Search results for: waterfall project management

Authors: Elmo Thiago Lins Cöuras Ford, Valentina Alessandra Carvalho do Vale, José Ubiragi de Lima Mendes

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In elapsing of the years it elaborates automobile it is developing automobiles more and more modern that, every year, the vehicles recently of the assembly lines, practically they push for the past produced models there is very little time. Those innovations didn't also pass unperceived in 0respect the safety of the vehicles. It is in this development apprenticeship the brakes systems equipped more and more with resources sophisticated. In that way, before of that context, this research tried to project a brake system for a vehicle off-road and to analyze your acting as the brakes efficiency: distances traveled and time, concluding with possible improvements in the system.

Keywords: brakes system, off-road, vehicle acting, automotive and mechanical engineering

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Authors: Carlo Bianchini, Lorenzo Catena

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The appearance of 3D scanners and then, more recently, of image-based systems that generate point clouds directly from common digital images have deeply affected the survey process in terms of both capturing and 2D/3D modelling. In this context, low cost and mobile systems are increasingly playing a key role and actually paving the way to the democratization of what in the past was the realm of few specialized technicians and expensive equipment. The application of Google Tango on the ancient church of Santa Maria delle Vigne in Pratica di Mare – Rome presented in this paper is one of these examples.

Keywords: the architectural survey, augmented/mixed/virtual reality, Google Tango project, image-based 3D capturing

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Authors: Elena Tkachenko, Vladimir Kokh, Alina Osipenko, Vladislav Surkov

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The modern period of development of Russian economy is fraught with a number of problems related to limitations in the use of traditional planning and financial management tools. Restrictions in the use of foreign software when performing an order of the Russian Government, on the one hand, and sanctions limiting the support of the major ERP and MRP II systems in the Russian Federation, on the other hand, entail the necessity to appeal to the basics of developing budgeting and analysis systems for industrial enterprises. Thus, cost calculation theory becomes the theoretical foundation for the development of industrial cost management systems. Based on the foregoing, it would be fair to make an assumption that the development of a working managerial accounting model on an industrial enterprise using an automated enterprise resource management system should rest upon the concept of the inevitability of alterations of business processes. On the other hand, optimized business processes make the architecture of financial analytics more transparent and permit the use of all the benefits of data cubes. The metrics and indicator slices provide online assessment of the state of key business processes at a given moment of time, which improves the quality of managerial decisions considerably. Therefore, the bilateral sanctions situation boosted the development of corporate business analytics and took industrial companies to the next level of understanding of business processes.

Keywords: cost culculation, ERP, OLAP, modern Russian economy

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Authors: Slavica P. Petrovic

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One of the key dimensions of management problems in organizations refers to the relations between stakeholders. The management problems that are characterized by conflict and coercion, in which participants do not agree on the ends and means, in which different groups, i.e., individuals, strive to – using the power they have – impose on others their favoured strategy and decisions represent the relevant research subject. Creatively managing the coercive problems in organizations, in which the sources of power can be identified, implies the emancipatory paradigm and the use of corresponding systems methodology. The main research aim is to critically reassess the theoretical foundations and methodological and methodical development of Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) – as a valid representative of the emancipatory paradigm – in order to determine the conditions, ways, and achievements of its application in managing the coercive problems in organizations. The basic hypothesis is that CSH, as the emancipatory methodology, given its own theoretical foundations and methodological-methodical development, can be employed in a scientifically based and practically useful manner in creative addressing the coercive problems. The scientific instrumentarium corresponding to this research aim is critical systems thinking with its three key commitments to: a) Critical awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of each research instrument (theory, methodology, method, technique, model) for structuring the problem situations in organizations, b) Improvement of managing the coercive problems in organizations, and c) Pluralism – respect the different perceptions and interpretations of problem situations, and enable the combined use of research instruments. The relevant research result is that CSH – considering its theoretical foundations, methodological and methodical development – enables to reveal the normative content of the proposed or existing designs of organizational systems. Accordingly, it can be concluded that through the use of critically heuristic categories and dialectical debate between those involved and those affected by the designs, but who are not included in designing organizational systems, CSH endeavours to – in the application – support the process of improving position of all stakeholders.

Keywords: coercion and conflict in organizations, creative management, critical systems heuristics, the emancipatory systems methodology

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Authors: Raghava Satya SaiKrishna Dittakavi

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Cloud computing has revolutionized how businesses and individuals store, access, and process data, increasing efficiency and reducing infrastructure costs. However, the need for more transparency in cloud service billing often raises concerns about overcharging and hidden fees, hindering the realization of the full potential of cloud computing. This research paper explores how blockchain technology can be leveraged to introduce cost transparency and accountability in cloud computing services. We present a comprehensive analysis of blockchain-enabled solutions that enhance cost visibility, facilitate auditability, and promote trust in cloud service providers. Through this study, we aim to provide insights into the potential benefits and challenges of implementing blockchain in the cloud computing domain, leading to improved cost management and customer satisfaction.

