Search results for: real life contexts

Authors: Emmanuel S. Adeyanju

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This study assessed the effects of continuous training on anthropometric characteristics of adolescents in Kano, Nigeria. The anthropometric measures of per cent body fat (%BF), body mass index (BMI), conicity index (CI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were selected because of their roles in increased adiposity and favourable cardiovascular disease (CVD) factor profiles in children and adolescence. The international standards and procedures were followed in all the measurements. A total of thirty (30) subjects (M=15; F=15), selected at random, were divided into two groups; one training (M=10; F=10) and the other control (M=5; F=5). Both groups were tested before training, at six (6) and 12 weeks in all the listed variables. The training group had 12 weeks continuous training which involved running round the standard 400 m track of the college following standard procedures; while the control group did not. The findings revealed significant sex-specific reductions in %BF (F=610.482 ˂ 0.05), BMI (F=73.860 ˂ 0.05), WHR (F=49.756 ˂ 0.05); however, no significant training effect on CI (F=1.855 ˃ 0.05) and WHR (F=1.956 ˃ 0.05) was found. Greater modifications found in females than in males (except in CI and WHR) due to training were probably related to their initial level of fitness and enzymatic modifications at subcellular level during training. The result also revealed significant relationship between the modifications in %BF, BMI and WHR but failed to establish any between CI and other adiposity measures. Thus, to avert the consequences of obesity and overweight, the declining fitness level of adolescents should be checked by ensuring they engaged in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) programmes. Such a childhood habit of exercise developed early in life will have a carry-over value into adult life and improve the quality of adult population.

Keywords: adiposity, anthropometry, conicity, continuous training

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Authors: Birgit Schmid, Brigitte Liebig, Susanne Burren, Maritza Le Breton, Martin Boehnel, Celestina Porta

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Internationalization of students is part of the agenda of many universities worldwide. Yet, how well do universities achieve to guarantee educational success for male and female students of migrant background? This contribution aims on analyzing the effects of the Swiss university environment on perceived educational outcome of migrant students from a gender sensitive perspective. Social selectivity and gender inequalities strongly influence students’ access and success at universities. However, the complex interaction between universities and their disciplinary environments, and educational success of migrant students of both sex remains rarely examined so far. Starting from an intersectional perspective and neo-institutional approaches on higher education organizations, this contribution addresses formal/informal factors in the university environment in its impact on male/female students’ perception of well-being, success and dropout motivation. The paper starts from a most recent Swiss online-survey of Bachelor-students in two Universities of Applied Science and a University of Education in Switzerland. It compares students’ perspectives in four large BA degree courses with different male/female ratio, i.e. educational science, technical/computer science, economy, and social work (N=9`608). Results highlight the complex interplay of gender, migrant background and further dimensions of social differentiation on students’ perception in these different fields of education. Further, they illustrate correlations between students’ perception of discriminatory contexts, poor ratings of social integration and study success, as well a higher rate of dropout ideas. The paper lines out, that formal aspects of internationalization are less important for successfully integrating male/female migrant students than informal university conditions, such as a culture of diversity, which has to become integral part of internationalization strategies.

Keywords: gender and migration, higher education, internationalization, success

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Authors: Vedant Vardhan Rathour, Anant Agrawal

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The project aims to provide a touchless, intuitive interface for human-computer interaction, enabling users to control their computer using hand gestures and voice commands. The system leverages advanced computer vision techniques using the MediaPipe framework and OpenCV to detect and interpret real time hand gestures, transforming them into mouse actions such as clicking, dragging, and scrolling. Additionally, the integration of a voice assistant powered by the Speech Recognition library allows for seamless execution of tasks like web searches, location navigation and gesture control on the system through voice commands.

Keywords: gesture recognition, hand tracking, machine learning, convolutional neural networks

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Authors: Andrea Corsale

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The historical and geographical regions of Banat and Crişana in Western Romania have long been characterized by a high degree of ethnic diversity. However, this traditionally complex cultural, linguistic, and religious mosaic has undergone a progressive simplification during the past century due to deportations, emigration, and assimilation, and both regions now have a large Romanian-speaking majority population. This contribution focuses on Jewish heritage in the two largest cities of these two regions, Timişoara (Banat) and Oradea (Crişana). The two cities shared some historical events but also went through different experiences, despite their relative geographic proximity. The Jewish community of Timişoara survived the Holocaust basically intact, an almost unique case in Central-Eastern Europe, but largely left the city after the war. Instead, the Jewish community of Oradea was almost completely deported and killed in Auschwitz, and a renewed post-war community gradually emigrated abroad in the following decades. The two Jewish communities are now very small in size but inherited a vast tangible and intangible heritage (synagogues, cemeteries, community buildings, characteristic architecture, memories, local traditions, and histories), partially restored and recovered in recent years. The author’s fieldwork shows that local Jewish stakeholders are aware of the potential of this heritage in terms of cultural and economic benefits, but significant weaknesses and concerns exist, as the small dimension of these communities, and their financial constraints, challenge their future role in the eventual promotion and management of this heritage, which is now basically in the hands of the non-Jewish public and private stakeholders. Projects, experiences, and views related to Jewish heritage conservation and promotion in these two contexts will be portrayed and analysed in order to contribute to a broader discussion on representations and narratives of minority heritage within cultural tourism development dynamics.

