Search results for: sustainable tourism development

Authors: Saeid Asghari

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The growing interest in sustainability and healthy lifestyles has stimulated the development of solutions that promote mindful consumption and healthier choices. One such solution is the use of transparent graded lanes in product packaging, which enables consumers to visually track their product consumption and encourages portion control. However, the extent to which this packaging affects consumer behavior, trust, and loyalty towards a product or brand, as well as the effectiveness of messaging on the graded lanes, remains unclear. The research aims to examine the impact of transparent graded lanes on consumer behavior, trust, and loyalty towards products or brands in the context of the Janbo chain supermarket in Tehran, Iran, focusing on Ketchup and edible oils containers. A representative sample of 720 respondents is selected using quota sampling based on sex, age, and financial status. The study assesses the effect of messaging on the graded lanes in enhancing consumer recall and recognition of the product at the time of purchase, increasing repeat purchases, and fostering long-term relationships with customers. Furthermore, the potential outcomes of using transparent graded lanes, including the promotion of healthy consumption habits and the reduction of food waste, are also considered. The findings and results can inform the development of effective messaging strategies for graded lanes and suggest ways to enhance consumer engagement with product packaging. Moreover, the study's outcomes can contribute to the broader discourse on sustainable consumption and healthy lifestyles, highlighting the potential role of packaging innovations in promoting these values. We used four theories (social cognitive theory, self-perception theory, nudge theory, and marketing and consumer behavior) to examine the effect of these transparent graded lanes on consumer behavior. The conceptual model integrates the use of transparent graded lanes, consumer behavior, trust and loyalty, messaging, and promotion of healthy consumption habits. The study aims to provide insights into how transparent graded lanes can promote mindful consumption, increase consumer recognition and recall of the product, and foster long-term relationships with customers. Findings suggest that the use of transparent graded lanes on Ketchup and edible oils containers can have a positive impact on consumer behavior, trust, and loyalty towards a product or brand, as well as promote mindful consumption and healthier choices. The messaging on the graded lanes is also found to be effective in promoting recall and recognition of the product at the time of purchase and encouraging repeat purchases. However, the impact of transparent graded lanes may be limited by factors such as cultural norms, personal values, and financial status. Broadly speaking, the investigation provides valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges of using transparent graded lanes in product packaging, as well as effective strategies for promoting healthy consumption habits and building long-term relationships with customers.

Keywords: packaging customer behavior, purchase, brand loyalty, healthy consumption

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Authors: Jiongbin Liu, William Yeoh, Shang Gao, Xiaoliang Meng, Yuhan Zhu

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The metaverse concept has sparked significant interest in both academic and industrial spheres. As educational institutions increasingly adopt this technology, understanding its implementation becomes crucial. In response, we conducted a comprehensive case study at a large university, systematically analyzing the nine stages of metaverse development initiatives. Our study unveiled critical insights into the planning, assessment, and execution processes, offering invaluable guidance for stakeholders. The findings highlight both the opportunities for enhanced learning experiences and the challenges related to technological integration and social interaction in higher education.

Keywords: metaverse, metaverse development framework, higher education, case study

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Authors: T. Abbas, J. McEvoy, E. Khan

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Pesticide contamination in water supply is a common environmental problem in rural agricultural communities. Advanced water treatment processes such as membrane filtration and adsorption on activated carbon only remove pesticides from water without degrading them into less toxic/easily degradable compounds leaving behind contaminated brine and activated carbon that need to be managed. Rural communities which normally cannot afford expensive water treatment technologies need an economical and sustainable filter which not only treats pesticides from water but also degrades them into benign products. In this study, iron turning waste experimented as potential point-of-use filtration media for the removal/degradation of a mixture of six chlorinated pesticides (lindane, heptachlor, endosulfan, dieldrin, endrin, and DDT) in water. As a common and traditional medium for water filtration, sand was also tested along with iron turning waste. Iron turning waste was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-Ray analyzer. Four glass columns with different filter media layer configurations were set up: (1) only sand, (2) only iron turning, (3) sand and iron turning (two separate layers), and (4) sand, iron turning and sand (three separate layers). The initial pesticide concentration and flow rate were 2 μg/L and 10 mL/min. Results indicate that sand filtration was effective only for the removal of DDT (100%) and endosulfan (94-96%). Iron turning filtration column effectively removed endosulfan, endrin, and dieldrin (85-95%) whereas the lindane and DDT removal were 79-85% and 39-56%, respectively. The removal efficiencies for heptachlor, endosulfan, endrin, dieldrin, and DDT were 90-100% when sand and iron turning waste (two separate layers) were used. However, better removal efficiencies (93-100%) for five out of six pesticides were achieved, when sand, iron turning and sand (three separate layers) were used as filtration media. Moreover, the effects of water pH, amounts of media, and minerals present in water such as magnesium, sodium, calcium, and nitrate on the removal of pesticides were examined. Results demonstrate that iron turning waste efficiently removed all the pesticides under studied parameters. Also, it completely de-chlorinated all the pesticides studied and based on the detection of by-products, the degradation mechanisms for all six pesticides were proposed.