Keywords: blockchain, cloud computing, cost transparency, blockchain technology

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Authors: Ahmed Elaksher, Islam Omar

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For many years, Mars surface has been a mystery for scientists. Lately with the help of geospatial data and photogrammetric procedures researchers were able to capture some insights about this planet. Two of the most imperative data sources to explore Mars are the The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). HiRISE is one of six science instruments carried by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched August 12, 2005, and managed by NASA. The MOLA sensor is a laser altimeter carried by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and launched on November 7, 1996. In this project, we used MOLA-based DEMs to orthorectify HiRISE optical images for generating a more accurate and trustful surface of Mars. The MOLA data was interpolated using the kriging interpolation technique. Corresponding tie points were digitized from both datasets. These points were employed in co-registering both datasets using GIS analysis tools. In this project, we employed three different 3D to 2D transformation models. These are the parallel projection (3D affine) transformation model; the extended parallel projection transformation model; the Direct Linear Transformation (DLT) model. A set of tie-points was digitized from both datasets. These points were split into two sets: Ground Control Points (GCPs), used to evaluate the transformation parameters using least squares adjustment techniques, and check points (ChkPs) to evaluate the computed transformation parameters. Results were evaluated using the RMSEs between the precise horizontal coordinates of the digitized check points and those estimated through the transformation models using the computed transformation parameters. For each set of GCPs, three different configurations of GCPs and check points were tested, and average RMSEs are reported. It was found that for the 2D transformation models, average RMSEs were in the range of five meters. Increasing the number of GCPs from six to ten points improve the accuracy of the results with about two and half meters. Further increasing the number of GCPs didn’t improve the results significantly. Using the 3D to 2D transformation parameters provided three to two meters accuracy. Best results were reported using the DLT transformation model. However, increasing the number of GCPS didn’t have substantial effect. The results support the use of the DLT model as it provides the required accuracy for ASPRS large scale mapping standards. However, well distributed sets of GCPs is a key to provide such accuracy. The model is simple to apply and doesn’t need substantial computations.

Keywords: mars, photogrammetry, MOLA, HiRISE

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Authors: Melanie Schinnerl, Dorothea Greiling

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In the context of the 2020 strategy, poverty and its fight returned to the center of national political efforts. This served as motivation for an Austrian research grant-funded project to focus on the under-researched local government level with the aim to identify municipal best-practice cases and to derive policy implications for Austria. Designing effective poverty reduction strategies is a complex challenge which calls for an integrated multi-actor in approach. Cities are increasingly confronted to combat poverty, even in rich EU-member states. By doing so cities face substantial demographic, cultural, economic and social challenges as well as changing welfare state regimes. Furthermore, there is a low willingness of (right-wing) governments to support the poor. Against this background, the research questions are: 1. How do local governments define poverty? 2. Who are the main risk groups and what are the most pressing problems when fighting urban poverty? 3. What is regarded as successful anti-poverty initiatives? 4. What is the underlying welfare state concept? To address the research questions a multi-method approach was chosen, consisting of a systematic literature analysis, a comprehensive document analysis, and expert interviews. For interpreting the data the project follows the qualitative-interpretive paradigm. Municipal approaches for reducing poverty are compared based on deductive, as well as inductive identified criteria. In addition to an intensive literature analysis, interviews (40) were conducted in Austria since the project started in March 2018. From the other countries, 14 responses have been collected, providing a first insight. Regarding the definition of poverty the EU SILC-definition as well as counting the persons who receive need-based minimum social benefits, the Austrian form of social welfare, are the predominant approaches in Austria. In addition to homeless people, single-parent families, un-skilled persons, long-term unemployed persons, migrants (first and second generation), refugees and families with at least 3 children were frequently mentioned. The most pressing challenges for Austrian cities are: expected reductions of social budgets, a great insecurity of the central government's social policy reform plans, the growing number of homeless people and a lack of affordable housing. Together with affordable housing, old-age poverty will gain more importance in the future. The Austrian best practice examples, suggested by interviewees, focused primarily on homeless, children and young people (till 25). Central government’s policy changes have already negative effects on programs for refugees and elderly unemployed. Social Housing in Vienna was frequently mentioned as an international best practice case, other growing cities can learn from. The results from Austria indicate a change towards the social investment state, which primarily focuses on children and labour market integration. The first insights from the other countries indicate that affordable housing and labor market integration are cross-cutting issues. Inherited poverty and old-age poverty seems to be more pressing outside Austria.

Keywords: anti-poverty policies, European cities, empirical study, social investment

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Authors: Huang Wei-Chi, Li Wei, Yu Tien-Chieh

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Medication adherence is crucial for treatment success. Adherence problem is common in patients with polypharmacy, especially in the geriatric population who are vulnerable to multiple chronic conditions but averagely less knowledgeable about diseases and medications. In order to help patients take medications appropriately and enhance the understanding of diseases or medications, a Line official account named e-Pharmacist was designed. The line is a popular freeware app with the highest penetration rate (95.7%) in Taiwan. The interface of e-Pharmacist is user-friendly for easy-to-read and convenient operating. Differ from other medication adherence apps, users just added e-Pharmacist as a LINE friend without installing any more apps and the drug lists were automatically downloaded from the personal electronic medical records with security permission. Over and above medication reminder, several additional capabilities were set up and engaged in the platform of e-Pharmacist including prescription refill reservation, laboratory examination consultation, medical appointment registration, and “Daily Health Log” where patients can record and track data of blood pressure/blood sugar and daily meals for self-health management as well as can share the important information to clinical professionals when seeking medical help. Additionally, a Line chatbot was utilized to provide tailored medicine information for the individual user. From July 2020 to March 2022, around 3000 patients added e-pharmacist as Line friends. Every day more than 1500 patients receive messages from e-pharmacist to notify them to take medicine. Thanks to the e-pharmacist alert system and Chatbot, the low-compliance patients (defined by Program on Adherence to Medication, PAM) significantly dropped from 36% to 6%, whereas the high-compliance patients dramatically increased from 13% to 77%. The user satisfaction is 98%. In brief, an e-pharmacist is not only a medication reminder but also a tailored personal assistant with value-added service for health management.