Keywords: Jewish heritage, ethnic minorities, heritage tourism, Romania

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Authors: Tulika Bhattacharyya, Suhita Chopra Chatterjee

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Family caregivers are vital in providing physical and emotional care to the aged. Providing care to aged involves physical as well as psycho-socio-economic challenges, compels the caregiver to fit in manifold roles, feel overburdened; which in turn requires them to change their priorities in life. The study conducted on family caregivers of the hospitalized elderly explores caregiver’s burden using Zarit Burden Scale (ZBS). The data has been collected from two randomly selected Multispecialty Hospitals in Kolkata (India), after obtaining ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Board of both the hospitals. The predictors of burden were also assessed using interview schedules. Among fifty-seven caregivers who participated in the study, caregiver’s burden was identified among thirty respondents with twenty-six having mild to moderate burden and four having moderate to severe burden. Majority of the caregivers were found to be female, reflecting the gendered nature of caregiving. Family caregivers spent more than six hours per day on caregiving, which severely disturbed their work-life including loss of job. The study revealed that the caregivers’ marital status, family structure, academic qualification, occupation and time spent on caregiving are related to family caregivers’ burden. The burden of care giving was accentuated by poor access to information, counseling, and lack of supportive services. The paper concludes by indicating the need for greater state interventions for caregivers.

Keywords: caregivers burden, family caregiving, hospitalized elderly, elderly in Kolkata, India, Zarit Burden Scale

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Authors: Liat Shamri-Zeevi, Neta Ram-Vlasov

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Today the world as a whole is attempting to cope with the COVID-19, which has affected all facets of personal and social life from country-wide confinement to maintaining social distance and taking protective measures to maintain hygiene. One of the populations faced with the most severe restrictions is seniors. Various studies have shown that creativity plays a crucial role in dealing with crisis events. Painting - regardless of media - allows for emotional and cognitive processing of these situations, and enables the expression of experiences in a tangible creative way that conveys and endows meaning to the artwork. The current study was conducted in Israel immediately after a 6-week lockdown. It was designed to specifically examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of elderly women as reflected in their artworks. The sample was composed of 21 Israeli women aged 60-90, in good mental health (without diagnosed dementia or Alzheimer's), all of whom were Hebrew-speaking, and retired with an extended family, who indicated that they painted and had engaged in artwork on an ongoing basis throughout the lockdown (from March 12 to May 30, 2020). The participants' artworks were collected, and a semi-structured in-depth interview was conducted that lasted one to two hours. The participants were asked about their feelings during the pandemic and the artworks they produced during this time, and completed a questionnaire on well-being and mental health. The initial analysis of the interviews and artworks revealed themes related to the specific role of each piece of artwork. The first theme included notions that the artwork was an activity and a framework for doing, which supported positive emotions, and provided a sense of vitality during the closure. Most of the participants painted images of nature and growth which were ascribed concrete and symbolic meaning. The second theme was that the artwork enabled the processing of difficult and /or conflicting emotions related to the situation, including anxiety about death and loneliness that were symbolically expressed in the artworks, such as images of the Corona virus and the respiratory machines. The third theme suggested that the time and space prompted by the lockdown gave the participants time for a gathering together of the self, and freed up time for creative activities. Many participants stated that they painted more and more frequently during the Corona lockdown. At the conference, additional themes and findings will be presented.

Keywords: Corona virus, artwork, quality of life of elderly

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Authors: Thorsten Auer, Sumaya Islam, Sabrina Plaß, Colin Wooldridge

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Whether individuals are more likely to forgo some ethical values if it is for a “great” social mission remains questionable. Research interest in the mechanism of moral disengagement has risen sharply in the organizational context over the last decades. Moral disengagement provides an explanatory approach to why individuals decide against their moral intent and describes the tendency to make unethical decisions due to a lack of self-regulation given various actions and their consequences. In our study, we examine the differences between individual decision-making given a commercial and social entrepreneurial context. Thereby, we investigate whether individuals in a social entrepreneurial context, characterized by pro-social goals and purpose beyond profit maximization, tend to make more or less “unethical” decisions in trade-off situations than those given a profit-focused commercial, entrepreneurial context. While a general priming effect may explain the tendency for individuals to make less unethical decisions given a social context, it remains unclear how individuals decide given a trade-off in that specific context. The trade-off in our study is characterized by the option to decide (un-) ethically to enhance the business purpose (in the social context, a social purpose, in the commercial context, a profit-maximization purpose). To investigate which characteristics of the context –and specifically of a trade-off – lead individuals to disregard and override their ethical values for a “greater good”, we design a conjoint analysis. This approach allows us to vary the attributes and scenarios and to test which attributes of a trade-off increase the probability of making an unethical choice. We add survey data to examine the individual propensity to morally disengage as an influencing factor to prefer certain attributes. Currently, we are in the final process of designing the conjoint analysis and plan to conduct the study by December 2022. We contribute to a better understanding of the role of moral disengagement in individual decision-making in a (social) entrepreneurial trade-off.

