of P, Q, R, S, R’, and T waves on ECG, and other features such as ST elevation, QRS width, heart rate, electrical axis, QR and QT intervals. The classification is preformed using these extracted features and the criteria for cardiovascular diseases. The ECG diagnostic system is successfully applied to 12-lead ECG recordings for 12 cases. The system is provided with information to enable it diagnoses 15 different diseases. Physician’s and computer’s diagnoses are compared with 90% agreement, with respect to physician diagnosis, and the time taken for diagnosis is 2 seconds. All of these operations are programmed in Matlab environment.

Keywords: ECG diagnostic system, QRS detection, ECG baseline removal, cardiovascular diseases

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Authors: Arun Kumar Singh, Rupesh M. Das, Shailendra Saini

Abstract:

The present work is an attempt to evaluate the sub-auroral ionospheric behavior under changing space weather conditions especially during high solar activity year 2014. In view of this, the GPS TEC along with Ionosonde data over Indian permanent scientific base 'Maitri', Antarctica (70°46′00″ S, 11°43′56″ E) has been utilized. The results suggested that the nature of ionospheric responses to the geomagnetic disturbances mainly depended upon the status of high latitudinal electro-dynamic processes along with the season of occurrence. Fortunately, in this study, both negative and positive ionospheric impact to the geomagnetic disturbances has been observed in a single year but in different seasons. The study reveals that the combination of equator-ward plasma transportation along with ionospheric compositional changes causes a negative ionospheric impact during summer and equinox seasons. However, the combination of pole-ward contraction of the oval region along with particle precipitation may lead to exhibiting positive ionospheric response during the winter season. Other than this, some Ionosonde based new experimental evidence also provided clear evidence of particle precipitation deep up to the low altitudinal ionospheric heights, i.e., up to E-layer by the sudden and strong appearance of E-layer at 100 km altitudes. The sudden appearance of E-layer along with a decrease in F-layer electron density suggested the dominance of NO⁺ over O⁺ at a considered region under geomagnetic disturbed condition. The strengthening of E-layer is responsible for modification of auroral electrojet and field-aligned current system. The present study provided a good scientific insight on sub-auroral ionospheric to the changing space weather condition.

Keywords: high latitude ionosphere, space weather, geomagnetic storms, sub-storm

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: Frank Jaksoni Mweta, Nozomu Adachi, Yoshikazu Todaka, Hirokazu Sato, Yuta Sato, Hiromi Miura, Masakazu Kobayashi, Chihiro Watanabe, Yoshiteru Aoyagi

Abstract:

Advances in the consumption of hydrogen fuel increase demands of high strength steel pipes and storage tanks. However, high strength steels are highly sensitive to hydrogen embrittlement. Because the introduction of hydrogen into steel during the fabrication process or from the environment is unavoidable, it is essential to improve hydrogen embrittlement resistance of high strength steels through microstructural control. In the present study, the heterogeneous nanostructure with a tensile strength of about 1.8 GPa and the homogeneous nanostructure with a tensile strength of about 2.0 GPa of 316LN steels were generated after 92% heavy cold rolling and high-pressure torsion straining, respectively. The heterogeneous nanostructure is composed of twin domains, shear bands, and lamellar grains. The homogeneous nanostructure is composed of uniformly distributed ultrafine nanograins. The influence of heterogeneous and homogenous nanostructures on the hydrogen embrittlement resistance was investigated. The specimen for each nanostructure was electrochemically charged with hydrogen for 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours, respectively. Under the same hydrogen charging time, both nanostructures show almost the same concentration of the diffusible hydrogen based on the thermal desorption analysis. The tensile properties of the homogenous nanostructure were severely affected by the diffusible hydrogen. However, the diffusible hydrogen shows less impact on the tensile properties of the heterogeneous nanostructure. The difference in embrittlement behavior between the heterogeneous and homogeneous nanostructures was elucidated based on the mechanism of the cracks' growth observed in the tensile fractography. The hydrogen embrittlement was suppressed in the heterogeneous nanostructure because the twin domain became an obstacle for crack growth. The homogeneous nanostructure was not consisting an obstacle such as a twin domain; thus, the crack growth resistance was low in this nanostructure.

Keywords: diffusible hydrogen, heterogeneous nanostructure, homogeneous nanostructure, hydrogen embrittlement

Procedia PDF Downloads 111

Authors: K. N. Dinesh Babu, R. Ramaprabha, V. Rajini, V. Nagarajan

Abstract:

In this paper, the various methods of providing restricted earth fault protection are discussed. The proper operation of high and low impedance restricted earth fault (REF) protection for various applications has been discussed. The mal operation of a relay due to improper placement of CTs has been identified and a simple/unique solution has been proposed in this work with a case study. Moreover, it is found that the proper placement of CT in high impedance method will provide the same result with reduced CT. This methododlocy has been successfully implemented in Al Takreer refinery for a 2000 KVA transformer. The outcome of the paper may be included in IEEEC37.91 standard to give the proper guidance for protection engineers to sort out the problems related to mal functioning of REF relays.

Keywords: relay mal operation, transformer, low impedance REF, MATLAB, 64R, IEEE C37.91

Procedia PDF Downloads 523

Authors: S. Abou El-Azm, U. Kruchonak, M. Gostkin, A. Guskov, A. Zhemchugov

Abstract:

Semiconductor detectors are widely used in nuclear physics and high-energy physics experiments. The application of semiconductor detectors could be limited by their ultimate radiation resistance. The increase of radiation defects concentration leads to significant degradation of the working parameters of semiconductor detectors. The investigation of radiation defects properties in order to enhance the radiation hardness of semiconductor detectors is an important task for the successful implementation of a number of nuclear physics experiments; we presented some information about radiation hardness materials like diamond, sapphire and CdTe. Also, the results of measurements I-V characteristics, charge collection efficiency and its dependence on the bias voltage for different doses of high resistivity (GaAs: Cr) and Si at LINAC-200 accelerator and reactor IBR-2 are presented.

Keywords: semiconductor detectors, radiation hardness, GaAs, Si, CCE, I-V, C-V

Procedia PDF Downloads 94