Search results for: regional foreign policy

Authors: Xinrui Gao

Abstract:

This research aims to explore the potential of shifting urban villages to public housing in China. In common practice, the central and local governments established two divided systems of urban redevelopment and public housing, including aims, design ideas, policy, headquarters, and branch offices. In most cases, the urban regeneration and public housing projects satisfy only the selected part of the society who can afford it (urban regeneration) or meet the requirements (public housing), which fail to cover the housing demand. However, there are many similarities between these two types of housing under the background of a shared economy, especially in target groups, affordable prices, and efficient use of spaces. Shenzhen always takes the lead in China’s urban regeneration and housing reformation. There are some top-down approaches to transforming housing in the urban village into public housing at present. These new approaches will provide a good chance to evaluate existing practices and explore the future development path of urban villages; while at the same time it could positively influence the housing problem in China.

Keywords: urban village, public housing, sharing economy, urban redevelopment

Procedia PDF Downloads 105

Authors: Vine Petzer, Mirna Nel

Abstract:

An explanatory mixed method design was used to investigate accounting classroom conditions in the Further Education and Training (FET) Phase in South Africa. A descriptive survey research study with a heterogeneous group of learners and teachers was conducted in the first phase. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured individual interviews with learners and teachers, as well as observations in the accounting classroom, were employed to gain more in depth understanding of the learning conditions in the accounting classroom. The findings of the empirical research informed the development of a model for teachers in accounting, supporting them to use more effective teaching methods and create positive learning conditions for all learners to experience successful learning. A model towards creating positive Accounting classroom conditions that support successful learning was developed and recommended for education policy and decision-makers for use as a classroom intervention capacity building tool. The model identifies and delineates classroom practices that exert significant effect on learner attainment of quality education.

Keywords: accounting classroom conditions, positive education, successful learning, teaching accounting

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Santoshi Halder, Ranjini Ghosh

Abstract:

Research on educational stratification suggests that inequality in education between different social strata continues and sometimes even widens in spite of educational growth. The backward classes are the most suppressed classes in society. In India, the Scheduled Castes are found as one of the backward classes. After independence there a lot of provisions were made for their uplift. Still they are facing a lot of problems in perusing education, getting jobs, choosing life style independently etc. The present study was conducted to explore the educational disparities in education with respect to caste. Sample consisted of 1020 students (540 scheduled caste and 540 general caste) from three different universities of West Bengal. Tools selected were General Information Schedule (GIS), socioeconomic status (SES), Achievement motivation scale. Findings indicated significant differences for the selected variables under the study with respect to caste. Findings have significant implication for the advocates, policy makers and educationists and sociologists for appropriate intervention.

Keywords: scheduled caste, educational barriers, achievement motivation, socioeconomic status

Procedia PDF Downloads 406

Authors: Carolina Aparicio-Fernández, Alejandro Vilar Abad, Mar Cañada Soriano, Jose-Luis Vivancos

Abstract:

The building sector is responsible for 40% of the total energy consumption in the European Union (EU). Thus, implementation of strategies for quantifying and reducing buildings energy consumption is indispensable for reaching the EU’s carbon neutrality and energy efficiency goals. Each Member State has transposed the European Directives according to its own peculiarities: existing technical legislation, constructive solutions, climatic zones, etc. Therefore, in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Member States have developed different Energy Performance Certificate schemes, using proposed energy simulation software-tool for each national or regional area. Energy Performance Certificates provide a powerful and comprehensive information to predict, analyze and improve the energy demand of new and existing buildings. Energy simulation software and databases allow a better understanding of the current constructive reality of the European building stock. However, Energy Performance Certificates still have to face several issues to consider them as a reliable and global source of information since different calculation tools are used that do not allow the connection between them. In this document, TRNSYS (TRaNsient System Simulation program) software is used to calculate the energy demand of a building, and it is compared with the energy labeling obtained with Spanish Official software-tools. We demonstrate the possibility of using not official software-tools to calculate the Energy Performance Certificate. Thus, this approach could be used throughout the EU and compare the results in all possible cases proposed by the EU Member States. To implement the simulations, an isolated single-family house with different construction solutions is considered. The results are obtained for every climatic zone of the Spanish Technical Building Code.