Keywords: moral disengagement, social entrepreneurship, unethical decision, conjoint analysis

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Authors: Rubina Waseem

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The research focuses on the major crises and major effects, largely unforeseen, to counter international security concerns. At the close of 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China. The coronavirus was initially seen as an inchoate danger, aimed at striking people randomly. Owing to the extraordinary transmissibility of the virus and the highly knitted nature of the international political world, the Covid-19 soon became a formidable global challenge. The once hustling and bustling avenues, city centers, and market places became deserted. Lockdown, self-isolation, hygiene and safety, social-distancing, and job losses became a new norm. The national economies gradually plunged into crisis. The pandemic has so far caused over 33 million cases and one million deaths. The virus continues to devastate social life, as there is yet no therapeutic available. While the world was preoccupied addressing the human and social toll, the pandemic has exacerbated despair, mistrust, and friction in international relations, diplomacy, and strategy. The research will discuss how the coronavirus has accelerated the trends of transition in the postwar security order constructed by the United States. China, Russia, European Union, and other lesser regional players are now increasingly changing their security orientations to undermine the United States standing and authority in world politics. The systemic level analyses will be adopted as a methodology to broaden the lens of the study, and the research will analyze the prevalent global power distribution, whether vulnerable or exposed. The trends of parochial nationalism and isolationism are increasingly replacing multilateralism and collectivism. Yet worse, military posturing is assuming a greater role in international interactions. Taken together, the pandemic has worsened the prospects of international peace and stability by mounting equal pressure across the channels of international relations, diplomacy, and strategy. It is yet unclear which country or collectivity will face the real brunt. Despite this jaded and pessimistic view, the lingering pandemic has the potential to reinforce cooperation, multilateralism, and collectivism in the realm of international politics. There is a renewed momentum for global efforts against the pandemic. States and societies are coming closer to act as a whole. Equally important, the world leaders are feeling tempted to revisit the traditional conception of national security. In this regard, they are exploring the possibility of according preference to non-traditional security issues. In essence, the research concludes that Covid-19 has put the international political system under a great trial.

Keywords: covid-19, global challenges, international politics, international security

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Authors: Kiamran Radjabli

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State Estimator became an intrinsic part of Energy Management Systems (EMS). The SCADA measurements received from the field are processed by the State Estimator in order to accurately determine the actual operating state of the power systems and provide that information to other real-time network applications. All EMS vendors offer a State Estimator functionality in their baseline products. However, setting up and ensuring that State Estimator consistently produces a reliable solution often consumes a substantial engineering effort. This paper provides generic recommendations and describes a simple practical approach to efficient tuning of State Estimator, based on the working experience with major EMS software platforms and consulting projects in many electrical utilities of the USA.

Keywords: convergence, monitoring, state estimator, performance, troubleshooting, tuning, power systems

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Authors: Hongmin Deng, Qionghua Wang

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A modified two dimensional (2D) logistic map based on cross feedback control is proposed. This 2D map exhibits more random chaotic dynamical properties than the classic one dimensional (1D) logistic map in the statistical characteristics analysis. So it is utilized as the pseudo-random (PN) sequence generator, where the obtained real-valued PN sequence is quantized at first, then applied to radio frequency identification (RFID) communication system in this paper. This system is experimentally validated on a cortex-M₀ development board, which shows the effectiveness in key generation, the size of key space and security. At last, further cryptanalysis is studied through the test suite in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Keywords: chaos encryption, logistic map, pseudo-random sequence, RFID

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Authors: Alba Prats-Bisbe, Jaume López-Carballo, David Leno-Colorado, Alberto García Molina, Alicia Romero Marquez, Elena Hernández Pena, Eloy Opisso Salleras, Raimon Jané Campos

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Neurological disorders are a leading cause of disability and premature mortality worldwide. Neurorehabilitation (NRHB) is a clinical process aimed at reducing functional impairment, promoting societal participation, and improving the quality of life for affected individuals. Virtual reality (VR) technology is emerging as a promising NRHB support tool. Its immersive nature fosters a strong sense of agency and embodiment, motivating patients to engage in meaningful tasks and increasing adherence to therapy. However, the clinical benefits of VR interventions are challenging to determine due to the high heterogeneity among health applications. This study explores a stepwise development approach for creating VR-based tools to assist individuals with neurological disorders in medical practice, aiming to enhance reproducibility, facilitate comparison, and promote the generalization of findings. Building on previous research, the step-by-step methodology encompasses: Needs Identification– conducting cross-disciplinary meetings to brainstorm problems, solutions, and address barriers. Intervention Definition– target population, set goals, and conceptualize the VR system (equipment and environments). Material Selection and Placement– choose appropriate hardware and software, place the device within the hospital setting, and test equipment. Co-design– collaboratively create VR environments, user interfaces, and data management strategies. Prototyping– develop VR prototypes, conduct user testing, and make iterative redesigns. Usability and Feasibility Assessment– design protocols and conduct trials with stakeholders in the hospital setting. Efficacy Assessment– conduct clinical trials to evaluate outcomes and long-term effects. Cost-Effectiveness Validation– assess reproducibility, sustainability, and balance between costs and benefits. NRHB is complex due to the multifaceted needs of patients and the interdisciplinary healthcare architecture. VR has the potential to support various applications, such as motor skill training, cognitive tasks, pain management, unilateral spatial neglect (diagnosis and treatment), mirror therapy, and ecologically valid activities of daily living. Following this methodology was crucial for launching a VR-based system in a real hospital environment. Collaboration with neuropsychologists lead to develop A) a VR-based tool for cognitive rehabilitation in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). The system comprises a head-mounted display (HTC Vive Pro Eye) and 7 tasks targeting attention, memory, and executive functions. A desktop application facilitates session configuration, while database records in-game variables. The VR tool's usability and feasibility were demonstrated in proof-of-concept trials with 20 patients, and effectiveness is being tested through a clinical protocol with 12 patients completing 24-session treatment. Another case involved collaboration with nurses and paediatric physiatrists to create B) a VR-based distraction tool during invasive techniques. The goal is to alleviate pain and anxiety associated with botulinum toxin (BTX) injections, blood tests, or intravenous placements. An all-in-one headset (HTC Vive Focus 3) deploys 360º videos to improve the experience for paediatric patients and their families. This study presents a framework for developing clinically relevant and technologically feasible VR-based support tools for hospital settings. Despite differences in patient type, intervention purpose, and VR system, the methodology demonstrates usability, viability, reproducibility and preliminary clinical benefits. It highlights the importance approach centred on clinician and patient needs for any aspect of NRHB within a real hospital setting.