Keywords: e-pharmacist, self-health management, medication reminder, value-added service

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Authors: Mohamad Mahdi Namdari

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In today's rapidly changing and evolving business competition, companies and organizations require advanced and efficient tools to manage their markets and sales networks. Big data analysis, quick response in competitive markets, process and operations optimization, and forecasting customer behavior are among the concerns of executive managers. Artificial intelligence, as one of the emerging technologies, has provided extensive capabilities in this regard. The use of artificial intelligence in market and sales network management can lead to improved efficiency, increased decision-making accuracy, and enhanced customer satisfaction. Specifically, AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data, identify complex patterns, and offer strategic suggestions to improve sales performance. However, many companies are still distant from effectively leveraging this technology, and those that do face challenges in fully exploiting AI's potential in market and sales network management. It appears that the general public's and even the managerial and academic communities' lack of knowledge of this technology has caused the managerial structure to lag behind the progress and development of artificial intelligence. Additionally, high costs, fear of change and employee resistance, lack of quality data production processes, the need for updating structures and processes, implementation issues, the need for specialized skills and technical equipment, and ethical and privacy concerns are among the factors preventing widespread use of this technology in organizations. Clarifying and explaining this technology, especially to the academic, managerial, and elite communities, can pave the way for a transformative beginning. The aim of this research is to elucidate the capacities of artificial intelligence in market and sales network management, identify its opportunities and benefits, and examine the existing challenges and obstacles. This research aims to leverage AI capabilities to provide a framework for enhancing market and sales network performance for managers. The results of this research can help managers and decision-makers adopt more effective strategies for business growth and development by better understanding the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, market management, sales network, big data analysis, decision-making, digital marketing

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Authors: Meghan E. Murray, Carri R. Tolmie

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This study aims to identify potential factors and widely applicable best practices that can contribute to improving corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate performance for firms by exploring the relationship between transformational leadership, spiritual intelligence, and emotional intelligence. Corporate social responsibility is when companies are cognizant of the impact of their actions on the economy, their communities, the environment, and the world as a whole while executing business practices accordingly. The prevalence of CSR has continuously strengthened over the past few years and is now a common practice in the business world, with such efforts coinciding with what stakeholders and the public now expect from corporations. Because of this, it is extremely important to be able to pinpoint factors and best practices that can improve CSR within corporations. One potential factor that may lead to improved CSR is spiritual intelligence (SQ), or the ability to recognize and live with a purpose larger than oneself. Spiritual intelligence is a measurable skill, just like emotional intelligence (EQ), and can be improved through purposeful and targeted coaching. This research project consists of two studies. Study 1 is a case study comparison of a benefit corporation and a non-benefit corporation. This study will examine the role of SQ and EQ as moderators in the relationship between the transformational leadership of employees within each company and the perception of each firm’s CSR and corporate performance. Project methodology includes creating and administering a survey comprised of multiple pre-established scales on transformational leadership, spiritual intelligence, emotional intelligence, CSR, and corporate performance. Multiple regression analysis will be used to extract significant findings from the collected data. Study 2 will dive deeper into spiritual intelligence itself by analyzing pre-existing data and identifying key relationships that may provide value to companies and their stakeholders. This will be done by performing multiple regression analysis on anonymized data provided by Deep Change, a company that has created an advanced, proprietary system to measure spiritual intelligence. Based on the results of both studies, this research aims to uncover best practices, including the unique contribution of spiritual intelligence, that can be utilized by organizations to help enhance their corporate social responsibility. If it is found that high spiritual and emotional intelligence can positively impact CSR effort, then corporations will have a tangible way to enhance their CSR: providing targeted employees with training and coaching to increase their SQ and EQ.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, CSR, corporate performance, emotional intelligence, EQ, spiritual intelligence, SQ, transformational leadership

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Authors: Nurdiana Gaus, Mahmud Tang

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This paper analyses changes being experienced by academics in Indonesian state university systems as a result of government-driven policy and the impacts of these changes on academics work and organisations. This analysis is located in the main concept of neoliberal agenda with its associated discourse of New Public Management. The purpose of this analysis is to show how public administrative reforms adopting neoliberal agenda have been disseminated in Indonesian higher education reform via policies and programmes of the government. This essay is expected to clarify the concept of neoliberalism in the administrative reforms within higher education institutions by examining and understanding its implementation in Indonesian context and how this impacted on the structural changes in universities and academics work.

Keywords: neoliberalism, higher education, Indonesia, new public management

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Authors: Argaw T. Gurmu, Muhammad N. Mahmood

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The objective of this research is to identify the architecture and construction management students’ learning challenges of the building measurement. This research used the survey data obtained collected from the students who completed the building measurement unit. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was used to identify relevant themes. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed the major learning difficulties such as inadequacy of practice questions for the examination, inability to work as a team, lack of detailed understanding of the prerequisite units, insufficiency of the time allocated for tutorials and incompatibility of lecture and tutorial schedules. The output of this research can be used as a basis for improving the teaching and learning activities in construction measurement units.

Keywords: building measurement, construction management, learning challenges, evaluate survey

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Authors: Nabil Mezhoud

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The economic operation of electric energy generating systems is one of the predominant problems in energy systems. Due to the need for better reliability, high energy quality, lower losses, lower cost and a clean environment, the application of renewable and sustainable energy sources, such as wind energy, solar energy, etc., in recent years has become more widespread. In this work, one of a bio-inspired meta-heuristic algorithm inspired by the flashing behavior of fireflies at night called the Firefly Algorithm (FFA) is applied to solve the Optimal Energy Management (OEM) and the environmental index (EI) problems of a micro-grid (MG) operating by Renewable and Sustainable Generation Systems (RSGS). Our main goal is to minimize the nonlinear objective function of an electrical microgrid, taking into account equality and inequality constraints. The FFA approach was examined and tested on a standard MG system composed of different types of RSGS, such as wind turbines (WT), photovoltaic systems (PV), and non-renewable energy, such as fuel cells (FC), micro turbine (MT), diesel generator (DEG) and loads with energy storage systems (ESS). The results are promising and show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach to solve the OEM and the EI problems. The results of the proposed method have been compared and validated with those known references published recently.

