Search results for: cognitive ability

Authors: John Michael Weber

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The following research results spanned six months and 175 people addicted to some form of substance, from alcohol to heroin. One question was asked, and the answers were amazing and consistent. The following work is the detailed results of this writer’s answer to his own question and the 175 that followed. A constant pattern took shape throughout the bio-psycho-social assessments, these addicts had “first memories,” the memories were vivid and took place between the ages of three to six years old, to a person those first memories were traumatic. This writer’s personal search into his childhood was not to find an excuse for the way he became, but to explain the reason for becoming an addict. To treat addiction, these memories that have caused Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), must be recognized as the catalyst that sparked a predisposition. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), integrated with treatment specifically focused on PTSD, gives the addict a better chance at recovery sans relapse. This paper seeks to give the findings of first memories of the addicts assessed and provide the best treatment plan for such an addict, considering, the childhood trauma in congruence with treatment of the Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The question posed was concerning what their first life memory wa It is the hope of this author to take the knowledge that trauma is one of the main catalysts for addiction, will allow therapists to provide better treatment and reduce relapse from abstinence from drugs and alcohol. This research led this author to believe that if treatment of childhood trauma is not a priority, the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, specifically steps 4 and 5, will not be thoroughly addressed and odds for relapse increase. With this knowledge, parents can be educated on childhood trauma and the effect it has on their children. Parents could be mindful of the fact that the things they perceive as traumatic, do not match what a child, in the developmental years, absorbs as traumatic. It is this author’s belief that what has become the status quo in treatment facilities has not been working for a long time. It is for that reason this author believes things need to change. Relapse has been woven into the fabric of standard operating procedure and that, in this authors view, is not necessary. Childhood Trauma is not being addressed early in recovery and that creates an environment of inevitable relapse. This paper will explore how to break away from the status -quo and rethink the current “evidencebased treatments.” To begin breaking away from status-quo, this ends the Abstract, with hopes an interest has been peaked to read on.

Keywords: childood, trauma, treatment, addiction, change

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Authors: Laura Struik, Sarah Dow-Fleisner, Robert Janke

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Introduction: The use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has risen exponentially among North American youth and young adults (YYA) in recent years and has become a critical public health concern. The marketing strategies used by e-cigarette companies have been associated with the uptick in use among YYA, with video advertisements on TV and other electronic platforms being the most pervasive strategy. It is unknown if or how these advertisements capitalize on the recently documented multi-faceted influences that contribute to the initiation of vaping among this demographic (e.g., stress, anxiety, gender, peers, etc.), which is examined in this study. Methods: This content analysis is phase one of a two-phased research project that aims to inform meaningful approaches to anti-vaping messaging and campaigns. As part of this first phase, a scoping review has been conducted to identify various influences (environmental, cognitive, contextual, social, and emotional) on e-cigarette uptake among YYA. The results of this scoping review will inform the development of a coding framework to analyze the multiple influences present in vaping advertisements, as seen on two popular television channels (Discovery and AMC). In addition, advertisement characteristics will be incorporated into the coding framework (e.g., the number of people present, demographic details, context, and setting, etc.), and analyzed. Findings: Findings will reveal the types of influences being leveraged in vaping advertisements, and identify the underlying messages that may be particularly attractive to YYA. This will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how e-cigarette companies market their products and to whom. The results will also inform the next phase of this research project, which will encompass an analysis of anti-vaping advertisements and how the underpinning strategies align with those of the pro-vaping advertisements. Conclusions: Findings of this will study bring forward important implications for developing effective anti-vaping messages, and assist public health professionals in providing more comprehensive prevention and cessation support as it relates to e-cigarette use. Understanding which marketing strategies e-cigarette companies use is vital to our understanding of how to combat them. Findings will inform recommendations for public health efforts aimed at curbing e-cigarette use among YYA, and ultimately contribute to the health and well-being of YYA.

Keywords: e-cigarettes, youth and young adults, advertisements, public health

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Authors: Jayson Cheyne, David Butler, Iain Bomphray

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In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have been used increasingly for electric vehicles and large energy storage systems due to their high-power density and long lifespan. Despite this, thermal runaway remains a significant safety problem because of its uncontrollable and irreversible nature - which can lead to fires and explosions. In large-scale lithium-ion packs and modules, thermal runaway propagation between cells can escalate fire hazards and cause significant damage. Thus, safety measures are required to mitigate thermal runaway propagation. The current research explores composite phase change materials (PCM) containing expanded graphite (EG) for thermal runaway mitigation. PCMs are an area of significant interest for battery thermal management due to their ability to absorb substantial quantities of heat during phase change. Moreover, the introduction of EG can support heat transfer from the cells to the PCM (owing to its high thermal conductivity) and provide shape stability to the PCM during phase change. During the research, a thermal model was established for an array of 16 cylindrical cells to simulate heat dissipation with and without the composite PCM. Two conditions were modeled, including the behavior during charge/discharge cycles (i.e., throughout regular operation) and thermal runaway. Furthermore, parameters including cell spacing, composite PCM thickness, and EG weight percentage (WT%) were varied to establish the optimal material parameters for enabling thermal runaway mitigation and effective thermal management. Although numerical modeling is still ongoing, initial findings suggest that a 3mm PCM containing 15WT% EG can effectively suppress thermal runaway propagation while maintaining shape stability. The next step in the research is to validate the model through controlled experimental tests. Additionally, with the perceived fire safety concerns relating to PCM materials, fire safety tests, including UL-94 and Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI), shall be conducted to explore the flammability risk.

Keywords: battery safety, electric vehicles, phase change materials, thermal management, thermal runaway

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Authors: Pedro Barros, Ana Breda, Eugenio Rocha, M. Isabel Santos

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As visual and spatial awareness develops, children apprehension of the concept of direction, (relative) distance and (relative) location materializes. Here we present the educational inclusive digital game ORIESPA, under development by the Thematic Line Geometrix, for children aged between 6 and 10 years old, aiming the improvement of their visual and spatial awareness. Visual-spatial abilities are of crucial importance to succeed in many everyday life tasks. Unavoidable in the technological age we are living in, they are essential in many fields of study as, for instance, mathematics.The game, set on a 2D/3D environment, focusses in tasks/challenges on the following categories (1) static orientation of the subject and object, requiring an understanding of the notions of up–down, left–right, front–back, higher-lower or nearer-farther; (2) interpretation of perspectives of three-dimensional objects, requiring the understanding of 2D and 3D representations of three-dimensional objects; and (3) orientation of the subject in real space, requiring the reading and interpreting of itineraries. In ORIESPA, simpler tasks are based on a quadrangular grid, where the front-back and left-right directions and the rotations of 90º, 180º and 270º play the main requirements. The more complex ones are produced on a cubic grid adding the up and down movements. In the first levels, the game's mechanics regarding the reading and interpreting maps (from point A to point B) is based on map routes, following a given set of instructions. In higher levels, the player must produce a list of instructions taking the game character to the desired destination, avoiding obstacles. Being an inclusive game the user has the possibility to interact through the mouse (point and click with a single button), the keyboard (small set of well recognized keys) or a Kinect device (using simple gesture moves). The character control requires the action on buttons corresponding to movements in 2D and 3D environments. Buttons and instructions are also complemented with text, sound and sign language.

