Search results for: comparative perspective
1356 3D Numerical Modelling of a Pulsed Pumping Process of a Large Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Pool: In situ Pilot-Scale Case Study of Hexachlorobutadiene in a Keyed Enclosure
Authors: Q. Giraud, J. Gonçalvès, B. Paris
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Remediation of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) represents a challenging issue because of their persistent behaviour in the environment. This pilot-scale study investigates, by means of in situ experiments and numerical modelling, the feasibility of the pulsed pumping process of a large amount of a DNAPL in an alluvial aquifer. The main compound of the DNAPL is hexachlorobutadiene, an emerging organic pollutant. A low-permeability keyed enclosure was built at the location of the DNAPL source zone in order to isolate a finite undisturbed volume of soil, and a 3-month pulsed pumping process was applied inside the enclosure to exclusively extract the DNAPL. The water/DNAPL interface elevation at both the pumping and observation wells and the cumulated pumped volume of DNAPL were also recorded. A total volume of about 20m³ of purely DNAPL was recovered since no water was extracted during the process. The three-dimensional and multiphase flow simulator TMVOC was used, and a conceptual model was elaborated and generated with the pre/post-processing tool mView. Numerical model consisted of 10 layers of variable thickness and 5060 grid cells. Numerical simulations reproduce the pulsed pumping process and show an excellent match between simulated, and field data of DNAPL cumulated pumped volume and a reasonable agreement between modelled and observed data for the evolution of the water/DNAPL interface elevations at the two wells. This study offers a new perspective in remediation since DNAPL pumping system optimisation may be performed where a large amount of DNAPL is encountered.Keywords: dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), hexachlorobutadiene, in situ pulsed pumping, multiphase flow, numerical modelling, porous media
Procedia PDF Downloads 1741355 The Need for Embodiment Perspectives and Somatic Methods in Social Work Curriculum: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Developing a Program to Support College Students Who Exited the State Foster Care System
Authors: Yvonne A. Unrau
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Social work education is a competency-based curriculum that relies mostly on cognitive frameworks and problem-solving models. Absent from the curriculum is knowledge and skills that draw from an embodiment perspective, especially somatic practice methods. Embodiment broadly encompasses the understanding that biological, political, historical, and social factors impact human development via changes to the nervous system. In the past 20 years, research has well-established that unresolved traumatic events, especially during childhood, negatively impacts long-term health and well-being. Furthermore, traumatic stress compromises cognitive processing and activates reflexive action such as ‘fight’ or ‘flight,’ which are the focus of somatic methods. The main objective of this paper is to show how embodiment perspectives and somatic methods can enhance social work practice overall. Using an exploratory approach, the author shares a decade-long journey that involved creating an education-support program for college students who exited the state foster care system. Personal experience, program outcomes and case study narratives revealed that ‘classical’ social work methods were insufficient to fully address the complex needs of college students who were living with complex traumatic stressors. The paper chronicles select case study scenarios and key program development milestones over a 10-year period to show the benefit of incorporating embodiment perspectives in social work practice. The lessons reveal that there is an immediate need for social work curriculum to include embodiment perspectives so that social workers may be equipped to respond competently to their many clients who live with unresolved trauma.Keywords: social work practice, social work curriculum, embodiment, traumatic stress
Procedia PDF Downloads 1231354 Foucault and the Archaeology of Transhumanism
Authors: Michel Foucault, Friedrich Nietzsche, Max More, Natasha Vita-More, Francesca Ferrando
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During the early part of his intellectual and academic career (1950s and 1960s), Michel Foucault developed an interest for what we can call the ‘anthropological question’, or how our modernity deals with human nature from an epistemological standpoint. The great originality of Foucault’s thought here lies in the fact that he approaches this question not from the perspective of this ‘sovereign subject’ (that has characterized the History of Western thought) he wishes to disclose and ‘denounce’, but rather at the level of discourses and the way they constitute who we are, so to speak. This led him, in turn, to formulate a series of though-provoking statements during his so-called ‘archaeological period’ of the 1960s concerning what we call ‘man’ in the West, such as that he is an ‘invention of recent date’ (as a proper object of concern and reflection), and, perhaps more importantly, that he might disappear in the near future, ‘like a face drawn in sand at the edge of the sea’. Foucault is following on the footsteps of Nietzsche in that regard, who had famously announced in the 19th ce. the ‘death of God’ and the need for the future generations to surpass (so to speak) the traditional ‘Christian-centred’ Western conception of the human. While Foucault exposed such insights more than half a century ago, they appear to be more actual than ever today with the development and rise in popularity of intellectual movements such as Transhumanism and Posthumanism, which seek to question and propose an alternative to the concepts of ‘man’ or ‘human nature’ in our culture. They rely for that on the same assumption as Foucault and Nietzsche that those concepts (and the meaning we attribute to them) have become ‘obsolete’ as it is and thus must be overcome (at a conceptual, but also a more practical level). Hence, those movements not only echo the important Foucauldian reflection of the 1950s and 1960s on the ‘anthropological question’ but seem to have been literally announced by it, so to speak. The aim of this paper will therefore be to show the relevance of Foucault (and in particular his archaeological method) in understanding the nature of Transhumanism (and Posthumanism), for instance, by analysing and assessing it as a form of discourse that is literally reshaping the way we understand ourselves as human beings in our (post)modern age, drawing for that on a number of key texts including from the early productions of Foucault.Keywords: foucault, nietzsche, archaeology, transhumanism, posthumanism
Procedia PDF Downloads 701353 Application of Integrated Marketing Communications-Multiple, Case Studies
Authors: Yichen Lin, Hsiao-Han Chen, Chi-Chen Jan
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Since 1990, the research area of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) has been presented from a different perspective. With advances in information technology and the rise of consumer consciousness, businesses are in a competitive environment. There is an urgent need to adopt more profitable and effective integrated marketing strategies to increase core competitiveness. The goal of the company's sustainable management is to increase consumers' willingness to purchase and to maximize profits. This research uses six aspects of IMC, which includes awareness integration, unified image, database integration, customer-based integration, stakeholders-based integration, and evaluation integration to examine the role of marketing strategies in the strengths and weaknesses of the six components of integrated marketing communications, their effectiveness, the most important components and the most important components that need improvement. At the same time, social media such as FaceBook, Instagram, Youtube, Line, or even TikTok have become marketing tools which firms adopt them more and more frequently in the marketing strategy. In the end of 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 did really affect the global industries. Lockdown policies also accelerated closure of brick-mentor stores worldwide. Online purchases rose dramatically. Hence, the effectiveness of online marketing will be essential to maintain the business. This study uses multiple-case studies to extend the effects of social media and IMC. Moreover, the study would also explore the differences of social media and IMC during COVID-19. Through literature review and multiple-case studies, it is found that using social media combined with IMC did really help companies expand their business and make good connections with stakeholders. One of previous studies also used system theory to explore the interrelationship among Integrated Marketing Communication, collaborative marketing, and global brand building. Even during pandemic, firms could still maintain the operation and connect with their customers more tightly.Keywords: integration marketing communications, multiple-case studies, social media, system theory