Keywords: neurological disorders, neurorehabilitation, stepwise development approach, virtual reality

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Authors: Lauren A. Bailey, Amber R. Childs, Nicola C. James, Murray I. Duncan, Alexander Winkler, Warren M. Potts

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Changes in behaviour and physiology are the most important responses of marine life to anthropogenic impacts such as climate change and over-fishing. Behavioural changes (such as a shift in distribution or changes in phenology) can ensure that a species remains in an environment suited for its optimal physiological performance. However, if marine life is unable to shift their distribution, they are reliant on physiological adaptation (either by broadening their metabolic curves to tolerate a range of stressors or by shifting their metabolic curves to maximize their performance at extreme stressors). However, since there are links between fish physiology and behaviour, changes to either of these traits may have reciprocal interactions. This paper reviews the current knowledge of the links between the behaviour and physiology of fishes, discusses these in the context of exploitation and climate change, and makes recommendations for future research needs. The review revealed that our understanding of the links between fish behaviour and physiology is rudimentary. However, both are hypothesized to be linked to stress responses along the hypothalamic pituitary axis. The link between physiological capacity and behaviour is particularly important as both determine the response of an individual to a changing climate and are under selection by fisheries. While it appears that all types of capture fisheries are likely to reduce the adaptive potential of fished populations to climate stressors, angling, which is primarily associated with recreational fishing, may induce fission of natural populations by removing individuals with bold behavioural traits and potentially the physiological traits required to facilitate behavioural change. Future research should focus on assessing how the links between physiological capacity and behaviour influence catchability, the response to climate change drivers, and post-release recovery. The plasticity of phenotypic traits should be examined under a range of stressors of differing intensity in several species and life history stages. Future studies should also assess plasticity (fission or fusion) in the phenotypic structuring of social hierarchy and how this influences habitat selection. Ultimately, to fully understand how physiology is influenced by the selective processes driven by fisheries, long-term monitoring of the physiological and behavioural structure of fished populations, their fitness, and catch rates are required.

Keywords: climate change, metabolic shifts, over-fishing, phenotypic plasticity, stress response

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Authors: М. Zh. Khazimov, А. B. Kudasheva

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The article presents the state of solid fuel reserves and their share in the world energy sector. The air pollution caused by the operation of heating devices using solid fuels is a significant problem. In order to improve the air quality, heating device producers take constant measures to improve their products. However, the emission results achieved during an initial test of heating devices in the laboratory may be much worse during operation in real operating conditions. The ways of increasing the efficiency of the boiler by improving its design for combustion in full-layer mode are shown. The results of the testing of the improved КВТС-0.2 hot water boiler is presented and the technical and economic indicators are determined, which indicate an increase in the efficiency of the boiler.

Keywords: boiler unit, grate, furnace, coal, ash

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Authors: Ali Riza Perçin, Eser Bingül

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Internet technologies have created opportunities with which people share their ideologies, thoughts and products. This virtual world, named social media has given the chance of gathering individual users and people from the world's remote locations and establishing an interaction between them. However, to an increasingly higher degree terrorist organizations today use the internet and most notably social-network media to create the effects they desire through a series of on-line activities. These activities, designed to support their activities, include information collection (intelligence), target selection, propaganda, fundraising and recruitment to name a few. Meanwhile, these have been used as the most important tool for recruitment especially from the different region of the world, especially disenfranchised youth, in the West in order to mobilize support and recruit “foreign fighters.” The recruits have obtained the statue, which is not accessible in their society and have preferred the style of life that is offered by the terrorist organizations instead of their current life. Like other terrorist groups, for a while now the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria has employed a social-media strategy in order to advance their strategic objectives. At the moment, however, IS seems to be more successful in their on-line activities than other similar organizations. IS uses social media strategically as part of its armed activities and for the sustainability of their military presence in Syria and Iraq. In this context, “Generation Y”, which could exist at the critical position and undertake active role, has been examined. Additionally, the explained characteristics of “Generation Y” have been put forward and the duties of families and society have been stated as well.

Keywords: social media, "generation Y", terrorist organization, islamic state IS

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Authors: Song Ni, Junxiang Xu

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This paper concerns quasi-periodic perturbations with parameters of 2-dimensional degenerate systems. If the equilibrium point of the unperturbed system is elliptic-type degenerate. Assume that the perturbation is real analytic quasi-periodic with diophantine frequency. Without imposing any assumption on the perturbation, we can use a path of equilibrium points to tackle with the Melnikov non-resonance condition, then by the Leray-Schauder Continuation Theorem and the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser technique, it is proved that the equation has a small response solution for many sufficiently small parameters.