Keywords: digital game, inclusion, itinerary, spatial ability

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Authors: Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim, Bruce Prideaux

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One of the aims of wildlife tourism is to educate visitors about the threats facing wildlife, in general, and the actions needed to protect the environment and maintain biodiversity. Annually, millions of tourists visit natural areas and zoos primarily to view flagship species such as rhinos and elephants. Venues rely on the inherent charisma of these species to increase visitation and anchor conservation efforts. Expected visitor outcomes from the use of flagships include raised levels of awareness and pro-conservation behaviors. However, the role of flagships in wildlife tourism has been criticized for not delivering conservation benefits for species of interest or biodiversity and producing negative site impacts. Furthermore, little is known about how the connection to a species influences conservation behaviors. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by extending previous work exploring wildlife tourism to include the emotional connection formed with wildlife species and pro-conservation behaviors for individual species and biodiversity. This paper represents a substantial contribution to the field because (a) it incorporates the role of the experience in understanding how tourists connect with a species and how this connection influences pro-conservation behaviors; and (b) is the first attempt to operationalize Conservation Caring as a measure of tourists’ connection with a species. Existing studies have investigated how specific elements, such as interpretation or species’ morphology may influence programmatic goals or awareness. However, awareness is a poor measure of an emotional connection with an animal. Furthermore, there has not been work done to address the holistic nature of the wildlife viewing experience, and its subsequent influence on behaviors. Results based on the structural equation modelling, support the validity of Conservation Caring as a factor; the ability of wildlife tourism to influence Conservation Caring; and that this connection is a strong predictor of conservation awareness behaviors. These findings suggest wildlife tourism can deliver conservation outcomes. The studies in this paper also provide a valuable framework for structuring wildlife tourism experiences to align with flagship related conservation outcomes, and exploring a wider assemblage of species as potential flagships.

Keywords: wildlife tourism, conservation caring, conservation awareness, structural equation modelling

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Authors: Surya Chandra Tiwari, Kamal Kishore Pant, Sreedevi Upadhyayula

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CO2 capture using benign cost-effective solvents is an essential unit operation not only in the process industry for CO2 separation and recovery from industrial off-gas streams but also for direct capture from air to clean the environment. Several solvents are identified, by researchers, with high CO2 capture efficiency due to their favorable chemical and physical properties, interaction mechanism with CO2, and low regeneration energy cost. However, N-Methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) is the most frequently used solvent for CO2 capture with promoters such as piperazine (Pz) and monoethanolamine (MEA). These promoters have several issues such as low thermal stability, heat-stable salt formation, and being highly degradable. Therefore, new class promoters need to be used to overcome these issues. Functionalized ionic liquids (FILs) have the potential to overcome these limitations. Hence, in this work, four different new class functionalized ionic liquids (FILs) were used as promoters and determined their effectivity toward enhancement of the CO2 absorption performance. The CO2 absorption is performed at different pressure (2 bar, 4.4 bar, and 7 bar) and different temperature (303, 313, and 323K). The results confirmed that CO2 loading increases around 18 to 22% after 5wt% FILs blended in the MDEA. It was noticed that the CO2 loading increases with increasing pressure and decreases with increasing temperature for all absorbents systems. Further, the absorption kinetics was determined, and results showed that all the FILs provide an excellent absorption rate enhancement. Additionally, for the interaction mechanism study, 13C NMR analysis was performed for the blend aqueous MDEA-CO2 system. The results suggested that the FILs blend MDEA system produced a high amount of carbamates and bicarbonates during CO2 absorption, which further decreases with increasing temperature. Eventually, regeneration energy was calculated, and results confirmed that the energy heat duty penalty was lower in the [TETAH][Im] blend MDEA system. Overall, [TETAH][Pz], [TETAH][Im], [DETAH][Im] and [DETAH][Tz] showed the promising ability as promoters to enhance CO2 capturing performance of MDEA.

Keywords: CO2 capture, interaction mechanism, kinetics, Ionic liquids

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Authors: Zohreh Bayat, Dariush Minai-Tehrani

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, rode shape and aerobic bacterium that has shown to be resistance to many antibiotics. This resistance makes the bacterium very harmful in some diseases. It can also generate diseases in any part of the gastrointestinal tract from oropharynx to rectum. P. aeruginosa has become an important cause of infection, especially in patients with compromised host defense mechanisms. One of the most important reasons that make P. aeruginosa an emerging opportunistic pathogen in patients is its ability to use various compounds as carbon sources. Lipase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of lipids. Most lipases act at a specific position on the glycerol backbone of lipid substrate. Some lipases are expressed and secreted by pathogenic organisms during the infection. Muscarinic antagonist used as an antispasmodic and in urinary incontinence. The drug has little effect on glandular secretion or the cardiovascular system. It does have some local anesthetic properties and is used in gastrointestinal, biliary, and urinary tract spasms. Aim: In this study the inhibitory effect of a muscarinic antagonist on lipase of P. aeruginosa was investigated. Methods: P. aeruginosa was cultured in minimal salt medium with 1% olive oil as carbon source. The cells were harvested and the supernatant, which contained lipase, was used for enzyme assay. Results: Our results showed that the drug can inhibit P. aeruginosa lipase by competitive manner. In the presence of different concentrations of the drug, the Vmax (2 mmol/min/mg protein) of enzyme did not change, while the Km raised by increasing the drug concentration. The Ki (inhibition constant) and IC50 (the half maximal inhibitory concentration) value of drug was estimated to be about 30 uM and 60 uM which determined that the drug binds to enzyme with high affinity. Maximum activity of the enzyme was observed at pH 8 in the absence and presence of muscarinic antagonist, respectively. The maximum activity of lipase was observed at 600C and the enzyme became inactive at 900C. Conclusion: The muscarinic antagonist drug could inhibit lipase of P. aeruginosa and changed the kinetic parameters of the enzyme. The drug binded to enzyme with high affinity and did not chang the optimum pH of the enzyme. Temperature did not affect the binding of drug to musmuscarinic antagonist.

Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, drug, enzyme, inhibition

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Authors: Subrata Sarkar

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The aerospace industry is experiencing a profound product development transformation driven by the powerful integration of digitalization and 3D printing technologies. This paper delves into the significant impact of this convergence on aerospace innovation, specifically focusing on developing jet pumps for fuel systems. This case study is a compelling example of the immense potential of these technologies. In response to the industry's increasing demand for lighter, more efficient, and customized components, the combined capabilities of digitalization and 3D printing are reshaping how we envision, design, and manufacture critical aircraft parts, offering a distinct paradigm in aerospace engineering. Consider the development of a jet pump for a fuel system, a task that presents unique and complex challenges. Despite its seemingly simple design, the jet pump's development is hindered by many demanding operating conditions. The qualification process for these pumps involves many analyses and tests, leading to substantial delays and increased costs in fuel system development. However, by harnessing the power of automated simulations and integrating legacy design, manufacturing, and test data through digitalization, we can optimize the jet pump's design and performance, thereby revolutionizing product development. Furthermore, 3D printing's ability to create intricate structures using various materials, from lightweight polymers to high-strength alloys, holds the promise of highly efficient and durable jet pumps. The combined impact of digitalization and 3D printing extends beyond design, as it also reduces material waste and advances sustainability goals, aligning with the industry's increasing commitment to environmental responsibility. In conclusion, the convergence of digitalization and 3D printing is not just a technological advancement but a gateway to a new era in aerospace product development, particularly in the design of jet pumps. This revolution promises to redefine how we create aerospace components, making them safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible. As we stand at the forefront of this technological revolution, aerospace companies must embrace these technologies as a choice and a strategic imperative for those striving to lead in innovation and sustainability in the 21st century.

Keywords: jet pump, digitalization, 3D printing, aircraft fuel system.

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Authors: Afrouz Yousefi, Mohtada Sadrzadeh

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The widespread presence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) poses a significant concern due to their ability to accumulate in living organisms and their persistence in the environment, thanks to their robust carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds, which require substantial energy to break (485 kJ/mol). The prevalence of toxic PFAS compounds can be highly detrimental to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Ongoing efforts are dedicated to investigating methods for fully breaking down and eliminating PFAS from the environment. Among the various techniques employed, advanced oxidation processes have shown promise in completely breaking down emerging contaminants in wastewater. However, the drawback lies in the relatively slow reaction rates of these processes and the substantial energy input required, which currently impedes their widespread commercial adoption. We developed a hybrid process, comprising electro-Fenton as an advanced oxidation process and membrane distillation, to simultaneously degrade organic PFAS pollutants and extract pure water from the mixture. In this study, environmentally persistent perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as an emerging contaminant, was used to study the effectiveness of the electro-Fenton/membrane distillation hybrid system. The PFOA degradation studies were conducted in two modes: electro-Fenton and electro-Fenton coupled with membrane distillation. High-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV), ion-chromatography (measuring fluoride ion concentration), total organic carbon (TOC) decay, mineralization current efficiency (MCE), and specific energy consumption (SEC) were evaluated for a single EF and hybrid EF-MD processes. In contrast to a single EF reaction, TOC decay improved significantly in the EF-MD process. Overall, the MCE of hybrid processes surpassed 100% while it remained under 50% for a single EF reaction. Calculations of specific energy consumption (SEC) demonstrated a substantial decrease of nearly one-third in energy usage when integrating the EF reaction with the MD process.

Keywords: water treatment, PFAS, membrane distillation, electro-Fenton, advanced oxidation

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Authors: Amy Lebar, Kim L. Trenbath, Bennett Doherty, William Livingood

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Plug and process loads (PPLs) account for 47% of U.S. commercial building energy use. There is a huge potential to reduce whole building consumption by targeting PPLs for energy savings measures or implementing some form of plug load management (PLM). Despite this potential, there has yet to be a widely adopted commercial PLM technology. This paper describes the Automatic Type and Location Identification System (ATLIS), a PLM system framework with automatic and dynamic load detection (ADLD). ADLD gives PLM systems the ability to automatically identify devices as they are plugged into the outlets of a building. The ATLIS framework takes advantage of smart, connected devices to identify device locations in a building, meter and control their power, and communicate this information to a central database. ATLIS includes five primary capabilities: location identification, communication, control, energy metering and data storage. A laboratory proof of concept (PoC) demonstrated all but the data storage capabilities and these capabilities were validated using an office building scenario. The PoC can identify when a device is plugged into an outlet and the location of the device in the building. When a device is moved, the PoC’s dashboard and database are automatically updated with the new location. The PoC implements controls to devices from the system dashboard so that devices maintain correct schedules regardless of where they are plugged in within a building. ATLIS’s primary technology application is improved PLM, but other applications include asset management, energy audits, and interoperability for grid-interactive efficient buildings. A system like ATLIS could also be used to direct power to critical devices, such as ventilators, during a brownout or blackout. Such a framework is an opportunity to make PLM more widespread and reduce the amount of energy consumed by PPLs in current and future commercial buildings.

Keywords: commercial buildings, grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB), miscellaneous electric loads (MELs), plug loads, plug load management (PLM)

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Authors: Carolina S. Monteiro, Eugénia Pinto, Miguel A. Faria, Sara C. Cunha

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About half of the world's population eats rice daily, making it the primary food source for billions of people. Besides its nutrition potential, rice can be a significant route of exposure to many contaminants. Mycotoxins are an example of such contaminants that can be present in rice. Among them, ochratoxin (OTA), citrinin (CIT), and zearalenone (ZEN) are frequently reported in rice. During digestion, only a fraction of mycotoxins from food can be absorbed (bioaccessible fraction), influencing their ability to cause toxic effects. Insufficient knowledge of the bioavailability of mycotoxins, alone and in combination, may hinder an accurate risk assessment of contaminants ingested by humans. In this context, two different rice (Oryza sativa) varieties, Carolino white and Carolino brown, both with and without turmeric, were boiled and individually spiked with OTA, CIT, and ZEN plus with its combination. Subsequently, samples were submitted to the INFOGEST harmonized in vitro digestion protocol to evaluate the bioaccessibility of mycotoxins. Afterward, the in vitro intestinal transport of the mycotoxins, both alone and in combination, was evaluated in digests of Carolino white rice with and without turmeric. Assays were performed with a monolayers of of Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. Bioaccessibility of OTA and ZEN, alone and in combination, were similar in Carolino white and brown rice with or without turmeric. For CIT, when Carolino white rice was used, the bioaccessibility was higher alone than in combination (62.00% vs. 25.00%, without turmeric; 87.56% vs. 53.87%, with turmeric); however, with Carolino brown rice was the opposite (66.38% vs. 75.20%, without turmeric; 43.89% vs. 59.44%, with turmeric). All the mycotoxins, isolated, reached the higher bioaccessibility in the Carolino white rice with turmeric (CIT: 87.56%; OTA: 59.24%; ZEN: 58.05%). When mycotoxins are co-present, the higher bioaccessibility of each one varies with the type of rice. In general, when turmeric is present, bioaccessibility increases, except for CIT, using Carolino brown rice. Concerning the intestinal absorption in vitro, after 3 hours of transport, all mycotoxins were detected in the basolateral compartment being thus transported through the cells monolayer. ZEN presented the highest fraction absorbed isolated and combined, followed by CIT and OTA. These findings highlight that the presence of other components in the complex dietary matrix, like turmeric, and the co-presence of mycotoxins can affect its final bioavailability with obvious implications for health risk. This work provides new insights to qualitatively and quantitatively describe mycotoxin in rice fate during human digestion and intestinal absorption and further contribute to better risk assessment.