Keywords: energy demand, energy performance certificate EPBD, trnsys, buildings

Procedia PDF Downloads 113

Authors: Tariq Aziz, Suresh Kumar, Vikesh Kumar, Sheraz Mustafa, Jhanzeb Marwat

Abstract:

The paper provides an updated version of volatility spillover among the equity markets of South Asian countries, including Pakistan, India, Srilanka, and Bangladesh. The analysis uses both symmetric and asymmetric Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity models to investigate volatility persistence and leverage effect. The bivariate EGARCH model is used to test for volatility transmission between two equity markets. Weekly data for the period February 2013 to August 2019 is used for empirical analysis. The findings indicate that the leverage effect exists in the equity markets of all the countries except Bangladesh. The volatility spillover from the equity market of Bangladesh to all other countries is negative and significant whereas the volatility of the equity market of Sri-Lanka does influence the volatility of any other country’s equity market. Indian equity market influence only the volatility of the Sri-Lankan equity market; and there is bidirectional volatility spillover between the equity markets of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The findings are important for policy-makers and international investors.

Keywords: volatility spillover, volatility persistence, garch, egarch

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: M. Fems Kurotimi, Agada Franklin, Godsave Aladei, Opigo Helen

Abstract:

Within the last 30 years, entrepreneurship education (EE) has continued to gain massive interest both in the field of research and among policy makers. This surge in interest can be attributed to the perceived importance EE plays in the equipping of potential entrepreneurs and as a 21^st century strategy to foster economic growth and development. This paper sets out to ascertain the correlation between EE and economic growth and development. A desk research approach was adopted where a multiplicity of literatures in the field were studied intensely. The findings reveal that indeed EE has a positive effect on entrepreneurship engagement thereby fostering economic growth and development. However, some research studies reported the contrary. That although EE may be able to equip potential entrepreneurs with requisite entrepreneurial skills and competencies, it will only be successful in producing entrepreneurs if they are internally driven to become entrepreneurs, because we cannot make people what they are not. The findings also reveal that countries that adopted EE early have more innovations inspired by entrepreneurs and are more developed than those that only recently adopted EE as a viable tool for entrepreneurship and economic development.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, economic development, economic growth, sustainable development

Procedia PDF Downloads 327

Authors: Elysee Guy Yohou

Abstract:

Côte d'Ivoire established a National Commission for Sustainable Development with a view to implementing the ESD. This study aims to understand the knowledge, attitude and practice about education for sustainability of teachers, students, principals, and staff in secondary schools in Côte d’Ivoire while exploring the barriers, levers and examines the leadership skills needed to help carrying out ESD. The data collection took place in October and December 2015. Questionnaires were administered to 400 participants, which involved teachers, students, principals and staff in 25 public and private secondary schools in four regional offices of education. 297 questionnaires were collected producing a collection-rate of 74.25%. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, dependent sample t-test, One way ANOVA, Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data. Thereupon, knowledge, attitudes about education for sustainability of teachers, principals and staff in secondary school are better than students. However, there is little practice of ESD. 68.3% of participants are not familiar with the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. In addition, 92.8% of schools do not have a school Agenda 21. The major barriers that prevent the teaching of education for sustainability are lack of access to technical tools, insufficient funding and lack of information. The main levers are teacher and staff training, financing, awareness of students, and public engagement. Principals do possess good human and technical skills but limited conceptual skills. The study showed that conceptual and human skills are convenient assets which rhyme more with education for sustainability. Thereupon, if schools’ principal need to improve education for sustainability through practice, they need more conceptual skills.

Keywords: Côte d'Ivoire, education for sustainability, leadership skills, secondary school

Procedia PDF Downloads 143

Authors: Mohsin Reza, Thirunaukarasu Subramaniam, M. Rezaul Islam

Abstract:

In Asia, economic and social well-being issues are rarely addressed. The major characteristics of the migrant workers in Asian countries are seriously exploited, marginalized, and infrequently looked from human rights perspective. This paper explored the opportunities and shortages of economic and social well-being for the migrant workers in Asia. A Qualitative Interpretative Meta-Synthesis (QIMS) was conducted to analyze the contextual socio-economic factors that characterized migrant workers’ economic and social well-being. It is perceived that in most of the recruiting countries, there are lacks of government commitments to the international protocols, conventions and laws that they ratified towards safeguarding migrant workers’ economic and social well-being. Results showed that the migrant workers had lack of job security, poor salary, long working hours, low access to the public services, poor health, poor living and working conditions, lack of legal rights, physical and mental threats. The finding would be important guideline to the governments, policy makers, legal rights practitioners, and human rights organizations.

