Search results for: emergency response training simulator

Authors: Bhupinder Singh, Joy Prakash Misra

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This article provides the information regarding machining of hastelloy-X on wire electro spark machining (WEDM). Experimental investigation has been carried out by varying pulse-on time (TON), pulse-off time (TOFF), peak current (IP) and spark gap voltage (SV). Effect of these parameters is studied on material removal rate (MRR). Experiments are designed as per box-behnken design (BBD) technique of response surface methodology (RSM). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicates that TON, TOFF, IP, SV, TON x IP are significant parameters that influenced the MRR, and it is depicted that value of MRR is more at high discharge energy (HDE) and less at low discharge energy (LDE). Furthermore, miniature impeller and miniature gear (OD≤10MM) is fabricated by WEDM at optimized condition.

Keywords: advanced manufacturing, WEDM, super alloy, gear

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Authors: Yeimis Milton, Palomino Pichihua

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The city, like living organisms, originates from codes, structured information in the form of rules that condition the physical form and performance of urban space. Usually, the so-called urban codes clash with the spontaneous nature of the city, with the urban Kháos that contextualizes the free creation (poiesis) of human collectives. This contradiction is especially evident in Latin America, which, like other developing regions, lacks adequate instruments to guide urban growth. Thus constructing a hybrid between the formal and informal city, categories that are difficult to separate one from the other. This is a comparative study focusing on the urban codes created to address the pandemic. The objective is to build an overview of these innovations in the region. The sample is made up of official norms published in pandemic, directly linked to urban planning and building control (urban form). The countries analyzed are Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Chile. The study uncovers a shared interest in facing future urban problems, in contrast to the inconsistency of proposed legal instruments. Factors such as the lack of articulation, validity time, and ambiguity, among others, accentuate this problem. Likewise, it evidences that the political situation of each country has a significant influence on the development of these norms and the possibility of their long-term impact. In summary, the global emergency has produced opportunities to transform urban systems from their internal rules; however, there are very few successful examples in this field. Therefore, Latin American cities have the task of learning from this defeat in order to lay the foundations for a more resilient and sustainable urban future.

Keywords: pandemic, regulation, urban planning, latin America

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Authors: Cagri Mollamahmutoglu, Aykut Levent, Ali Mercan

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Micro-beams are one of the most common components of Nano-Electromechanical Systems (NEMS) and Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS). For this reason, static bending, buckling, and free vibration analysis of micro-beams have been the subject of many studies. In addition, micro-beams restrained with elastic type foundations have been of particular interest. In the analysis of microstructures, closed-form solutions are proposed when available, but most of the time solutions are based on numerical methods due to the complex nature of the resulting differential equations. Thus, a robust and efficient solution method has great importance. In this study, a mixed finite element formulation is obtained for a functionally graded Timoshenko micro-beam resting on two-parameter elastic foundation. In the formulation modified couple stress theory is utilized for the micro-scale effects. The equation of motion and boundary conditions are derived according to Hamilton’s principle. A functional, derived through a scientific procedure based on Gateaux Differential, is proposed for the bending and buckling analysis which is equivalent to the governing equations and boundary conditions. Most important advantage of the formulation is that the mixed finite element formulation allows usage of C₀ type continuous shape functions. Thus shear-locking is avoided in a built-in manner. Also, element matrices are sparsely populated and can be easily calculated with closed-form integration. In this framework results concerning the effects of micro-scale length parameter, power-law parameter, aspect ratio and coefficients of partially or fully continuous elastic foundation over the static bending, buckling, and free vibration response of FG-micro-beam under various boundary conditions are presented and compared with existing literature. Performance characteristics of the presented formulation were evaluated concerning other numerical methods such as generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM). It is found that with less computational burden similar convergence characteristics were obtained. Moreover, formulation also includes a direct calculation of the micro-scale related contributions to the structural response as well.

Keywords: micro-beam, functionally graded materials, two-paramater elastic foundation, mixed finite element method

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Authors: Bryan Clark B. Hernandez, Eugene C. Herrera, Kazuo Nadaoka

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Mangrove forests thriving in intertidal zones in tropical and subtropical regions of the world offer a range of ecosystem services including carbon storage and sequestration. They can regulate the detrimental effects of climate change due to carbon releases two to four times greater than that of mature tropical rainforests. Moreover, they are effective natural defenses against storm surges and tsunamis. However, their proliferation depends significantly on the prevailing hydroperiod at the coast. In the Philippines, these coastal ecosystems have been severely threatened with a 50% decline in areal extent observed from 1918 to 2010. The highest decline occurred in 1950 - 1972 when national policies encouraged the development of fisheries and aquaculture. With the intensive land use conversion upstream, changes in the freshwater-saltwater envelope at the coast may considerably impact mangrove growth conditions. This study investigates a developing urban watershed in Kalibo, Aklan province with a 220-hectare mangrove forest replanted for over 30 years from coastal mudflats. Since then, the mangrove forest was sustainably conserved and declared as protected areas. Hybrid land cover classification technique was used to classify Landsat images for years, 1990, 2010, and 2017. Digital elevation model utilized was Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) with a 5-meter resolution to delineate the watersheds. Using numerical modelling techniques, the hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the influence of land cover change to flow and sediment dynamics was simulated. While significant land cover change occurred upland, thereby increasing runoff and sediment loads, the mangrove forests abundance adjacent to the coasts for the urban watershed, was somehow sustained. However, significant alteration of the coastline was observed in Kalibo through the years, probably due to the massive land-use conversion upstream and significant replanting of mangroves downstream. Understanding the hydrologic-hydraulic response of these watersheds to change land cover is essential to helping local government and stakeholders facilitate better management of these mangrove ecosystems.