Keywords: bioaccessibility, digestion, intestinal absorption, mycotoxins

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Authors: Ben Main Piotr Ozieranski

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State government spending on pharmaceuticals stands at 1 trillion USD globally, promoting criticism of the pharmaceutical industry's monetization of drug efficacy, product cost overvaluation, and health injustice. This paper elucidates the mechanisms behind a state-institutional response to this problem through the sociological lens of the strategic relational approach to state power. To do so, 30 expert interviews, legal and policy documents are drawn on to explain how state elites in New Zealand have successfully contested a 30-year “pharmaceutical spending containment policy”. Proceeding from Jessop's notion of strategic “selectivity”, encompassing analyses of the enabling features of state actors' ability to harness state structures, a theoretical explanation is advanced. First, a strategic context is described that consists of dynamics around pharmaceutical dealmaking between the state bureaucracy, pharmaceutical pricing strategies (and their effects), and the industry. Centrally, the pricing strategy of "bundling" -deals for packages of drugs that combine older and newer patented products- reflect how state managers have instigated an “incentivization game” that is played by state and industry actors, including HTA professionals, over pharmaceutical products (both current and in development). Second, a protective context is described that is comprised of successive legislative-judicial responses to the strategic context and characterized by the regulation and the societalisation of commercial law. Third, within the policy, the achievement of increased pharmaceutical coverage (pharmaceutical “mix”) alongside contained spending is conceptualized as a state defence of a "social profit". As such, in contrast to scholarly expectations that political and economic cultures of neo-liberalism drive pharmaceutical policy-making processes, New Zealand's state elites' approach is shown to be antipathetic to neo-liberals within an overall capitalist economy. The paper contributes an analysis of state pricing strategies and how they are embedded in state regulatory structures. Additionally, through an analysis of the interconnections of state power and pharmaceutical value Abrahams's neo-liberal corporate bias model for pharmaceutical policy analysis is problematised.

Keywords: pharmaceutical governance, pharmaceutical bureaucracy, pricing strategies, state power, value theory

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Authors: A. H. Nanher, N. P. Singh, Shashidhar Yadav, Sachin Tyagi

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Agricultural production system is an outcome of a complex interaction of seed, soil, water and agro-chemicals (including fertilizers). Therefore, judicious management of all the inputs is essential for the sustainability of such a complex system. Precision agriculture gives farmers the ability to use crop inputs more effectively including fertilizers, pesticides, tillage and irrigation water. More effective use of inputs means greater crop yield and/or quality, without polluting the environment the focus on enhancing the productivity during the Green Revolution coupled with total disregard of proper management of inputs and without considering the ecological impacts, has resulted into environmental degradation. To evaluate a new approach for site-specific nutrient management (SSNM). Large variation in initial soil fertility characteristics and indigenous supply of N, P, and K was observed among Field- and season-specific NPK applications were calculated by accounting for the indigenous nutrient supply, yield targets, and nutrient demand as a function of the interactions between N, P, and K. Nitrogen applications were fine-tuned based on season-specific rules and field-specific monitoring of crop N status. The performance of SSNM did not differ significantly between high-yielding and low-yielding climatic seasons, but improved over time with larger benefits observed in the second year Future, strategies for nutrient management in intensive rice systems must become more site-specific and dynamic to manage spatially and temporally variable resources based on a quantitative understanding of the congruence between nutrient supply and crop demand. The SSNM concept has demonstrated promising agronomic and economic potential. It can be used for managing plant nutrients at any scale, i.e., ranging from a general recommendation for homogenous management of a larger domain to true management of between-field variability. Assessment of pest profiles in FFP and SSNM plots suggests that SSNM may also reduce pest incidence, particularly diseases that are often associated with excessive N use or unbalanced plant nutrition.

Keywords: nutrient, pesticide, crop, yield

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Authors: Kate Duggan

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Introduction: Functional Communication Training (FCT) is an approach which aims to reduce behaviours of concern by teaching more effective ways to communicate. It requires identification of the function of the behaviour of concern, through gathering information from key stakeholders and completing observations of the individual’s behaviour including antecedents to, and consequences of the behaviour. Appropriate communicative alternatives are then identified and taught to the individual using systematic instruction techniques. Behaviours of concern demonstrated by individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) frequently have a communication function. When contributing to positive behavior support plans, speech and language therapists and other professionals working with individuals with ASC need to identify alternative communicative behaviours which are equally reinforcing as the existing behaviours of concern. Successful implementation of FCT is dependent on an effective ‘response match’. The new way of communicating must be equally as effective as the behaviour previously used and require the same amount or less effort from the individual. It must also be understood by the communication partners the individual encounters and be appropriate to their communicative contexts. Method: Four case studies within a non-maintained special school environment were described and analysed. A response match framework was used to identify the effectiveness of functional communication training delivered by the student’s speech and language therapist, teacher and learning support assistants. The success of systematic instruction techniques used to develop new communicative behaviours was evaluated using the CODES framework. Findings: Functional communication training can be used as part of a positive behaviour support approach for students within this setting. All case studies reviewed demonstrated ‘response success’, in that the desired response was gained from the new communicative behaviour. Barriers to the successful embedding of new communicative behaviours were encountered. In some instances, the new communicative behaviour could not be consistently understood across all communication partners which reduced ‘response recognisability’. There was also evidence of increased physical or cognitive difficulty in employing the new communicative behaviour which reduced the ‘response effectivity’. Successful use of ‘thinning schedules of reinforcement’, taught students to tolerate a delay to reinforcement once the new communication behaviour was learned.

Keywords: augmentative and alternative communication, autism spectrum conditions, behaviours of concern, functional communication training

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Authors: William Thomas Worster

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This paper will highlight the failure of international adjudication to prevent a state from evading an order of provisional measures by simply issuing a diplomatic assurance to the court. This practice changes the positions of the litigants as equals before a court, prevents the court from inquiring into the reliability of the political pledge as it would with assurances from a state to an individual, and diminishes the court’s ability to control its own proceedings in the face of concerns over sovereignty. Both the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) will entertain these kinds of unilateral pledges, but they consider them differently when the declaration is made between states or between a state and an individual, and when made directly to the court. In short, diplomatic assurances issued between states or to individuals are usually considered not to be legally binding and are essentially questions of fact, but unilateral assurances issued directly to an international court are questions of law, and usually legally binding. At the same time, orders for provisional measures are now understood also to be legally binding, yet international courts will sometimes permit a state to substitute an assurance in place of an order for provisional measures. This emerging practice has brought the nature of a state as a sovereign capable of creating legal obligations into the forum of adjudication where the parties should have equality of arms and permitted states to create legal obligations that escape inquiry into the reliability of the outcome. While most recent practice has occurred at the ICJ in state-to-state litigation, there is some practice potentially extending the practice to human rights courts. Especially where the litigants are factually unequal – a state and an individual – this practice is problematic since states could more easily overcome factual failings in their pledges and evade the control of the court. Consider, for example, the potential for evading non-refoulement obligations by extending the current diplomatic assurances practice from the state-to-state context to the state-to-court context. The dual nature of assurances, as both legal and factual instruments, should be considered as addressed to distinct questions, each with its own considerations, and that we need to be more demanding about their precise legal and factual effects.