Keywords: Asia, economic well-being, social well-being, migrant workers, human rights

Procedia PDF Downloads 305

Authors: Juan Zhou, Lusan Liu, Yanzhong Zhu, Kuixuan Lin, Wenqian Cai, Yu Wang, Xing Wang

Abstract:

During the past few decades, there has been an increase in the number of coastal land reclamation projects for residential, commercial and industrial purposes in more and more coastal cities of China, which led to the destruction of the wetlands and loss of the sensitive marine habitats. Meanwhile, the influences and nature of these projects attract widespread public and academic concern. For identifying the trend of landscape (esp. Coastal reclamation) and ecological environment changes, understanding of which interacted, and offering a general science for the development of regional plans. In the paper, a case study was carried out in Bohai Bay area, based on the analysis of remote sensing data. Land use maps were created for 1954, 1970, 1981, 1990, 2000 and 2010. Landscape metrics were calculated and illustrated that the degree of reclamation changes was linked to the hydrodynamic environment and macrobenthos community. The results indicated that the worst of the loss of initial areas occurred during 1954-1970, with 65.6% lost mostly to salt field; to 2010, Coastal reclamation area increased more than 200km² as artificial landscape. The numerical simulation of tidal current field in 2003 and 2010 respectively showed that the flow velocity in offshore became faster (from 2-5 cm/s to 10-20 cm/s), and the flow direction seem to go astray. These significant changes of coastline were not conducive to the spread of pollutants and degradation. Additionally, the dominant macrobenthos analysis from 1958 to 2012 showed that Musculus senhousei (Benson, 1842) spread very fast and had been the predominant species in the recent years, which was a disturbance tolerant species.

Keywords: Bohai Bay, coastal reclamation, landscape change, spatial patterns

Procedia PDF Downloads 276

Authors: Basil Manos, Thomas Bournaris, Christina Moulogianni

Abstract:

The European agricultural policy supports all member states to apply agricultural development plans for the development of their agricultural sectors. A specific measure of the agricultural development plans refers to young people in order to enter into the agricultural sector. This measure helps the participating young farmers in achieving maximum efficiency, using methods and environmentally friendly practices, by altering their farm plans. This study applies a Multicriteria Mathematical Programming (MCDA) model for the young farmers to find farm plans that achieve the maximum gross margin and the minimum environmental impacts (less use of fertilizers and irrigation water). The analysis was made in the region of Central Macedonia, Greece, among young farmers who have participated in the “Setting up Young Farmers” measure during 2007-2010. The analysis includes the implementation of the MCDA model for the farm plans optimization and the comparison of selected environmental indicators with those of the existent situation.

Keywords: multicriteria, optimum farm plans, environmental impacts, sustainable management

Procedia PDF Downloads 325

Authors: Hyeongbok Kim, Lingling Zhao, Xiaohong Su

Abstract:

Deep reinforcement learning has been applied to address various problems in robotics, such as autonomous driving and unmanned aerial vehicle. However, because of the sparse reward penalty for a collision with obstacles during the navigation mission, the agent fails to learn the optimal policy or requires a long time for convergence. Therefore, using obstacles and enemy agents, in this paper, we present a curriculum-based boost learning method to effectively train compound skills during multi-agent reinforcement learning. First, to enable the agents to solve challenging tasks, we gradually increased learning difficulties by adjusting reward shaping instead of constructing different learning environments. Then, in a benchmark environment with static obstacles and moving enemy agents, the experimental results showed that the proposed curriculum learning strategy enhanced cooperative navigation and compound collision avoidance skills in uncertain environments while improving learning efficiency.

Keywords: curriculum learning, hard exploration, multi-agent reinforcement learning, robotic navigation, sparse reward

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Mohammed Jemal Ahmed

Abstract:

Some anti-Islam attributes, such as alcoholism and voyeurism, have become de facto manifestations of the tourism sector. This eventually causes a paradoxical relationship between tourism and Islam. Hence, on the one hand, Islam inherently encourages Muslims to engage in tourism, the interest of Muslims to engage in tourism is steadily increasing. On the other hand, haram activities and products that are not allowed to Muslims as per the Islamic law and doctrine have surrounded tourism. Therefore, halal tourism has emerged as the best mediator to reconcile the conflicts between secular interests and religious values. Recent studies have confirmed that halal tourism is an emerging cultural phenomenon and secular rather than religious. The central aim of halal tourism is to have delighted customers irrespective of their religious and cultural backgrounds while promoting environmental conservation and social coexistence. This study appraises halal tourism development in Ethiopia from commercial, socio-cultural and diplomatic perspectives. Employing qualitative methodologies, the study, firstly, tried to clarify the existing terminological ambiguities between halal tourism and Islamic tourism and redefine both concepts. Then, it assessed perceptions of local communities and stakeholders towards halal tourism and identified halal tourism resources of Ethiopia. Accordingly, five clusters of halal visitor attractions and five potential halal tourism routes were identified and proposed. Furthermore, the comparative advantages of Ethiopia in terms of halal tourism development and potential barriers to halal tourism development in the country were rigorously appraised. The findings of this study reveal that halal tourism could inject hard currency into the national economy and create job opportunities for the locals. It could also support the mainstream tourism industry through product diversification and curving seasonality. Moreover, socially, halal tourism reinforces interreligious cohesion, relationship and coextensive in multi-religious, multicultural and multiethnic Ethiopia. Politically, it strengthens Ethiopia's foreign diplomatic relationship with the Islamic world and its near and distant neighbor Muslim Countries.

Keywords: halal-conscious travelers, halal tourism, Islamic tourism, tourism resources

Procedia PDF Downloads 66

Authors: Yin Cheung Lam

Abstract:

In 1949, the ratification of the Geneva Conventions heralded the international community’s adoption of a new universal and non-discriminatory approach to human rights in situations of conflict. However, with the proliferation of international terrorism after the 9/11 attacks on the United States (U.S.), the international community’s uneven and contradictory implementations of international humanitarian law (IHL) questioned its agenda of universal human rights. Specifically, the derogation from IHL has never been so pronounced in the U.S. led ‘War on Terror’. While an extensive literature has ‘assessed the impact’ of the implementation of the Geneva Conventions, limited attention has been paid to interrogating the ways in which the Geneva Conventions and its resulting implementation have functioned to discursively reproduce certain understandings of human rights between states and non-state actors. Through a discursive analysis of the Geneva Conventions and the conceptualization of human rights in relation to terrorism, this thesis problematises the way in which the U.S. has understood and reproduced understandings of human rights. Using the U.S. ‘War on Terror’ as an example, it seeks to extend previous analyses of the U.S.’ practice of IHL through a qualitative discursive analysis of the human rights content that appears in the Geneva Conventions in addition to the speeches and policy documents on the ‘War on Terror’.

Keywords: discursive analysis, human rights, non-state actors, war on terror

Procedia PDF Downloads 594

Authors: Minh Thi Hai Vo

Abstract:

This article draws on in-depth interviews with state employees at public hospitals and universities in its institutional analysis of the autonomy practices of public service delivery units in Vietnam. Unlike many empirical and theoretical studies that view formal and informal institutions as complements or substitutes, this article finds no evidence of complementary or substitutive relationships. Instead, the article finds that formal institutions accommodate informal ones and that informal institutions tend to compete and interfere, with the existing and ineffective formal institutions. The result of such conflicting relationship is that the actual autonomy of public service delivery units is, in most cases, perceived to be greater than the formal autonomy they are given. In the condition of poor regulation, the informal autonomy may result in unethical practices including rent-seeking and corruption. The implication of the study finding is policy-makers need to redesign and reorganize the autonomisation of public service delivery units to make informal institutions support and reinforce formal ones in a complementary manner.

Keywords: autonomy, formal institutions, informal institutions, public service delivery units, Vietnam

Procedia PDF Downloads 190

Authors: Sovit Pujari

Abstract:

In the developing countries like Nepal, the community-based forest management approach has often been glorified as one of the best forest management alternatives to maximize the forest benefits. Though the approach has succeeded to construct a local level institution and conserve the forest biodiversity, how the local communities perceived about the forest benefits, the question always remains silent among the researchers and policy makers. The paper aims to explore the understanding of forest benefits from the perspective of local communities who used the forests in terms of institutional stability, equity and livelihood opportunity, and ecological stability. The paper revealed that the local communities have mixed understanding over the forest benefits. The institutional and ecological activities carried out by the local communities indicated that they have a better understanding over the forest benefits. However, inequality while sharing the forest benefits, low pricing strategy and its negative consequences in the valuation of forest products and limited livelihood opportunities indicating the poor understanding.