Keywords: coastal mangroves, hydrologic model, land cover change, Philippines

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Authors: Tharini N. de Silva, Xiao Zhibo, Zhao Rui, Mao Kezhi

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Causal relation identification is a crucial task in information extraction and knowledge discovery. In this work, we present two approaches to causal relation identification. The first is a classification model trained on a set of knowledge-based features. The second is a deep learning based approach training a model using convolutional neural networks to classify causal relations. We experiment with several different convolutional neural networks (CNN) models based on previous work on relation extraction as well as our own research. Our models are able to identify both explicit and implicit causal relations as well as the direction of the causal relation. The results of our experiments show a higher accuracy than previously achieved for causal relation identification tasks.

Keywords: causal realtion extraction, relation extracton, convolutional neural network, text representation

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Authors: Jianguo Chen, Fenggang Zang, Yu Yang, Liangang Zheng

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Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) is an important security barrier in nuclear power plant. Crack like defects may be produced on RPV during the whole operation lifetime due to the harsh operation condition and irradiation embrittlement. During the severe loss of coolant accident, thermal shock happened as the injection of emergency cooling water into RPV, which results in re-pressurization of the vessel and very high tension stress on the vessel wall, this event called Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS). Crack on the vessel wall may propagate even penetrate the vessel, so the safety of the RPV would undergo great challenge. Many assumptions in structure integrity evaluation make the result of deterministic fracture mechanics very conservative, which affect the operation lifetime of the plant. Actually, many parameters in the evaluation process, such as fracture toughness and nil-ductility transition temperature, have statistical distribution characteristics. So it is necessary to assess the structural integrity of RPV subjected to PTS event by means of Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics (PFM). Structure integrity evaluation methods of RPV subjected to PTS event are summarized firstly, then evaluation method based on probabilistic fracture mechanics are presented by considering the probabilistic characteristics of material and structure parameters. A comprehensive analysis example is carried out at last. The results show that the probability of crack penetrates through wall increases gradually with the growth of fast neutron irradiation flux. The results give advice for reactor life extension.

Keywords: fracture toughness, integrity evaluation, pressurized thermal shock, probabilistic fracture mechanics, reactor pressure vessel

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Authors: Kilari Nikhil, Ankur Tibrewal, Srinivas Kruthiventi S. S.

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Conventional speaker identification systems often fall short of capturing the diverse variations present in speech data due to fixed-scale architectures. In this research, we propose a CNN-based architecture, USENet, designed to overcome these limitations. Leveraging two key techniques, our approach achieves superior performance on the VoxCeleb 1 Dataset without any pre-training. Firstly, we adopt a U-net-inspired design to extract features at multiple scales, empowering our model to capture speech characteristics effectively. Secondly, we introduce the squeeze and excitation block to enhance spatial feature learning. The proposed architecture showcases significant advancements in speaker identification, outperforming existing methods, and holds promise for future research in this domain.

Keywords: multi-scale feature extraction, squeeze and excitation, VoxCeleb1 speaker identification, mel-spectrograms, USENet

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Authors: Min Ju Kim, Beom Jin Park, Deuk Jae Sung, Na Yeon Han, Kichoon Sim

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the significant magnetic resonance (MR) imaging factors of lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) on the assessment of survival outcomes of neoadjuvant combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CRT) in patients with mid/low rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study of 63 patients with mid/low rectal cancer who underwent MR before and after CRT and patient consent was not required. Surgery performed within 4 weeks after CRT. The location of LPLNs was divided into following four groups; 1) common iliac, 2) external iliac, 3) obturator, and 4) internal iliac lymph nodes. The short and long axis diameters, numbers, shape (ovoid vs round), signal intensity (homogenous vs heterogenous), margin (smooth vs irregular), and diffusion-weighted restriction of LPLN were analyzed on pre- and post-CRT images. For treatment response using size, lymph node groups were defined as group 1) short axis diameter ≤ 5mm on both MR, group 2) > 5mm change into ≤ 5mm after CRT, and group 3) persistent size > 5mm before and after CRT. Clinical findings were also evaluated. The disease-free survival and overall survival rate were evaluated and the risk factors for survival outcomes were analyzed using cox regression analysis. Results: Patients in the group 3 (persistent size >5mm) showed significantly lower survival rates than the group 1 and 2 (Disease-free survival rates of 36.1% and 78.8, 88.8%, p < 0.001). The size response (group 1-3), multiplicity of LPLN, the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), patient’s age, T and N stage, vessel invasion, perineural invasion were significant factors affecting disease-free survival rate or overall survival rate using univariate analysis (p < 0.05). The persistent size (group 3) and multiplicity of LPLN were independent risk factors among MR imaging features influencing disease-free survival rate (HR = 10.087, p < 0.05; HR = 4.808, p < 0.05). Perineural invasion and T stage were shown as independent histologic risk factors (HR = 16.594, p < 0.05; HR = 15.891, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The persistent size greater than 5mm and multiplicity of LPLN on both pre- and post-MR after CRT were significant MR factors affecting survival outcomes in the patients with mid/low rectal cancer.

