Search results for: thought%20probe

Authors: Mohamed Ouzzane, Mahmoud Bady

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Due to energy and environment context, research is looking for the use of clean and energy efficient system in cooling industry. In this regard, the ejector represents one of the promising solutions. The thermal ejector is a passive component used for thermal compression in refrigeration and cooling systems, usually activated by heat either waste or solar. The present study introduces a theoretical analysis of the cooling system which uses a gas ejector thermal compression. A theoretical model is developed and applied for the design and simulation of the ejector, as well as the whole cooling system. Besides the conservation equations of mass, energy and momentum, the gas dynamic equations, state equations, isentropic relations as well as some appropriate assumptions are applied to simulate the flow and mixing in the ejector. This model coupled with the equations of the other components (condenser, evaporator, pump, and generator) is used to analyze profiles of pressure and velocity (Mach number), as well as evaluation of the cycle cooling capacity. A FORTRAN program is developed to carry out the investigation. Properties of refrigerant R134a are calculated using real gas equations. Among many parameters, it is thought that the generator pressure is the cornerstone in the cycle, and hence considered as the key parameter in this investigation. Results show that the generator pressure has a great effect on the ejector and on the whole cooling system. At high generator pressures, strong shock waves inside the ejector are created, which lead to significant condenser pressure at the ejector exit. Additionally, at higher generator pressures, the designed system can deliver cooling capacity for high condensing pressure (hot season).

Keywords: air cooling system, refrigeration, thermal ejector, thermal compression

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Authors: Ncamisile T. Zulu, Nicholas Munro

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Black women academics in higher education institutions are predominantly portrayed by literature as individuals who usually lack a sense of belonging, progression, and workload management. The oversaturation of this literature can (overtime) perpetuate a stereotypical idea that Black women academics are incapable of coping and succeeding in higher education institutions. The current article explores the agency, motivated by critical consciousness that Black women professors have and utilise in higher education institutions. In order to provide an understanding of how Black women academics can progress, manage their workloads and succeed in higher education institutions, the article considers how these women can take responsibility for their self-development, adaptation, and self-renewal in academic endeavours. As a result, the article presents a line of thought which could help in challenging the stereotype about Black women academics. The study was conducted at two higher education institutions involving Black women professors from different disciplines. A combination of purposive and snowballing sampling was used to recruit nine women participants, while data were collected through interviews. A critical consciousness perspective was adopted to formulate an understanding of the agency of Black women professors in higher education institutions, while thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The results challenge the widely disseminated view that portrays Black women academics as incapable of coping and succeeding in higher education institutions. The findings highlight Black women professors as proactive, flexible, and self-regulating in their academic endeavours. These findings contribute to the literature by adding a more constructive narrative of Black women academics in higher education.

Keywords: agency, Black women academics, critical consciousness, higher education institutions

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Authors: Jie Ding, Yingying Pan, Shammy Raj, Lindy Schaffrick, Jolene Wong, Antoinette Nguyen, Sharada Manchikanti, Larry Unsworth, Peter Kwan, Edward E. Tredget

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Background: Exosomes (EXOs) have been considered a new target that is thought to be involved in and treat wound healing. More research is needed to fully understand the EXO characteristics and mechanisms of EXO-mediated wound healing, especially wound healing after burn injury. Methods: Total EXOs were isolated from 85 serum samples of 29 burn patients and 13 healthy individuals. We characterized the EXOs for morphology and density, serum concentration, protein level, marker expression, size distribution, and cytokine content. After confirmation of EXO uptake by dermal fibroblasts, we also explored functional regulation of primary human normal skin and hypertrophic scar fibroblast cell lines by the EXOs in vitro, including cell proliferation and apoptosis. Results: EXOs dynamically changed their morphology, density, size, and cytokine level during wound healing in burn patients, which were correlated with burn severity and the stages of wound healing. EXOs from both burn patients and healthy individuals stimulated dermal fibroblast proliferation and apoptosis. Conclusion: EXO features may be important signals that influence wound healing after burn injury; however, to understand the mechanisms by which EXOs regulated the fibroblasts in healing wounds, further studies will be required in the future.

Keywords: exosome, burn, wound healing, hypertrophic scarring, cytokines

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Authors: Sharmin Sultana, Palash Chandra Banik, Shirin Jahan Mumu, Liaquat Ali

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Santals are one of the oldest indigenous groups of South Asia who, according to anthropological evidence, are thought to be the origins of the Bengali race. The aim of the study was to explore, according to our best knowledge for the first time, the prevalence and determinants of hypertension in this relatively isolated and marginalized indigenous group who still live mostly in a traditional style. Under a cross-sectional analytical design, the study was conducted on the adult (age≥18 years) Santals (n=389, M/F 184/205, age in years, 38±15.3) of a village located in a remote rural area of northern Bangladesh. Subjects were selected by purposive sampling, and data were collected by interviewer-administered pretested questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured by following the WHO guideline of JNC-7 has been used to classify the blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension was 4.9% among the respondents. Females had a much higher prevalence (5.4%) of hypertension compared to males (4.3%). Among the risk indicators of hypertension, more than half (50.9%) of the study population took extra salt in their meals, whereas 10.5% of respondents used extra salt occasionally, which is an important risk factor for high blood pressure. High waist circumference was found in 19% of the study subjects in terms of central obesity. Older age group (p=0.003, OR=1.1, 95%CI-1.02-1.10), respondents who completed more than primary school (p=0.038, OR=7.1, CI-1.11, 44.6), overweight and obesity (p=0.004, OR=17.1, CI-2.5, 118.1), were the major determinant for hypertension as found from the binary logistic model. None of the respondents received any medication, neither they visit any doctor ever for their hypertension control. The prevalence of hypertension was found to be low but not ignorable. Pre-hypertension in the case of systolic blood pressure needs attention among Santal indigenous population.