Keywords: community based forest management, low pricing strategy, forest benefits, livelihood opportunities, Nepal

Procedia PDF Downloads 332

Authors: Rorick Daniel Tovar Galvan

Abstract:

The existence of different legal systems represents an important barrier for married couples that attempt to reside in another country. Each movement can cause important changes in the rights and obligations derived from the marriage since a different law could be used by the courts to solve legal disputes arising from their relationship. In a context in which it is increasingly common to move from one country to another, people cannot be certain about the outcomes of proceedings dealing with i.e., the dissolution of property regime, maintenance payments or time to wait to initiate divorce because a foreign – and in most cases unknown – law could apply every time they move. At first glance, the answer to this issue seems to be the harmonization of the legal systems: the greater the mobility of individuals inside a group of countries, the higher the similarities of their laws should be. Such a solution could be positive for spouses because a higher degree of legal certainty would be reached in case the same legal rules applied regardless of the place where the couple lives. However, the legal pluralism brings with it also advantages that could be appreciated when one looks closely at the economic rationale behind the legal institution of marriage. This contribution carries out an economic analysis of the existence of different legal systems in the area of marriage law and proposes another strategy to cope with the problems arising from legal pluralism. Far from eliminating the diversity of legal systems, one wishes to foster it, since significant advantages could arise from such diversity in case couples are permitted to choose the applicable law themselves. Based on the idea that the law could be seem as a product offered in the market as well as states and spouses as suppliers and consumers of this product, the paper shows the advantages of designing a legal framework that allows spouses to determine freely the law governing the legal effects of their marriage. Instead of promoting the harmonization of the substantive law, one explores the benefits of encouraging the regulatory competition at international level in the area of marriage law.

Keywords: conflict of laws, harmonization, international marriage law, law and economics, regulatory competition

Procedia PDF Downloads 183

Authors: Rusmawati Said, N. Kar Yee, Asmaddy Haris

Abstract:

This study employs a panel data set of ASEAN member states, 17 European Union (EU) countries, 7 American countries and 11 other Asia Pacific countries (China Mainland and Hong Kong SAR are treated as two separated countries) to investigate the role of labour standards in explaining the pattern of bilateral migration flows in ASEAN. Using pooled Ordinary Least Square (OLS) this study found mixed results. The result varies on how indicators were used to measure the level of labour standards in the empirical analysis. In one side, better labour standards (represented by number of strikes and weekly average working hours) promote bilateral migration among the selected countries. On the other side, increase in cases of occupational injuries lead to an increase in bilateral migration, reflecting that worsen in working conditions do not influence the workers’ decision from moving. The finding from this study become important to policy maker as the issues of massive low skilled workers have a significant impact to the role of labour standard in shaping the migration flows.

Keywords: labour standard, migration, ASEAN, economics and financial engineering

Procedia PDF Downloads 389

Authors: Maryam Karimi, Rouzbeh Nazari

Abstract:

Introduction: Understanding thermal distribution in the micro-urban climate has now been necessary for urban planners or designers due to the impact of complex micro-scale features of Urban Heat Island (UHI) on the built environment and public health. Hence, understanding the interrelation between urban components and thermal pattern can assist planners in the proper addition of vegetation to build-environment, which can minimize the UHI impact. To characterize the need for urban green infrastructure (UGI) through better urban planning, this study proposes the use of RayMan model to measure the impact of air quality and increased temperature based on urban morphology in the selected metropolitan cities. This project will measure the impact of build environment for urban and regional planning using human biometeorological evaluations (Tmrt). Methods: We utilized the RayMan model to estimate the Tmrt in an urban environment incorporating location and height of buildings and trees as a supplemental tool in urban planning and street design. The estimated Tmrt value will be compared with existing surface and air temperature data to find the actual temperature felt by pedestrians. Results: Our current results suggest a strong relationship between sky-view factor (SVF) and increased surface temperature in megacities based on current urban morphology. Conclusion: This study will help with Quantifying the impacts of the built environment and surface properties on surrounding temperature, identifying priority urban neighborhoods by analyzing Tmrt and air quality data at the pedestrian level, and characterizing the need for urban green infrastructure cooling potential.

Keywords: built environment, urban planning, urban cooling, extreme heat

Procedia PDF Downloads 107

Authors: Amadou Banda Ndione, Charles Awono Onana

Abstract:

In this paper the compartmental approach is applied to build a macroeconomic model characterized by countries. We consider a total of N countries that are subdivided into three compartments according to their economic status: D(t) denotes the compartment of developing countries at time t, E(t) stands for the compartment of emerging countries at time t while A(t) represents advanced countries at time t. The model describes the process of economic development and includes the notion of openness through collaborations between countries. Two delays appear in this model to describe the average time necessary for collaborations between countries to become efficient for their development process. Our model represents the different stages of development. It further gives the conditions under which a country can change its economic status and demonstrates the short-term positive effect of openness on economic growth. In addition, we investigate bifurcation by considering the delay as a bifurcation parameter and examine the onset and termination of Hopf bifurcations from a positive equilibrium. Numerical simulations are provided in order to illustrate the theoretical part and to support discussion.