Keywords: rectal cancer, MRI, lymph node, combined chemoradiotherapy

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Authors: G. Vasanthi

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The purpose of the study was to analyse the red blood cells and white blood cells during three different menstrual phases between sedentary and sports women. To achieve this purpose, fifteen female sedentary post graduate students (M.A., M.Sc.) and fifteen students of Master of Physical Education and Sports (M.P.Ed.) women who regularly involved in vigouous sports training and participated in sports competition on different games were selected by adopting random sampling method. All the students were hostelers and their age group was between 20 to 22 years. The blood sample were collected during the mid-period of the three different phases to calculate the red blood cells and white blood cells. The data collected were treated statistically by using analysis of variance. The results reveal that the RBC and WBC is found to be significant between sedentary and sports women during the three different menstrual phases.

Keywords: RBC, WBC, menstrual, proliferative, secretary, sedentary women, sports women

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Authors: Kenny Chi Man Chui

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Background: In Chinese culture, the traditional equivalent term for English dementia is chi dai zheng, which, whether translated as ‘insanity’ or ‘idiocy’ carries a sharply negative connotation. In fact, even though the traditional name for dementia has evolved, from chi dai zheng to shi zhi zheng, nao tui hua zheng or ren zhi zhang ai zheng, educating the population about more respectful terms for the condition and promoting a positive understanding about people with dementia in society have proven to be time-intensive endeavors. By extension, the use of such terms promotes the perception that people with dementia undergo a ‘total loss of self’ or experience a ‘living death’ or ‘social death’. Both in Asia and elsewhere, the appropriate nomenclature for dementia remains controversial, and different medical and healthcare professionals in Hong Kong have taken various stances on how to refer to the condition there. Indeed, how this negative perception affects the interaction between people with dementia and the surrounding others? Methodology: Qualitative research with the concept of postmodernism, interpretivism, and Foucauldian theory was adopted as frameworks in applying participatory observations, in-depth interviews, and other qualitative methods. First, ten people with dementia—one man and nine women—living in two residential care homes in Hong Kong were interviewed, as were ten members of the care staff, all of whom were women. Next, to coach the staff in understanding the feelings and self-perceptions of people with dementia, two reflective training sessions were provided. Afterward, to assess the impact of the training sessions on the staff, two focus groups were held. Findings: The findings revealed that residents with dementia did not perceive themselves as being ‘demented’ and were confused by not getting responses from the others. From the understanding of care staff, they perceived the residents as being ‘demented’, desolate troublemakers. They described people with dementia as ‘naughty children’ who should be controlled and be punished while treated them as ‘psychiatric patients’ who could be ignored and be mute. “Psychosocial restraint” happened regarding the discrepancy of perception between people with dementia and the care staff. People with dementia did not think that their confusion of memory was related to dementia or, frankly speaking, they did not know what dementia was. When others treated them as ‘demented patients, the residents with mild to moderate dementia fiercely rejected that designation and reported a host of negative feelings, hence the fluctuations of mood and emotion noted by the care staff. Conclusion: As the findings revealed, the people with dementia were also discontent with the care arrangements in the care homes, felt abandoned by others and worried about bothering others. Their shifting emotional states and moods were treated as the Behavioral and Psychological symptoms of Dementia (BPSD), which nothing can do reported by the care staff in the residential care homes. People with dementia become social withdrawal or isolated in daily living, which should be alert and be changed by the social work professionals about the occurrence of “psychosocial restraint” in dementia care.

Keywords: psychosocial restraint, qualitative research, social work with dementitude, voice of people with dementia

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Authors: Sidika Di̇lşad Kaya, Ahmet Seli̇m Kaya, Ibrahi̇m Eri̇k, Havva Yaldiz, Yalçin Kaya