Procedia PDF Downloads 2291352 Determinants of Investment in Vaca Muerta, Argentina
Authors: Ivan Poza Martínez
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The international energy landscape has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and te conflict in Ukraine. The Vaca Muerta sedimentary formation in Argentina´s Neuquén province has become a crucial area for energy production, specifically in the shale gas ad shale oil sectors. The massive investment required for theexploitation of this reserve make it essential to understand te determinants of the investment in the upstream sector at both local ad international levels. The aim of this study is to identify the qualitative and quantitative determinants of investment in Vaca Muerta. The research methodolody employs both quantiative ( econometrics ) and qualitative approaches. A linear regression model is used to analyze the impact in non-conventional hydrocarbons. The study highlights that, in addition to quantitative factors, qualitative variables, particularly the design of a regulatory framework, significantly influence the level of the investment in Vaca Muerta. The analysis reveals the importance of attracting both domestic and foreign capital investment. This research contributes to understanding the factors influencing investment inthe Vaca Muerta regioncomapred to other published studies. It emphasizes to role of qualitative varibles, such as regulatory frameworks, in the development of the shale gas and oil sectors. The study uses a combination ofquantitative data , such a investment figures, and qualitative data, such a regulatory frameworks. The data is collected from various rpeorts and industry publications. The linear regression model is used to analyze the relationship between the variables and the investment in Vaca Muerta. The research addresses the question of what factors drive investment in the Vaca Muerta region, both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. The study concludes that a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors, including the design of a regulatory framework, plays a significant role in attracting investment in Vaca Muerta. It highlights the importance of these determinants in the developmentof the local energy sector and the potential economic benefits for Argentina and the Southern Cone region.Keywords: vaca muerta, FDI, shale gas, shale oil, YPF
Procedia PDF Downloads 571351 Discursive (Re/De)Construction of Objectivity-Subjectivity: Critiquing Rape/Flesh Trade-Documentaries
Authors: Muhammed Shahriar Haque
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As an offshoot of journalistic discourse, the documentary should be objective in nature without harbouring any preconceived notion to foster ulterior motifs. When it comes to a social issue like rape in South Asian countries, as media in recent times is inundated with this violent act in India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, how does one document it in terms of objectivity and subjectivity? The objective of this study is twofold: to document the history of documentaries, and to critically analyze South Asian rape/flesh trade-documentaries. The overall goal is to trace the (re/de)construction of objectivity-subjectivity in documentaries. This paper adopts a qualitative approach to documentarist discourse through the lens of critical discourse analysis (CDA). Data was gathered for 10 documentaries on the theme of rape and/or flesh trade from eight South Asian countries, predominantly the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. The documentaries were primarily categorised by using three frameworks based on six modes, six subgenres, and four basic approaches of documentary. Subsequently, the findings were critiqued from CDA perspective. The outcome suggests that there a two schools of thoughts regarding documentaries. According to journalistic ethics, news and/or documentaries should be objective in orientation and focus on informing the audience and/common people. The empirical findings tend to challenge ethical parameters of objectivity. At times, it seems that journalistic discourse is discursively (re)constructed to give an augmented simulation of objectivity. Based on the findings it may be recommended that if documentaries steer away from empirical facts and indulge in poetic naivety, their credibility could be questioned. A research of this nature is significant as it raises questions with regard to ethical and moral conscience of documentary filmmakers. Furthermore, it looks at whether they uphold journalistic integrity or succumb to their bias, and thereby depict subjective views, which could be tainted with political and/or propagandist ulterior motifs.Keywords: discursive (re/de)construction, documentaries, journalistic integrity, rape/flesh trade
Procedia PDF Downloads 1541350 Critique of the City-Machine: Dismantling the Scientific Socialist Utopia of Soviet Territorialization
Authors: Rachel P. Vasconcellos
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The Russian constructivism is usually enshrined in history as another ''modernist ism'', that is, as an artistic phenomenon related to the early twentieth century‘s zeitgeist. What we aim in this essay is to analyze the constructivist movement not over the Art History field neither through the aesthetic debate, but through a geographical critical theory, taking the main idea of construction in the concrete sense of production of space. Seen from the perspective of the critique of space, the constructivist production is presented as a plan of totality, designed as socialist society‘s spatiality, contemplating and articulating all its scalar levels: the objects of everyday life, the building, the city and the territory. The constructivist avant-garde manifests a geographical ideology, launching the foundation‘s basis of modern planning ideology. Taken in its political sense, the artistic avant-garde of the Russian Revolution intended to anticipate the forms of a social future already put in progress: their plastic research pointed to new formal expressions to revolutionary contents. With the foundation of new institutions under a new State, it was given to the specialized labor of artists, architects, and planners the task of designing the socialist society, based on the thesis of scientific socialism. Their projects were developed under the politico-economics imperatives to the Soviet modernization – that is: the structural needs of industrialization and inclusion of all people in the productive work universe. This context shapes the creative atmosphere of the constructivist avant-garde, which uses the methods of engineering to the transform everyday life. Architecture, urban planning, and state planning integrated must then operate as spatial arrangement morphologically able to produce socialist life. But due to the intrinsic contradictions of the process, the rational and geometric aesthetic of the City-Machine appears, finally, as an image of a scientific socialist utopia.Keywords: city-machine, critique of space, production of space, soviet territorialization
Procedia PDF Downloads 2771349 Disaster Victim Identification: A Social Science Perspective
Authors: Victor Toom
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Albeit it is never possible to anticipate the full range of difficulties after a catastrophe, efforts to identify victims of mass casualty events have become institutionalized and standardized with the aim of effectively and efficiently addressing the many challenges and contingencies. Such ‘disaster victim identification’ (DVI) practices are dependent on the forensic sciences, are subject of national legislation, and are reliant on technical and organizational protocols to mitigate the many complexities in the wake of catastrophe. Apart from such technological, legal and bureaucratic elements constituting a DVI operation, victims’ families and their emotions are also part and parcel of any effort to identify casualties of mass human fatality incidents. Take for example the fact that forensic experts require (antemortem) information from the group of relatives to make identification possible. An identified body or body part is also repatriated to kin. Relatives are thus main stakeholders in DVI operations. Much has been achieved in years past regarding facilitating victims’ families’ issues and their emotions. Yet, how families are dealt with by experts and authorities is still considered a difficult topic. Due to sensitivities and required emphatic interaction with families on the one hand, and the rationalized DVI efforts, on the other hand, there is still scope for improving communication, providing information and meaningful inclusion of relatives in the DVI effort. This paper aims to bridge the standardized world of DVI efforts and families’ experienced realities and makes suggestions to further improve DVI efforts through inclusion of victims’ families. Based on qualitative interviews, the paper narrates involvement and experiences of inter alia DVI practitioners, victims’ families, advocates and clergy in the wake of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide which killed approximately 8,000 men, and the 9/11 in New York City with 2,750 victims. The paper shows that there are several models of including victims’ families into a DVI operation, and it argues for a model of where victims’ families become a partner in DVI operations.Keywords: disaster victim identification (DVI), victims’ families, social science (qualitative), 9/11 attacks, Srebrenica genocide