Keywords: renewable energy sources, energy management, distributed generator, micro-grids, firefly algorithm

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Authors: Rahat Zaman

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The present study was conducted to investigate psychological well-being and positive and negative affect among adults. The sample comprised 221 adults; the sample was collected from all over Pakistan. Psychological well-being was measured with the help of the psychological well-being scale developed by Ryff and Keyes (1995). Lifestyle was measured with the help of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile Scale developed by Walker et al. (1995). Positive and negative effects were measured by PANAS, developed by Watson, Clark, and Tellegen (1998). To check the properties of scale, the alpha reliability coefficient was calculated. To test the hypotheses of the research, correlation, independent sample t-rest, and ANOVA were computed. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between psychological well-being and lifestyles and positive affect. The results show that psychological well-being, lifestyle, and positive affect are positively related. This also supports our hypothesis. The research also searched for relationships in the study variables according to the demographics of the sample. The respondents varied according to their dominant affect levels with respect to their psychological well-being and lifestyles. The research found significant differences for the genders in life appreciation, nutrition, and negative affect. Single and married individuals differed significantly on autonomy, environmental mastery, life appreciation, nutrition, and stress management. Individuals showed significant differences with respect to their living situation, joint and nuclear family members showed significant differences in personal growth, autonomy, health responsibilities, social support, physical activities, and stress management. The sample showed significant differences in environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, life appreciation, health responsibilities, physical activities, stress management, and negative affect when divided in socioeconomic status. Age-wise analysis showed significant differences in autonomy, personal growth, purpose in life, life appreciation, nutrition, and stress management. Provincially significant differences were found in life appreciation, nutrition, social support, physical activities, and stress management, and both positive and negative effects were experienced. Implications of the results are discussed.

Keywords: wellbeing, healthy lifestyle, self acceptance, positive

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Authors: Alicia Yanadira Nava Fuentes, Ilse Cervantes Camacho, Amadeo José Argüelles Cruz, Ana María Balboa Verduzco

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Augmented reality promises being present in future driving, with its immersive technology let to show directions and maps to identify important places indicating with graphic elements when the car driver requires the information. On the other side, driving is considered a multitasking activity and, for some people, a complex activity where different situations commonly occur that require the immediate attention of the car driver to make decisions that contribute to avoid accidents; therefore, the main aim of the project is the instrumentation of a platform with biometric sensors that allows evaluating the performance in driving vehicles with the influence of augmented reality devices to detect the level of attention in drivers, since it is important to know the effect that it produces. In this study, the physiological sensors EPOC X (EEG), ECG06 PRO and EMG Myoware are joined in the driving test platform with a Logitech G29 steering wheel and the simulation software City Car Driving in which the level of traffic can be controlled, as well as the number of pedestrians that exist within the simulation obtaining a driver interaction in real mode and through a MSP430 microcontroller achieves the acquisition of data for storage. The sensors bring a continuous analog signal in time that needs signal conditioning, at this point, a signal amplifier is incorporated due to the acquired signals having a sensitive range of 1.25 mm/mV, also filtering that consists in eliminating the frequency bands of the signal in order to be interpretative and without noise to convert it from an analog signal into a digital signal to analyze the physiological signals of the drivers, these values are stored in a database. Based on this compilation, we work on the extraction of signal features and implement K-NN (k-nearest neighbor) classification methods and decision trees (unsupervised learning) that enable the study of data for the identification of patterns and determine by classification methods different effects of augmented reality on drivers. The expected results of this project include are a test platform instrumented with biometric sensors for data acquisition during driving and a database with the required variables to determine the effect caused by augmented reality on people in simulated driving.

Keywords: augmented reality, driving, physiological signals, test platform

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Authors: Anderson Rocha-Buelvas, Jaqueline Mena Huertas, Edith Burbano Rosero, Arsenio Hidalgo Troya, Mauricio Casas Cruz

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COVID-19 is a disruptive pandemic for the public health and economic system of whole countries, including Colombia. Nariño Department is the southwest of the country and draws attention to being on the border with Ecuador, constantly facing demographic transition affecting infections between countries. In Nariño, the early routine diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, which can be handled at BSL-2, has affected the transmission dynamics of COVID-19. However, new emerging and re-emerging viruses with biological flexibility classified as a Risk Group 3 agent can take advantage of epidemiological opportunities, generating the need to increase clinical diagnosis, mainly in border regions between countries. The overall objective of this project was to assure the quality of the analytical process in the diagnosis of high biological risk pathogens in Nariño by building a laboratory that includes biosafety level (BSL)-2 and (BSL)-3 containment zones. The delimitation of zones was carried out according to the Verification Tool of the National Health Institute of Colombia and following the standard requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories of the International Organization for Standardization. This is achieved by harmonization of methods and equipment for effective and durable diagnostics of the large-scale spread of highly pathogenic microorganisms, employing negative-pressure containment systems and UV Systems in accordance with a finely controlled electrical system and PCR systems as new diagnostic tools. That increases laboratory capacity. Protection in BSL-3 zones will separate the handling of potentially infectious aerosols within the laboratory from the community and the environment. It will also allow the handling and inactivation of samples with suspected pathogens and the extraction of molecular material from them, allowing research with pathogens with high risks, such as SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and syncytial virus, and malaria, among others. The diagnosis of these pathogens will be articulated across the spectrum of basic, applied, and translational research that could receive about 60 daily samples. It is expected that this project will be articulated with the health policies of neighboring countries to increase research capacity.