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The aim of this study was to reveal the effects of right brain development on reading, comprehension, learning and concentration levels and rapid processing skills in students with low vision and students with standard development, and to explore the effects of right and left brain integration on students' academic success and the permanence of the learned knowledge. A total of 68 students with a mean age of 10.01±0.12 were included in the study, 58 of them with standard development, 9 partially visually impaired and 1 totally visually disabled student. The student with a total visual impairment could not participate in the reading speed test due to her total visual impairment. The following data were measured in the participant students before the project; Reading speed measurement in 1 minute, Reading comprehension questions, Burdon attention test, 50 questions of math quiz timed with a stopwatch. Participants were trained for 3 weeks, 5 days a week, for a total of two hours a day. In this study, right-brain developing exercises were carried out with the use of an abacus, and it was aimed to develop both mathematical and attention of students with questions prepared with numerical data taken from fairy tale activities. Among these problems, the study was supported with multiple-choice, 5W (what, where, who, why, when?), 1H (how?) questions along with true-false and fill-in-the-blank activities. By using memory cards, students' short-term memories were strengthened, photographic memory studies were conducted and their visual intelligence was supported. Auditory intelligence was supported by aiming to make calculations by using the abacus in the minds of the students with the numbers given aurally. When calculating the numbers by touching the real abacus, the development of students' tactile intelligence is enhanced. Research findings were analyzed in SPSS program, Kolmogorov Smirnov test was used for normality analysis. Since the variables did not show normal distribution, Wilcoxon test, one of the non-parametric tests, was used to compare the dependent groups. Statistical significance level was accepted as 0.05. The reading speed of the participants was 83.54±33.03 in the pre-test and 116.25±38.49 in the post-test. Narration pre-test 69.71±25.04 post-test 97.06±6.70; BURDON pretest 84.46±14.35 posttest 95.75±5.67; rapid math processing skills pretest 90.65±10.93, posttest 98.18±2.63 (P<0.05). It was determined that the pre-test and post-test averages of students with typical development and students with low vision were also significant for all four values (p<0.05). As a result of the data obtained from the participants, it is seen that the study was effective in terms of measurement parameters, and the findings were statistically significant. Therefore, it is recommended to use the method widely.

Keywords: Abacus, reading speed, multiple intelligences, right brain training, visually impaired

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Authors: Mette Kjerholt, Thora Grothe Thomsen, Connie Bøttcher Berthelsen, Bibi Hølge Hazelton

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Academic nursing is a relatively new phenomenon in Denmark. Leadership and management training in nursing does not prepare Danish nurse leaders to become leaders for nurses with academic background, and some leaders may feel estranged with including this kind of nursing staff in clinical settings. Currently there is a debate regarding what academic nurses can contribute with in clinical practice, and some managers express concern regarding whether this will lead to less focus on clinical practice and more focus on theoretical issues that may not seem so relevant in a busy everyday clinical setting. The paper will present the experiences of integrating three advanced nurse practitioners with Ph.D. degrees (ANP) in three different clinical departments at a regional hospital in Denmark with no prior experiences with such profiles among its staff.

Keywords: leadership, advanced nurse practitioners, clinical practice, academic nursing

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Authors: Mohammad Khoshini, Arman Khoshghalb, Meghdad Payan, Nasser Khalili

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Most of the Earth’s crust surface rocks are technically categorized as weak rocks or weakly bonded geomaterials. Deeply weathered, weakly cemented, friable and easily erodible, they demonstrate complex material behaviour and understanding the overlooked mechanical behaviour of such materials is of particular importance in geotechnical engineering practice. Weakly bonded geomaterials are so susceptible to surface shear and moisture that conventional methods of core drilling fail to extract high-quality undisturbed samples out of them. Moreover, most of these geomaterials are of high heterogeneity rendering less reliable and feasible material characterization. In order to compensate for the unpredictability of the material response, either numerous experiments are needed to be conducted or large factors of safety must be implemented in the design process. However, none of these approaches is sustainable. In this study, a method for dry core drilling of such materials is introduced to take high-quality undisturbed core samples. By freezing the material at certain moisture content, a secondary structure is developed throughout the material which helps the whole structure to remain intact during the core drilling process. Moreover, to address the heterogeneity issue, the natural material was reconstructed artificially to obtain a homogeneous material with very high similarity to the natural one in both micro and macro-mechanical perspectives. The method is verified for both micro and macro scale. In terms of micro-scale analysis, using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), pore spaces and inter-particle bonds were investigated and compared between natural and artificial materials. X-Ray Diffraction, XRD, analyses are also performed to control the chemical composition. At the macro scale, several uniaxial compressive strength tests, as well as triaxial tests, were performed to verify the similar mechanical response of the materials. A high level of agreement is observed between micro and macro results of natural and artificially bonded geomaterials. The proposed methods can play an important role to cut down the costs of experimental programs for material characterization and also to promote the accuracy of the numerical modellings based on the experimental results.

Keywords: Artificial geomaterial, core drilling, macro-mechanical behavior, micro-scale, sample preparation, SEM photography, weakly bonded geomaterials

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Authors: Piush Verma, Y. R. Sood

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This paper provides the information on the diagnostics techniques for condition monitoring of power transformer (PT). This paper deals with the practical importance of the transformer diagnostic in the Electrical Engineering field. The life of the transformer depends upon its insulation i.e paper and oil. The major testing techniques applies on transformer oil and paper i.e dissolved gas analysis, furfural analysis, radio interface, acoustic emission, infra-red emission, frequency response analysis, power factor, polarization spectrum, magnetizing currents, turn and winding ratio. A review has been made on the modern development of this practical technology.