Procedia PDF Downloads 2321348 Black Masculinity, Media Stereotyping And Its Influence on Policing in the United States: A Functionalist Perspective
Authors: Jack Santiago Monell
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In America, misrepresentations of black males have been perpetuated throughout the history of popular culture. Because of these narratives, varying communities have developed biases and stereotypes about what black male masculinity represents and more importantly, how they respond to them. The researcher explored the perspectives of police officers in the following states, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Because of the nature of police and community relations, and national attention to high profile cases, having officers provide context into how black males are viewed from their lens, was critical while expanding on the theoretical explanations to describe attitudes towards police confrontations. As one of the objectives was to identify specific themes relevant to why police officers may view African American males differently, hence, responding more aggressively, this proved to be the most beneficial method of initial analysis to identify themes. The following nodes (appearance, acting suspicious/ troublesome behavior, upbringing about black males, excessive force) were identified to analyze the transcripts to discern associations. The data was analyzed through NVivo 11, and several themes resulted to elaborate on the data received. In analyzing the data, four themes were identified: appearance, acting suspicious/ troublesome behavior, upbringing about black males, and excessive force. The data conveyed that continuous stereotypes about African American men will ultimately result in excessive use of force or pervasive shootings, albeit the men are armed or unarmed. African American males are consistently targeted because of their racial makeup and appearance over any other probable circumstances. As long as racial bias and stereotypical practices continue in policing, African American males will endlessly be unjustly targeted and at times, the victims of violent encounters with police officers in the United States.Keywords: African American males, police perceptions, masculinity, popular culture
Procedia PDF Downloads 1131347 Beliefs, Attitudes, and Understanding of Childhood Cancer Among White and Latino Parents in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area: A Comparative Study
Authors: Florence Awde
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In 2023, it was expected 350 parents in Arizona would have a child receive a cancer diagnosis (Welcome Arizona Cancer Foundation For Children, n.d.). The news of a child’s diagnosis with cancer can be overwhelming and confusing, especially for those lucky enough to lack a personal tie to the disease that takes approximately 1800 children’s lives each year in the United States (Deegan et al., n.d.). A parent’s beliefs, attitudes, and understandings surrounding cancer are vital for medical staff to provide adequate and culturally competent care for each patient, especially across cultural and ethnic lines in regions housing multicultural populations. Arizona's cultural/linguistic mosaic houses many White and Latino populations and English and Spanish speakers. Variations in insurance coverage, from those insured through public insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid) or private insurance plans (e.g., employee-sponsored insurance) versus those uninsured, also factor into health-seeking attitudes and behaviors. To further understand parental attitudes, understandings, and beliefs towards childhood cancer, 22 parents (11 of Latino ethnicity, 11 of White ethnicity) were interviewed on these facets of childhood cancer, despite 21 of the 22 never having a child receive a cancer diagnosis. The exploration of these perceptions across ethnic lines revealed a higher report of fear-orientated beliefs amongst Latino parents--hypothesized to be rooted in the starkly contrasting lack of belief in the possibility of recovering for children with cancer, compared to their white counterparts who displayed more optimism in the recovery process. Further, this study’s results lay the foundation for future scholarship to explore avenues of information dispersal to Latino parents that correct misconceptions of health outcomes and enable earlier intervention to be possible, ultimately correlating to better health and treatment outcomes by increasing parental health literacy rates for childhood cancer in the Phoenix Metropolitan.Keywords: Childhood Cancer, Parental Beliefs, Parental Attitudes, Parental Understandings, Phoenix Metropolitan, Culturally Competent Care, Health Disparities, Health Inequities
Procedia PDF Downloads 671346 A Historical Analysis of The Concept of Equivalence from Different Theoretical Perspectives in Translation Studies
Authors: Amenador Kate Benedicta, Wang Zhiwei
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Since the later parts of the 20th century, the notion of equivalence continues to be a central and critical concept in the development of translation theory. After decades of arguments over word-for-word and free translations methods, scholars attempting to develop more systematic and efficient translation theories began to focus on fundamental translation concepts such as equivalence. Although the concept of equivalence has piqued the interest of many scholars, its definition, scope, and applicability have sparked contentious arguments within the discipline. As a result, several distinct theories and explanations on the concept of equivalence have been put forward over the last half-century. Thus, this study explores and discusses the evolution of the critical concept of equivalence in translation studies through a bibliometric method of investigation of manual and digital books and articles by analyzing different scholars' key contributions and limitations on equivalence from various theoretical perspectives. While analyzing them, emphasis is placed on the innovations that each theory has brought to the comprehension of equivalence. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the article began by discussing the contributions of linguistically motivated theories to the notion of equivalence in translation, followed by functionalist-oriented contributions, before moving on to more recent advancements in translation studies on the concept. Because equivalence is such a broad notion, it is impossible to discuss each researcher in depth. As a result, the most well-known names and their equivalent theories are compared and contrasted in this research. The study emphasizes the developmental progression in our comprehension of the equivalence concept and equivalent effect. It concluded that the various theoretical perspective's contributions to the notion of equivalence rather complement and make up for the limitations of each other. The study also highlighted how troublesome the equivalent concept might become in terms of identifying the nature of translation and how central and unavoidable the concept is in every translation action, despite its limitations. The significance of the study lies in its synthesis of the different contributions and limitations of the various theories offered by scholars on the notion of equivalence, lending literature to both student and scholars in the field, and providing insight on future theoretical developmentKeywords: equivalence, functionalist translation theories, linguistic translation approaches, translation theories, Skopos
Procedia PDF Downloads 1131345 Pro Grow Business Partnerships: Unlocking the Potential of SMEs Indonesia With Resource Advantage Theory of Competition Approach
Authors: Kesi Widjajanti