Keywords: hypertension, indigenous group, Santals, Bangladesh

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Authors: Jing Li Hong

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This study compared Michel Foucault’s thoughts and the Chan School’s thoughts on the idea of healing. Healing is not an unfamiliar idea in Buddhist thoughts. The paired concepts of illness and medicine are often used as a metaphor to describe the relationship between people and truth. Foucault investigated the topic of care of self in his later studies and dedicated a large portion of his final semester course at the Collège de France in 1984 to discuss the meaning of Socrates’s offering of a sacrifice to the god of medicine in Phaedo. Foucault indicated a key preposition in ancient philosophy, namely healing. His idea of healing also addressed the relationship between subject and truth. From this relationship, Foucault unraveled his novel study on truth, namely the technologies of the self, with an emphasis on the care of self. Whereas numerous philosophers ask obvious questions such as ‘what is truth’ and ‘how to learn about truth,’ Foucault proposed distinct questions such as ‘what is our relationship to truth’ and ‘how does our relationship with truth turn us into who we are now?’ Thus, healing in both Buddhist and Foucault’s thoughts is related to the relationship between being and truth. This study first reviews Buddhist and Foucault’s ideas of healing to explicate what is illness and what is medicine. Because Buddhist thoughts cover an extensive scope, this study focuses on the thoughts of the Chan School. The second part is a discussion on medicine (treatment), specifically what is used as the medicine for the illness in both thoughts, and how can this medicine treat the illness. This part includes a description and comparison of the use of concepts of negation in these two thought groups. Finally, the subjects that practice the technologies of the self in both groups are compared from the idea of care of self; in other words, the differences between the subjects formed by the different relationships between being and truth are analyzed.

Keywords: Chan, heterogeneous, living style, language of paradox, Michel Foucault, negation, parrhesia, the care of self

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Authors: Radhika Jagtap

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Contemporary scholarship in international legal theory is investigating new avenues of providing alternatives to dominant concepts. Indigenous peoples’ philosophies and perspectives developed through them provide a fertile ground to explore similar alternative ideas. This review paper evaluates the theorized accounts of indigenous scholarships which have contributed towards a rich body of knowledge generating alternative visions on dominant notions of ‘post coloniality’, ‘resistance’ and ‘globalization’. Further, it shall assess the relevance of such a project in shaping contemporary international legal thought. Traditional or classical international law has been opined to be highly influenced by the colonial and imperialist history which also left a mark on the way dominant discourses of resistance and globalization are read in mainstream international law. The paper shall first define what do we mean by indigenous philosophy and what kind of indigeneity is that inclusive of. Second, the paper defines the dominant discourse and then counters the same with the alternative indigenous perspective in the case of each concept that is in question. Finally, the paper shall conclude with certain theoretical findings – that the post coloniality, from indigenous perspective, lead to the further marginalization of indigeneity, especially in the third world; that human rights as the sole means of representing resistance in international law ends up making it a very state-centric discipline and last, that globalization from an indigenous, marginalised perspective is not as celebrated as it is in mainstream international law. Major scholarly works that shall be central to the discussion are those of Linda Tuiwahi Smith, Ella Shohat and David Harvey. The nature of the research shall be inductive and involve mostly theoretical review of scholarly works.

Keywords: indigenous, post colonial, globalization, perspectives

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Authors: Lu Zhao, Yanrong Kang, Lili Guo, Yuan Long, Guidong Xing

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Smart watches, as a handy device with rich functionality, has become one of the most popular wearable devices all over the world. Among the various function, the most basic is health monitoring. The monitoring data can be provided as an effective evidence or a clue for the detection of crime cases. For instance, the step counting data can help to determine whether the watch wearer was quiet or moving during the given time period. There is, however, still quite few research on the analysis of human character based on these data. The purpose of this research is to analyze the health monitoring data to distinguish the drinking state from normal state. The analysis result may play a role in cases involving drinking, such as drunk driving. The experiment mainly focused on finding the figures of smart watch health monitoring data that change with drinking and figuring up the change scope. The chosen subjects are mostly in their 20s, each of whom had been wearing the same smart watch for a week. Each subject drank for several times during the week, and noted down the begin and end time point of the drinking. The researcher, then, extracted and analyzed the health monitoring data from the watch. According to the descriptive statistics analysis, it can be found that the heart rate change when drinking. The average heart rate is about 10% higher than normal, the coefficient of variation is less than about 30% of the normal state. Though more research is needed to be carried out, this experiment and analysis provide a thought of the application of the data from smart watches.

Keywords: character analysis, descriptive statistics analysis, drink state, heart rate, smart watch