Keywords: temperature, condition monitoring, diagnostics methods, paper analysis techniques, oil analysis techniques

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Authors: Adhila Sandra Devy, Evangeline Syalomita Silitonga

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The landscape of corporate governance and accountability has led to the emergence of Integrated Reporting (IR) in response to the shortcomings of traditional reporting frameworks. Developed by The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), IR aims to offer stakeholders a comprehensive view of a company’s performance by integrating financial and non-financial disclosures. This study analyzes literature on Integrated Reporting and Corporate Financial Performance from 2013 to 2024, employing a descriptive analysis methodology. 31 relevant articles were gathered from various sources, indicating a positive correlation between integrated reporting and financial performance, albeit without conclusive evidence of long-term impact.

Keywords: integrated reporting, corporate financial performance, corporate performance, firm performance, bibliometric analysis

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Authors: Ishwor Paudel, Pratima Gautam, Sandeep Bhattarai

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Bile spillage occurs frequently during laparoscopic cholecystectomy yet its impact on postoperative outcomes remains unknown. It might not be as innocuous as some surgeons tend to believe and in fact, might be associated with post-operative surgical site infections (SSI). It often leads to patient dissatisfaction, emergency department visits, with subsequent readmission and additional procedures. While some authors found no increase in SSI following bile spillage (BS) compared to non-bile spillage cases, others found bile spillage to be associated with SSI. Therefore we sought to examine whether bile spillage is indeed associated with an increased risk of postoperative wound infections after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I hypothesize that patients who experience BS during operation, have an increased risk of SSI compared to those who do not. This is a prospective observational study conducted in the Department of Surgery, Patan Hospital over a period of one year. Patients undergoing Laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included and bile spillage, if happened was noted. All cases were followed up for 30 days and SSI was diagnosed as per CDC-defined criteria. Fisher’s test was applied to compare SSI in bile spillage versus non-bile spillage cases. A total of 112 patients were included in the final analysis. Bile spillage occurred in 20 cases and was absent in the rest i.e.92 cases. Among bile spillage cases, SSI was found in 4 cases (20%), whereas in nonbile spillage cases, SSI was found in 8 cases (8.7%). However, it was statistically not significant (p-value>0.05). Eleven (92%) cases were superficial SSI and one was an organ-space infection. No mortality or 30-day readmission. Spillage of Gallbladder content does not lead to an increase in SSIs. However as the rate of SSI is still higher, Surgeons should be careful to avoid iatrogenic gallbladder perforation and in case of bile spillage thorough peritoneal irrigation with normal saline should be done.

Keywords: organ space infection, Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, biliary spillage, surgical site infection

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Authors: Joao Carlos Koch Junior, Risa Takashima

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Learning disabilities have been extensively and increasingly studied in recent times. In spite of this, there is arguably a scarce number of studies addressing a key issue, which is the impact of foreign-language requirements on students with learning disabilities in higher education, and the lack of training or awareness of teachers regarding language learning disabilities. This study is an attempt to address this issue. An extensive review of the literature in multiple fields will be summarised. This, paired with a case-analysis of a university adopting a more inclusive approach towards special-needs students in its foreign-language programme, this presentation aims to establish a link between different studies and propose a number of suggestions to make language classrooms more inclusive.

Keywords: foreign language teaching, higher education, language teacher education, learning disabilities

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Authors: Kenneth Okelo, Esther Waithaka, Maureen Mweru

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Development of oral language skills is a precursor to writing and reading acquisition. Oral skill is a means of communication through which people express their desires, ideas, excitements, amusements, disappointments and exchange information. In addition, oral skills have been found to be an important tool for thinking and concept development in children. Research carried out in industrialised countries have identified some appropriate teaching strategies used to enhance acquisition of oral language skills such as repetition, substitution, explanation, contrast, exemplification and code-switching. However, these studies’ geographical locations do not reflect the diversity of the Kenyan society. In addition, studies conducted in Kenya in the past have not established why pre-primary school teachers are not using appropriate teaching strategies. The purpose of this study was to find out whether teachers’ experience, academic qualification and type of training influences their choice of teaching strategies in the development of oral language skills inside and out of the classroom in selected preschools in Kibra Sub-County, Nairobi County. In addition, this study aimed at finding out the strategies used by teachers in Kibra Sub-County to promote oral skills development among pre-primary school children. The study was guided by Holdaway’s theory of language acquisition. Descriptive survey design was employed during this study. Questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect data. Eighty-three (83) preschool teachers were sampled using multistage sampling methods for observation. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20. The researcher carried out content analysis on the qualitative data. The main descriptive methods used were tabulation of frequencies and percentages. Chi squire test was the inferential statistic used to test the relationship between variables. The main findings of the study indicate that teaching strategies that were mostly used by pre-primary school teachers were code-switching, examples, repetition, substitution and explanation. While questions, direction, expansion of children words and contrast were the least used teaching strategies when teaching oral language skills. The study revealed that the there is a slight correlation between the type of training of teachers and the teaching strategies as most of DICECE trained teachers used more teaching strategies when teaching oral skills compared to other teachers. The findings also revealed that there was a partial significant correlation between teacher’s academic qualifications and a few teaching strategies. A similar correlation was also observed between teaching experience and a few teaching strategies. Since the strategies used by pre-primary school teachers under the study were less than half of the recommended teaching strategies to promote oral skills, the study recommends that teachers should be encouraged to use more in structural strategies to improve children’s oral language skills.