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To develop the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), it is important to unlock potential resources that can improve their performance. Business Partnerships (BP) are currently an interesting topic of strategy to use to expand markets and maximize financial and marketing performance. However, many business partnerships have not quite a role among small and medium companies in the creative industry in the Batik Craft sector in Indonesia. This study is rooted in the Resource Advantage Theory of Competition ( RAToC), which emphasizes that the advantage of company resources can be sourced from organizational and relational resources. With the basis of this theory, SMEs can optimize the allocation of relational resources and organizational goals, improve operational efficiency, and gain a strategic advantage in the market. Companies that are able to actualize organizational and relational resources better than other market players can be used for the process of increasing their superior performance. This study explores key elements from the RAToC perspective and shows how Business Partnerships have the potential to drive SMEs' growth. By aligning visions, and organizational resources, sharing knowledge and leveraging complementary relational resources, SMEs can increase their competitiveness, enter new markets, and achieve superior performance. The theoretical contribution of RAToC in small companies is due to the role of Pro-Grow Business Partnership strength as an important antecedent for improving SMEs' performance. The benefits (scenarios) of a Business Partnership to grow together are directed at optimizing resources that can create additional value for customers so that they can outperform competitors. Furthermore, managerial implications for SMEs who wish to unlock their resource potential can encourage the role of Pro-Grow Business Partnerships, which have specific characteristics, can absorb experience/knowledge capacity and utilize this knowledge for the development of "together" business ventures.Keywords: pro grow business partnership, performance, SMEs, resources advantage theory of competition, industry kreatif batik handycraft indonesia
Procedia PDF Downloads 751344 Safeguarding Product Quality through Pre-Qualification of Material Manufacturers: A Ship and Offshore Classification Society's Perspective
Authors: Sastry Y. Kandukuri, Isak Andersen
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Despite recent advances in the manufacturing sector, quality issues remain a frequent occurrence, and can result in fatal accidents, equipment downtime, and loss of life. Adequate quality is of high importance in high-risk industries such as sea-going vessels and offshore installations in which third party quality assurance and product control play an important essential role in ensuring manufacturing quality of critical components. Classification societies play a vital role in mitigating risk in these industries by making sure that all the stakeholders i.e. manufacturers, builders, and end users are provided with adequate rules and standards that effectively ensures components produced at a high level of quality based on the area of application and risk of its failure. Quality issues have also been linked to the lack of competence or negligence of stakeholders in supply value chain. However, continued actions and regulatory reforms through modernization of rules and requirements has provided additional tools for purchasers and manufacturers to confront these issues. Included among these tools are updated ‘approval of manufacturer class programs’ aimed at developing and implementing a set of standardized manufacturing quality metrics for use by the manufacturer and verified by the classification society. The establishment and collection of manufacturing and testing requirements described in these programs could provide various stakeholders – from industry to vessel owners – with greater insight into the state of quality at a given manufacturing facility, and allow stakeholders to anticipate better and address quality issues while simultaneously reducing unnecessary failures that are costly to the industry. The publication introduces, explains and discusses critical manufacturing and testing requirements set in a leading class society’s approval of manufacturer regime and its rationale and some case studies.Keywords: classification society, manufacturing, materials processing, materials testing, quality control
Procedia PDF Downloads 3551343 An Inventory Management Model to Manage the Stock Level for Irregular Demand Items
Authors: Riccardo Patriarca, Giulio Di Gravio, Francesco Costantino, Massimo Tronci
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An accurate inventory management policy acquires a crucial role in the several high-availability sectors. In these sectors, due to the high-cost of spares and backorders, an (S-1, S) replenishment policy is necessary for high-availability items. The policy enables the shipment of a substitute efficient item anytime the inventory size decreases by one. This policy can be modelled following the Multi-Echelon Technique for Recoverable Item Control (METRIC). The METRIC is a system-based technique that allows defining the optimum stock level in a multi-echelon network, adopting measures in line with the decision-maker’s perspective. The METRIC defines an availability-cost function with inventory costs and required service levels, using as inputs data about the demand trend, the supplying and maintenance characteristics of the network and the budget/availability constraints. The traditional METRIC relies on the hypothesis that a Poisson distribution well represents the demand distribution in case of items with a low failure rate. However, in this research, we will explore the effects of using a Poisson distribution to model the demand of low failure rate items characterized by an irregular demand trend. This characteristic of a demand is not included in the traditional METRIC formulation leading to the need of revising its traditional formulation. Using the CV (Coefficient of Variation) and ADI (Average inter-Demand Interval) classification, we will define the inherent flaws of Poisson-based METRIC for irregular demand items, defining an innovative ad hoc distribution which can better fit the irregular demands. This distribution will allow defining proper stock levels to reduce stocking and backorder costs due to the high irregularities in the demand trend. A case study in the aviation domain will clarify the benefits of this innovative METRIC approach.Keywords: METRIC, inventory management, irregular demand, spare parts
Procedia PDF Downloads 3471342 Evaluating Perceived Usability of ProxTalker App Using Arabic Standard Usability Scale: A Student's Perspective
Authors: S. AlBustan, B. AlGhannam
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This oral presentation discusses a proposal for a study that evaluates the usability of an evidence based application named ProxTalker App. The significance of this study will inform administration and faculty staff at the Department of Communication Sciences Disorders (CDS), College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University whether the app is a suitable tool to use for CDS students. A case study will be used involving a sample of CDS students taking practicum and internship courses during the academic year 2018/2019. The study will follow a process used by previous study. The process of calculating SUS is well documented and will be followed. ProxTalker App is an alternative and augmentative tool that speech language pathologist (SLP) can use to customize boards for their clients. SLPs can customize different boards using this app for various activities. A board can be created by the SLP to improve and support receptive and expressive language. Using technology to support therapy can aid SLPs to integrate this ProxTalker App as part of their clients therapy. Supported tools, games and motivation are some advantages of incorporating apps during therapy sessions. A quantitative methodology will be used. It involves the utilization of a standard tool that was the was adapted to the Arabic language to accommodate native Arabic language users. The tool that will be utilized in this research is the Arabic Standard Usability Scale (A-SUS) questionnaire which is an adoption of System Usability Scale (SUS). Standard usability questionnaires are reliable, valid and their process is properly documented. This study builds upon the development of A-SUS, which is a psychometrically evaluated questionnaire that targets Arabic native speakers. Results of the usability will give preliminary indication of whether the ProxTalker App under investigation is appropriate to be integrated within the practicum and internship curriculum of CDS. The results of this study will inform the CDS department of this specific app is an appropriate tool to be used for our specific students within our environment because usability depends on the product, environment, and users.Keywords: A-SUS, communication disorders practicum, evidence based app, Standard Usability Scale
Procedia PDF Downloads 1561341 Comparative Study of Greenhouse Locations through Satellite Images and Geographic Information System: Methodological Evaluation in Venezuela
Authors: Maria A. Castillo H., Andrés R. Leandro C.