Keywords: unilateral, diplomacy, assurances, undertakings, provisional measures, interim measures

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Authors: Abdulbaset Mazarzaei

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Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune effectors that play a pivotal role in combating tumors and infected cells. In recent years, the therapeutic potential of NK cells has gained significant attention due to their remarkable cytotoxic ability. This study focuses on investigating the cytotoxic effect of expanded NK cells enriched with interleukin 12 (IL12) and interleukin 15 (IL15), derived from the leukoreduction filter, on the K562 cell line. Firstly, NK cells were isolated from whole blood samples obtained from healthy volunteers. These cells were subsequently expanded ex vivo using a combination of feeder cells, IL12, and IL15. The expanded NK cells were then harvested and assessed for their cytotoxicity against K562, a well-established human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line. The cytotoxicity was evaluated using flow cytometry assay. Results demonstrate that the expanded NK cells significantly exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity against K562 cells compared to non-expanded NK cells. Interestingly, the expanded NK cells derived specifically from IL12 and IL15-enriched leukoreduction filters showed a robust cytotoxic effect similar to the whole blood-derived NK cells. These findings suggest that IL12 and IL15 in the leukoreduction filter are crucial in promoting NK cell cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the expanded NK cells displayed relatively similar cytotoxicity profiles to whole blood-derived NK cells, indicating their comparable capability in targeting and eliminating tumor cells. This observation is of significant relevance as expanded NK cells from the leukoreduction filter could potentially serve as a readily accessible and efficient source for adoptive immunotherapy. In conclusion, this study highlights the significant cytotoxic effect of expanded NK cells enriched with IL12 and IL15 obtained from the leukoreduction filter on the K562 cell line. Moreover, it emphasizes that these expanded NK cells exhibit comparable cytotoxicity to whole blood-derived NK cells. These findings reinforce the potential clinical utility of using expanded NK cells from the leukoreduction filter as an effective strategy in adoptive immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Further studies are warranted to explore the broader implications of this approach in clinical settings.

Keywords: natural killer (NK) cells, Cytotoxicity, Leukoreduction filter, IL-12 and IL-15 Cytokines

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Authors: Zakaria Baka, Halima Alem

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Cancer is a major worldwide health problem that has caused around ten million deaths in 2020. In addition, efforts to develop new anti-cancer drugs still face a high failure rate. This is partly due to the lack of preclinical models that recapitulate in-vivo drug responses. Indeed conventional cell culture approach (known as 2D cell culture) is far from reproducing the complex, dynamic and three-dimensional environment of tumors. To set up more in-vivo-like cancer models, 3D bioprinting seems to be a promising technology due to its ability to achieve 3D scaffolds containing different cell types with controlled distribution and precise architecture. Moreover, the introduction of microfluidic technology makes it possible to simulate in-vivo dynamic conditions through the so-called “cancer-on-chip” platforms. Whereas several cancer types have been modeled through the cancer-on-chip approach, such as lung cancer and breast cancer, only a few works describing ovarian cancer models have been described. The aim of this work is to combine 3D bioprinting and microfluidic technics with setting up a 3D dynamic model of ovarian cancer. In the first phase, alginate-gelatin hydrogel containing SKOV3 cells was used to achieve tumor-like structures through an extrusion-based bioprinter. The desired form of the tumor-like mass was first designed on 3D CAD software. The hydrogel composition was then optimized for ensuring good and reproducible printability. Cell viability in the bioprinted structures was assessed using Live/Dead assay and WST1 assay. In the second phase, these bioprinted structures will be included in a microfluidic device that allows simultaneous testing of different drug concentrations. This microfluidic dispositive was first designed through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for fixing its precise dimensions. It was then be manufactured through a molding method based on a 3D printed template. To confirm the results of CFD simulations, doxorubicin (DOX) solutions were perfused through the dispositive and DOX concentration in each culture chamber was determined. Once completely characterized, this model will be used to assess the efficacy of anti-cancer nanoparticles developed in the Jean Lamour institute.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting, ovarian cancer, cancer-on-chip models, microfluidic techniques

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Authors: Chin-Tsu Ma, Yi-Jhen Wu, Hsia Ying Cheng, Han Hsiang Huang, Shyh Ming Kuo

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The use of specific molecules including nutrients and pharmacological agents has been tried in modulation of stem cells differentiation (MSCs) to insulin producing cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the ability of nano collagen molecules (nutrient or scaffold) to enhance the MSCs differentiation into insulin-producing cells in combination with nicotinamide and exendin-4 (pharmacological agents) in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrated that the cells exhibit morphologically islet-like clusters after treatment with nano collagen molecules, nicotinamide and exendin-4. MSCs extra treated with nano collagen molecules showed significant increases in Nkx6.1 and insulin mRNA expression at 14-d and 21-d culture compared with those merely treated with nicotinamide and exendin-4. Early 7-day elevation in PDX-1 mRNA expression was observed. Furthermore, the MSCs exposed to nano collagen molecules produced the highest secretion of insulin (p ＜ 0.05). Type-2 diabetes induced by high-fat diet and low dose of streptozotocin in rat model was built in this study. This rat exhibited higher food intake, water intake, lower glucose tolerance, lower-insulin tolerance, and higher HbA1C (significant increases, p ＜ 0.01) as compared with the normal rat that demonstrated the model of type-2 diabetes was successfully built. Biopsy examinations also showed that obvious destruction of islet. After injection of differentiated MSCs into the destructed pancreas of diabetes rat, more regenerated islet were observed at the rats that treated with nano collagen molecules and exhibited much lower HbA1C as compared with the normal rat and diabetes rat after 4 weeks (significant deceases, p ＜ 0.001). These results indicate that the culturing MSCs with nano collagen molecules, nicotinamide, and exendin-4 are beneficial for MSCs differentiation into islet-like cells. These nano collagen molecules may lead to alternations or up-regulation of gene expression and influence the differentiated outcomes induced by nicotinamide and exendin-4.