Keywords: pesticide contamination, rural communities, iron turning waste, filtration

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Authors: Yannay Casas-Ledon, Cinthya A. Andrade, Camila E. Salazar, Mauricio Aguayo

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The sustainable management of available natural resources is a crucial question for policy-makers, economists, and the research community. Among several, land constitutes one of the most critical resources, which is being intensively appropriated by human activities producing ecological stresses and reducing ecosystem services. In this context, net primary production (NPP) has been considered as a feasible proxy indicator for estimating the impacts of human interventions on land-uses intensity. Accordingly, the human appropriation of NPP (HANPP) was calculated for the south-central regions of Chile between 2007 and 2014. The HANPP was defined as the difference between the potential NPP of the naturally produced vegetation (NPP0, i.e., the vegetation that would exist without any human interferences) and the NPP remaining in the field after harvest (NPPeco), expressed in gC/m² yr. Other NPP flows taken into account in HANPP estimation were the harvested (NPPh) and the losses of NPP through land conversion (NPPluc). The ArcGIS 10.4 software was used for assessing the spatial and temporal HANPP changes. The differentiation of HANPP as % of NPP0 was estimated by each landcover type taken in 2007 and 2014 as the reference years. The spatial results depicted a negative impact on land use efficiency during 2007 and 2014, showing negative HANPP changes for the whole region. The harvest and biomass losses through land conversion components are the leading causes of loss of land-use efficiency. Furthermore, the study depicted higher HANPP in 2014 than in 2007, representing 50% of NPP0 for all landcover classes concerning 2007. This performance was mainly related to the higher volume of harvested biomass for agriculture. In consequence, the cropland depicted the high HANPP followed by plantation. This performance highlights the strong positive correlation between the economic activities developed into the region. This finding constitutes the base for a better understanding of the main driving force influencing biomass productivity and a powerful metric for supporting the sustainable management of land use.

Keywords: human appropriation, land-use changes, land-use impact, net primary productivity

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Authors: Anna Amato

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Every child needs communication. If spoken language is not or not fully available due to congenital or acquired limitations, those affected need appropriate ways. These can be found in many possibilities of Augmentative and Alternative Communications (AAC). In the communication promotion of severely impaired children, who can use their own body communication forms only to a limited extent for the differentiated understanding, computers with eye control play an essential role. It takes some time to understand the individual forms of communication of the child. Children who depend on the AAC need competent support to learn to communicate in a motivated way in their everyday life. The aim of the present parents' survey (n = 4), which was evaluated descriptively, is to demonstrate the development of communicative abilities as well as the motivation to use complex communication aids with eye control by patients with atypical Rett Syndrome. An increase in communication skills, well-being, self-reliance, and self-esteem, an improvement in social participation, as well as a reduction in anger and screaming events, were noted. The complex visual communication tools were available daily for 3 out of 4 patients with atypical Rett Syndrome. It raises research questions regarding speech understanding and the ability to drive eye control technology in a larger group of atypical Rett Syndrome patients.

Keywords: augmentative and alternative communications, AAC, atypical Rett-syndrome, children, development

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Authors: Muhammad Fezan Afzal, Asad Abbas, Imran Khan, Salma Imtiaz

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Software Product Line (SPL) paradigm is used for the development of the family of software products that share common and variable features. Feature model is a domain of SPL that consists of common and variable features with predefined relationships and constraints. Multiple SPLs consist of a number of similar common and variable features, such as mobile phones and Tabs. Reusability of common and variable features from the different domains of SPL is a complex task due to the external relationships and constraints of features in the feature model. To increase the reusability of feature model resources from domain engineering, it is required to manage the commonality of features at the level of SPL application development. In this research, we have proposed an approach that combines multiple SPLs into a single domain and converts them to a common feature model. Extracting the common features from different feature models is more effective, less cost and time to market for the application development. For extracting features from multiple SPLs, the proposed framework consists of three steps: 1) find the variation points, 2) find the constraints, and 3) combine the feature models into a single feature model on the basis of variation points and constraints. By using this approach, reusability can increase features from the multiple feature models. The impact of this research is to reduce the development of cost, time to market and increase products of SPL.

Keywords: software product line, feature model, variability management, multi-SPLs

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Authors: Jihuai Wu, Zeyu Song, Zhang Lan, Liuxue Sun

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Solar energy is clean, open, and infinite, but solar radiation on the earth is fluctuating, intermittent, and unstable. So, the sustainable utilization of solar energy requires a combination of high-efficient energy conversion and low-loss energy storage technologies. Hence, a photo capacitor integrated with photo-electrical conversion and electric-chemical storage functions in single device is a cost-effective, volume-effective and functional-effective optimal choice. However, owing to the multiple components, multi-dimensional structure and multiple functions in one device, especially the mismatch of the functional modules, the overall conversion and storage efficiency of the photocapacitors is less than 13%, which seriously limits the development of the integrated system of solar conversion and energy storage. To this end, two typical photocapacitors were studied. A three-terminal photocapacitor was integrated by using perovskite solar cell as solar conversion module and symmetrical supercapacitor as energy storage module. A function portfolio management concept was proposed the relationship among various efficiencies during photovoltaic conversion and energy storage process were clarified. By harmonizing the energy matching between conversion and storage modules and seeking the maximum power points coincide and the maximum efficiency points synchronize, the overall efficiency of the photocapacitor surpassed 18 %, and Joule efficiency was closed to 90%. A voltage adjustable hybrid supercapacitor (VAHSC) was designed as energy storage module, and two Si wafers in series as solar conversion module, a three-terminal photocapacitor was fabricated. The VAHSC effectively harmonizes the energy harvest and storage modules, resulting in the current, voltage, power, and energy match between both modules. The optimal photocapacitor achieved an overall efficiency of 15.49% and Joule efficiency of 86.01%, along with excellent charge/discharge cycle stability. In addition, the Joule efficiency (ηJoule) was defined as the energy ratio of discharge/charge of the devices for the first time.