Keywords: Kenya early childhood education, Kenya education, oral language skills acquisition, teaching methods

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Authors: Xiujing Chen, Thammananya Sakcharoen, Wilailuk Niyommaneerat

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China's tourism industry is in a state of shock and recovery, although COVID-19 has brought great impact and challenges to the tourism industry. The theory of sustainable development originates from the contradiction of increasing awareness of environmental protection and the pursuit of economic interests. The sustainable development of tourism should consider social, economic, and environmental factors and develop tourism in a planned and targeted way from the overall situation. Guilin is one of the popular tourist cities in China. However, there exist several problems in Guilin tourism, such as low quality of scenic spot construction and low efficiency of tourism resource development. Due to its unwell-managed, Guilin's tourism industry is facing problems such as supply and demand crowding pressure for tourists. According to the data from 2009 to 2019, there is a change in the degree of sustainable development of Guilin tourism. This research aimed to evaluate the sustainable development state of Guilin tourism using the DPSIR (driving force/pressure/state/impact/response) framework and to provide suggestions and recommendations for sustainable development in Guilin. An improved TOPSIS (technology for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution) model based on the entropy weights relationship is applied to the quantitative analysis and to analyze the mechanisms of sustainable development of tourism in Guilin. The DPSIR framework organizes indicators into sub-five categories: of which twenty-eight indicators related to sustainable aspects of Guilin tourism are classified. The study analyzed and summarized the economic, social, and ecological effects generated by tourism development in Guilin from 2009-2019. The results show that the conversion rate of tourism development in Guilin into regional economic benefits is more efficient than that into social benefits. Thus, tourism development is an important driving force of Guilin's economic growth. In addition, the study also analyzed the static weights of 28 relevant indicators of sustainable development of tourism in Guilin and ranked them from largest to smallest. Then it was found that the economic and social factors related to tourism revenue occupy the highest weight, which means that the economic and social development of Guilin can influence the sustainable development of Guilin tourism to a greater extent. Therefore, there is a two-way causal relationship between tourism development and economic growth in Guilin. At the same time, ecological development-related indicators also have relatively large weights, so ecological and environmental resources also have a great influence on the sustainable development of Guilin tourism.

Keywords: DPSIR framework, entropy weights analysis, sustainable development of tourism, TOPSIS analysis

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Authors: Turquesa Topper

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The reflection focuses on recording and explaining the considerations, conceptualizations and methodological approach with which from the University, that is to say, from the academic field, the study of Trends is addressed with the intention of training professionals in the area, an area that requires disciplinary boundaries and builds a polyphonic vision. When referring to the objective of our Laboratory the detection of aesthetic trends of consumption, we find ourselves in the requirement to define our object: trends, aesthetic trends of consumption, more specifically. The pages cover a conception of trends from a theoretical framework that incorporates contributions from linguistics, semiotics, sociology, cultural studies and project disciplines, in order to consolidate a polyphonic look. The text investigates in the pre-discursive aspect of the trends, in the circulation of the notion of style and in the dynamics of affirmation - denial as the constitutive dynamics of Fashion linked to any process of innovation. From such inquiry, it is presented to Fashion as a system that operates directly on the construction of socio-individual identities unfolding through the liquefaction of signs in trends.

Keywords: fashion, methodology, narrative, trends

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Authors: Eduardo Rodrigues, Gisela Mendes, José M. Torres, José E. Sousa

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In the sequence of the liberalisation of the electricity sector a progressive engagement of consumers has been considered and targeted by sector regulatory policies. With the objective of promoting market competition while protecting consumers interests, by transferring some of the upstream benefits to the end users while reaching a fair distribution of system costs, different market models to value consumers’ demand flexibility at the energy community level are envisioned. Local Energy and Flexibility Markets (LEFM) involve stakeholders interested in providing or procure local flexibility for community, services and markets’ value. Under the scope of DOMINOES, a European research project supported by Horizon 2020, the local market concept developed is expected to: • Enable consumers/prosumers empowerment, by allowing them to value their demand flexibility and Distributed Energy Resources (DER); • Value local liquid flexibility to support innovative distribution grid management, e.g., local balancing and congestion management, voltage control and grid restoration; • Ease the wholesale market uptake of DER, namely small-scale flexible loads aggregation as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), facilitating Demand Response (DR) service provision; • Optimise the management and local sharing of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in Medium Voltage (MV) and Low Voltage (LV) grids, trough energy transactions within an energy community; • Enhance the development of energy markets through innovative business models, compatible with ongoing policy developments, that promote the easy access of retailers and other service providers to the local markets, allowing them to take advantage of communities’ flexibility to optimise their portfolio and subsequently their participation in external markets. The general concept proposed foresees a flow of market actions, technical validations, subsequent deliveries of energy and/or flexibility and balance settlements. Since the market operation should be dynamic and capable of addressing different requests, either prioritising balancing and prosumer services or system’s operation, direct procurement of flexibility within the local market must also be considered. This paper aims to highlight the research on the definition of suitable DR models to be used by the Distribution System Operator (DSO), in case of technical needs, and by the retailer, mainly for portfolio optimisation and solve unbalances. The models to be proposed and implemented within relevant smart distribution grid and microgrid validation environments, are focused on day-ahead and intraday operation scenarios, for predictive management and near-real-time control respectively under the DSO’s perspective. At local level, the DSO will be able to procure flexibility in advance to tackle different grid constrains (e.g., demand peaks, forecasted voltage and current problems and maintenance works), or during the operating day-to-day, to answer unpredictable constraints (e.g., outages, frequency deviations and voltage problems). Due to the inherent risks of their active market participation retailers may resort to DR models to manage their portfolio, by optimising their market actions and solve unbalances. The interaction among the market actors involved in the DR activation and in flexibility exchange is explained by a set of sequence diagrams for the DR modes of use from the DSO and the energy provider perspectives. • DR for DSO’s predictive management – before the operating day; • DR for DSO’s real-time control – during the operating day; • DR for retailer’s day-ahead operation; • DR for retailer’s intraday operation.