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Authors: Maria De Cillis

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This paper addresses the subject of love in two of the most prominent Islamic philosophers: Ibn Sīnā (known in the Latin World as Avicenna d. 1037) Avicenna and al-Kirmānī (DC 1021). By surveying the connection that the concept of love entertains with the notions of divine providence and determinism in the luminaries’ theoretical systems, the present paper highlights differences and similarities in their respective approaches to the subjects. Through a thorough analysis of primary and secondary literature, it will be shown that Avicenna’s thought, which is mainly informed by the Aristotelian and Farābīan metaphysical and cosmological stances, is also integrated with mystical underpinnings. Particularly, in Avicenna’s Risāla fī’l-ʿishq love becomes the expression of the divine providence which operates through the intellectual striving the souls undertake in their desire to return to their First Cause. Love is also portrayed as an instrument helping the divine decree to remain unadulterated by way of keeping existing beings within their species and genera as well as an instrument which is employed by God to know and be known. This paper also discusses that if on the one hand, al-Kirmānī speaks of love as the Aristotelian and Farābian motive-force spurring existents to achieve perfection and as a tool which facilitates the status quo of divine creation, on the other hand, he remains steadily positioned within Ismā‘īlī and Neoplatonic paradigms: the return of all loving-beings to their Source is interrupted at the level of the first Intellect, whilst God remains inaccessible and ineffable. By investigating his opus magnum, the Rāḥat al-ʿaql, we shall highlight how al-Kirmānī also emphasizes the notion of divine providence which allows humans to attain their ultimate completeness by following the teachings of the Imams, repositories of the knowledge necessary to serve the unreachable deity.

Keywords: Avicenna, determinism, love, al-Kirmani, Ismaili philosophy

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Authors: Parinaz Tavakoli Zaniani, Dimitrios Balomenos

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Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) play a crucial role in macrophage pro-inflammatory activation, although a detailed understanding of the mechanism and kinetics by which mROS drive signaling molecules is still lacking. In general, it is thought that NF-κB activation drives mROS and general ROS production. Here, We performed a detailed kinetic analysis of mROS production during macrophage activation. We found early mROS generation after LPS (lipopolysaccharide) stimulation. Remarkably as early as 5 minutes, mROS signaling promoted initial NF-κB, MAPK activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, as established through inhibition or quenching of mROS. On the contrary, NF-κB inhibition had no effect on mROS production. Our findings point to a mechanism by which mROS increase TRAF-6 ubiquitination and, thus NF-κB activity. mROS inhibition reduced LPS-induced lethality in an in vivo septic shock model by controlling pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Overall, our research provides novel insights into the role of mROS as a primary messenger in the pathway of macrophage and as a regulator of inflammatory responses. We found that early mROS production promotes initial NF-κB, and MAPK activation by regulating TRAF-6 ubiquitination and that mROS inhibition can reduce LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines and lethality in a septic shock model. These findings might lead to novel immunotherapeutic strategies targeting early mROS production and control of extreme inflammation in the context of sepsis and other inflammatory diseases.

Keywords: mitochondria, reactive oxygen species, nuclear factor κB, lipopolysaccharide, macrophages

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Authors: Hira, Nisar Bhatti, Ezza

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Contemporary studies support the strong co-relation between psychology and design. This study elaborates how different psychological personality test can help a fashion designer to judge the needs of their clients with respect to the customized clothing. This study will also help the designer to improve the lacking in the personality and will enable him to put his effort in required areas for grooming the customer. The use of psychology test to support the choice of certain design strategies that how the right clothing can make client a better intellectual with enhanced self-esteem and confidence. Different projective personality test are being used to suggest to evaluate personality traits. The Rorschach Inkblot Test is projective mental comprising of 10 ink-blots synonymous with the clinical brain research. Lüsher Color Diagnostics measures a person’s psycho physical state, his or her ability to withstand stress to perform and communicate. HTP is a projective responsibility test measuring self-perception, attitudes. The TAT test intend to evaluate a person’s patterns of thoughts, attitudes, observation, capacity and emotional response to this ambiguous test materials. No doubt designers are already crucially redesigning the individuals by their attires, but to expose the behavioral mechanism of the customer, designers should be able to recognize the hidden complexity behind his client by using the above mentioned methods. The study positively finds the design and psychology need to become substantially contacted in order to create a new regime of norms to groom a personality under the concentration and services of a fashion designer in terms of clothing.

Keywords: projective personality tests, customized clothing, Rorschach Inkblot Test, TAT, HTP, Lüsher Color Diagnostics

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Authors: Rebecca Hafner, David Elmes, Daniel Read

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The current research applies decision-making theory to the problem of increasing uptake of energy efficient technologies in the market place, where uptake is currently slower than one might predict following rational choice models. We apply the alignable/non-alignable features effect and explore the impact of varying information structure on the consumers’ preference for standard versus energy efficient technologies. In two studies we present participants with a choice between similar (boiler vs. boiler) vs. dissimilar (boiler vs. heat pump) technologies, described by a list of alignable and non-alignable attributes. In study One there is a preference for alignability when options are similar; an effect mediated by an increased tendency to infer missing information is the same. No effects of alignability on preference are found when options differ. One explanation for this split-shift in attentional focus is a change in construal levels potentially induced by the added consideration of environmental concern. Study two was designed to explore the interplay between alignability and construal level in greater detail. We manipulated construal level via a thought prime task prior to taking part in the same heating systems choice task, and find that there is a general preference for non-alignability, regardless of option type. We draw theoretical and applied implications for the type of information structure best suited for the promotion of energy efficient technologies.

Keywords: alignability effects, decision making, energy-efficient technologies, sustainable behaviour change

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Authors: Tracy Smith-Carrier

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In 1995, the World Health Organization declared that poverty was the biggest killer and the greatest cause of suffering in the world. Income is certainly a key social determinant of health, the lack of which causes innumerable health and mental health conditions. In seeking to provide relief from financial hardship for residents within their populace, states in the Global North have largely turned to the non-profit and charitable sector. The stigma and shame of accessing charity is a significant barrier for many, but what is more problematic is that the embrace of the charitable model has let governments off the hook from responding to their international human rights obligations. Although states are signatories to various human rights treaties and conventions internationally, many of these laws have not been implemented domestically. This presentation explores the limits of the charitable model in addressing poverty in countries of the Global North. Unlike in the ages passed, when poverty was thought to be an individual problem, we now know that poverty is largely systemic in nature. In this presentation, we will identify the structural determinants of poverty, outline why people are reticent to access charitable programs and services and how income security is reproduced through the charitable model, and discuss evidence-informed solutions, such as a basic income guarantee, to move beyond the charitable model in favour of a rights-based justice model. To move beyond charity, we must demand that governments recognize our fundamental human rights and address poverty and hunger using a justice model based on substantive human rights.