Keywords: joule efficiency, perovskite solar cell, photocapacitor, silicon solar cell, supercapacitor

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Authors: Chukwuma Mgboji

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Since the advent of Artificial Intelligence, robots have become a major stay in developing societies. Robots are deployed in Education, Health, Food and in other spheres of life. Nigeria a country in West Africa has a very low profile in the advancement of Artificial Intelligence especially in the grass roots. The benefits of Artificial intelligence are not fully maximised and harnessed. Advances in artificial intelligence are perceived as impossible or observed as irrelevant. This study seeks to ascertain the needed skills for the development of artificialintelligence amongst secondary schools in Nigeria. The study focused on South East Nigeria with Five states namely Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra and Enugu. The sample size is 1000 students drawn from Five Government owned Universities offering Computer Science, Computer Education, Electronics Engineering across the Five South East states. Survey method was used to solicit responses from respondents. The findings from the study identified mathematical skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills, computing skills, programming skills, algorithm skills amongst others. The result of this study to the best of the author’s knowledge will be highly beneficial to all stakeholders involved in the advancements and development of artificial intelligence.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, secondary school, robotics, skills

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Authors: Tshepo Mabotja

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the factors influencing ERP implementation in South African SMEs in the textile & apparel retail sector, with the goal of providing insights that improve decision-making, enhance operational efficiency, and meet customer expectations. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research methodology was employed, utilising a probability (random) sampling technique to ensure equal opportunity for sample selection. The researcher conducted an extensive review of current literature to identify knowledge gaps and applied data analysis methods, including descriptive statistics, reliability tests, exploratory factor analysis, and normality testing. Findings/Results: The study revealed that South African SMEs in the textile & apparel retail industry must evaluate critical factors before implementing an ERP model. These factors include assessing client requirements, examining the experiences of existing ERP system users, understanding system maintenance needs, and forecasting expected performance outcomes. Practical Implications: The findings provide actionable recommendations for textile and apparel retail SMEs aiming to adopt ERP systems. By focusing on the identified critical factors, businesses can enhance their ERP adoption processes, reduce operational inefficiencies, and better align with customer and sustainability demands. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge on ERP implementation challenges in South African textile and apparel retail SMEs. It provides a unique perspective on how strategic ERP adoption can drive operational improvements and support sustainable development practices within the industry.

Keywords: retail SMEs, enterprise resource planning, operational efficiency, customer centricity

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Authors: Guoqin Ge, Minhui Huang, Yazhou Zhou

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The growth of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration has been designated as a national strategy in China. Analyzing its spatial evolution characteristics is crucial for devising relevant development strategies. This paper enhances the gravitational model by using temporal distance as a factor. It applies this improved model to assess the economic interconnection and concentration level of each geographical unit within the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration between 2011 and 2019. On this basis, this paper examines the spatial correlation characteristics of economic agglomeration intensity and urban-rural development equalization by employing spatial autocorrelation analysis. The study findings indicate that the spatial integration in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration is currently in the "point-axis" development stage. The spatial organization structure is becoming more flattened, and there is a stronger economic connection between the core of the urban agglomeration and the peripheral areas. The integration of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration is currently hindered by conflicting interests and institutional heterogeneity between Chengdu and Chongqing. Additionally, the connections between the relatively secondary spatial units are largely loose and weak. The strength and scale of economic ties and the level of urban-rural equilibrium among spatial units within the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration have increased, but regional imbalances have continued to widen, and such positive and negative changes have been characterized by the spatial and temporal synergistic evolution of the "core-periphery". Ultimately, this paper presents planning ideas for the future integration development of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration, drawing from the findings.

Keywords: integration, planning strategy, space organization, space evolution, urban agglomeration

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Authors: Milind Bharambe, Chander Shekhar

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India is a vast country with its 1.21 billion population at the dawn of new decade, which accounts for one sixth of the global human capital in the world today. It is well known that health expenditure in India is dominated by private spending. This is an unfortunate consequence of India’s development because of large positive externality associated with health spending, which make health a merit good. This paper has used data from NSSO and Indian Government’s spending on health as reported by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Understanding of the dynamism of age-structure of the population would greatly optimize the expenditure on health care services. A country with good public health indicators is bound to possess good human capital which is an asset to the economic growth and indicator of development status of country. The paper tries to present the linkages between the health expenditure incurred by different states at various levels of demographic transition levels and the efficiency in utilization of health expenditure. It also looks into the way in which allocative efficiency health services can be improved. Paper tries to explore the per capita spending on health and how the demographic transition taking place in different states of India affect the required quantity and quality of health services.