Keywords: demand response, energy communities, flexible demand, local energy and flexibility markets

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Authors: Keunhong Chae, Seokho Yoon

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In this paper, frequency offset (FO) estimation schemes robust to the non-Gaussian noise environments are proposed for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. First, a maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation scheme in non-Gaussian noise environments is proposed, and then, the complexity of the ML estimation scheme is reduced by employing a reduced set of candidate values. In numerical results, it is demonstrated that the proposed schemes provide a significant performance improvement over the conventional estimation scheme in non-Gaussian noise environments while maintaining the performance similar to the estimation performance in Gaussian noise environments.

Keywords: frequency offset estimation, maximum-likelihood, non-Gaussian noise environment, OFDM, training symbol

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Authors: Girma Y. Iyassu Menelik

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“The world is now like a global village!” so goes the saying that shows that due to development and technology the countries of the world are now closely linked. In the field of Human rights there is a close relationship in the way that rights are recognised and enforced. This paper will show that human rights have evolved from ancient times through important landmarks such as the Magna Carta, the French Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the American Bill of Rights. The formation of the United Nations after the Second World War resulted in the need to codify and protect human rights. There are some rights which are so fundamental that they are found in international and continental instruments, national constitutions and domestic legislation. In the civil and political sphere they include the right to vote, to freedom of association, speech and assembly, right to life, privacy and fair trial. In the economic and social sphere you have the right to work, protection of the family, social security and rights to education, health and shelter. In some instance some rights can be suspended in times of public emergency but such derogations shall be circumscribed by the law and in most constitutions such limitations are subject to judicial review. However, some rights are so crucial that they cannot be derogated from under any circumstances and these include the right to life, recognition before the law, freedom from torture and slavery and of thought, conscience and religion. International jurisprudence has been developed to protect fundamental rights and avoid discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language or social origin. The elaborate protection system go to show that these rights have become part of the international order and they have universal application. We have now got to a stage where UDHR, ICCPR and ICESCR and have come to be regarded as part of an international bill of rights with horizontal and vertical enforcement mechanisms involving state parties, NGO’s , international bodies and other organs.

Keywords: rights, international, constitutional, state, judiciary

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Authors: Giuliana Scuderi, Patrick Teuffel

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The proven vulnerability of the existing social housing building heritage to natural or induced earthquakes requires the development of new design concepts and conceptual method to preserve materials and object, at the same time providing new performances. An integrate intervention between civil engineering, building physics and architecture can convert the social housing districts from a critical part of the city to a strategic resource of revitalization. Referring to bio-mimicry principles the present research proposes a taxonomy with the exoskeleton of the insect, an external, light and resistant armour whose role is to protect the internal organs from external potentially dangerous inputs. In the same way, a “building exoskeleton”, acting from the outside of the building as an enclosing cage, can restore, protect and support the existing building, assuming a complex set of roles, from the structural to the thermal, from the aesthetical to the functional. This study evaluates the structural efficiency of shape memory alloys devices (SMADs) connecting the “building exoskeleton” with the existing structure to rehabilitate, in order to prevent the out-of-plane collapse of walls and for the passive dissipation of the seismic energy, with a calibrated operability in relation to the intensity of the horizontal loads. The two case studies of a masonry structure and of a masonry structure with concrete frame are considered, and for each case, a theoretical social housing building is exposed to earthquake forces, to evaluate its structural response with or without SMADs. The two typologies are modelled with the finite element program SAP2000, and they are respectively defined through a “frame model” and a “diagonal strut model”. In the same software two types of SMADs, called the 00-10 SMAD and the 05-10 SMAD are defined, and non-linear static and dynamic analyses, namely push over analysis and time history analysis, are performed to evaluate the seismic response of the building. The effectiveness of the devices in limiting the control joint displacements resulted higher in one direction, leading to the consideration of a possible calibrated use of the devices in the different walls of the building. The results show also a higher efficiency of the 00-10 SMADs in controlling the interstory drift, but at the same time the necessity to improve the hysteretic behaviour, to maximise the passive dissipation of the seismic energy.