Keywords: basic income, charity, poverty, income security, hunger, food security, social justice, human rights

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Authors: Tami Peterson

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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been hypothesized as an effective treatment for increasing verbal language skills in individuals on the autism spectrum. A child’s ability to effectively communicate with peers, parents, and caregivers impacts their level of independence and quality of personal relationships. This retrospective study will compare the speech development of participants aged 2-17 years that received 40 sessions of HBOT at 2.0 ATA to those who had not. Both groups will have a verbal assessment every six months. There were 31 subjects in the HBO group and 32 subjects in the non-HBO group. The statistical analysis will focus on whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy made a significant difference in Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) or Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) results. The evidence demonstrates a strong correlation between HBOT and an increased change from baseline verbal scores compared to the control group, even in difficult to grasp areas such as spontaneous vocalization. We suggest this is due to the anti-inflammatory effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Neuroinflammation causes hypoperfusion of critical central nervous system areas responsible for the symptoms described within the autism spectrum, such as problems with thought processing, memory, and speech. Decreasing the inflammation allows the brain to function properly, which results in improved verbal scores for the participants that underwent HBOT.

Keywords: assessment of basic language and learning skills, autism spectrum disorder, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, verbal behavior milestones assessment and placement program

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Authors: Pibool Waijittragum

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The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the research result of brand Identities of Thai Halal brands which related to the way of life for Thai Muslims. The results will be transforming to Thai Halal Brands packaging and label design. The expected benefit is an alternative of marketing strategy for brand building process for Halal products in Thailand. Four elements of marketing strategies which necessary for the brand identity creation is the research framework: consists of Attributes, Benefits, Values and Personality. The research methodology was applied using qualitative and quantitative; 19 marketing experts with dynamic roles in Thai consumer products were interviewed. In addition, a field survey of 122 Thai Muslims selected from 175 Muslim communities in Bangkok was studied. Data analysis will be according to 5 categories of Thai Halal product: 1) Meat 2) Vegetable and Fruits 3) Instant foods and Garnishing ingredient 4) Beverages, Desserts and Snacks 5) Hygienic daily products. The results will explain some suitable approach for brand Identities of Thai Halal brands as are: 1) Benefit approach as the characteristics of the product with its benefit. The brand identity created transform to the packaging design should be clear and display a fresh product 2) Value approach as the value of products that affect to consumers’ perception. The brand identity created transform to the packaging design should be simply look and using a trustful image 3) Personality approach as the reflection of consumers thought. The brand identity created transform to the packaging design should be sincere, enjoyable, merry, flamboyant look and using a humoristic image.

Keywords: marketing strategies, brand identity, packaging and label design, Thai Halal products

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Authors: Hala Hzam Al Otaibi

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Background: Obesity is more common among Saudi women compared to men, with 75–88% of adult women suffering from overweight or obesity and most of them married. Weight status and body appreciation are an important factor in maintaining or loss weight behaviors and for husbands satisfaction. Aims: To assess weight status, body appreciation and related factors, including age, level of education, occupation status husbands satisfaction in adult women. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among 326 married women, aged 18 to 60 years old in Eastern of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by face to face interview, height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) and husbands satisfied were evaluated through questioning. Results: The majority of women has a university education, not employed and less than 40 years old (66.5%, 69.9%, 67.5%; respectively). Fifty-four percent of women overweight/obese and the rest were normal weight, BAS mean score was lower in younger women (>40 years) 7.39+2.20 and obese women (6.83+2.16) which is reflected lower body appreciation. Husbands' satisfaction regarding the weight status shows 47.6% of normal weight believed their husbands were dissatisfied with their weight and consider them as overweight/obese, 28.3% of overweight/obese thought their husbands satisfied with their weight and consider them as normal weight. Body appreciation correlated with age (r.139,p<0.05) and no correlation found for level of education and employed status. Husbands satisfaction strongly correlated with body appreciation (r.189,p<0.01) and weight status (r .570,p <0.01). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that women had a low body appreciation related to age, weight status and husbands' dissatisfaction. Future interventions aimed to weight reduction, it is important to consider husband satisfaction, as well as we need more assessment of weight satisfaction in younger women.

Keywords: body appreciation, husbands satisfaction, weight status, women

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Authors: Hirokatsu Kawashima

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In an attempt to elucidate relationships between listening to music and pronunciation learning, a classroom-based investigation was conducted with Japanese EFL learners (n=45). The subjects were instructed to listen to English songs they liked on YouTube, especially paying attention to phonologically similar vowel and consonant minimal pair words (e.g., live and leave). This kind of activity, which included taking notes, was regularly carried out in the classroom, and the same kind of task was given to the subjects as homework in order to reinforce the in-class activity. The duration of these activities was eight weeks, after which the program was evaluated on a 9-point scale (1: the lowest and 9: the highest) by learners’ self-evaluation. The main questions for this evaluation included 1) how good the learners had been at pronouncing vowel and consonant minimal pair words originally, 2) how often they had listened to songs good for pronouncing vowel and consonant minimal pair words, 3) how frequently they had moved their mouths to vowel and consonant minimal pair words of English songs, and 4) how much they thought the program would support and enhance their pronunciation learning of phonologically similar vowel and consonant minimal pair words. It has been found, for example, A) that the evaluation of this program is by no means low (Mean: 6.51 and SD: 1.23), suggesting that listening to music may support and enhance pronunciation learning, and B) that listening to consonant minimal pair words in English songs and moving the mouth to them are more related to the program’s evaluation (r =.69, p=.00 and r =.55, p=.00, respectively) than listening to vowel minimal pair words in English songs and moving the mouth to them (r =.45, p=.00 and r =.39, p=.01, respectively).