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During the last decades, agricultural productivity in Latin America has increased with precision agriculture and more efficient agricultural technologies. The use of automated systems, satellite images, geographic information systems, and tools for data analysis, and artificial intelligence have contributed to making more effective strategic decisions. Twenty years ago, the state of Mérida, located in the Venezuelan Andes, reported the largest area covered by greenhouses in the country, where certified seeds of potatoes, vegetables, ornamentals, and flowers were produced for export and consumption in the central region of the country. In recent years, it is estimated that production under greenhouses has changed, and the area covered has decreased due to different factors, but there are few historical statistical data in sufficient quantity and quality to support this estimate or to be used for analysis and decision making. The objective of this study is to compare data collected about geoposition, use, and covered areas of the greenhouses in 2007 to data available in 2021, as support for the analysis of the current situation of horticultural production in the main municipalities of the state of Mérida. The document presents the development of the work in the diagnosis and integration of geographic coordinates in GIS and data analysis phases. As a result, an evaluation of the process is made, a dashboard is presented with the most relevant data along with the geographical coordinates integrated into GIS, and an analysis of the obtained information is made. Finally, some recommendations for actions are added, and works that expand the information obtained and its geographical traceability over time are proposed. This study contributes to granting greater certainty in the supporting data for the evaluation of social, environmental, and economic sustainability indicators and to make better decisions according to the sustainable development goals in the area under review. At the same time, the methodology provides improvements to the agricultural data collection process that can be extended to other study areas and crops.Keywords: greenhouses, geographic information system, protected agriculture, data analysis, Venezuela
Procedia PDF Downloads 931340 Comparison of Power Generation Status of Photovoltaic Systems under Different Weather Conditions
Authors: Zhaojun Wang, Zongdi Sun, Qinqin Cui, Xingwan Ren
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Based on multivariate statistical analysis theory, this paper uses the principal component analysis method, Mahalanobis distance analysis method and fitting method to establish the photovoltaic health model to evaluate the health of photovoltaic panels. First of all, according to weather conditions, the photovoltaic panel variable data are classified into five categories: sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy, overcast. The health of photovoltaic panels in these five types of weather is studied. Secondly, a scatterplot of the relationship between the amount of electricity produced by each kind of weather and other variables was plotted. It was found that the amount of electricity generated by photovoltaic panels has a significant nonlinear relationship with time. The fitting method was used to fit the relationship between the amount of weather generated and the time, and the nonlinear equation was obtained. Then, using the principal component analysis method to analyze the independent variables under five kinds of weather conditions, according to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, it was found that three types of weather such as overcast, foggy, and sunny meet the conditions for factor analysis, while cloudy and rainy weather do not satisfy the conditions for factor analysis. Therefore, through the principal component analysis method, the main components of overcast weather are temperature, AQI, and pm2.5. The main component of foggy weather is temperature, and the main components of sunny weather are temperature, AQI, and pm2.5. Cloudy and rainy weather require analysis of all of their variables, namely temperature, AQI, pm2.5, solar radiation intensity and time. Finally, taking the variable values in sunny weather as observed values, taking the main components of cloudy, foggy, overcast and rainy weather as sample data, the Mahalanobis distances between observed value and these sample values are obtained. A comparative analysis was carried out to compare the degree of deviation of the Mahalanobis distance to determine the health of the photovoltaic panels under different weather conditions. It was found that the weather conditions in which the Mahalanobis distance fluctuations ranged from small to large were: foggy, cloudy, overcast and rainy.Keywords: fitting, principal component analysis, Mahalanobis distance, SPSS, MATLAB
Procedia PDF Downloads 1441339 Derivation of Bathymetry Data Using Worldview-2 Multispectral Images in Shallow, Turbid and Saline Lake Acıgöl
Authors: Muhittin Karaman, Murat Budakoglu
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In this study, derivation of lake bathymetry was evaluated using the high resolution Worldview-2 multispectral images in the very shallow hypersaline Lake Acıgöl which does not have a stable water table due to the wet-dry season changes and industrial usage. Every year, a great part of the lake water budget has been consumed for the industrial salt production in the evaporation ponds, which are generally located on the south and north shores of Lake Acıgöl. Therefore, determination of the water level changes from a perspective of remote sensing-based lake water by bathymetry studies has a great importance in the sustainability-control of the lake. While the water table interval is around 1 meter between dry and wet season, dissolved ion concentration, salinity and turbidity also show clear differences during these two distinct seasonal periods. At the same time, with the satellite data acquisition (June 9, 2013), a field study was conducted to collect the salinity values, Secchi disk depths and turbidity levels. Max depth, Secchi disk depth and salinity were determined as 1,7 m, 0,9 m and 43,11 ppt, respectively. Eight-band Worldview-2 image was corrected for atmospheric effects by ATCOR technique. For each sampling point in the image, mean reflectance values in 1*1, 3*3, 5*5, 7*7, 9*9, 11*11, 13*13, 15*15, 17*17, 19*19, 21*21, 51*51 pixel reflectance neighborhoods were calculated separately. A unique image has been derivated for each matrix resolution. Spectral values and depth relation were evaluated for these distinct resolution images. Correlation coefficients were determined for the 1x1 matrix: 0,98, 0,96, 0,95 and 0,90 for the 724 nm, 831 nm, 908 nm and 659 nm, respectively. While 15x5 matrix characteristics with 0,98, 0,97 and 0,97 correlation values for the 724 nm, 908 nm and 831 nm, respectively; 51x51 matrix shows 0,98, 0,97 and 0,96 correlation values for the 724 nm, 831 nm and 659 nm, respectively. Comparison of all matrix resolutions indicates that RedEdge band (724 nm) of the Worldview-2 satellite image has the best correlation with the saline shallow lake of Acıgöl in-situ depth.Keywords: bathymetry, Worldview-2 satellite image, ATCOR technique, Lake Acıgöl, Denizli, Turkey
Procedia PDF Downloads 4471338 Blockchain Is Facilitating Intercultural Entrepreneurship: Memoir of a Persian Non-Fungible Tokens Collection
Authors: Mohammad Afkhami, Saeid Reza Ameli Ranani
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Since the bitcoin invention in 2008, blockchain technology surpassed so many innovations that the pioneer networks such as Ethereum are adaptable to host a decentral bunch of information containing pictures, audio, video, domains, etc., or even a metaverse versatile avatar. Transformation of tangible goods into virtual assets, known as AR-utility of luxury products, and the intermixture of reality and virtuality organized a worldwide, semi-regulated, and decentralized marketplace for digital goods. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are doing a great help to artists worldwide, sharing diverse cultural outlooks by setting up a remote cross-cultural corporation potential and, at the same time, metamorphosizing the middleman role and ceasing the necessity of having a SWIFT-connected bank account. Under critical sanctions, a group of artists in Tehran did not take for granted such an opportunity to show off their artworks undisturbed, offering an introspective attitude, exerting Iranian motifs while intermingling westernized symbols. The cryptocurrency market has already acquired allocation, and interest in the global domain, paving the way for a flourishing enthusiasm among entrepreneurs who have been preoccupied with high-tech start-ups before. In a project found by Iranian female artists, we decipher the ups and downs of the new cyberculture and the environment it provides to fairly promote the artwork and obstacles it put forward in the way of interested entrepreneurs as we get through the details of starting up an NFT collection. An in-depth interview and empirical encounters with diverse Social Network Sites (SNS) and the strategies that other successful projects deploy to sell their artworks in an international and, at the same time, an anonymous market is the main focus, which shapes the paper fieldwork perspective. In conclusion, we discuss strategies for promoting an NFT project.Keywords: NFT, metaverse, intercultural, art, illustration, start-up, entrepreneurship