Keywords: compartmental systems, delayed dynamical system, economic development, fiscal policy, hopf bifurcation

Procedia PDF Downloads 126

Authors: Kalinga Jagoda

Abstract:

With changing population demographics and consumer preferences, specialty crops present significant opportunities for Ontario agri-businesses to develop niche markets. However, the greater rewards offered by such opportunities come with comparable challenges that are driven by specific productmarket attributes, as well as supply and demand-side factors, including certain risks. Thus, initiatives to promote and support such sectors need to be informed by an understanding of the impact of these product-market and industry specific factors on supply chain development. To this end, this project proposes to map selected specialty crops supply chains, using a suite of tested methodological approaches to evaluate their market potential, considering total supply chain costs, lead times and responsiveness. The project will deliver comprehensive supply chain maps identifying the points of value addition and value capture that are of benefit to key stakeholders for the purposes of developing policy interventions, conducting market appraisals and identifying industry best practices.

Keywords: supply chain management, hazelnut industry, supply chain maps, market opportunity

Procedia PDF Downloads 33

Authors: Mrudula Kudtarkar, Rajesh Mane

Abstract:

Introduction: Cleft lip repair is one of the common surgeries performed in India and the usual method used for post-operative analgesia is perioperative opioids and NSAIDs. There has been an increase in use of regional techniques and Opioids are the common adjuvants but their efficacy and safety have not been studied extensively in children. Aim: A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was done to compare the efficacy, duration and safety of intraoral infraorbital nerve block on post-operative pain relief using bupivacaine alone or in combination with fentanyl or pethidine in paediatric cleft lip repair. Methodology: 45 children between the age group 5 – 60 months undergoing cleft lip surgery randomly allocated into 3 groups of 15 each received bilateral intraoral infraorbital nerve block with 0.75ml of solution. Group B received 0.25% bupivacaine; group P received 0.25% bupivacaine with 0.25mg/kg pethidine, group F received 0.25% bupivacaine with 0.25microgm/kg fentanyl. Sedation after recovery, post-operative pain intensity and duration of post-operative analgesia were assessed using Modified Hannallah Pain Score. Results: The mean duration of analgesia was 17.8 hrs in Group B, 23.53 hrs in Group F and 35.13 hrs in Group P. There was statistically significant difference between the means of the three groups- ANOVA (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Thus we conclude that addition of fentanyl or pethidine to bupivacaine for Bilateral Intraoral Infraorbital Nerve Block prolong the duration of analgesia with no complications and can be used safely in paediatric patients.

Keywords: cleft lip, infraorbital block, NSAIDS, Opiods

Procedia PDF Downloads 223

Authors: Dhananjoy Dutta

Abstract:

Field studies in lower Gangetic plains of India reveal that over-abstraction of groundwater for irrigation to paddy leads to a substantial depletion of groundwater over the decades, resulting in negative effects on lowering of the water table, drying up of surface water sources and aquifer pollution with leached-out arsenic. The aggravating arsenic toxicity in drinking water is manifested in health problems and ‘arsenicosis’ of people. A social conflict arises between farmers, who intend to grow paddy for livelihoods, and the groundwater authority, which enacts the ‘Regulation Laws’ by putting a check on the excessive installation of private tube-wells for irrigation. Hence, considering the challenges of resource sustainability, health issues, and food security, the study calls for a paradigm shift in policy from further groundwater development to sustainable water resources management and evaluates some strategies integrating supply and demand side management for mitigating the problems.

Keywords: groundwater, irrigation, paddy farming, water table depletion, arsenic pollution, gangetic plains

Procedia PDF Downloads 18

Authors: Nareerut Rodwring

Abstract:

The purposes of this research were to study the current problems of the management of welfare fund at the department of labor protection and welfare, to study important factors affecting the management of welfare fund at the department of labor protection and welfare, to study major influences of the management of welfare fund at the department of labor protection and welfare, and finally to propose the proper guidelines for the management of welfare fund at the department of labor protection and welfare. This research study utilized the information from document, laws, rules, and regulations of the government, handbook for welfare, and government policy in the past. Moreover, the qualitative research was conducted by retrieving insight information from key informants, 15 persons for the committee of welfare employees, and 10 persons from a high level of management in the welfare area, academics, and experts. In terms of quantitative method, the study covers all 76 provinces and 10 areas of Bangkok. Independent variables included strategy, structure, shared value, system, whereas the dependent variables included the management factors such as speed, punctuation, and quality of work.