Keywords: minimal pair, music, pronunciation, song

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Authors: Kwan U. Kim, Jin Sim, Ryong Jin Jang, Sung Duk Kim

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108 years have passed since a great number of physicists explained astronomical and physical phenomena by solving geodesic equations in Schwarzschild metric. However, when solving the geodesic equations in Schwarzschild metric, they did not correctly solve one branch of the component of space among spatial and temporal components of four-dimensional force and did not come up with physical laws correctly by means of physical analysis from the results obtained by solving the geodesic equations. In addition to it, they did not treat the astronomical and physical phenomena in a physical way based on the correct physical laws obtained from the solution of the geodesic equations in Schwarzschild metric. Therefore, some former scholars mentioned that Einstein’s theoretical basis of general theory of relativity was obscure and incorrect, but they have not given a correct physical solution to the problems. Furthermore, since general theory of relativity has not given a quantitative solution to obscure and incorrect problems, generalization of gravitational theory has not been successfully completed yet although the former scholars thought of it and tried to do it. In order to solve the problems it is necessary to explore the obscure and incorrect problems in general theory of relativity based on the physical laws and to find out the methodology of solving the problems. Therefore, first of all, as the first step for achieving the purpose, the right solution of the geodesic equation in Schwarzschild metric has been presented. Next, the correct physical laws found by making a physical analysis of the results have been presented, the obscure and incorrect problems have been shown and an analysis of them has been made based on the physical laws. In addition, the experimental verification of the physical laws found by us has been made.

Keywords: equivalence principle, general relativity, geometro dynamics, Schwarzschild, Poincaré

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Authors: Abiola Olukemi Ogunyemi

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Many organizations would like to gain customer loyalty, and to achieve this they invest in customer management systems which help them to learn and anticipate the customers’ needs, get feedback from them and serve them. One of the most elementary ways to achieve customer loyalty is for employees to be able to empathize with their customers, and to be able to feel what they feel when the company betrays their trust, which usually otherwise shown in patronage and loyalty. Unfortunately, the staff and management of organizations do not always realize the negative impact of treating customers badly, because they do not stop to think how these customers feel. If they did, they would be more careful and more respectful of these people who are human beings just like they are. They would be wiser, since this would ultimately make them more profitable businesses. This paper looks at thirteen descriptions of situations in which customers felt treated badly by organizations they trusted, and focuses on the feelings of these customers. If the organization (made of people) could empathize with the customer, then customer service would be surely enhanced. It is expected that these stories, real experiences narrated by young professionals working in Nigeria, can awaken greater empathy for consumers within organizations. Thus, they may help the organization to learn empathy and to incorporate it into their foundational principles for ethical behavior. The paper’s contents contribute to a heightened appreciation of empathy as an organizing mechanism by showing how putting one in the consumer’s shoes can help managers to understand how he or she feels. This will lead organizations to be even more innovative in finding ways to meet their customers’ needs and to deserve and win their loyalty. It addresses an issue that cuts across cultures, and therefore can be quite thought-provoking for every business owner or for team leads within organizations. By trying to stimulate empathy across the seller-buyer divide, it necessarily contributes to a deeper understanding of empathy as a building block for a sustainable society.

Keywords: customer service, empathy, ethical behavior, respectfulness

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Authors: Ismail Ay

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In this study, it is aimed to analyze the relations of the factors such as the learned resourcefulness, self-efficacy, self-regulation and subjective well-being which are thought to affect the needs of the university students for psychological help and to determine if the subjective well-being mediates other factors in the prediction of the needs of the university students for psychological help. The population of the study is formed of undergraduates who get education in 16 faculties in the central campus of the University of Atatürk in the spring term of 2012-2013 academic years. The sample of the study is formed of 1205 undergraduates (female=666, 55,3 %; male=539, 44,7 %; average of age =21,49; Sd=2,18) selected from the mentioned universe by convenience sampling method. “Need for Psychological Help Scale” has been developed as a part of the study to determine the needs for psychological help. “Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire” has been adapted into Turkish to determine the self-regulation skills. Apart from these, Rosenbaum’s Learned Resourcefulness Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and to determine subjective well-being; Satisfaction with Life Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Scale have been used within the study. SPSS 22.0 and LISREL 9.1 have been used in the analysis of the data. Pearson product-moment correlation, descriptive analysis, factor analysis and path analysis to test the research hypothesis has been used in the study. According to obtained data, the learned resourcefulness factor does not predict the subjective well-being; however, it highly predicts the self-regulation and self-efficacy factors. It has been determined that the self-regulation and self-efficacy factors predict the subjective well-being in a positive way and medium level, and subjective well-being mediates self-regulation and self-efficacy factors to predict the needs for psychological help. It was also determined that subjective well-being predicts the needs for psychological help in a negative way and fair level. All these results have been discussed in terms of the related theories and literature, and several suggestions have been made.