Keywords: nano collagen molecules, nicotinamide, MSCs, diabetes

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Authors: Nadwah Onwi, Puspa Maniam, Azmawanie A. Aziz, Fairus Mukhtar, Nor Azrita Mohamed Zin, Nurul Haslina Mohd Zin, Nurul Fatehah Ismail, Mohamad Safwan Yusoff, Susilidianamanalu Abd Rahman, Siti Munirah Harris, Maryam Aizuddin

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Objective: Malaysia has a growing number of individuals with complex communication needs (CCN). The initiation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention may facilitate individuals with CCN to understand and express themselves optimally and actively participate in activities in their daily life. AAC is defined as multimodal use of communication ability to allow individuals to use every mode possible to communicate with others using a set of symbols or systems that may include the symbols, aids, techniques, and strategies. It is consequently critical to evaluate the deficits to inform treatment for AAC intervention. However, no known measurement tools are available to evaluate the user with CCN available locally. Design: A systematic review (SR) is designed to analyze the psychometric properties of AAC assessment for adolescents with CCN published in peer-reviewed journals. Tools are rated by the methodological quality of studies and the psychometric measurement qualities of each tool. Method: A literature search identifying AAC assessment tools with psychometrically robust properties and conceptual framework was considered. Two independent reviewers screened the abstracts and full-text articles and review bibliographies for further references. Data were extracted using standardized forms and study risk of bias was assessed. Result: The review highlights the psychometric properties of AAC assessment tools that can be used by speech-language therapists applicable to be used in the Malaysian context. The work outlines how systematic review methods may be applied to the consideration of published material that provides valuable data to initiate the development of Malay Language AAC assessment tools. Conclusion: The synthesis of evidence has provided a framework for Malaysia Speech-Language therapists in making an informed decision for AAC intervention in our standard operating procedure in the Ministry of Health, Malaysia.

Keywords: augmentative and alternative communication, assessment, adolescents, complex communication needs

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Authors: Mamoon Masud, Suleman Mazhar

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Indus river basin’s irrigation system in Pakistan is extremely complex, spanning over 50,000 km. Maintenance and monitoring of this demands enormous resources. This paper describes the development of a streamlined and low-cost autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the monitoring of irrigation canals including water quality monitoring and water theft detection. The vehicle is a hovering-type AUV, designed mainly for monitoring irrigation canals, with fully documented design and open source code. It has a length of 17 inches, and a radius of 3.5 inches with a depth rating of 5m. Multiple sensors are present onboard the AUV for monitoring water quality parameters including pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and dissolved oxygen. A 9-DOF Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), GY-85, is used, which incorporates an Accelerometer (ADXL345), a Gyroscope (ITG-3200) and a Magnetometer (HMC5883L). The readings from these sensors are fused together using directional cosine matrix (DCM) algorithm, providing the AUV with the heading angle, while a pressure sensor gives the depth of the AUV. 2 sonar-based range sensors are used for obstacle detection, enabling the vehicle to align itself with the irrigation canals edges. 4 thrusters control the vehicle’s surge, heading and heave, providing 3 DOF. The thrusters are controlled using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) feedback control system, with heading angle and depth being the controller’s input and the thruster motor speed as the output. A flow sensor has been incorporated to monitor canal water level to detect water-theft event in the irrigation system. In addition to water theft detection, the vehicle also provides information on water quality, providing us with the ability to identify the source(s) of water contamination. Detection of such events can provide useful policy inputs for improving irrigation efficiency and reducing water contamination. The AUV being low cost, small sized and suitable for autonomous maneuvering, water level and quality monitoring in the irrigation canals, can be used for irrigation network monitoring at a large scale.

Keywords: the autonomous underwater vehicle, irrigation canal monitoring, water quality monitoring, underwater line tracking

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Authors: Wendy de Gomez

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Standardization is a critical element in the ability of a society to reduce uncertainty, subjectivity, misrepresentation, and interpretation while simultaneously contributing to innovation. Technological standardization is critical to codify specific operationalization through legal instruments that provide rules of development, expectation, and use. In the current emerging technology landscape Artificial Intelligence (AI) hardware as a general use technology has seen incredible growth as evidenced from AI technology patents between 2012 and 2018 in the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) AI dataset. However, as outlined in the 2023 United States Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology the codification through standardization of emerging technologies such as AI has not kept pace with its actual technological proliferation. This gap has the potential to cause significant divergent possibilities for the downstream outcomes of AI in both the short and long term. This original empirical research provides an overview of the standardization efforts around AI in different geographies and provides a background to standardization law. It quantifies the longitudinal trend of Artificial Intelligence hardware patents through the USPTO AI dataset. It seeks evidence of existing Standard Essential Patents from these AI hardware patents through a text analysis of the Statement of patent history and the Field of the invention of these patents in Patent Vector and examines their determination as a Standard Essential Patent and their inclusion in existing AI technology standards across the four main AI standards bodies- European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI); International Telecommunication Union (ITU)/ Telecommunication Standardization Sector (-T); Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Once the analysis is complete the paper will discuss both the theoretical and operational implications of F/Rand Licensing Agreements for the owners of these Standard Essential Patents in the United States Court and Administrative system. It will conclude with an evaluation of how Standard Setting Organizations (SSOs) can work with SEP owners more effectively through various forms of Intellectual Property mechanisms such as patent pools.

Keywords: patents, artifical intelligence, standards, F/Rand agreements

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Authors: Umamaheswari Shanmugam, Silvia Ronchi

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Software, artificial intelligence, and machine learning can improve healthcare through innovative and advanced technologies that can use the large amount and variety of data generated during healthcare services every day; one of the significant advantages of these new technologies is the ability to get experience and knowledge from real-world use and to improve their performance continuously. Healthcare systems and institutions can significantly benefit because the use of advanced technologies improves the efficiency and efficacy of healthcare. Software-defined as a medical device, is stand-alone software that is intended to be used for patients for one or more of these specific medical intended uses: - diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, prediction, prognosis, treatment or alleviation of a disease, any other health conditions, replacing or modifying any part of a physiological or pathological process–manage the received information from in vitro specimens derived from the human samples (body) and without principal main action of its principal intended use by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic definition. Software qualified as medical devices must comply with the general safety and performance requirements applicable to medical devices. These requirements are necessary to ensure high performance and quality and protect patients' safety. The evolution and the continuous improvement of software used in healthcare must consider the increase in regulatory requirements, which are becoming more complex in each market. The gap between these advanced technologies and the new regulations is the biggest challenge for medical device manufacturers. Regulatory requirements can be considered a market barrier, as they can delay or obstacle the device's approval. Still, they are necessary to ensure performance, quality, and safety. At the same time, they can be a business opportunity if the manufacturer can define the appropriate regulatory strategy in advance. The abstract will provide an overview of the current regulatory framework, the evolution of the international requirements, and the standards applicable to medical device software in the potential market all over the world.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, machine learning, SaMD, regulatory, clinical evaluation, classification, international requirements, MDR, 510k, PMA, IMDRF, cyber security, health care systems

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Authors: Melek Göregenli, Işık Gürşimşek

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There has been a great deal of research in the past few decades examining attitudes toward homosexuals.Theoretic research has demonstrated that antihomosexual attitudes are expressed in cognitive, affective, behavioral and cultural components. Homophobia is generally defined as hostility towards or fear of LGBTI people, but can also refer to social and cultural ideologies which stigmatize homosexuality. Negative feelings or attitudes towards non-heterosexual behavior, identity, relationships and community can lead to homophobic behavior and is the root of the discrimination experienced by many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTI) people. Since the increase in number of hate crimes during the last decade, there has been a sense of urgency to respond to the problem of hate violence in Turkey. The LGBTI Rights Association KAOS-GL indicated that the most of lesbian, gay, bisexual, travesty and transsexuals reported some form of victimization in their lifetimes based on their sexual orientation in Turkey. This study explored the relations between homophobia, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation and just world belief attitudes towards LGBTI individuals in a sample of 393 Turkish college students from Ege University in Izmir, Turkey. Data were collected with a questionnaire including the Homosexism Scale, the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale, Social Dominance Orientation Scale and Just World Belief Scale. Participants completed a questionnaire containing the attitude measures and other several questions related with the socio-demographic variables. Consistent with the previous finding males were more homophobic than females. Contrary to this finding the main effects of other demographic variables (age, income, place of birth, class) were not statistically significant except the department of participants. These findings imply that efforts to garner wide-ranging support for policies designed to change negative attitudes to LGBT people and to enhance the given awareness on homophobia. The results of the study were discussed in cross-cultural and social psychological perspective considering cultural and social values of Turkey and current political circumstances of the country.