Keywords: medical laboratory science, SARS-CoV-2, public health surveillance, Colombia

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Authors: Gregor Moncrieff, Ursula Bahlmann

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A number of incident reports were filed from the intensive care unit with regards to adult patients admitted following operations who had a central venous catheter inserted of the incorrect length for the relevant anatomical site and catheters not compatible with pressurised injection inserted whilst in theatre. Incorrect catheter length can lead to a variety of complications and pressurised injection is a requirement for contrast enhanced computerised tomography scans. This led to several patients having a repeat procedure to insert a catheter of the correct length and also compatible with pressurised injection. This project aimed to identify the types of central venous catheters used in theatres and ensure the correct equipment would be stocked and used in future cases in accordance the existing Association of Anaesthetics of Great Britain and Northern Ireland guidelines. A questionnaire was sent out to all of the anaesthetic department in our hospital aiming to determine what types of central venous catheters were preferably used by anaesthetists and why these had been chosen. We also explored any concerns regarding introduction of standardised, pressure injectable central venous catheters to the theatre department which were already in use in other parts of the hospital and in keeping with national guidance. A total of 56 responses were collected. 64% of respondents routinely used a central venous catheter which was significantly shorter than the national recommended guidance with a further 4 different types of central venous catheters used which were different to other areas of the hospital and not pressure injectable. 75% of respondents were in agreement to standardised introduction of the pressure injectable catheters of the recommended length in accordance with national guidance. Reasons why 25% respondents were opposed to introduction of these catheters were explored and discussed. We were successfully able to introduce the standardised central catheters to the theatre department following presentation at the local anaesthetic quality and safety meeting. Reasons against introduction of the catheters were discussed and a compromise was reached that the existing catheters would continue to be stocked but would only be available on request, with a focus on encouraging use of the standardised catheters. Additional changes achieved included removing redundant catheters from the theatre stock. Ongoing data is being collected to analyse positive and negative feedback from use of the introduced catheters.

Keywords: central venous catheter, medical equipment, medical safety, quality improvement

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Authors: Eirini Busack

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Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the sudden transfer to online teaching, teachers have struggled to reconstruct their teaching and learning materials to adapt them to the new reality of online teaching and learning. Consequently, the pupils’ learning was disrupted during this orientation phase. Due to the above situation, teachers from all fields concluded that it is vital that their pupils should be able to continue their learning even without the teacher being physically present. Various websites and applications have been in use since then in hope that pupils will still enjoy a qualitative education; unfortunately, this was often not the case. To address this issue, it was therefore decided to focus the research on the development of digital learning paths. The fundamentals of these learning paths include the implementation of scenario-based learning (digital storytelling), the integration of media-didactic theory to make it pedagogically appropriate for learners, alongside instructional design knowledge and the drive to promote autonomous learners. This particular research is being conducted within the frame of the research project “Sustainable integration of subject didactic digital teaching-learning concepts” (InDiKo, 2020-2023), which is currently conducted at the University of Education Karlsruhe and investigates how pre-service teachers can acquire the necessary interdisciplinary and subject-specific media-didactic competencies to provide their future learners with digitally enhanced learning opportunities, and how these competencies can be developed continuously and sustainably. As English is one of the subjects involved in this project, the English Department prepared a seminar for the pre-service secondary teachers: “Media-didactic competence development: Developing learning paths & Digital Storytelling for English grammar teaching.” During this seminar, the pre-service teachers plan and design a Moodle-based differentiated lesson sequence on an English grammar topic that is to be tested by secondary school pupils. The focus of the present research is to assess the secondary school pupils’ expectations from an English grammar-focused digital learning path created by pre-service English teachers. The nine digital learning paths that are to be distributed to 25 pupils were produced over the winter and the current summer semester as the artifact of the seminar. Finally, the data to be quantitatively analysed and interpreted derive from the online questionnaires that the secondary school pupils fill in so as to reveal their expectations on what they perceive as a stimulating and thus effective grammar-focused digital learning path.

Keywords: digital storytelling, learning paths, media-didactics, autonomous learning

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Authors: Umut Tuğlu Karslı

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While, port function had a major role during the antiquity and medieval times, it has started to lose its significance in 19th century. In many port cities, while heavy industrial functions and ports have been moved out of the former port districts, the resulting derelict spaces have been transformed to new waterfront quarters to accommodate commercial, tourism, cultural, residential and public uses. Primary aim of these operations is to revitalize abandoned spaces of historical potential and re-establish a relationship between the city and the coast. Karakoy Port, field of this study, located in the Bosphorus, was surrounded by the city centre in time due to the transformation of urban functions, and as a result it has lost its former significance. While Karakoy has 24 hours lively residential and commercial uses in old times; in early 1980s, became a district of mechanical, plumbing and electronic parts suppliers during the day and a place for homeless at night. Today, activities for revitalization of this region continue in two forms and scales. First of these activities is the "planned transformation projects," which also includes the most important one “Galataport project”, and the second one is "spontaneous transformation," which consists of individual interventions. Galataport project that based on the idea of arranging the area specifically for tourists was prepared in 2005 and became a topic of tremendous public debate. On the other hand, the "spontaneous transformation" that is observed in the Karakoy District starts in 2004 with the foundation of “Istanbul Modern Museum”. Istanbul Modern, the first contemporary arts museum of the city, allowed the cultural integration of old naval warehouses of the port to the daily life. Following this adaptive reuse intervention, the district started to accommodate numerous art galleries, studios, café-workshops and design stores. In this context, this paper briefly examines revitalization studies in obsolete port regions, analyzes the planned and ongoing socio-spatial transformations in the specific case of Karakoy under the subjects of "planned transformation projects" and "spontaneous transformation", and realizes a critical review of the sustainability of the proposals on how to reinstate the district in the active life of Istanbul.