Keywords: need for psychological help, self-regulation, self-efficacy, learned resourcefulness, subjective well-being, Maslow, psychological needs

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Authors: Yves Mann Elate Lea Mbassi, Marie Solange Evehe Bebandoue, Wilfred Fon Mbacham

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Improving the catalytic performance of enzymes has been a long-standing theme of analytical biochemistry research. Induction of peroxidase activity by metals is a common reaction in higher plants. We thought that this increase in peroxidase activity may be due, on the one hand, to the stimulation of the gene expression of these enzymes but also to a modification of their chemical reactivity following the binding of some metal ions on their active site. We tested the effect of some metal salts (MgCl₂, MnCl₂, ZnCl₂, CaCl₂ and CuSO₄) on the activity and thermostability of peroxidase A6, a thermostable peroxidase that we discovered and purified in a previous study. The chromogenic substrate used was 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine. Of all the metals tested for their effect on A6, only magnesium and copper had a significant effect on the activity of the enzyme at room temperature. The Mann-Whitney test shows a slight inhibitory effect of activity by the magnesium salt (P = 0.043), while the activity of the enzyme is 5 times higher in the presence of the copper salt (P = 0.002). Moreover, the thermostability of peroxidase A6 is increased when calcium and copper salts are present. The activity in the presence of CaCl₂ is 8 times higher than the residual activity of the enzyme alone after incubation at 80°C for 10 min and 35 times higher in the presence of CuSO4 under the same conditions. In addition, manganese and zinc salts slightly reduce the thermostability of the enzyme. The activity and structural stability of peroxidase A6 can clearly be activated by Cu₂+, which therefore enhance the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine, which was used in this study as a chromogenic substrate. Ca₂+ likely has a more stabilizing function for the catalytic site.

Keywords: peroxidase activity, copper ions, calcium ions, thermostability

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Authors: Haruo Okabayashi

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The mutual understanding in conversation is very important for human relations. This study investigates the mental function of the formation of mutual understanding between two people in conversation using the embodied approach. Forty people participated in this study. They are divided into pairs randomly. Four conversation situations between two (make/listen to fun or pleasant talk, make/listen to regrettable talk) are set for four minutes each, and the finger plethysmogram (200 Hz) of each participant is measured. As a result, the attractors of the participants who reported “I did not understand my partner” show the collapsed shape, which means the fluctuation of their rhythm is too small to match their partner’s rhythm, and their cross correlation is low. The autonomic balance of both persons tends to resonate during conversation, and both LLEs tend to resonate, too. In human history, in order for human beings as weak mammals to live, they may have been with others; that is, they have brought about resonating characteristics, which is called self-organization. However, the resonant feature sometimes collapses, depending on the lifestyle that the person was formed by himself after birth. It is difficult for people who do not have a lifestyle of mutual gaze to resonate their biological signal waves with others’. These people have features such as anxiety, fatigue, and confusion tendency. Mutual understanding is thought to be formed as a result of cooperation between the features of self-organization of the persons who are talking and the lifestyle indicated by mutual gaze. Such an entanglement phenomenon is called a nonlinear relation. By this research, it is found that the formation of mutual understanding is expressed by the rhythm of a biological signal showing a nonlinear relationship.

Keywords: embodied approach, finger plethysmogram, mutual understanding, nonlinear phenomenon

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Authors: Samaneh Khalili

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Natural law theory, in moral philosophy, refers to a system of unchanging values held to be mutual to all humans and can be discovered through reason. The natural law theory is commonly associated with western Philosophers. In contrast, discussions on notions of natural law in Islamic intellectual history were relatively rare. This paper aims to show that the moral theory developed by the Mu'tazilite thinkers can be classified in the ideas of natural law. In doing so, this study will demonstrate that the objective and unchanging values, according to Mu'tazilite theologians, provide the guidelines for assessing the Islamic law rules in the field of human coexistence. The focus of the paper lies on ʿAbd al-Ğabbār, who was the most influential thinker in the late epoch of the Muʿtazila. Although ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār did not leave a text with a systematic discussion of natural law, his teaching of nature, human reason, and the moral values of actions are all scattered throughout his work -'al-Muġnī fī abwāb at-tawḥīd wa-l-'adl'. It is necessary to focus on ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār's theories on reason, nature, and ethics since natural law revolves around the basic concepts of nature, reason, and moral value. While analyzing the concept of the Nature, it will attempt to answer how he explains the world's physical structure and God's relationship to natural events. Moreover, from ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār's point of view, is nature a self-determined system that follows its inner principle in every kind of change, or is nature guided by an external power? Does causality govern natural events? About the concept of reason, an attempt is made to examine how human reason, according to ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār, conceives moral attributes. Finally, the Autor will discuss the concepts of objective values and the place of rights and duties derived from Islamic law in ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār's thought.

Keywords: Islamic law, Mu'tazilite theology, natural law in Islamic theology, objective and unchanging values.

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Authors: Omar Alhamd, Peter A. Thomas, Trevor J. Greenhough, Annette K. Shrive

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The Pseudomonas syringae species complex includes many plant pathogenic strains with highly specific interactions with varied host species and cultivars. The rapid spread of these bacteria over the last ten years has become a cause for concern. Nanoparticles have previously shown promise in microbiological action. We have therefore investigated in vitro and in vivo the effects of different types and sizes of nanoparticles in order to provide quantitative information about their effect on the bacteria. The effects of several different nanoparticles against several bacteria strains were investigated. The effect of NP on bacterial growth was studied by measuring the optical density, biochemical and nutritional tests, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the shape and size of NP. Our results indicate that their effects varied, with either a negative or a positive impact on both bacterial and plant growth. Additionally, the methods of exposure to nanoparticles have a crucial role in accumulation, translocation, growth response and bacterial growth. The results of our studies on the behaviour and effects of nanoparticles in model plants showed. Cerium oxide (CeO₂) and silver (Ag) NP showed significant antibacterial activity against several pathogenic bacteria. It was found that titanium nanoparticles (TiO₂) can have either a negative or a positive impact, according to concentration and size. It is also thought that environmental conditions can have a major influence on bacterial growth. Studies were therefore also carried out under some environmental stress conditions to test bacterial survival and to assess bacterial virulence. All results will be presented including information about the effects of different nanoparticles on Pseudomonas syringae bacteria.