Keywords: strategy, welfare, labor protection, management

Procedia PDF Downloads 161

Authors: Lenell D. Walton

Abstract:

African American families have consistently contended that their child’s special education team does not provide the services necessary to meet their child’s academic goals. Special education teams must guide and mentor African American students and their families through the special education process. This qualitative study examined African American female caregivers' perceptions, experiences, and expectations regarding the special education process. Data collection methods utilized in the study included a survey, semi-structured interviews, and three focus groups. Data were analyzed and compared to identify themes. Three themes emerged from the survey: education and training, participation, and challenges. Six major themes emerged: (a) differences in treatment and cultural disconnect, (b) lack of support and resources, (c) participants’ experiences of the special education process, (d) parent participation, (e) barriers and concerns, and (f) expectations. Implications for policy and practice to improve the special education process are discussed.

Keywords: African American, caregivers, critical race theory, special education

Procedia PDF Downloads 91

Authors: V. Makis, L. Jafari

Abstract:

In this paper, we develop an optimal Bayesian chart to control the expected number of defects per inspection unit in production processes with long production runs. We formulate this control problem in the optimal stopping framework. The objective is to determine the optimal stopping rule minimizing the long-run expected average cost per unit time considering partial information obtained from the process sampling at regular epochs. We prove the optimality of the control limit policy, i.e., the process is stopped and the search for assignable causes is initiated when the posterior probability that the process is out of control exceeds a control limit. An algorithm in the semi-Markov decision process framework is developed to calculate the optimal control limit and the corresponding average cost. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the developed optimal control chart and to compare it with the traditional u-chart.

Keywords: Bayesian u-chart, economic design, optimal stopping, semi-Markov decision process, statistical process control

Procedia PDF Downloads 558

Authors: Alejandro Rodríguez-Molinero, Carlos Pérez-López, Jorge Hernández-Vara, Àngels Bayes-Rusiñol, Juan Carlos Martínez-Castrillo, David A. Pérez-Martínez

Abstract:

Background: Monitoring motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients is often a complex and time-consuming task for clinicians, as Hauser's diaries are often poorly completed by patients. Recently, new automatic devices (Parkinson's holter: STAT-ON®) have been developed capable of monitoring patients' motor fluctuations. The MoMoPa-EC clinical trial (NCT04176302) investigates which of the two methods produces better clinical results. In this sub-analysis, the concordance between both methods is analyzed. Methods: In the MoMoPa-EC clinical trial, 164 patients with moderate-severe Parkinson's disease and at least two hours a day of Off will be included. At the time of patient recruitment, all of them completed a seven-day motor fluctuation diary at home (Hauser’s diary) while wearing the Parkinson's holter. In this sub-analysis, 71 patients with complete data for the purpose of this comparison were included. The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated between the patient diary entries and the Parkinson's holter data in terms of time On, Off, and time with dyskinesias. Results: The intra-class correlation coefficient of both methods was 0.57 (95% CI: 0.3-0.74) for daily time in Off (%), 0.48 (95% CI: 0.14-0.68) for daily time in On (%), and 0.37 (95% CI %: -0.04-0.62) for daily time with dyskinesias (%). Conclusions: Both methods have a moderate agreement with each other. We will have to wait for the results of the MoMoPa-EC project to estimate which of them has the greatest clinical benefits. Acknowledgment: This work is supported by AbbVie S.L.U, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III [DTS17/00195], and the European Fund for Regional Development, 'A way to make Europe'.

Keywords: Parkinson, sensor, motor fluctuations, dyskinesia

Procedia PDF Downloads 214

Authors: Foluke Abimbola

Abstract:

There are two separate groups of a recognised body of human rights. These are known as Civil and Political Rights, and Economic and Social Rights. There is however an impression that civil and political rights are enforceable in courts while socio-economic rights are not. Nigeria is an example of one of such countries whose constitution has social, economic and cultural rights’ provisions as well as civil and political rights. However, the socio-economic rights provided in the Nigerian constitution are not justiciable or are unenforceable in a court of law. On the other hand, a comparative examination of the socio-economic right provisions in the South African constitution and judgments of the constitutional court of South Africa reveals that socio-economic rights may be enforceable. This position may ensure the protection of the socio-economic rights of the poor and vulnerable groups. These rights include the rights to food, adequate shelter, health, and education. Moreover, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) which incorporates similar socio-economic right provisions, has been recognized as a domestic law in Nigeria and its provisions are enforceable by the domestic courts by virtue of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. It is not only a regional treaty signed and adopted by Nigeria but has been passed into law by the National Assembly and can be enforced like any other local law. This paper will propose that in view of the provisions of the African Charter and mechanisms for implementation as well as other international conventions and national constitutional provisions on human rights, domestic courts may be able to assess state responsibilities in the light of socio-economic rights. Cases decided by South African courts and other jurisdictions will be discussed in order to lend weight to the notion that socio-economic rights can be enforced in jurisdictions such as Nigeria even though the constitution provides otherwise.

Keywords: african charter, constitutional court of south africa, nigerian constitution, socio-economic rights, south african constitution

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Omar A. Shaneb, Adell S. Amer

Abstract:

Reduction of CO2 emissions has become a priority for several countries due to increasing concerns about global warming and climate change, especially in the developed countries. Residential sector is considered one of the most important sectors for considerable reduction of CO2 emissions since it represents a significant amount of the total consumed energy in those countries. A significant CO2 reduction cannot be achieved unless some initiatives have been adopted in the policy of these countries. Introducing micro combined heat and power (µCHP) systems into residential energy systems is one of these initiatives, since such a technology offers several advantages. Moreover, µCHP technology has the opportunity to be operated not only by natural gas but it could also be operated by renewable fuels. However, this technology can be operated by different operation strategies. Each strategy has some advantages and disadvantages. This paper provides a review of different operation strategies of such a technology used for residential energy systems, especially for single dwellings. The review summarizes key points that outline the trend of previous research carried out in this field.

Keywords: energy management, µCHP systems, residential energy systems, sustainable houses, operation strategy.

Procedia PDF Downloads 416

Authors: S. K. Subah, R. Tasnim, M. I. Jahan, M. R. Islam

Abstract:

While talking about how comfortable and convenient Dhaka's bus service is, the minimum emphasis is placed on the female commuters of the Dhaka city. Recognizing the contemporary situation, the supreme focus is to develop experimental model based on statistical methods. SEM has been adopted to quantify passenger satisfaction, which is affected by the perceived service quality. The study deals with 16 observed variables and three latent variables, which were correlated to identify their significance on the regulation of perceived SQ (Service Quality). To calibrate the model, a dataset of 250 responses from female users of local buses has been utilized through survey. A questionnaire structured with SQ variables was prepared in consultation with prevailing literature, practitioners, academicians, and users. The result concludes that the attributes of safe and secured environment have the most significant impact on the overall bus service quality according to the insight of female respondents. The study outcome might be a great help for the policymakers, women's organizations, and NGOs to formulate transport policy that will ensure a women-friendly public bus service.

Keywords: bus service quality, female perception, structural equation modelling, safety-security, women friendly bus

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Zhanara Suleimenova, Raushan Blieva, Aigerim Zhakipbekova, Inkar Tapenbayeva, Zhanar Narmuratova

Abstract:

Green processes are based on innovative technologies that do not negatively affect the environment. Industrial enzymes originated from biological systems can effectively contribute to sustainable development through being isolated from microorganisms which are fermented using primarily renewable resources. Many widespread microorganisms secrete a significant amount of biocatalysts into the environment, which greatly facilitates the task of their isolation and purification. The ability to control the enzyme production through the regulation of their biosynthesis and the selection of nutrient media and cultivation conditions allows not only to increase the yield of enzymes but also to obtain enzymes with certain properties. In this regard, large potentialities are embedded in immobilized cells. Enzyme production technology in a secreted active form enabling industrial application on an economically feasible scale has been developed. This method is based on the immobilization of enzyme producers on a solid career. Immobilizing has a range of advantages: decreasing the price of the final product, absence of foreign substances, controlled process of enzyme-genesis, the ability of various enzymes' simultaneous production, etc. Design of proposed equipment gives the opportunity to increase the activity of immobilized cell culture filtrate comparing to free cells, growing in periodic culture conditions. Such technology allows giving a 10-times raise in culture productivity, to prolong the process of fungi cultivation and periods of active culture liquid generation. Also, it gives the way to improve the quality of filtrates (to make them more clear) and exclude time-consuming processes of recharging fermentative vials, that require manual removing of mycelium.

Keywords: industrial enzymes, immobilization, submerged fermentation, microscopic fungi

Procedia PDF Downloads 130