Keywords: port cities, socio-spatial transformation, urban regeneration, urban revitalization

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Authors: Reiko Yamamoto

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This paper reports on a joint research project in which a researcher in applied linguistics and elementary school teachers in Japan explored new ways to realize emotional synchrony in a classroom in childhood education. The primary purpose of this project was to develop a cross-curriculum of the first language (L1) and second language (L2) based on the concept of plurilingualism. This concept is common in Europe, and can-do statements are used in forming the standard of linguistic proficiency in any language; these are attributed to the action-oriented approach in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). CEFR has a basic tenet of language education: improving communicative competence. Can-do statements are classified into five categories based on the tenet: reading, writing, listening, speaking/ interaction, and speaking/ speech. The first approach of this research was to specify the linguistic proficiency of the children, who are still developing their L1. Elementary school teachers brainstormed and specified the linguistic proficiency of the children as the competency needed to synchronize with others – teachers or peers – physically and mentally. The teachers formed original can-do statements in language proficiency on the basis of the idea that emotional synchrony leads to understanding others in communication. The research objectives are to determine the effect of language education based on the newly developed curriculum and can-do statements. The participants of the experiment were 72 third-graders in Uji Elementary School, Japan. For the experiment, 17 items were developed from the can-do statements formed by the teachers and divided into the same five categories as those of CEFR. A can-do checklist consisting of the items was created. The experiment consisted of three steps: first, the students evaluated themselves using the can-do checklist at the beginning of the school year. Second, one year of instruction was given to the students in Japanese and English classes (six periods a week). Third, the students evaluated themselves using the same can-do checklist at the end of the school year. The results of statistical analysis showed an enhancement of linguistic proficiency of the students. The average results of the post-check exceeded that of the pre-check in 12 out of the 17 items. Moreover, significant differences were shown in four items, three of which belonged to the same category: speaking/ interaction. It is concluded that children can get to understand others’ minds through physical and emotional synchrony. In particular, emotional synchrony is what teachers should aim at in childhood education.

Keywords: elementary school education, emotional synchrony, language proficiency, sympathy with others

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Authors: Josephine Eghonghon Ahiante, Barry Hanyane

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To give effect to the constitutional rights of gender equality, the South African government instituted various legislative policy frameworks and legislations to equalise the public service. Nonetheless, gender inequality in senior management positions remains a rift in government institutions, particularly the local sphere of government. The methodology for gathering and analysing data for this study was based on both primary and secondary data sources, namely literature review, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, triangulation, and inductive and deductive thematic analysis. The study found that misogynist tendencies which are manifest in organisational culture suffocate the good intentions of government in ensuring social justices, leadership diversity, and women equality. It also demonstrates that traditional gender role expectation still informs the ground in which senior management positions are allocated, men perceive women as non-leadership fit and discriminate against them during recruitment, selection, and promotion into high positions. The analyses from the study portray that, while government legislation and framework has been instrumental in the leadership acceleration of women, much more has to be done to deconstruct internalised leadership stereotypes on women's gender roles and leadership requirements. The study recommends that gender bias training intervention is needed to teach public employees on management excellence.

Keywords: gender, leadership, misogyny, orgnisational cultural, patriachy

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Authors: A. Yousuf, M. Iqbal, A. Mir, S. Aziz

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This study deals with the women’s right to land for gender equality. Economic Transformation Initiative, Gilgit-Baltistan (ETI-GB), an ambitious program supported by International Fund for Agricultural Development United Nation (IFAD, UN), aims to strengthen land reforms process in disputed area of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Pakistan, that is taking place first time in the history. This project is a brick to build the foundation of land reforms and land policies in GB. The ETI-GB provides substantive support to government of GB in developing policy measures and initiatives to promote women’s right to have and to own land is kind of unconventional step in a very traditional society. It would be interesting to have discussion and document the people’s response regarding this project. The study has used mixed method for data collection. For qualitative data, content analysis is used to have a thorough understanding of different types of land reforms across the globe particularly in South Asia. Theoretical understanding of the literature is essential which provides the basis why land reforms are important and how far it plays an important role when it comes to eliminating inequality. Focused group discussion was carried out for verification and triangulation of data. For quantitative, survey was conducted to take responses from the people of the region and analyzed. The program is implemented in Ghizer district of GB. 2340 households were identified as beneficiaries of newly developed land. Among them, 2285 were men households, and 55 were women households. There is a significant difference between men and women households. In spite of great difference, it is a great achievement of the donor that in history of GB, first time women are going to be entitled to land ownership. GB is a patriarchal society, many social factors like cultural, religious play role for gender inequality. In developing countries, such as Pakistan, the awareness of land property rights has not been given proper attention to gender equality development frameworks. It is argued that land property rights of women have not been taken into mainstream policymaking in the development of nation building process. Consequently, this has generated deprivation of women’s property rights, low income level, lack of education and poor health. This paper emphasises that there should have proper land property right of women in Gilgit-Baltistan Pakistan, provided that the gender empowerment could be increased in terms of women’s property rights.

Keywords: gender equality, women right to land ownership, property rights, women empowerment

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Authors: P. Valdez, M. Pelissero, A. Haim, F. Muiño, F. Galia, R. Tula

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As a result of the studies performed on the wave energy resource worldwide, a research project was set up to harvest wave energy for its conversion into electrical energy. Within this framework, a theoretical model of the electromechanical energy harvesting system, developed with MATLAB’s Simulink software, will be provided. This tool recreates the site conditions where the device will be installed and offers valuable information about the amount of energy that can be harnessed. This research provides a deeper understanding of the utilization of wave energy in order to improve the efficiency of a 1:1 scale prototype of the device.