Keywords: quasi-periodic systems, KAM-iteration, degenerate equilibrium point, response solution

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Authors: Amina Aquil, Abdeljalil El Got

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Background: Sleep quality is one of the most important indicators related to the quality of life of patients suffering from cancer. Many factors could affect this quality of sleep and then be considered as associated predictors. Methods: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sleep disorders and the associated factors with impaired sleep quality in Moroccan women with gynecological cancer. A cross-sectional study was carried out within the oncology department of the Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, on Moroccan women who had undergone radical surgery for gynecological cancer (n=100). Translated and validated Arabic versions of the following international scales were used: Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (RSES), and Body image scale (BIS). Results: 78% of participants were considered poor sleepers. Most of the patients exhibited very poor subjective quality, low sleep latency, a short period of sleep, and a low rate of usual sleep efficiency. The vast majority of these patients were in poor shape during the day and did not use sleep medication. Waking up in the middle of the night or early in the morning and getting up to use the bathroom were the main reasons for poor sleep quality. PSQI scores were positively correlated with anxiety, depression, body image dissatisfaction, and lower self-esteem (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Sleep quality and its predictors require a systematic evaluation and adequate management to prevent sleep disturbances and mental distress as well as to improve the quality of life of these patients.

Keywords: body image, gynecological cancer, self esteem, sleep quality

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Authors: Kaavya Rathnakumar

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Minimally processed fruits have the attributes of convenience and fresh like quality. In minimally processed products, the cells of the tissue are alive, and the essential nutrients and flavours are retained. Some of the procedures include washing, trimming, sorting, cutting, slicing and shredding. Fruits such as pineapple and guava were taken for the study of textural properties for a period of five days. After the performance of various unit operations 50g cubes of pineapple and guava has been weighed. For determining the textural properties, samples were taken in which set of 12 samples were treated by using 1% citric acid solution and dried for 5 minutes the remaining set of 12 samples were untreated. In set of treated samples 6 were vacuum packed and stored in the refrigerator, and the other sample was normally stored. For untreated samples was done in a similar way. In texture profile analysis the force required for 1cm penetration of 2mm cylindrical needle inside the fruits were recorded for all packages. It was observed that guava the fresh sample had a force of penetration of 3250mm and as the days increased the force decreased to 357.4 mm for vacuum packed refrigerated storage. In the case of pineapple, the force of penetration of the fresh sample was 2325mm which was decreased to 26.3mm on the fourth day and very low at the fifth day for vacuum packed refrigerated storage. But in case of untreated samples, the fruits were spoiled may be because of no pre-treatment and packaging. Comparatively, it was found that vacuum packed refrigerated samples had higher shelf life than normal packed samples in ambient conditions.

Keywords: 1% citric acid solution, normal packed, refrigerated storage, vacuum packed

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Authors: Sima Ajami, Batool Akbari

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Background: Radio frequency identification (RFID) system has been successfully applied to the areas of manufacturing, supply chain, agriculture, transportation, healthcare, and services. The RFID is already used to track and trace the victims in a disaster situation. Data can be collected in real time and be immediately available to emergency personnel and saves time by the RFID. Objectives: The aim of this study was, first, to identify stakeholders and customers for rescuing earthquake victims, second, to list key internal and external factors to use RFID to track earthquake victims, finally, to assess SWOT for rescuers' viewpoint. Materials and Methods: This study was an applied and analytical study. The study population included scholars, experts, planners, policy makers and rescuers in the "red crescent society of Isfahan province", "disaster management Isfahan province", "maintenance and operation department of Isfahan", "fire and safety services organization of Isfahan municipality", and "medical emergencies and disaster management center of Isfahan". After that, researchers held a workshop to teach participants about RFID and its usages in tracking earthquake victims. In the meanwhile of the workshop, participants identified, listed, and weighed key internal factors (strengths and weaknesses; SW) and external factors (opportunities and threats; OT) to use RFID in tracking earthquake victims. Therefore, participants put weigh strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and their weighted scales were calculated. Then, participants' opinions about this issue were assessed. Finally, according to the SWOT matrix, strategies to solve the weaknesses, problems, challenges, and threats through opportunities and strengths were proposed by participants. Results: The SWOT analysis showed that the total weighted score for internal and external factors were 3.91 (Internal Factor Evaluation) and 3.31 (External Factor Evaluation) respectively. Therefore, it was in a quadrant SO strategies cell in the SWOT analysis matrix and aggressive strategies were resulted. Organizations, scholars, experts, planners, policy makers and rescue workers should plan to use RFID technology in order to save more victims and manage their life. Conclusions: Researchers suppose to apply SO strategies and use a firm’s internal strength to take advantage of external opportunities. It is suggested, policy maker should plan to use the most developed technologies to save earthquake victims and deliver the easiest service to them. To do this, education, informing, and encouraging rescuers to use these technologies is essential. Originality/ Value: This study was a research paper that showed how RFID can be useful to track victims in earthquake.

Keywords: frequency identification system, strength, weakness, earthquake, victim

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Authors: Seung Cho Yang, Jae Sung Lee, Se Hee Park

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This study suggests the analysis method to predict the damages of tunnel concrete caused by fires. The result obtained from the analyses of concrete temperatures at a fire in a tunnel using ABAQUS was compared with the test result. After the reliability of the analysis method was verified, the temperatures of a tunnel at a real fire and those of concrete during the fire were estimated to predict fire damages. The temperatures inside the tunnel were estimated by FDS, a CFD model. It was deduced that the fire performance of tunnel lining and the fire damages of the structure at an actual fire could be estimated by the analysis method.