Keywords: homophobia, just world belief, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, Turkey

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Authors: John McDowall, Lucy Lightfoot

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Stigma constitutes a significant barrier to the recovery and social integration of individuals affected by mental illness. Although there is some debate in the literature regarding the definition and utility of stigma as a concept, it is widely accepted that it comprises three components: stereotypical beliefs, prejudicial reactions, and discrimination. Stereotypical beliefs describe the cognitive knowledge-based component of stigma, referring to beliefs (often negative) about members of a group that is based on cultural and societal norms (e.g. ‘People with anxiety are just weak’). Prejudice refers to the affective/evaluative component of stigma and describes the endorsement of negative stereotypes and the resulting negative emotional reactions (e.g. ‘People with anxiety are just weak, and they frustrate me’). Discrimination refers to the behavioural component of stigma, which is arguably the most problematic, as it exerts a direct effect on the stigmatized person and may lead people to behave in a hostile or avoidant way towards them (i.e. refusal to hire them). Research exploring anti-stigma initiatives focus primarily on an educational approach, with the view that accurate information will replace misconceptions and decrease stigma. Many approaches take a biogenetic stance, emphasising brain and biochemical deficits - the idea being that ‘mental illness is an illness like any other.' While this approach tends to effectively reduce blame, it has also demonstrated negative effects such as increasing prognostic pessimism, the desire for social distance and perceptions of stereotypes. In the present study 144 participants were split into three groups and read one of three vignettes presenting causal explanations for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): One explanation emphasized biogenetic factors as being important in the etiology of GAD, another emphasised psychosocial factors (e.g. aversive life events, poverty, etc.), and a third stressed the adaptive features of the disorder from an evolutionary viewpoint. A variety of measures tapping the various components of stigma were administered following the vignettes. No difference in stigma measures as a function of causal explanation was found. People who had contact with mental illness in the past were significantly less stigmatising across a wide range of measures, but this did not interact with the type of causal explanation.

Keywords: generalised anxiety disorder, discrimination, prejudice, stigma

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Authors: Bijit Kalita, R. Jayaganthan

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Additive manufacturing (AM) is a novel manufacturing method which provides more freedom in design, manufacturing near-net-shaped parts as per demand, lower cost of production, and expedition in delivery time to market. Among various metals, AM techniques, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is the most prominent one that provides higher accuracy and powder proficiency in comparison to other methods. Particularly, 17-4 PH alloy is martensitic precipitation hardened (PH) stainless steel characterized by resistance to corrosion up to 300°C and tailorable strengthening by copper precipitates. Additively manufactured 17-4 PH stainless steel exhibited a dendritic/cellular solidification microstructure in the as-built condition. It is widely used as a structural material in marine environments, power plants, aerospace, and chemical industries. The excellent weldability of 17-4 PH stainless steel and its ability to be heat treated to improve mechanical properties make it a good material choice for L-PBF. In this study, the microstructures of martensitic stainless steels in the as-built state, as well as the effects of process parameters, building atmosphere, and heat treatments on the microstructures, are reviewed. Mechanical properties of fabricated parts are studied through micro-hardness and tensile tests. Tensile tests are carried out under different strain rates at room temperature. In addition, the effect of process parameters and heat treatment conditions on mechanical properties is critically reviewed. These studies revealed the performance of L-PBF fabricated 17–4 PH stainless-steel parts under cyclic loading, and the results indicated that fatigue properties were more sensitive to the defects generated by L-PBF (e.g., porosity, microcracks), leading to the low fracture strains and stresses under cyclic loading. Rapid melting, solidification, and re-melting of powders during the process and different combinations of processing parameters result in a complex thermal history and heterogeneous microstructure and are necessary to better control the microstructures and properties of L-PBF PH stainless steels through high-efficiency and low-cost heat treatments.

Keywords: 17–4 PH stainless steel, laser powder bed fusion, selective laser melting, microstructure, additive manufacturing

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Authors: Ebim Matthew Abua

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In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (henceforth, TFA), the character Unoka is portrayed as a weakling and indolent person even when he was a creative artist, a talented musician, and a mathematician. His lack of achievement becomes the barometer for measuring his success. Right from time, music is considered to be of great significance because of its capacity to recreate and retell social events. To this end, music is both a social act and a creative art. As a social act, music is a discursive medium that exploits the dynamics of art in its evaluation of society. Music is so much a part of human existence that its presence in literature can help readers relate to fictional situations and characters. In this paper, the character Unoka is examined against the backdrop of his musical proclivities and his contributions to the overall development of TFA. Unfortunately, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, a product of artistic creativity, portrays the personality of Unoka as lazy and uninspiring because he (Unoka) is a musician who is busy playing his flute and hardly doing anything productive. This paper is significant because it examines the literary and or linguistic depiction of Unoka and the aftermath of that depiction on the entire novel and, by extension, the larger society. Methodologically, this paper adopted the qualitative approach from the ethnography of communication (EOC), which is the analysis of communication within the wider context of the social and cultural practices and beliefs of the members of a particular culture or speech community. The aim of this qualitative research method includes the ability to discern which communication acts and/or codes are important to different groups, what types of meanings groups apply to different communication events, and how group members learn these codes to provide insight into particular communities. The study reveals that the people of Umuofia were mono-directional in their economy, and there was no room for diversification. One was either a farmer, or such a person was relegated to the background. Unoka, taking up a new challenge of diversifying the economy from the perspective of entertainment, was viewed as a misnomer. This study opens the door to other areas of studying Achebe’s epic novel apart from the critical works of literary artists that have been dished out over time.