Keywords: age structure, demographic transition, health expenditure, morbidity

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Authors: Masilonyane Mokhele

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Across the world, different planning models of the so-called airport-led developments are becoming bandwagons hailed as key to the future of cities. However, in the existing knowledge, there is paucity of empirically informed description and explanation of the economic fundamentals driving the forces of attraction of airports. This void is arguably a result of the absence of an appropriate theoretical framework to guide the analyses. Given this paucity, the aim of the paper is to contribute towards a theoretical framework that could be used to describe and explain forces that drive the location and mix of airport-centric developments. Towards achieving this aim, the objectives of the paper are: one, to establish the type of economic activities that are located on and around O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), and analyse the reasons for locating there; two, to establish changes that have occurred over time in the form of the airport-centric development of ORTIA; three, to identify the propulsive economic qualities of ORTIA; four, to analyse the spatial, economic and structural linkages within the airport-centric development of ORTIA, between the airport-centric development and the airport, as well as the airport-centric development’s linkages with their metropolitan area and other regional, national and international airport-centric developments and locations. To address the objectives above, the study adopted a case study approach, centred on ORTIA in South Africa: Africa’s busiest airport in terms of passengers and airfreight handled. Using a lens of location theory, a survey was adopted as a main research method, wherein telephonic interviews were conducted with a representative number of firms on and around ORTIA. Other data collection methods encompassed in-depth qualitative interviews (to augment the information obtained through the survey) and analysis of secondary information, particularly as regards establishing changes that have occurred in the form of ORTIA and surrounds. From the empirical findings, ORTIA was discovered to have propulsive economic qualities that act as significant forces of attraction in the clustering of firms. Together with its airport-centric development, ORTIA was discovered to have growth pole properties because of the linkages that occur within the study area, and the linkages that exist between the airport-centric firms and the airport. It was noted that the transport-oriented firms (typified by couriers and freight carriers) act as anchors in some fellow airport-centric firms making use of elements of urbanisation economies, particularly as regards the use of the airport for airfreight services. The empirical findings presented in the paper (in conjunction with results from other airport-centric development case studies) could be used as contribution towards extending theory that describes and explains forces that drive the location and mix of airport-centric developments.

Keywords: airports, airport-centric development, O. R. Tambo international airport, South Africa

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Authors: Daya Rani

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Non-metal-based compounds have emerged as promising electrodes in recent years to replace scarce and expensive transition-metals for energy storage applications. Herein, a simple electro-spinning technique followed by carbonization is used to create tetraphosphorus triselenide(P4Se3)nano-flakes encapsulated in carbon nanofiber (P4Se3@CNF) to obtain a binder-free, metal-free and flexible hybrid electrode with high electrical conductivity and cyclic stability. A remarkable capacitive performance (5.5-folds@P4Se3) of 810Fg-1/[email protected] has been obtained using P4Se3@CNF electrode with an excellent rate capability compared to pristine(P4Se3) which is further supported by theoretical calculations via intercalating graphene within bare P4Se3 flakes inducing partial charge redistribution in hetero-structure. A flexible pouch-type hybrid-supercapacitor followed by coin-cell has been manufactured offering exceptional energy-density without sacrificing power density and ultra-long durability over 35000 and 100000-cycles with capacitance-retention of 99.77% and 100%, respectively. It has been demonstrated that as-fabricated device has practical usefulness towards renewable energy harvesting and storage via integrating commercial solar cell module with supercapattery array that can enlighten the blue LED approximately for 31minutes, rotate the homemade windmill device, power Arduino and glow “INST” against 2minutes of charging. This work demonstrates a facile route towards the development of metal-free electrochemical renewable energy storage/transfer devices offering an inevitable adoption in industrial platforms.

Keywords: metal free, carbon nano-fiber, pouch-type hybrid super-capacitor, nano-flakes

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Authors: Hao-Hsi Tseng, Hsin-Yun Lee, Yu-Cheng Kuo

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In order to understand whether there is a better than the learning function of learning methods and improve the CAD Courses for enterprise’s design human resource development, this research is applied in learning practical learning computer graphics software. In this study, Revit building information model for learning content, design of two different modes of learning curriculum to learning, learning functions, respectively, and project learning. Via a post-test, questionnaires and student interviews, etc., to study the effectiveness of a comparative analysis of two different modes of learning. Students participate in a period of three weeks after a total of nine-hour course, and finally written and hands-on test. In addition, fill in the questionnaire response by the student learning, a total of fifteen questionnaire title, problem type into the base operating software, application software and software-based concept features three directions. In addition to the questionnaire, and participants were invited to two different learning methods to conduct interviews to learn more about learning students the idea of two different modes. The study found that the ad hoc short-term courses in learning, better learning outcomes. On the other hand, functional style for the whole course students are more satisfied, and the ad hoc style student is difficult to accept the ad hoc style of learning.

Keywords: development, education, human resource, learning

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Authors: M.Ayazi, N. Golshan Ebrahimi

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The development of antibacterial surface has devoted extensive researches and important field due to the growing antimicrobial resistance strains. The superhydrophobic surface has raised attention because of reducing bacteria adhesion in the absence of antibiotic agents. Evaluating the current development antibacterial surface has to be investigating to consider the potential of applying superhydrophobic surface to reduce bacterial adhesion or role of patterned surfaces on it. In this study, we present different samples with bio-inspired hierarchical and microstructures to consider their ability in reducing bacterial adhesion. The structures have inspired from rice-like pattern and lotus-leaf that developed on the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polypropylene (PP). The results of the attachment behaviors have considered on two bacteria strains of gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The reduction of bacteria adhesion on these roughness surfaces demonstrated the effectiveness of rinsing ability on removing bacterial cells on structured plastic surfaces. Results have also offered the important role of bacterial species, material chemistry and hierarchical structure to prevent bacterial adhesion.