Keywords: electromechanical device, modeling, renewable energy, sea wave energy, simulation

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Authors: R. K. D. G. Kaluarachchi

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The generation of solid waste and its effective management are debated topics in Sri Lanka as well as in the global environment. It was estimated that the most of the waste generated in global was originated from construction and demolition of buildings. Thus, the proportion of construction waste in solid waste generation cannot be underestimated. The construction waste, which is the by-product generated and removed from work sites is collected in direct and indirect processes. Hence, the objectives of this research are to identify the proportion of construction waste which can be reused and identify the methods to reduce the waste generation without reducing the quality of the process. A 6-storey building construction site was selected for this research. The site was divided into six zones depending on the process. Ten waste materials were identified by considering the adverse effects on safety and health of people and the economic value of them. The generated construction waste in each zone was recorded per week for a period of five months. The data revealed that sand, cement, wood used for form work and rusted steel rods were the generated waste which has higher economic value in all zones. Structured interviews were conducted to gather information on how the materials are categorized as waste and the capability of reducing, reusing and recycling the waste. It was identified that waste is generated in following processes; ineffective storage of material for a longer time and improper handling of material during the work process. Further, the alteration of scheduled activities of construction work also yielded more waste. Finally, a proper management of construction waste is suggested to reduce and reuse waste.

Keywords: construction-waste, effective management, reduce, reuse

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Authors: Taliah Foudah, Sana Masri, Jana Al Ghamdi, Rimaz Alzaaqi

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This research project explores the creative works of the app Metui, which allows consumers to edit their photos and use the new and popular AI feature, which turns any photo into a cartoon-like animated image with beautified enhancements. Studying this AI app demonstrates the significance of the ability in which AI can develop intricate designs which verily replicate the human mind. Our goal was to investigate the Metui app by asking our audience certain questions about its functionality and their personal feelings about its credibility as well as their beliefs as to how this app will add to the future of the AI generation, both positively and negatively. Their responses were further explored by analyzing the questions and responses thoroughly and calculating the results through pie charts. Overall, it was concluded that the Metui app is a powerful step forward for AI by replicating the intelligence of humans and its creativity to either benefit society or do the opposite.

Keywords: AI Art, Meitu, application, photo editing

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Authors: Ying Han, Weirong Chen, Qi Li

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An energy management method based on equivalent hydrogen consumption minimum strategy is proposed in this paper aiming at the direct-current (DC) microgrid consisting of photovoltaic cells, fuel cells, energy storage devices, converters and DC loads. The rational allocation of fuel cells and battery devices is achieved by adopting equivalent minimum hydrogen consumption strategy with the full use of power generated by photovoltaic cells. Considering the balance of the battery’s state of charge (SOC), the optimal power of the battery under different SOC conditions is obtained and the reference output power of the fuel cell is calculated. And then a droop control method based on time-varying droop coefficient is proposed to realize the automatic charge and discharge control of the battery, balance the system power and maintain the bus voltage. The proposed control strategy is verified by RT-LAB hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform. The simulation results show that the designed control algorithm can realize the rational allocation of DC micro-grid energy and improve the stability of system.

Keywords: DC microgrid, equivalent minimum hydrogen consumption strategy, energy management, time-varying droop coefficient, droop control

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Authors: Kwan Hee Han

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In today’s business environments, frequent change of customer requirements is a tough challenge to manufacturing company. To cope with these challenges, a production planning and scheduling (PP&S) function might be established to provide accountability for both customer service and operational efficiency. Nowadays, many manufacturing firms have utilized PP&S software solutions to generate a realistic production plan and schedule to adapt to external changes efficiently. However, companies which consider the introduction of PP&S software solution, still have difficulties for selecting adequate solution to meet their specific needs. Since the task of PP&S is the one of major building blocks of SCM (Supply Chain Management) architecture, which deals with short term decision making in the production process of SCM, it is needed that the functionalities of PP&S should be analysed within the whole SCM process. The aim of this paper is to analyse the PP&S functionalities and its system architecture from the SCM perspective by using the criteria of level of planning hierarchy, major 4 SCM processes and problem-solving approaches, and finally propose a classification framework of PP&S solutions to facilitate the comparison among various commercial software solutions. By using proposed framework, several major PP&S solutions are classified and positioned according to their functional characteristics in this paper. By using this framework, practitioners who consider the introduction of computerized PP&S solutions in manufacturing firms can prepare evaluation and benchmarking sheets for selecting the most suitable solution with ease and in less time.

Keywords: production planning, production scheduling, supply chain management, the advanced planning system

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Authors: Varinder Kaur Gambhir, Neema Gupta, Sonal Tickoo Chaudhuri