Keywords: plant microbiome, nanoparticles, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, bacterial survival

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Authors: Sawsan Saridar masri, Hisham Arnaouty

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Architecture both defines and is defined by social, cultural, political and financial constraints: this is where the discipline and the profession of architecture meet. This mutual sway evolves wherever interferences in the built environment are thought-out and can be strengthened or weakened by the many ways in which the practice of architecture can be undertaken. The more familiar we are about the concerns and factors that control what can be made, the greater the opportunities to propose and make appropriate architectures. Apparently, the criteria in any qualification policy should permit flexibility of approach and will – for reasons including cultural choice, political issues, and son on – vary significantly from country to country. However the weighting of the various criteria have to ensure adequate standards both in educational system as in the professional training. This paper develops, deepens and questions about the regulatory entry routes to the professional practice of architecture in the Arab world. It is also intended to provide an informed basis about strategies for conventional and unconventional models of practice in preparation for the next stages of architect’s work experience and professional experience. With the objective of promoting the implementation of adequate built environment in the practice of architecture, a comprehensive analysis of various pathways of access to the profession are selected as case studies, encompassing examples from across the world. The review of such case studies allows the creation of a comprehensive picture in relation to the conditions for qualification of practitioners of the built environment at the level of the Middle Eastern countries and the Arab World. Such investigation considers the following aspects: professional title and domain of practice, accreditation of courses, internship and professional training, professional examination and continuing professional development.

Keywords: architecture, internship, mobility, professional practice

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Authors: Vijaykumar M. Baragi, Ramtilak Gattu, Gabriela Trifan, John L. Woodard, K. Meyers, Tim S. Halstead, Eric Hipple, Ewart Mark Haacke, Randall R. Benson

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NFL players, by virtue of their exposure to repetitive head injury, are at least twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia as the general population. Early recognition and intervention prior to onset of clinical symptoms could potentially avert/delay the long-term consequences of these diseases. Since AD is thought to have a long preclinical incubation period, the aim of the current research was to determine whether former NFL players, referred to a depression center, showed evidence of incipient dementia in their structural imaging prior to diagnosis of dementia. Thus, to identify neuroimaging markers of AD, against which former NFL players would be compared, we conducted a comprehensive volumetric analysis using a cohort of early stage AD patients (ADNI) to produce a set of brain regions demonstrating sensitivity to early AD pathology (i.e., the “AD fingerprint”). A cohort of 46 former NFL players’ brain MRIs were then interrogated using the AD fingerprint. Brain scans were done using a T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence. The Free Surfer image analysis suite (version 6.0) was used to obtain the volumetric and cortical thickness data. A total of 55 brain regions demonstrated significant atrophy or ex vacuo dilatation bilaterally in AD patients vs. healthy controls. Of the 46 former NFL players, 19 (41%) demonstrated a greater than expected number of atrophied/dilated AD regions when compared with age-matched controls, presumably reflecting AD pathology.

Keywords: alzheimers, neuroimaging biomarkers, traumatic brain injury, free surfer, ADNI

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Authors: Abdul Waris Jalili, Yanqing Wang, Som Suor

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This research paper explores the relationship between entrepreneurship education and students' entrepreneurial intentions. It aims to determine if entrepreneurship education reliably predicts students' intention to become entrepreneurs and how and when this relationship occurs. This study aims to investigate the predictive relationship between entrepreneurship education and student entrepreneurial intentions. The goal is to understand the factors that influence this relationship and to identify any mediating or moderating factors. A thorough and systematic search and review of empirical articles published between 2013 and 2023 were conducted. Three databases, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and PubMed, were explored to gather relevant studies. Criteria such as reporting empirical results, publication in English, and addressing the research questions were used to select 35 papers for analysis. The collective findings of the reviewed studies suggest a generally positive relationship between entrepreneurship education and student entrepreneurial intentions. However, recent findings indicate that this relationship may be more complex than previously thought. Mediators and moderators have been identified, highlighting instances where entrepreneurship education indirectly influences student entrepreneurial intentions. The review also emphasizes the need for more robust research designs to establish causality in this field. This research adds to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive review of the relationship between entrepreneurship education and student entrepreneurial intentions. It highlights the complexity of this relationship and the importance of considering mediators and moderators. The study also calls for future research to explore different facets of entrepreneurship education independently and examine complex relationships more comprehensively.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial self-efficacy

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Authors: Zohreh Soleimani, Sally Salome Shahzad, Stamatis Zoras

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As a result of current energy and environmental issues, the human body is known as one of the promising candidate for converting wasted heat to electricity (Seebeck effect). Thermoelectric generator (TEG) is one of the most prevalent means of harvesting body heat and converting that to eco-friendly electrical power. However, the uneven distribution of the body heat and its curvature geometry restrict harvesting adequate amount of energy. To perfectly transform the heat radiated by the body into power, the most direct solution is conforming the thermoelectric generators (TEG) with the arbitrary surface of the body and increase the temperature difference across the thermoelectric legs. Due to this, a computational survey through COMSOL Multiphysics is presented in this paper with the main focus on the impact of integrating a flexible wearable TEG with a corrugated shaped heat sink on the module power output. To eliminate external parameters (temperature, air flow, humidity), the simulations are conducted within indoor thermal level and when the wearer is stationary. The full thermoelectric characterization of the proposed TEG fabricated by a wavy shape heat sink has been computed leading to a maximum power output of 25µW/cm2 at a temperature gradient nearly 13°C. It is noteworthy that for the flexibility of the proposed TEG and heat sink, the applicability and efficiency of the module stay high even on the curved surfaces of the body. As a consequence, the results demonstrate the superiority of such a TEG to the most state of the art counterparts fabricated with no heat sink and offer a new train of thought for the development of self-sustained and unobtrusive wearable power suppliers which generate energy from low grade dissipated heat from the body.