Keywords: literature, popular culture, unoka, things fall apart

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Authors: Sana Maidullah, Ankita Sharma

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The present study takes naturalistic decision-making approach to examine the role of personality in information processing in consumer decision making. In the technological era, most of the information comes in form of HTML or similar language via the internet; processing of this situation could be ambiguous, laborious and painful. The present study explores the role of impulsivity in creating an extreme effect on consumer decision making. Specifically, the study explores the role of impulsivity in extreme effect, i.e., extremeness avoidance (compromise effect) and extremeness seeking; the role of demographic variables, i.e. age and gender, in the relation between impulsivity and extreme effect. The study was conducted with the help of a questionnaire and two experiments. The experiment was designed in the form of two shopping websites with two product types: Hotel choice and Mobile choice. Both experimental interfaces were created with the Xampp software, the frontend of interfaces was HTML CSS JAVASCRIPT and backend was PHP MySQL. The mobile experiment was designed to measure the extreme effect and hotel experiment was designed to measure extreme effect with alignability of attributes. To observe the possibilities of the combined effect of individual difference and context effects, the manipulation of price, a number of alignable attributes and number of the non-alignable attributes is done. The study was conducted on 100 undergraduate and post-graduate engineering students within the age range of 18-35. The familiarity and level of use of internet and shopping website were assessed and controlled in the analysis. The analysis was done by using a t-test, ANOVA and regression analysis. The results indicated that the impulsivity leads to compromise effect and at the same time it also increases the relationship between alignability of attribute among choices and the compromise effect. The demographic variables were found to play a significant role in the relationship. The subcomponents of impulsivity were significantly influencing compromise effect, but the cognitive impulsivity was significant for women, and motor impulsivity was significant for males only. The impulsivity was significantly positively predicted by age, though there were no significant gender differences in impulsivity. The results clearly indicate the importance of individual factors in decision making. The present study, with precise and direct results, provides a significant suggestion for market analyst and business providers.

Keywords: impulsivity, extreme effect, personality, alignability, consumer decision making

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Authors: Sneha Singh, Abhimanyu Dev, Vinod Nigam

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The major issue which decides the impending use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in nanobiotechnological applications is their particle size and stability. Often the AuNPs obtained biomimetically are considered useless owing to their instability in the aqueous medium and thereby limiting the widespread acceptance of this facile green synthesis procedure. So, the use of nontoxic surfactants is warranted to stabilize the biogenic nanoparticles (NPs). But does the surfactant only play a role in stabilizing by being adsorbed to the NPs surface or can it have any other significant contribution in synthesis process and controlling their size as well as shape? Keeping this idea in mind, AuNPs were synthesized by using surfactant treated (lechate) and untreated (cell lysate supernatant) Bacillus licheniformis cell extract. The cell extracts mediated reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl 4) in the presence of non-ionic surfactant, Tween 20 (TW20), and its effect on the AuNPs stability was studied. Interestingly, the surfactant used in the study served as potential alternative to harvest cellular enzymes involved in bioreduction process in a hassle free condition. The surfactants ability to solubilize/leach membrane proteins and simultaneously stabilizing the AuNPs could have advantage from process point of view as it will reduce the time and economics involve in the nanofabrication of biogenic NPs. The synthesis was substantiated with UV-Vis spectroscopy, Dynamic light scattering study, FTIR spectroscopy, and Transmission electron microscopy. The Zeta potential of AuNPs solutions was measured routinely to corroborate the stability observations recorded visually. Highly stable, ultra-small AuNPs of 2.6 nm size were obtained from the study. Further, the biological efficacy of the obtained AuNPs as potential antibacterial agent was evaluated against Bacilllus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli by observing the zone of inhibition. This potential of AuNPs of size < 3 nm as antibacterial agent could pave way for development of new antimicrobials and overcoming the problems of antibiotics resistance

Keywords: antibacterial, bioreduction, nanoparticles, surfactant

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Authors: Rana Alkhamra

Abstract:

Background: Child's earliest experiences with books and stories during the first years of his life are strongly linked with the development of his early language and literacy skills. Interacting in routine learning activities, such as shared book reading, storytelling, and teaching about the letters of the alphabet make a critical foundation for early learning, language growth and emergent literacy. Aim: The current study explores family and preschool early interactive literacy practices in families and preschools (nursery and kindergarten) in Jordan. It highlights the importance of early interactive literacy activities on child language and literacy growth and development. Methods: This is a cross sectional study that surveyed 243 Jordanian families. The survey investigated literacy routine practices, largely shared books reading, at home and at preschool; child speech and language development; and family demographics. Results: Around 92.5% of the families read books and stories to their children, as frequently as 1-2 times weekly or monthly (75%). Only 19.6% read books on daily basis. Many families reported preferring story-telling (97%). Despite that families acknowledged the importance of early literacy activities, on language, reading and writing, cognitive, and academic development, 45% asked for education and training pertaining to specific ways and ideas to help their young children develop language and literacy skills. About 69% of the families reported reading books and stories to their children for 15 minutes a day, while 71.2% indicated having their children watch television for 3 to > 6 hours a day. At preschool, only 52.8% of the teachers were reported to read books and stories. Factors like parent education, monthly income, living inside (33.6%) or outside (66.4%) the capital city of Amman significantly (p < 0.05) affected child early literacy interactive activities whether at home or at preschool. Conclusion: Early language and literacy skills depend largely on the opportunities and experiences provided to children in the home and in preschool environment. Family literacy programs can play an important role in bridging the gap in early literacy experiences for families that need help. Also, speech therapists can work in collaboration with families and educators to ensure that young children have high quality and sufficient opportunities to participate in early literacy activities both at home and in preschool environments.

Keywords: literacy, interactive activities, language, practices, family, preschool, Jordan

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Authors: M. Bassas, J. Grané-Morcillo, J. Segura, J.M. Soldevila

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Mental health prevention is key in a society where, according to the World Health Organization, the fourth leading cause of death worldwide is suicide. Compassion is closely linked to personal growth. It shows once again that therapies based on prevention remain an urgent and social need. In this sense, a growing body of research demonstrates how cultivating a compassionate mind can help alleviate and prevent a variety of psychological problems. In the early 21st century, there has been a boom in third-generation compassion-based therapies, although there is a lack of empirical evidence of their efficacy. This study proposes a psychotherapy method (‘Being Method’), whose central axis revolves around emotional management through the cultivation of compassion. Therefore, the objective of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of this method with regard to the emotional changes experienced when we focus on what we are concerned about through the filter of compassion. The Being Method was born from the influence of Buddhist philosophy and contemporary psychology based mainly on Western rationalist currents. A quantitative cross-sectional study has been carried out in a sample of women between 18 and 53 years old (n=47; Mage=36.02; SDage= 11.86) interested in personal growth in which the following 6 measuring instruments were administered: Peace of mind Scale (PoM), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), 2 Sacles of the Compassionate Action and Engagement Scales (CAES), Coping Response Inventory for Adults (CRI-A) and Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies Evaluation Scale (MOLDES). Following an experimental method approach, participants were divided into an experimental and control group. Longitudinal analysis was also carried out through a pre-post program comparison. Pre-post comparison outcomes indicated significant differences (p<.05) between before and after the therapy in the variables Peace of Mind, Self-esteem, Happiness, Self-compassion (A-B), Compassion (A-B), in several mental molds, as well as in several coping strategies. Also, between-groups tests proved significantly higher means obtained in the experimental group. Thus, these outcomes highlighted the effectiveness of the therapy, improving all the analyzed dimensions. The social, clinical and research implications are discussed.

Keywords: being method, compassion, effectiveness, emotional management, intervention program, personal growth therapy

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