Keywords: adaptive structure, biomimetic design, building exoskeleton, social housing, structural envelope, structural retrofitting

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Authors: Aadya Kaktikar

Abstract:

The role of a traditional dance teacher in India revolves around teaching movements and postures that have been a part of the movement vocabulary of dancers from before the 2nd century BC. These movements inscribe on the mind and body of the dancer a complex web of philosophy, culture history, and religion. However, this repository of tradition sits in a fast globalizing India creating a cultural space which is in a constant flux, where identities and meanings are being constantly challenged. The guru-shishya parampara, the traditional way of learning dance, sits uneasily with a modern education space in India. The traditional dance teacher is caught in the cross-currents of tradition and modernity, of preservation and exploration. This paper explores conflicting views on what dance ought to mean and how it should be taught. The paper explores the tensions of the social, economic and cultural spaces that the traditional dance teacher navigates.

Keywords: pedagogy, dance education, dance curriculum, teacher training

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Authors: Magdy B. Eteiba, Wael Ismael Wahba, Shimaa Barakat

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This paper presents a fault identification, classification and fault location estimation method based on Discrete Wavelet Transform and Adaptive Network Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) for medium voltage cable in the distribution system. Different faults and locations are simulated by ATP/EMTP, and then certain selected features of the wavelet transformed signals are used as an input for a training process on the ANFIS. Then an accurate fault classifier and locator algorithm was designed, trained and tested using current samples only. The results obtained from ANFIS output were compared with the real output. From the results, it was found that the percentage error between ANFIS output and real output is less than three percent. Hence, it can be concluded that the proposed technique is able to offer high accuracy in both of the fault classification and fault location.

Keywords: ANFIS, fault location, underground cable, wavelet transform

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Authors: Saratu Yusuf Ilu, Mumtaz B. Mustafa, Siti Salwah Salim, Mehdi Malekzadeh

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Children today use computer based application in various activities especially for learning and education. Many of these tools and application such as the Computer Aided Pronunciation Training (CAPT) system enable children to explore and experience them with little supervision from the adults. In order for these tools and application to have maximum effect on the children’s learning and education, it must be attractive to the children to use them. This could be achieved with the proper user interface (UI) design. As children grow, so do their ability, taste and preferences. They interact differently with these applications as they grow older. This study reviews several articles on how age factor influences the UI design. The review focuses on age related abilities such as cognitive, literacy, concentration and feedback requirement. We have also evaluated few of existing CAPT systems and determine the influence of age-based factors on the interface design.

Keywords: children, age-based interaction, learning application, age-based capability

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Authors: Violeta Kostadinova, Emilia Tsankova

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The purpose of this research is to explore and analyze the integration of the younger generation with Bulgarian folklore through various innovative forms, methods and approaches. A survey was conducted among students to evaluate its success. The results prove the relevance of the problem as well and the necessity of innovation to keep the national and promotion of Bulgarian folklore. Innovation in music education is a good way to create positive motivation and raise interest in folk art, which is especially pronounced when the folk songs have contemporary arrangement. Modern interpretation of Bulgarian folk music makes the music more approachable to young people and makes it more likely that folk music will become an integral part of our modern culture. The research would help the implementation of appropriate innovations for more effective training and upgrading for music students in all middle and high schools in the country.

Keywords: Bulgarian folklore, innovative forms, methods and approaches, motivation, music education

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Authors: M. Li, V. D. Thi, M. Khelifa, M. El Ganaoui

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This study presents an overview of the work carried out by the use of wood waste as coarse aggregate in mortar. The paper describes experimental and numerical investigations carried on pervious concrete made of wood chips and also sheds lights on the mechanical properties of this new product. The properties of pervious wood-concrete such as strength, elastic modulus, and failure modes are compared and evaluated. The characterization procedure of the mechanical properties of wood waste ash are presented and discussed. The numerical and tested load–deflection response results are compared. It was observed that the numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Keywords: wood waste ash, characterization, mechanical properties, bending tests

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Authors: Marina B. Cottrell

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Tempo plays a significant role in the perception of metrical groupings, with faster tempi tending to increase the number of beats in a given metrical unit. Previous research has shown a correlation between the perception of metric grouping and native language, but little is currently known about other possible musical factors that contribute to metric grouping tendencies. This study aims to find the tempo boundaries at which the perceptual groupings of a melodic pattern changes and to correlate these regions with self-reported musical experience. Participants were presented with looping melodies (divided between major and minor keys). Using a slider bar that controlled the tempo, subjects were asked to locate the point at which they heard the metric grouping doubled or halved. This region was shown to primarily be affected by the mode and time signature of the stimulus. The results also suggest a correlation between the level of musical training and the region of perceived grouping change.

Keywords: meter, metric grouping, mode, tempo

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