Procedia PDF Downloads 1011337 Analysis of the Advent of Multinational Corporations in Developing Countries: Case Study of Nike Factories Expansion in Vietnam
Authors: Khue Do Phan
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Nike has been confronted by the press with their harsh working conditions, underpayment and highly-labor intensive requirement to their manufacturing workers and hiring of underage workers in Vietnam, Nike's largest production center. To analyze this topic critically through an international relations perspective, theory of dependency will be used to criticize the notion of exploitation of resources from developed countries towards developing countries. Theory of economic liberalism will be used to support the notion private property, the free market and generally capitalism as beneficial to both developing and developed countries. Workers are mentally, physically and sexually abused in the factories. In addition to this, their working conditions consist of improper training, lack of safety equipment, exposure of chemicals (glues and pants), their average wage is below the minimum wage in their country; the workers have to work around 60 hours or more a week. Even Nike says that the conditions are regulated often to make sure the workers get a voice to have their work rights and safe working environment. The monitors come to analyze the factories but in the end talk to the employers, whom are the direct abusers to the employees. Health benefits are rarely granted to the employees; they are forced to pay their bills first then the company will reimburse them later. They would also get in trouble for using the bathroom, taking a lunch break or sick days off because this would mean it would decrease their hours of work, leading to an even lower wage and a really angry employer. Of course with the press criticizing Nike’s lack of respect for human rights and working rights, Nike has been working on policy making and implementation to deal with the abuses. Due to its large chains and a great number of outsourcing host countries, the changes that Nike wish or attempt to make have not be in effect as quickly nor spreading to all countries it holds accountable for in its outsourcing factories.Keywords: dependency theory, economic liberalism, human rights, outsource
Procedia PDF Downloads 3331336 Application of Raman Spectroscopy for Ovarian Cancer Detection: Comparative Analysis of Fresh, Formalin-Fixed, and Paraffin-Embedded Samples
Authors: Zeinab Farhat, Nicolas Errien, Romuald Wernert, Véronique Verriele, Frédéric Amiard, Philippe Daniel
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Ovarian cancer, also known as the silent killer, is the fifth most common cancer among women worldwide, and its death rate is higher than that of other gynecological cancers. The low survival rate of women with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma highlights the critical need for the development of new methods for early detection and diagnosis of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate if Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometric methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) could differentiate between cancerous and normal tissues from different types of samples, such as paraffin embedding, chemical deparaffinized, formalin-fixed and fresh samples of the same normal and malignant ovarian tissue. The method was applied specifically to two critical spectral regions: the signature region (860-1000 〖cm〗^(-1)) and the high-frequency region (2800-3100 〖cm〗^(-1) ). The mean spectra of paraffin-embedded in normal and malignant tissues showed almost similar intensity. On the other hand, the mean spectra of normal and cancer tissues from chemical deparaffinized, formalin-fixed, and fresh samples show significant intensity differences. These spectral differences reflect variations in the molecular composition of the tissues, particularly lipids and proteins. PCA, which was applied to distinguish between cancer and normal tissues, was performed on whole spectra and on selected regions—the PCA score plot of paraffin-embedded shows considerable overlap between the two groups. However, the PCA score of chemicals deparaffinized, formalin-fixed, and fresh samples showed a good discrimination of tissue types. Our findings were validated by analyses of a set of samples whose status (normal and cancerous) was not previously known. The results of this study suggest that Raman Spectroscopy associated with PCA methods has the capacity to provide clinically significant differentiation between normal and cancerous ovarian tissues.Keywords: Raman spectroscopy, ovarian cancer, signal processing, Principal Component Analysis, classification
Procedia PDF Downloads 251335 Long-Term Results of Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: One Center Experience
Authors: Emil Sakharov, Alex Zotov, Ilkin Osmanov, Oleg Shelest, Aleksander Troitskiy, Robert Khabazov
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Objective: Since 2015, our center has been actively implementing methods of surgical correction of atrial fibrillation, in particular, in patients with coronary heart disease. The study presents a comparative analysis of the late postoperative period in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting and atrial fibrillation. Methods: The study included 150 patients with ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation for the period from 2015 to 2021. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The first group is represented by patients with ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation who underwent coronary bypass surgery and surgical correction of atrial fibrillation (N=50). The second group is represented by patients with ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation who underwent only myocardial revascularization (N=100). Patients were comparable in age, gender, and initial severity of the condition. Among the patients in group 1 there were 82% were men, while in the second group, their number was 75%. Among the patients of the first group, there were 36% with persistent atrial fibrillation, 20% with long-term persistent atrial fibrillation. In the second group, 10% with persistent atrial fibrillation and 17% with long-term persistent atrial fibrillation. Results: Average follow-up for groups 1 and 2 amounted to 47 months. There were no complications in group 1, such as bleeding and stroke. There was only 1 patient in group 1, who had died from cardiovascular disease. Freedom of atrial fibrillation was in 82% without AADs therapy. In group 2 there were 8 patients who had died from cardiovascular diseases and total freedom of atrial fibrillation was in 35% of patients, among which 42.8% had additional AADs therapy. Follow-up data are presented in Table 2. Progression of heart failure was observed in 3% in group 1 and 7% in group 2. Combined endpoints (recurrence of AF, stroke, progression of heart failure, myocardial infarction) were achieved in 16% in group 1 and 34% in group 2, respectively. Freedom from atrial fibrillation without antiarrhythmic therapy was 82% for group 1 and 35% for group 2. In the first group, there is a more pronounced decrease in heart failure rates. Deaths from cardiovascular causes were recorded in 2% for group 1 and 7% for group 2. Conclusion: Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation helps to reduce adverse complications in the late postoperative period and contributes to the regression of heart failure.Keywords: atrial fibrillation, coronary artery bypass grafting, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure
Procedia PDF Downloads 1191334 Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems on Board Ships and Impact on Crews’ Health: A Feasibility Study Protocol
Authors: Despoina Andrioti Bygvraa, Ida-Maja Hassellöv, George Charalambous
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Exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers, are today widely used to allow for the use of High Sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil and still comply with the regulations limiting sulphur content in marine fuels. There are extensive concerns about environmental consequences, especially in the Baltic Sea, from the wide-scale use of scrubbers, as the wash water is acidic (ca pH 3) and contains high concentrations of toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic substances. The aim of this feasibility study is to investigate the potential adverse effects on seafarers’ health with the ultimate goal of raising awareness of chemical-related health and safety issues in the shipping environment. The project got funding from the Swedish Foundation. The team will extend previously compiled data on scrubber wash water concentrations of hazardous substances and pH to include the use of strong base in closed-loop scrubbers, and scoping assessment on handling and disposing practices. Based on the findings (a), a systematic review of risk assessment will follow to show the risk of exposures, the establishment of the hazardous levels for human health as well as the respective prevention practices. In addition, the researchers will perform (b) a systematic review to identify facilitators and barriers of the crew on compliance with the safe handling of chemicals. The study will run for 12 months, delivering (a) a risk assessment inventory with risk exposures and (b) a course description of safe handling practices. This feasibility study could provide valuable knowledge on how pollutants found in scrubbers should be considered from a human health perspective to facilitate evidence-based informed decisions in future technology- and policy development to make shipping a safer, healthier, and more attractive workplace.Keywords: health and safety, seafarers, scrubbers, chemicals, risk exposures