Keywords: hierarchical structure, self-cleaning, lotus-effect, bactericidal

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Authors: Farhad Shafiepour Motlagh, Narges Salehi

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The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between inspirational leadership style and perceived social capital through the mediation of organizational knowledge resource development. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of all 3537 secondary school teachers in Isfahan. Sample selection was based on Cochran's formula volume formula for 338 people and multi-stage random sampling. The research instruments included a researcher-made inspirational leadership style questionnaire, a perceived social capital questionnaire (Putnam, 1999), and a researcher-made questionnaire of perceived organizational knowledge resources. Kolmogorov statistical tests, Pearson correlation, stepwise multiple regression, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. In general, the results showed that there is a significant relationship between inspirational leadership style and the use of perceived social capital at the level of P <0.05. Also, the development of organizational knowledge resources mediates the relationship between inspirational leadership style and the use of perceived social capital at the level of P <0.05.

Keywords: inspirational leadership style, perceived social capital, perceived organizational knowledge

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Authors: Hamideh Nouri, Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni

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Grey infrastructure is an unavoidable part of urbanisation that is threatening the local microclimates. Sustainable urbanisation requires more green infrastructure in cities such as green roofs to minimise urbanisation impacts. The environmental, social and economic benefits of green roofs are widely deliberated. However, there is still a lack of assessment of the water management for green roofs. This paper aimed to assess the irrigation management of green roofs in a semi-arid region where blue water scarcity is one of the primary challenges in urban water management. To determine the appropriate water source and growing media for green roofs, an experiment was established at the University of South Australia, Australia. This study compared the performance of two growing media and three water sources on the drainage quality, medium weight and survival rate of potted Tussock grass (Poa labillardieral), an endemic plant to Australia and recommended for green roofs. Three irrigation sources were tap water, mixed of wastewater-stormwater, and rainwater. The growing media were natural sandy loam soil and Scoria - one of the most used commercial growing media for green roofs. The drainage quality of these media was tested by analysing leachate samples. Medium weight was measured before and after watering, and all pots were monitored for their survival rates. Results showed that although plant growing development was significantly higher in Scoria, the survival rate was lower. For all three water sources, EC and pH of the leachate were significantly lower from Scoria than the sandy loam soil. However, the mixed of wastewater-stormwater had the highest EC, and rainwater had the lowest EC. Results did not present a significant difference between pH of different water resources in the same media. Our experimental results found the scoria and rainwater as the best sources of medium and water for green roofs.

Keywords: green smart cities, urban water, green roofs, green walls, wastewater, stormwater

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Authors: Gupta Renu, T. S. Roy

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Introduction: For the prospect of successful replacement therapies in treatment of Diabetes mallitus it is necessary to know events occurring during normal human pancreas development. Literature of human pancreas development are few in number as well as mainly related to first trimester because of ethical and technical difficulties. So the study was conducted on 12 fetuses from 12 gestational weeks (GW) to 5 months of infant to know normal development of exocrine and endocrine part of human pancreas. Material and Methods: Human fetalpancreases were screened by haematoxyline and eosin staining and done electron microscopy for suitable specimens to know ultrastructural detail of fetal pancreas. Results:It was observed arborized tubules, the cells budding out from these tubules differentiated into primitive acini and islets in 12thGW. At 14 weeks scanty granules were observed in the endocrine cells which coincided with the capillary invasion of the islets. The ducts and acini were surrounded by well-organized connective tissue. The acinihad elongated cells, small amount of cytoplasm and large open face euchromatic nuclei with single nucleolus. The mature form of islets of Langerhans was observed close to the acini and duct in 20 GW fetus. Connective tissue around the duct was well organized.No significant developmental change was observed early postnatal, infant. Conclusion: The development of both component exocrine as well as endocrine part of human fetal pancreas was studied by light and electron microscopy. Observations suggested that the fetal pancreas contained mainly ducts, few acini, many centroacinar cells, and large undifferentiated tissue.

Keywords: gestational weeks (GW), acini, islets of Langerhans, ducts

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Authors: Laura Otto

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Sargasso algae currently threatens both livelihoods and marine eco systems along the Riviera Maya in Mexico. While the area was previously known for its white beaches, pristine waters, and intact, colorful reefs, the algae has turned the beaches into ‘stinky stretches of sand,’ made the water brown, and has led to reef degradation causing coral colonies to die off in vast amounts. Drawing on ethnographic research in the area, this paper shows how the reef was exploited for tourism before the Sargasso algae landed, and reef protection played a minor role among hoteliers, tourists, and tour operators. However, since Sargasso began arriving in large quantities, the reef has taken on new significance. Both natural science research and the everyday handling of Sargasso along the coast show that an intact reef provides a natural barrier for the algae and keeps them from reaching the beaches. Clean beaches are important to various local actors–among them, hotel operators, tourists, environmentalists – and against the backdrop of beach commodification, reefs are now taking on new meaning. The paper consequently discusses the commodification of beaches as more-than-human entanglements and illuminates which new human-environment relationships are currently emerging in the Anthropocene.