Keywords: fire resistance, heat transfer, numerical analysis, tunnel fire

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Authors: Juan-Pedro Rica-Peromingo

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Teachers constantly need to innovate and redefine materials for their lectures, especially in areas such as Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) and Translation Studies (TS). It is therefore essential for the lecturers to be technically skilled to handle the never-ending evolution in software and technology, which are necessary elements especially in certain courses at university level. This need becomes even more evident in Audiovisual Translation (AVT) Modules and Courses. AVT has undergone considerable growth in the area of teaching and learning of languages for academic purposes. We have witnessed the development of a considerable number of masters and postgraduate courses where AVT becomes a tool for L2 learning. The teaching and learning of different AVT modes are components of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Universities, in which AVT is offered as part of their teaching programme or training, make use of professional or free software programs. This paper presents an approach in AVT withina specific university context, in which technology is used by means of professional and nonprofessional software. Students take an AVT subject as part of their English Linguistics Master’s Degree at the Complutense University (UCM) in which they are using professional (Spot) and nonprofessional (Subtitle Workshop, Aegisub, Windows Movie Maker) software packages. The students are encouraged to develop their tasks and projects simulating authentic professional experiences and contexts in the different AVT modes: subtitling for hearing and deaf and hard of hearing population, audio description and dubbing. Selected scenes from TV series such as X-Files, Gossip girl, IT Crowd; extracts from movies: Finding Nemo, Good Will Hunting, School of Rock, Harry Potter, Up; and short movies (Vincent) were used. Hence, the complexity of the audiovisual materials used in class as well as the activities for their projects were graded. The assessment of the diverse tasks carried out by all the students are expected to provide some insights into the best way to improve their linguistic accuracy and oral and written productions with the use of different AVT modes in a very specific ESP university context.

Keywords: ESP, audiovisual translation, technology, university teaching, teaching

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Authors: Shweta Vardia

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The 2021 decision by the World Heritage Center to align buffer zones with the 2015 Strategy for Sustainable Development marks a significant advancement in the protection of cultural and natural heritage sites. Buffer zones play a critical role in preserving the outstanding universal value, authenticity, and integrity of heritage sites, shielding them from threats such as urbanization, industrialization, and tourism. The 2015 Strategy emphasizes the integration of culture and heritage into sustainable development policies, highlighting the importance of community participation, traditional knowledge, and effective management in the conservation of heritage sites. This paper examines the implications of this strategic alignment for tentative World Heritage Sites in India. It explores how buffer zones can serve as tools for sustainable tourism, economic growth, and environmental protection while also addressing the socio-economic needs of local communities. By adopting a people-centered approach, the study underscores the need for active community involvement in heritage conservation, recognizing local residents as long-term custodians of cultural heritage. The role of buffer zones in promoting sustainable livelihoods, enhancing resilience to environmental changes, and fostering a sense of belonging among communities is also discussed. The challenges associated with buffer zones, including restrictive boundaries, unclear legislative frameworks, and potential disconnection from sociocultural contexts, are critically analyzed. The paper advocates for a holistic and integrated approach to buffer zone management, ensuring that policies are not only theoretically sound but also practically feasible. It concludes by emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts among conservation professionals, local communities, and policymakers to achieve sustainable development goals that respect both the heritage site's integrity and the well-being of surrounding populations.

Keywords: buffer zones, India, local communities, urbanization, world heritage sites

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Authors: Shane Theunissen, Rob Grandy

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Historically and we would fairly conventionally within our formal schooling systems, we have convergent testing where all the students are expected to converge on the same answer, and that answer has been determined by an external authority that is reproducing knowledge of the hegemon. Many youths may not embody the cultural capital that's rewarded in formal schooling contexts as they aren't able to converge on the required answer that's being determined by the classroom teacher or the administrators. In this paper, we explore divergent processes that promote creative problem-solving. We embody this divergent process in our measurement of fundamental growth needs. To this end, we utilize the Mosaic Approach as a method for implementing the Outcomes That Matter framework. Outcomes That Matter is the name of the measurement tool built around the Circle of Courage framework, which is a way of identifying fundamental growth needs for young people. The Circle of Courage was developed by Martin-Broken-Leg and colleagues as a way to connect indigenous child-rearing philosophies with contemporary resilience and positive psychology research. The Outcomes that Matter framework puts forward four categories of growth needs for young people. These are: Belonging, which on a macro scale is acceptance into the greater community of practice, Mastery which includes a constellation of concepts including confidence, motivation, self-actualization, and self-determination, Independence refers to a sense of personal power into autonomy within a context where creativity and problem solving, and a personal voice can begin to emerge, and finally Generosity which includes interpersonal things like conflict resolution and teamwork. Outcomes of Matter puts these four domains into a measurement tool that facilitates collaborative assessment between the youth, teachers, and recreation therapists that allows for youth-led narratives pertaining to their fundamental growth outcomes. This application of the Outcomes That Matter framework is unique as it may be the first application of this framework in an educational boatbuilding context.