Keywords: device simulation, flexible thermoelectric module, heat sink, human body heat

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Authors: Lida Balilan, Dariush Sattarzadeh, Rana Koorepaz

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In the Ilkhanid era, the mystical school of Tabriz manifested itself as an art school in various aspects, including miniatures, architecture, urban planning and design, simultaneously with the expansion of the many sciences of its time. In this era, mysticism, both in form and in poetry and prose, as well as in works of art reached its peak. Mysticism, as an inner belief and thought, brought the audience to the artistic and aesthetical view using allegorical and symbolic expression of the religion and had a direct impact on the formation of the intellectual and cultural layers of the society. At the same time, Mystic school of Tabriz could create a symbolic and allegorical language to create magnificent works of architecture with the expansion of science in various fields and using various sciences such as mathematics, geometry, science of numbers and by Abjad letters. In this era, geometry is the middle link between mysticism and architecture and it is divided into two categories, including intellectual and sensory geometry and based on its function. Soltaniyeh dome is one of the prominent buildings of the Tabriz school with the shrine land use. In this article, information is collected using a historical-interpretive method and the results are analyzed using an analytical-comparative method. The results of the study suggest that the designers and builders of the Soltaniyeh dome have used shapes, colors, numbers, letters and words in the form of motifs, geometric patterns as well as lines and writings in levels and layers ranging from plans to decorations and arrays for architectural symbolization and encryption to express and transmit mystical ideas.

Keywords: geometry, Tabriz school, mystical thoughts, dome of Soltaniyeh

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Authors: Sevcan Ozturk

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The aim of this paper is to analyze the twentieth-century Muslim philosopher Muhammad Iqbal’s philosophy of action in the light of the main issues of contemporary philosophy of action. Iqbal is one of the most celebrated and eminent figures of modern Islamic thought. However, a review of the works on Iqbal shows that most of the central concepts of his philosophy have not received enough attention. His notion of ‘action’ in its philosophical context is one of these concepts. One of the main characteristics of Iqbal’s approach is that he develops his discussion around the main themes of contemporary philosophy of action, which includes ontological and conceptual questions regarding the nature of human actions. He also discusses that action is the only way to develop human personality, and that the human being can only achieve immortality promised by Islam through his actions. Therefore, while presenting an approach that can be read in the light of contemporary philosophy of action, which has become one of the significant parts of modern philosophical discussions in the west particularly since the nineteenth century, he, at the same time, develops his own philosophy of action in the light of Islamic resources. Consequently, these two main characteristics of his discussion of the notion of action make his philosophy of action an important contribution to contemporary philosophy of action, a field that ignores the discussions of Muslim philosophers on action. Therefore, this paper aims at highlighting Iqbal’s contribution to the modern debate of action by analysing Iqbal’s notion of action in the light of the contemporary issues of philosophy of action. This will, first of all, include an examination of contemporary action theory. Although the main discussions of contemporary philosophy of action will provide the methodology of this study, the main paradigms of Iqbal’s approach to the notion of action will also be considered during the examination of the discussions of philosophy of action. Then, Iqbal’s own philosophy of action will be established in the light of the contemporary philosophy of action. It is hoped that this paper will cultivate a dialogue between Iqbal scholars and those working in the field of philosophy of action, and that it will be a contribution to the fields of Iqbal studies, philosophy of action, and intercultural philosophy.

Keywords: action, development of personality, Muhammad Iqbal, philosophy of action

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Authors: Suvarna Kumar Gogula, Sandhya Devi Gogula, P. Chanakya

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Augmented reality is defined as the collection of the digital (or) computer generated information like images, audio, video, 3d models, etc. and overlay them over the real time environment. Augmented reality can be thought as a blend between completely synthetic and completely real. Augmented reality provides scope in a wide range of industries like manufacturing, retail, gaming, advertisement, tourism, etc. and brings out new dimensions in the modern digital world. As it overlays the content, it makes the users enhance the knowledge by providing the content blended with real world. In this application, we integrated augmented reality with data analytics and integrated with cloud so the virtual content will be generated on the basis of the data present in the database and we used marker based augmented reality where every marker will be stored in the database with corresponding unique ID. This application can be used in wide range of industries for different business processes, but in this paper, we mainly focus on the marketing industry which helps the customer in gaining the knowledge about the products in the market which mainly focus on their prices, customer feedback, quality, and other benefits. This application also focuses on providing better market strategy information for marketing managers who obtain the data about the stocks, sales, customer response about the product, etc. In this paper, we also included the reports from the feedback got from different people after the demonstration, and finally, we presented the future scope of Augmented Reality in different business processes by integrating with new technologies like cloud, big data, artificial intelligence, etc.

Keywords: augmented reality, data analytics, catch room, marketing and sales

Procedia PDF Downloads 214