Keywords: anthropocene, human-environment-relations, fieldwork, mexico

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Authors: Ahmad Mohsin, Irfan Raza Naqvi, Syda Fatima Usamn

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Applications with higher fault tolerance index are considered more reliable and trustworthy to drive quality. In recent years application development has been shifted from traditional desktop and web to native and hybrid application(s) for the web and mobile platforms. With the emergence of Internet of things IOTs, cloud and big data trends, the need for measuring Fault Tolerance for these complex nature applications has increased to evaluate their performance. There is a phenomenal gap between fault tolerance metrics development and measurement. Classic quality metric models focused on metrics for traditional systems ignoring the essence of today’s applications software, hardware & deployment characteristics. In this paper, we have proposed simple metrics to measure fault tolerance considering general requirements for Web and Mobile Applications. We have aligned factors – subfactors, using GQM for metrics development considering the nature of mobile we apps. Systematic Mathematical formulation is done to measure metrics quantitatively. Three web mobile applications are selected to measure Fault Tolerance factors using formulated metrics. Applications are then analysed on the basis of results from observations in a controlled environment on different mobile devices. Quantitative results are presented depicting Fault tolerance in respective applications.

Keywords: web and mobile applications, reliability, fault tolerance metric, quality metrics, GQM based metrics

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Authors: Ngoc Thao Linh Dang

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Urban waterfront redevelopment is a global phenomenon, and thousands of schemes are being carried out in large metropoles, medium-sized cities, and even small towns all over the world. This opportunity brings the city back to the river and rediscovers waterfront revitalization as a unique opportunity for cities to reconnect with their unique historical and cultural image. The redevelopment can encourage economic investments, serve as a social platform for public interactions, and allow dwellers to express their rights to the city. Many coastal cities have effectively transformed the perception of their waterfront area through years of redevelopment initiatives, having been neglected for over a century. However, this process has never been easy due to the particular complexity of the space: local culture, history, and market-led development. Moreover, municipal governments work out the balance of diverse stakeholder interests, especially when repurposing high-profile and redundant spaces that form the core of urban economic investment while also accommodating the present and future generations in sustainable environments. Urban critics consistently grapple with the effectiveness of the planning process on the new waterfront, where public spaces are criticized for presenting a lack of opportunities for actual public participation due to privatization and authoritarian governance while no longer doing what they are ‘meant to’: all arise in reaction to the perceived failure of these places to meet expectations. The planning culture and the decision-making context determine the level of public involvement in the planning process; however, in the context of competing market forces and commercial interests dominating cities’ planning agendas, planning for public space in urban waterfronts tends to be for economic gain rather than supporting residents' social needs. These newly pleasing settings satisfied the cluster of middle-class individuals, new communities living along the waterfront, and tourists. A trend of public participatory exclusion is primarily determined by the nature of the planning being undertaken and the decision-making context in which it is embedded. Starting from this context, the research investigates the influence of planning on waterfront regeneration and the role of participation in this process. The research aims to look specifically at the characteristics of the planning process of the waterfront in Da Nang and its impact on the regeneration of the place to regain the city’s historical value and enhance local cultural identity and images. Vietnam runs a top-down planning system where municipal governments have control or power over what happens in their city following the approved planning from the national government. The community has never been excluded from development; however, their participation is still marginalized. In order to ensure social equality, a proposed approach called "bottom-up" should be considered and implemented alongside the traditional "top-down" process and provide a balance of perspectives, as it allows for the voices of the most underprivileged social group involved in a planning project to be heard, rather than ignored. The research provides new insights into the influence of the planning process on the waterfront regeneration in the context of Da Nang.

Keywords: planning process, public participation, top-down planning, waterfront regeneration

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Authors: Laura Piedra-Muñoz, Ángeles Godoy-Durán, Emilio Galdeano-Gómez, Juan C. Pérez-Mesa

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The current agricultural system in some arid and semi-arid areas is not sustainable in the long term. In southeast Spain, groundwater is the main water source and is overexploited, while alternatives like desalination are still limited. The Water Plan for the Mediterranean Basins 2015-2020 indicates a global deficit of 73.42 hm3 and an overexploitation of the aquifers of 205.58hm3. In order to solve this serious problem, two major actions can be taken: increasing available water, and/or improving the efficiency of its use. This study focuses on the latter. The main aim of this study is to present the major factors related to water usage efficiency in farming. It focuses on Almería province, southeast Spain, one of the most arid areas of the country, and in particular on family farms as the main direct managers of water use in this zone. Many of these farms are among the most water efficient in Spanish agriculture, but this efficiency is not generalized throughout the sector. This work conducts a comprehensive assessment of water performance in this area, using on-farm water-use, structural, socio-economic and environmental information. Two statistical techniques are used: descriptive analysis and cluster analysis. Thus, two groups are identified: the least and the most efficient farms regarding water usage. By analyzing both the common characteristics within each group and the differences between the groups with a one-way ANOVA analysis, several conclusions can be reached. The main differences between the two clusters center on the extent to which innovation and new technologies are used in irrigation. The most water efficient farms are characterized by more educated farmers, a greater degree of innovation, new irrigation technology, specialized production and awareness of water issues and environmental sustainability. The research shows that better practices and policies can have a substantial impact on achieving a more sustainable and efficient use of water. The findings of this study can be extended to farms in similar arid and semi-arid areas and contribute to foster appropriate policies to improve the efficiency of water usage in the agricultural sector.