Procedia PDF Downloads 581333 A History of Taiwan’s Secret Nuclear Program
Authors: Hsiao-ting Lin
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This paper analyzes the history of Taiwan’s secret program to develop its nuclear weapons during the Cold War. In July 1971, US President Richard Nixon shocked the world when he announced that his national security adviser Henry Kissinger had made a secret trip to China and that he himself had accepted an invitation to travel to Beijing. This huge breakthrough in the US-PRC relationship was followed by Taipei’s loss of political legitimacy and international credibility as a result of its UN debacle in the fall that year. Confronted with the Nixon White House’s opening to the PRC, leaders in Taiwan felt being betrayed and abandoned, and they were obliged to take countermeasures for the sake of national interest and regime survival. Taipei’s endeavor to create an effective nuclear program, including the possible development of nuclear weapons capabilities, fully demonstrates the government’s resolution to pursue its own national policy, even if such a policy was guaranteed to undermine its relations with the United States. With hindsight, Taiwan’s attempt to develop its own nuclear weapons did not succeed in sabotaging the warming of US-PRC relations. Worse, it was forced to come to a full stop when, in early 1988, the US government pressured Taipei to close related facilities and programs on the island. However, Taiwan’s abortive attempt to develop its nuclear capability did influence Washington’s and Beijing’s handling of their new relationship. There did develop recognition of a common American and PRC interest in avoiding a nuclearized Taiwan. From this perspective, Beijing’s interests would best be served by allowing the island to remain under loose and relatively benign American influence. As for the top leaders on Taiwan, such a policy choice demonstrated how they perceived the shifting dynamics of international politics in the 1960s and 1970s and how they struggled to break free and pursue their own independent national policy within the rigid framework of the US-Taiwan alliance during the Cold War.Keywords: taiwan, richard nixon, nuclear program, chiang Kai-shek, chiang ching-kuo
Procedia PDF Downloads 1311332 An Assessment of Female Representation in Philippine Cinema in Comparison to American Cinema (1975 to 2020)
Authors: Amanda Julia Binay, Patricia Elise Suarez
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Female representation in media is an important subject in the discussion of gender equality, especially in impactful and influential media like film. As the Filipino film industry continues to grow and evolve, the need for analysis on Filipino female representation on screen is imperative. Additionally, there has been limited research made on female representation in the Philippine film scene. Thus, the paper aims to analyze the presence and evolution of female representation in Philippine cinema and compare the findings with that of American films to see how Filipino filmmakers hold their own against the standards of international movements that call for more and better female representation, especially in Hollywood. The participants selected were Filipino and American films released within the years 1975 to 2020 in five (5) year intervals. Twenty (20) critically acclaimed and highest-grossing Filipino films and twenty (20) critically acclaimed and highest-grossing Hollywood films were then subject to the Bechdel and Peirce tests to obtain statistical measures of their female representation. The findings of the study reveal that the presence of female representation in Philippine film history has been consistent and has continued to grow and evolve throughout the years, with strong female leads with vibrant characteristics and diverse stories. However, analysis of female representation regarding American films has shown an extreme lack thereof with more misogynistic, sexist, and limiting ideals. Thus, the study concludes that the state of female representation in Philippine cinema and film industry holds its own when compared to American cinema and film industry and even outperforms it in many aspects of female representation, such as consistent inclusion and depiction of multi-dimensional female leads and female relationships. Hence, the study implies that women’s consistent presence in Philippine cinema mirrors Filipino women’s prominent role in Philippine society and that American cinema must continue to make efforts to change their portrayals of female characters, leads, and relationships to make them more grounded in reality.Keywords: female representation, gender studies, feminism, philippine cinema, American cinema, bechdel test, peirce test, comparative analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 3811331 Visibility of the Borders of the Mandibular Canal: A Comparative in Vitro Study Using Digital Panoramic Radiography, Reformatted Panoramic Radiography and Cross Sectional Cone Beam Computed Tomography
Authors: Keerthilatha Pai, Sakshi Kamra
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Objectives: Determining the position of the mandibular canal prior to implant placement and surgeries of the posterior mandible are important to avoid the nerve injury. The visibility of the mandibular canal varies according to the imaging modality. Although panoramic radiography is the most common, slowly cone beam computed tomography is replacing it. This study was conducted with an aim to determine and compare the visibility of superior and inferior borders of the mandibular canal in digital panoramic radiograph, reformatted panoramic radiograph and cross-sectional images of cone beam computed tomography. Study design: digital panoramic, reformatted panoramic radiograph and cross sectional CBCT images of 25 human mandibles were evaluated for the visibility of the superior and inferior borders of the mandibular canal according to a 5 point scoring criteria. Also, the canal was evaluated as completely visible, partially visible and not visible. The mean scores and visibility percentage of all the imaging modalities were determined and compared. The interobserver and intraobserver agreement in the visualization of the superior and inferior borders of the mandibular canal were determined. Results: The superior and inferior borders of the mandibular canal were completely visible in 47% of the samples in digital panoramic, 63% in reformatted panoramic and 75.6% in CBCT cross-sectional images. The mandibular canal was invisible in 24% of samples in digital panoramic, 19% in reformatted panoramic and 2% in cross-sectional CBCT images. Maximum visibility was seen in Zone 5 and least visibility in Zone 1. On comparison of all the imaging modalities, CBCT cross-sectional images showed better visibility of superior border in Zones 2,3,4,6 and inferior border in Zones 2,3,4,6. The difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: CBCT cross-sectional images were much superior in the visualization of the mandibular canal in comparison to reformatted and digital panoramic radiographs. The inferior border was better visualized in comparison to the superior border in digital panoramic imaging. The mandibular canal was maximumly visible in posterior one-third region of the mandible and the visibility decreased towards the mental foramen.Keywords: cone beam computed tomography, mandibular canal, reformatted panoramic radiograph, visualization
Procedia PDF Downloads 1271330 Water Problems, Social Mobilization and Migration: A Case Study of Lake Urmia
Authors: Fatemeh Dehghan Khangahi, Hakan Gunes