Keywords: collaboration, empowerment, outcomes that matter, mosaic approach, boat building

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Authors: Waqas Mehdi, Muhammad Umar Hassan, Khadeeja Mustafa

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Objective: Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a medical term used to point out the complicated combination of physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral signs and symptoms associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury(mTBI). This study was conducted to assess the improvement or debilitating effect of behavioral therapy in addition to the conventional treatment and to document these results for increasing the efficiency of treatment provided to such cases. Method: This was primarily an interventional prospective cohort study which was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Hospital Lahore. The sample size was 200 patients who were randomly distributed into two groups. The interventional group with Cognitive behavioral therapy was added in addition to the conventional treatment regimen and the Control group receiving only conventional treatment. Results were noted initially as well as after two weeks of the follow-up period. Data were subsequently analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and associations worked out. Result and conclusion: Among the patients that were given therapy sessions along with conventional medicine, there was a significant improvement in the symptoms and their overall quality of life. It is also important to notice that the time period taken for these effects to wane is cut down by psychiatric solutions too. So we can conclude that CBT sessions not only speed up recovery in patients with post-concussion syndrome they also aid in the efficiency improvement in functional capability and quality of life.

Keywords: neurosurgery, CBT, PCS, mTBI

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Authors: Tzu-Ting Hu, Jung-Der Wang, Ming-Yeng Lin, Jin-Luh Chen, Perng-Jy Tsai

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The vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) has been classified as group 1 (human) carcinogen by the IARC. Workers exposed to VCM are known associated with the development of the liver cancer and hence might cause economical and health losses. Particularly, for those work for the petrochemical industry have been seriously concerned in the environmental and occupational health field. Considering assessing workers’ health risks and their resultant economical and health losses requires the establishment of long-term VCM exposure data for any similar exposure group (SEG) of interest, the development of suitable technologies has become an urgent and important issue. In the present study, VCM exposures for petrochemical industry workers were determined firstly based on the database of the 'Workplace Environmental Monitoring Information Systems (WEMIS)' provided by Taiwan OSHA. Considering the existence of miss data, the reconstruction of historical exposure techniques were then used for completing the long-term exposure data for SEGs with routine operations. For SEGs with non-routine operations, exposure modeling techniques, together with their time/activity records, were adopted for determining their long-term exposure concentrations. The Bayesian decision analysis (BDA) was adopted for conducting exposure and health risk assessments for any given SEG in the petrochemical industry. The resultant excessive cancer risk was then used to determine the corresponding loss of quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE). Results show that low average concentrations can be found for SEGs with routine operations (e.g., VCM rectification 0.0973 ppm, polymerization 0.306 ppm, reaction tank 0.33 ppm, VCM recovery 1.4 ppm, control room 0.14 ppm, VCM storage tanks 0.095 ppm and wastewater treatment 0.390 ppm), and the above values were much lower than that of the permissible exposure limit (PEL; 3 ppm) of VCM promulgated in Taiwan. For non-routine workers, though their high exposure concentrations, their low exposure time and frequencies result in low corresponding health risks. Through the consideration of exposure assessment results, health risk assessment results, and QALE results simultaneously, it is concluded that the proposed method was useful for prioritizing SEGs for conducting exposure abatement measurements. Particularly, the obtained QALE results further indicate the importance of reducing workers’ VCM exposures, though their exposures were low as in comparison with the PEL and the acceptable health risk.

Keywords: exposure assessment, health risk assessment, petrochemical industry, quality-adjusted life years, vinyl chloride monomer

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Authors: Syed Ali Taqi, Muhammad Ismail

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A comparative study of estimators of population means in two phase sampling in the presence of non-response when Unknown population means of the auxiliary variable(s) and incomplete information of study variable y as well as of auxiliary variable(s) is made. Three real data sets of University students, hospital and unemployment are used for comparison of all the available techniques in two phase sampling in the presence of non-response with the newly generalized ratio estimators.

Keywords: two-phase sampling, ratio estimator, product estimator, generalized estimators

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Authors: Vaibhav Dalmia, Manoj Phirke, Renith G

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With the wide adoption of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in various industries by the government as well as private corporations for solving computer vision tasks it’s necessary that their potential is analyzed completely. Recent advances in Deep Learning have also left us with a plethora of algorithms to solve different computer vision tasks. This study provides a comprehensive survey on solving the Visual Object Tracking problem and explains the tradeoffs involved in building a real-time yet reasonably accurate object tracking system for UAVs by looking at existing methods and evaluating them on the aerial datasets. Finally, the best trackers suitable for UAV-based applications are provided.

Keywords: deep learning, drones, single object tracking, visual object tracking, UAVs

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Authors: Joy Chadwick

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This Study of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research focused on the experiences of teacher candidates involved in an inclusive education methods course within a four-year direct entry Bachelor of Education program. The placement of this course within the final fourteen-week practicum semester is designed to facilitate deeper theory-practice connections between effective inclusive pedagogical knowledge and the real life of classroom teaching. The course focuses on supporting teacher candidates to understand that effective instruction within an inclusive classroom context must be intentional, responsive, and relational. Diversity is situated not as exceptional but rather as expected. This interpretive qualitative study involved the analysis of twenty-nine teacher candidate reflective journals and six individual teacher candidate semi-structured interviews. The journal entries were completed at the start of the semester and at the end of the semester with the intent of having teacher candidates reflect on their beliefs of what it means to be an effective inclusive educator and how the course and practicum experiences impacted their understanding and approaches to teaching in inclusive classrooms. The semi-structured interviews provided further depth and context to the journal data. The journals and interview transcripts were coded and themed using NVivo software. The findings suggest that instructional frameworks such as universal design for learning (UDL), differentiated instruction (DI), response to intervention (RTI), social emotional learning (SEL), and self-regulation supported teacher candidate’s abilities to meet the needs of their students more effectively. Course content that focused on specific exceptionalities also supported teacher candidates to be proactive rather than reactive when responding to student learning challenges. Teacher candidates also articulated the importance of reframing their perspective about students in challenging moments and that seeing the individual worth of each child was integral to their approach to teaching. A persisting question for teacher educators exists as to what pedagogical knowledge and understanding is most relevant in supporting future teachers to be effective at planning for and embracing the diversity of student needs within classrooms today. This research directs us to consider the critical importance of addressing personal attributes and mindsets of teacher candidates regarding children as well as considering instructional frameworks when designing coursework. Further, the alignment of an inclusive education course during a teaching practicum allows for an iterative approach to learning. The practical application of course concepts while teaching in a practicum allows for a deeper understanding of instructional frameworks, thus enhancing the confidence of teacher candidates. Research findings have implications for teacher education programs as connected to inclusive education methods courses, practicum experiences, and overall teacher education program design.