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Bengaluru, a rapidly growing metropolis in India, with a population of 12.5 million citizens, generates 5,757 metric tonnes of solid waste per day. Despite their invaluable contribution to waste management, society and the economy, waste pickers face significant stigma, suspicion and contempt and are left with a sense of shame about their work. In this context, BBC Media Action was funded by the H&M Foundation to develop a 3-year multi-phase social media campaign to shift perceptions of waste picking and informal waste pickers amongst the Bengaluru population. Research has been used to inform project strategy and adaptation, at all stages. Formative research to inform campaign strategy used mixed methods– 14 focused group discussions followed by 406 online surveys – to explore people’s knowledge of, and attitudes towards waste pickers, and identify potential barriers and motivators to changing perceptions. Use of qualitative techniques like metaphor maps (using bank of pictures rather than direct questions to understand mindsets) helped establish the invisibility of informal waste pickers, and the quantitative research enabled audience segmentation based on attitudes towards informal waste pickers. To pretest the campaign idea, eight I-GDs (individual interaction followed by group discussions) were conducted to allow interviewees to first freely express their feelings individually, before discussing in a group. Robert Plucthik’s ‘wheel of emotions’ was used to understand audience’s emotional response to the content. A robust monitoring and evaluation is being conducted (baseline and first phase of monitoring already completed) using a rotating longitudinal panel of 1,800 social media users (exposed and unexposed to the campaign), recruited face to face and representative of the social media universe of Bengaluru city. In addition, qualitative in-depth interviews are being conducted after each phase to better understand change drivers. The research methodology and ethical protocols for impact evaluation have been independently reviewed by an Institutional Review Board. Formative research revealed that while waste on the streets is visible and is of concern to the public, informal waste pickers are virtually ‘invisible’, for most people in Bengaluru Pretesting research revealed that the creative outputs evoked emotions like acceptance and gratitude towards waste-pickers, suggesting that the content had the potential to encourage attitudinal change. After the first phase of campaign, social media analytics show that #Invaluables content reached at least 2.6 million unique people (21% of the Bengaluru population) through Facebook and Instagram. Further, impact monitoring results show significant improvements in spontaneous awareness of different segments of informal waste pickers ( such as sorters at scrap shops or dry waste collection centres -from 10% at baseline to 16% amongst exposed and no change amongst unexposed), recognition that informal waste pickers help the environment (71% at baseline to 77% among exposed and no change among unexposed) and greater discussion about informal waste pickers among those exposed (60%) as against not exposed (49%). Using the insights from this research, the planned social media intervention is designed to increase the visibility of and appreciation for the work of waste pickers in Bengaluru, supporting a more inclusive society.

Keywords: awareness, discussion, discrimination, informal waste pickers, invisibility, social media campaign, waste management

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Authors: Anjana Rajput, Sandeep Chouksey, Bhaskar Bhandari, Shimpi Chourasia

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Ecologically, grassland is any plant community dominated by grasses, whether they exist naturally or because of management practices. Most forest grasslands are anthropogenic and established plant communities planted for forage production, though some are established for soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat. In Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India, most of the grasslands have been established on evacuated village sites. Total of 42 villages evacuated, and study was carried out in 23 sites to evaluate habitat improvement. Grasslands were classified into three categories, i.e., evacuated sites, established sites, and controlled sites. During the present study impact of various management interventions on grassland health was assessed. Grasslands assessment was done for its composition, status of palatable and non-palatable grasses, the status of herbs and legumes, status of weeds species, and carrying capacity of particular grassland. Presence of wild herbivore species in the grasslands with their abundance, availability of water resources was also assessed. Grassland productivity is dependent mainly on the biotic and abiotic components of the area, but management interventions may also play an important role in grassland composition and productivity. Variation in the status of palatable and non-palatable grasses, legumes, and weeds was recorded and found effected by management intervention practices. Overall in all the studied grasslands, the most dominant grasses recorded are Themeda quadrivalvis, Dichanthium annulatum, Ischaemum indicum, Oplismenus burmanii, Setaria pumilla, Cynodon dactylon, Heteropogon contortus, and Eragrostis tenella. Presence of wild herbivores, i.e., Chital, Sambar, Bison, Bluebull, Chinkara, Barking deer in the grassland area has been recorded through the installation of camera traps and estimated their abundance. Assessment of developed grasslands was done in terms of habitat suitability for Chital (Axis axis) and Sambar (Rusa unicolor). The parameters considered for suitability modeling are biotic and abiotic life requisite components existing in the area, i.e., density of grasses, density of legumes, availability of water, site elevation, site distance from human habitation. Findings of the present study would be useful for further grassland management and animal translocation programmes.

Keywords: carrying capacity, dominant grasses, grassland, habitat suitability, management intervention, wild herbivore

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Authors: Connor Dunlop, Bassim Abbassi, Richard G. Zytner

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Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that can be used to assess the environmental impacts of a product or process from cradle to grave. Many studies utilize the LCA methodology within the site remediation field to compare various decontamination methods, including bioremediation, soil vapor extraction or excavation, and off-site disposal. However, with the authors' best knowledge, limited information is available in the literature on a sustainability tool that could be used to help with the selection of the optimal remediation technology. This tool, based on the LCA methodology, would consider site conditions like environmental, economic, and social impacts. Accordingly, this project was undertaken to develop a tool to assist with the selection of optimal sustainable technology. Developing a proper tool requires a large amount of data. As such, data was collected from previous LCA studies looking at site remediation technologies. This step identified knowledge gaps or limitations within project data. Next, utilizing the data obtained from the literature review and other organizations, an extensive LCA study is being completed following the ISO 14040 requirements. Initial technologies being compared include bioremediation, excavation with off-site disposal, and a no-remediation option for a generic gasoline-contaminated site. To complete the LCA study, the modelling software SimaPro is being utilized. A sensitivity analysis of the LCA results will also be incorporated to evaluate the impact on the overall results. Finally, the economic and social impacts associated with each option will then be reviewed to understand how they fluctuate at different sites. All the results will then be summarized, and an interactive tool using Excel will be developed to help select the best sustainable site remediation technology. Preliminary LCA results show improved sustainability for the decontamination of a gasoline-contaminated site for each technology compared to the no-remediation option. Sensitivity analyses are now being completed on on-site parameters to determine how the environmental impacts fluctuate at other contaminated gasoline locations as the parameters vary, including soil type and transportation distances. Additionally, the social improvements and overall economic costs associated with each technology are being reviewed. Utilizing these results, the sustainability tool created to assist in the selection of the overall best option will be refined.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, site remediation, sustainability tool, contaminated sites

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