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Transforming a public necessity into a commercial commodity becomes more and more evident as time goes on, and it is one of the issues of water shortage. Development projects of countries, consume the water and waterbeds in various forms, ignoring the concepts such as sustainability and the negative effects they place on the environment, pollute and change the ways of waterways. Throughout these processes, the water basins and all the vital environments sometimes can suffer damage to the irreparable level. In this context, the issue of Lake Urmia that is located in the North West of Iran left alone by drought, has been researched. The lake, which is on the list of UNESCO's biosphere reserves, is now exposed to the danger of desiccation. If the desiccation is fully realized, more than 5.000.000 people that they are living around the lake, will have to migrate as a result of negative living conditions. As a matter of fact, along with the recent years of increasing drought level, regional migrations have begun. In addition to migration issues, it is also necessary to specify the negative effects on human and all-round’s life that depend on the formation of salt storms, mixing of salt into the air and soil, which threaten human health seriously because the lake is salty. The main aim of this work is to raise national and international awareness of this problem, which is an environment and a human tragedy at the same time. This research has two basic questions: 1) In the case of Lake Urmia, what are environmental problems and how they have emerged and what is the role of governments? 2) What is the social consequence of this problem in relation to the first question? In response, after the literature search, having a comparative view of the situation of the Aral Sea and the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA), which involved the two major international examples. The first, one is related to the terms of population and migration, the second is about biological properties. Then, data and status information that provided after 3 years area research has been evaluated. Towards the end, with the support of qualitative and quantitative methods, the study of social mobilization in the region has been carried out. An example of it is using the public space of TRAXTOR matches like a protests area.Keywords: environment problems, water, social mobilization, Lake Urmia, migration
Procedia PDF Downloads 1331329 Thermodynamic Evaluation of Coupling APR-1400 with a Thermal Desalination Plant
Authors: M. Gomaa Abdoelatef, Robert M. Field, Lee, Yong-Kwan
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Growing human populations have placed increased demands on water supplies and a heightened interest in desalination infrastructure. Key elements of the economics of desalination projects are thermal and electrical inputs. With growing concerns over the use of fossil fuels to (indirectly) supply these inputs, coupling of desalination with nuclear power production represents a significant opportunity. Individually, nuclear and desalination technologies have a long history and are relatively mature. For desalination, Reverse Osmosis (RO) has the lowest energy inputs. However, the economically driven output quality of the water produced using RO, which uses only electrical inputs, is lower than the output water quality from thermal desalination plants. Therefore, modern desalination projects consider that RO should be coupled with thermal desalination technologies (MSF, MED, or MED-TVC) with attendant steam inputs to permit blending to produce various qualities of water. A large nuclear facility is well positioned to dispatch large quantities of both electrical and thermal power. This paper considers the supply of thermal energy to a large desalination facility to examine heat balance impact on the nuclear steam cycle. The APR1400 nuclear plant is selected as prototypical from both a capacity and turbine cycle heat balance perspective to examine steam supply and the impact on electrical output. Extraction points and quantities of steam are considered parametrically along with various types of thermal desalination technologies to form the basis for further evaluations of economically optimal approaches to the interface of nuclear power production with desalination projects. In our study, the thermodynamic evaluation will be executed by DE-TOP which is the IAEA desalination program, it is approved to be capable of analyzing power generation systems coupled to desalination systems through various steam extraction positions, taking into consideration the isolation loop between the APR-1400 and the thermal desalination plant for safety concern.Keywords: APR-1400, desalination, DE-TOP, IAEA, MSF, MED, MED-TVC, RO
Procedia PDF Downloads 5321328 Strategic Policy Formulation to Ensure the Atlantic Forest Regeneration
Authors: Ramon F. B. da Silva, Mateus Batistella, Emilio Moran
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Although the existence of two Forest Transition (FT) pathways, the economic development and the forest scarcity, there are many contexts that shape the model of FT observed in each particular region. This means that local conditions, such as relief, soil quality, historic land use/cover, public policies, the engagement of society in compliance with legal regulations, and the action of enforcement agencies, represent dimensions which combined, creates contexts that enable forest regeneration. From this perspective we can understand the regeneration process of native vegetation cover in the Paraíba Valley (Forest Atlantic biome), ongoing since the 1960s. This research analyzed public information, land use/cover maps, environmental public policies, and interviewed 17 stakeholders from the Federal and State agencies, municipal environmental and agricultural departments, civil society, farmers, aiming comprehend the contexts behind the forest regeneration in the Paraíba Valley, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The first policy to protect forest vegetation was the Forest Code n0 4771 of 1965, but this legislation did not promote the increase of forest, just the control of deforestation, not enough to the Atlantic Forest biome that reached its highest pick of degradation in 1985 (8% of Atlantic Forest remnants). We concluded that the Brazilian environmental legislation acted in a strategic way to promote the increase of forest cover (102% of regeneration between 1985 and 2011) from 1993 when the Federal Decree n0 750 declared the initial and advanced stages of secondary succession protected against any kind of exploitation or degradation ensuring the forest regeneration process. The strategic policy formulation was also observed in the Sao Paulo State law n0 6171 of 1988 that prohibited the use of fire to manage agricultural landscape, triggering a process of forest regeneration in formerly pasture areas.Keywords: forest transition, land abandonment, law enforcement, rural economic crisis
Procedia PDF Downloads 5531327 Integration and Translation: The Comparison of Religious Rituals of Caodaism in Vietnam and Yi-Kuan-Tao
Authors: Lim Pey Huan
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In the second half of the 19th century, Vietnam has long been influenced by Han culture, so there are many similarities in religion and folk beliefs. Even after the acceptance process of the Catholic Church introduced from Europe is quite similar. Therefore, in the spiritual life of Vietnamese civil society, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, and folk beliefs can be said to be the main trend, but in the twentieth century, two indigenous new religions were born: Caodai and He Hao Jiao, both of which are produced and developed in the south, each of which has millions of believers and become important Vietnamese religions. Their political participation has a major impact on the development of the Republic of Vietnam, and their fate is also in the north and south. Significant changes have taken place after reunification. Caodai was later approved by the colonial authorities and became the third largest religion in Vietnam. The teachings of Caodai teach the ideas of the major religions of the world. The classics used in the teachings also contain important theories of various religions, with particular emphasis on the comprehensiveness of the three sects of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The obvious manifestation lies in the interpretation of the important proposition of 'opening the three religions and returning to the five branches.' The full name of Caodaism is 'Da Dao San Qi Pu Du Gao Tai Jiao'. This name coincides with the 'Longhua Club' and the 'San Qi Mo Jie' idea and the consistent central idea. The emerging road of Caodai advocates to lead the sentient beings back to their original missions; the sentient beings will be centered on people, and the nature of the talks is nothing more than the original mission and standard. There are many opinions about the introduction of Caodaism into southern Vietnam. Caodai believers believe that Caodaism is an emerging new religion in Vietnam. If we further explore the teachings and religious rituals of Caodai, it is not difficult to find that many Chinese sects have been introduced to Vietnam. Some of the colors can be discussed from the spread and influence of Congenital Road in Vietnam. This article will present the author's analysis of the actual process of tutoring in Vietnam's Caodai, and then compare it with the consistent religious experience, trying to explore the Yi-Kuan-Tao and consistent Yi-Kuan-Tao rituals, religious organization, religious teachings, religious life care, and Funeral rituals and other comparative studies.Keywords: Vietnam, Caodaism, Yi-Kuan-Tao, religious rituals
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