Keywords: inclusion, inclusive education, pre-service teacher education, practicum experiences, teacher education

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Authors: Michaels Aibangbee, Sowbhagya Micheal, Pranee Liamputtong, Elias Mpofu, Tinashe Dune

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Background: The challenges migrants and refugee youth (MRY) experience in maintaining their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) continues to be a global public health issue. Consequently, MRY is more likely to encounter adverse SRH experiences due to limited access to and knowledge of SRH services. Using a socio-ecological framework, this study examined the MRY’s SRHR micro-level experiences to macro-levels analyses of SRH-related social systems and constructions. Methods: Eighteen focus groups were conducted using participatory action research (PAR) methodology to understand the phenomena. The focus groups included MRY participants (ages 16-26) living in Greater Western Sydney and facilitated by youth project liaisons (YPL). The data was afterward synthesised and analysed using the thematic-synthesis method. Results: In total, 86 MRY (male n= 25, female n= 61) MRY (across 20 different cultural backgrounds) participated in the focus groups. The findings identified socio-ecological factors characterising MRY SRHR, highlighting facilitators such as social media and significant barriers such as lack of access to services and socio-cultural dissonance, and the under-implementation of SRHR support and services by MRY. Key themes from the data included traditional and institutional stigma, lack of SRH education, high reliance on social media for SRH information, anonymity, and privacy concerns. Conclusion: The data shows a limited extent to which MRY SRHR is considered and the intergenerational understanding and stigma affecting the rights of MRY. Therefore, these findings suggest a need for policies and practices to empower MRY’s agency through a collaborative SRHR strategy and policy design to maintain relevance in multicultural contexts.

Keywords: migrant and refugee youth, sexual health, reproductive health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, culture, agency

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Authors: Rujnan Tuna, Ayse Cil Akinci

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Work life takes up an important place in human life, and an employed person faces many stimuli from internal and external environments and is affected by them in a positive or negative way. Also, the handover process, which is the process of sharing information about the patient with other health professionals, is an important criterion to maintain patient care and enhance the quality of care provided. Handover is a key component for sustaining daily basic clinical practices and is also essential to maintain the safe patient care. This investigation followed a descriptive and correlation design in order to establish job stress and the handover efficiency of nurses and the relationship in between. The study was conducted with 192 nurses working in a public hospital in Istanbul between January and March 2017. Descriptive information form, Job Stressors Scale, and Handover Evaluation Scale were used to collect the data of the study. The data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 statistical software. Approvals from participants, managers of institution, and ethics committee were taken for the study. As a result of the research, it was found that job stress was above the median value, and the highest score in the ‘work role conflict’ subdimension. Also, it was found that the effectiveness of the nurses' handover effectiviness was above the median value and the highest score in the ‘quality of information’ subdimension. In the study, there was a negatively weak correlation between ‘work role overload’ subdimension of Job Stressors Scale and ‘interaction and support’ subdimension of Handover Evaluation Scale. There is a need for further study in order to maintain patient safety.

Keywords: handover, job stress, nurse, patient

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Authors: Dmitry Ustinov, Olga Lobareva

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The method of Deep Systemic Constellations is based on a phenomenological approach. Using the phenomenon of substitutive perception it was established that the human consciousness has a hierarchical structure, where deeper levels govern more superficial ones (reactive level, energy or ancestral level, spiritual level, magical level, and deeper levels of consciousness). Every human possesses a depth of consciousness to the spiritual level, however deeper levels of consciousness are not found for every person. It was found that the spiritual level of consciousness is not homogeneous and has its own internal hierarchy of sublevels (the level of formation of spiritual values, the level of the 'inner observer', the level of the 'path', the level of 'God', etc.). The depth of the spiritual level of a person defines the paradigm of all his internal processes and the main motives of the movement through life. At any level of consciousness disturbances can occur. Disturbances at a deeper level cause disturbances at more superficial levels and are manifested in the daily life of a person in feelings, behavioral patterns, psychosomatics, etc. Without removing the deepest source of a disturbance it is impossible to completely correct its manifestation in the actual moment. Thus a destructive pattern of feeling and behavior in the actual moment can exist because of a disturbance, for example, at the spiritual level of a person (although in most cases the source is at the energy level). Psychological work with superficial levels without removing a source of disturbance cannot fully solve the problem. The method of Deep Systemic Constellations allows one to work effectively with the source of the problem located at any depth. The methodology has confirmed its effectiveness in working with more than a thousand people.

Keywords: constellations, spiritual psychology, structure of consciousness, transpersonal psychology

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