Keywords: cluster analysis, family farms, Spain, water-use efficiency

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Authors: Arkaprabha Bhattacharyya, Makarand Hastak

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The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in terms of its global reach and economic impacts. Historically, investment in infrastructure development projects has been touted to boost the economic growth of a nation. The State and Local governments responsible for delivering infrastructure assets work under tight budgets. Therefore, it is important to understand which infrastructure projects have the highest potential of boosting economic growth in the post-pandemic era. This paper presents relationships between infrastructure projects and economic growth. Statistical relationships between investment in different types of infrastructure projects (transit, water and wastewater, highways, power, manufacturing etc.) and indicators of economic growth are presented using historic data between 2002 and 2020 from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The outcome of the paper is the comparison of statistical correlations between investment in different types of infrastructure projects and indicators of economic growth. The comparison of the statistical correlations is useful in ranking the types of infrastructure projects based on their ability to influence economic prosperity. Therefore, investment in the infrastructures with the higher rank will have a better chance of boosting the economic growth. Once, the ranks are derived, they can be used by the decision-makers in infrastructure investment related decision-making process.

Keywords: economic growth, infrastructure development, infrastructure projects, strategic investment

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Authors: Devender Sharma, Shweta Goyal

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Sustainable development is a key to protect the environment for a secure future. Accelerated carbonation curing is a comparatively new technique for curing of concrete which involves sequestration of carbon dioxide gas into the precast concrete, resulting in improvement of the properties of concrete. This paper presents the results of a study to evaluate the effect of carbonation curing on cement mortars incorporating cement kiln dust (CKD) as partial replacement of cement. The mortar specimens were prepared by replacing cement with CKD in varying percentages of 0-50% by the weight of cement. The specimens were subjected to 12 hour carbonation curing, followed by sealed packing till testing age. The results were compared with the normal curing procedure, in which the specimens were water cured till the testing age. Compressive strength and microstructure of the mix were studied. It was noted that on increasing the percentage of CKD up to 10% by the weight of the cement, no considerable change was observed in the compressive strength. But as the percentage of CKD was further increased, there was a decrease in compressive strength, with strength decreasing up to 40% when 50% of the cement was replaced with CKD. The decrease in strength is due to the lesser lime content in CKD as compared to cement. High ettringite formation was observed in mixes with high percentages of CKD, thus indicating a decrease in the compressive strength. With carbonation curing, an early age strength gain was observed in mortars, even with higher percentages of CKD. The early strength of the carbonation cured mixes was found to be greater than water cured mixes irrespective of the percentage of CKD. 7 days and 28 days compressive strength of the mix was comparable for both the carbonation cured and water cured specimen. The increase in compressive strength can be attributed to the conversion of unstable Ca(OH)2 into stable CaCO3, which causes densification of the mix. CaCO3 precipitation and greater CSH gel formation was clearly observed in the SEM images of carbonation cured specimen, indicating higher compressive strength. Thus, carbonation curing can be used as an efficient method to enhance the properties of concrete.

Keywords: carbonation, cement kiln dust, compressive strength, microstructure

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Authors: Ying Bo Xie, Hisa Yuki Kurokawa

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Due to the fast development, China's express delivery industry has involved in a dilemma that the service quality are keeping decreasing while the construction rate of delivery network cannot meet the customers’ demand. In order to get out of this dilemma and enjoy a succession development rate, it is necessary to understand the current situation of China's express delivery industry. Firstly, the evolution of China's express delivery industry was systematical presented. Secondly, according to the number of companies and the amount of parcels they has dealt each year, the merits and faults of tow kind of operating pattern was analyzed. Finally, based on the characteristics of these express companies, the problems of China's express delivery industry was divided into several types and the countermeasures were given out respectively.

Keywords: China, express delivery industry, status, problem

Procedia PDF Downloads 363

Authors: Kung-Jen Tu

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Many public housing properties developed by local governments in Taiwan in the 1980s have deteriorated severely as these rental apartment buildings aged. The lack of building maintainability considerations during project design phase as well as insufficient maintenance funds have made it difficult and costly for local governments to maintain and keep public housing properties in good shape. In order to assist the local governments in achieving and delivering sustainable public housing, this paper intends to present a developed design evaluation method to be used to evaluate the presented design schemes from property management and financial feasibility perspectives during project design phase of public housing projects. The design evaluation results, i.e. the property management and financial implications of presented design schemes that could occur later during the building operation and maintenance phase, will be reported to the client (the government) and design schemes revised consequently. It is proposed that the design evaluation be performed from two main perspectives: (1) Operation and property management perspective: Three criteria such as spatial appropriateness, people and vehicle circulation and control, property management working spaces are used to evaluate the ‘operation and PM effectiveness’ of a design scheme. (2) Financial feasibility perspective: Four types of financial analyses are performed to assess the long term financial feasibility of a presented design scheme, such as operational and rental income analysis, management fund analysis, regular operational and property management service expense analysis, capital expense analysis. The ongoing Chung-Li Public Housing Project developed by the Taoyuan City Government will be used as a case to demonstrate how the presented design evaluation method is implemented. The results of property management assessment as well as the annual operational and capital expenses of a proposed design scheme are presented.

Keywords: design evaluation method, management fund, operational and capital expenses, rental apartment buildings

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Authors: Suegnet Smit

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Prior to 1994, special education in South Africa was marginalized and fragmented. Moving away from a Medical model approach to special education, the Government, after 1994, promoted an Inclusive approach, as a means to transform education in general, and special education in particular. This transformation, however, is moving at too a slow pace for learners with barriers to learning and development to benefit fully from their education. The goal of the Department of Basic Education is to minimize, remove, and prevent barriers to learning and development in the educational setting, by attending to the unique needs of the individual learner. However, the implementation of Inclusive education is problematic, and general education remains poor. This paper highlights the historical development of special education in South Africa, underpinned by a bio-ecological perspective. Problematic areas within the systemic levels of the education system are highlighted in order to indicate how the interactive processes within the systemic levels affect special needs learners on the personal dimension of the bio-ecological approach. As part of the methodology, thorough document analysis was conducted on information collected from a large body of research literature, which included academic articles, reports, policies, and policy reviews. Through a qualitative analysis, data were grouped and categorized according to the bio-ecological model systems, which revealed various successes and challenges within the education system. The challenges inhibit change, growth, and development for the child, who experience barriers to learning. From these findings, it is established that special education in South Africa has been, and still is, on a bumpy road. Sadly, the transformation process of change, envisaged by implementing Inclusive education, is still yet a dream, not fully realized. Special education seems to be stuck at what is, and the education system has not moved forward significantly enough to reach what special education should and could be. The gap that exists between a vision of Inclusive quality education for all, and the current reality, is still too wide. Problems encountered in all the education system levels, causes a funnel-effect downward to learners with special educational needs, with negative effects for the development of these learners.

Keywords: bio-ecological perspective, education systems, inclusive education, special education

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Authors: Vicario Marina, Ruiz Elena, Peredo Ruben, Bustos Eduardo

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the development group of Educational Computing of the National Polytechnic (IPN) in Mexico has been developing interactive resources at preschool level in an effort to improve learning in the Child Development Centers (CENDI). This work describes both a didactic architecture and a strategy for teaching English with digital stories using interactive resources available through a Web repository designed to be used in mobile platforms. It will be accessible initially to 500 children and worldwide by the end of 2015.

Keywords: instructional design, interactive resources, digital educational resources, story based English teaching, preschool education

Procedia PDF Downloads 475

Authors: Mir Afzal Tajik

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The 'Strengthening Teacher Education in Pakistan' (STEP) is an innovative programme jointly funded by the Government of Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and implemented by the Aga Khan University - Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) in partnership with the local governments, education departments and communities in the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. One of the key components of the programme is the professional development of teachers, headteachers and teacher educators through a variety of teacher education programmes including a two-year Masters of Education (MEd) Programme offered by AKU-IED. A number of teachers, headteachers and teacher educators from these provinces have been developed through the MEd Programme. This paper discusses a qualitative research study conducted to explore the nature, relevance, rigor and richness of the experiences of the MEd graduates, and how these experiences have fostered their own professional development and their ability to bring about positive changes in their schools. The findings of the study provide useful insights into the graduates’ self-actualization, the transformation of their professional beliefs and practices, the difference they have made in their schools, and the challenges they face. The study also provides recommendations for policy and practice related to teacher education programmes.

Keywords: STEP, teacher education, Pakistan, Canada, Aga Khan foundation

Procedia PDF Downloads 348

Authors: Lota Largavista

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This study entitled, ‘The Organizational Structure, Development Features, and Metadiscoursal Elements in the Expository Writing of Freshman College Writers’ aimed to examine essays written by college students. It seeks to examine the organizational structure and development features of the essays and describe their defining characteristics, the linguistic elements at both macrostructural and microstructural discourse levels and the types of textual and interpersonal metadiscourse markers that are employed in order to negotiate meanings with their prospective readers. The different frameworks used to analyze the essays include Toulmin’s ( 1984) model for argument structure, Olson’s ( 2003) three-part essay structure; Halliday and Matthiesen (2004) in Herriman (2011) notions of thematic structure, Danes (1974) thematic progression or method of development, Halliday’s (2004) concept of grammatical and lexical cohesion ;Hyland’s (2005) metadiscourse strategies; and Chung and Nation’s( 2003) four-step scale for technical vocabulary. This descriptive study analyzes qualitatively and quantitatively how freshman students generally express their written compositions. Coding of units is done to determine what linguistic features are present in the essays. Findings revealed that students’ expository essays observe a three-part structure having all three moves, the Introduction, the Body and the Conclusion. Stance assertion, stance support, and emerging moves/strategies are found to be employed in the essays. Students have more marked themes on the essays and also prefer constant theme progression as their method of development. The analysis of salient linguistic elements reveals frequently used cohesive devices and metadiscoursal strategies. Based on the findings, an instructional learning plan is being proposed. This plan is characterized by a genre approach that focuses on expository and linguistic conventions.

Keywords: metadiscourse, organization, theme progression, structure

Procedia PDF Downloads 242