Search results for: enhancing learning experience

Authors: Andreas Johansson

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Conceptual understanding needs to be grounded on observation of physical phenomena, experiences or metaphors. Observation of physical phenomena using demonstration experiments has a long tradition within physics education and students need to develop mental models to relate the observations to concepts from scientific theories. This study investigates how live and video experiments involving an acoustic trap to visualize particle-field interaction, field properties and particle properties can help develop students' mental models and how they can be used differently to realize their potential as teaching tools. Initially, they were treated as analogs and the lesson designs were kept identical. With a design-based approach, the experimental and video designs, as well as best practices for a respective teaching tool, were then developed in iterations. Variation theory was used as a theoretical framework to analyze the planned respective realized pattern of variation and invariance in order to explain learning outcomes as measured by a pre-posttest consisting of conceptual multiple-choice questions inspired by the Force Concept Inventory and the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation. Interviews with students and teachers were used to inform the design of experiments and videos in each iteration. The lesson designs and the live and video experiments has been developed to help teachers improve student learning and make school physics more interesting by involving experimental setups that usually are out of reach and to bridge the gap between what happens in classrooms and in science research. As students’ conceptual knowledge also rises their interest in physics the aim is to increase their chances of pursuing careers within science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Keywords: acoustic trap, design-based research, experiments, variation theory

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Authors: William Whiteley, Jens Gregor

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In recent developments of direct neural network based positron emission tomography (PET) reconstruction, two prominent architectures have emerged for converting measurement data into images: 1) networks that contain fully-connected layers; and 2) networks that primarily use a convolutional encoder-decoder architecture. In this paper, we present a multi-modal direct PET reconstruction method called MDPET, which is a hybrid approach that combines the advantages of both types of networks. MDPET processes raw data in the form of sinograms and histo-images in concert with attenuation maps to produce high quality multi-slice PET images (e.g., 8x440x440). MDPET is trained on a large whole-body patient data set and evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively against target images reconstructed with the standard PET reconstruction benchmark of iterative ordered subsets expectation maximization. The results show that MDPET outperforms the best previously published direct neural network methods in measures of bias, signal-to-noise ratio, mean absolute error, and structural similarity.

Keywords: deep learning, image reconstruction, machine learning, neural network, positron emission tomography

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Authors: Franklin Uakhemen Ajogbor

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The issue of the English sentence has remained controversial from Traditional Grammar to modern linguistics. The English sentence occupies the highest rank in the hierarchy of grammatical units. Its consideration is therefore very necessary in learning English as a second language. Unfortunately, divergent views by grammarians on the concept of the English sentence have generated much controversy. There seems not to be a unanimous agreement on what actually constitute a sentence. Some schools of thought believe that a sentence must have a subject and a predicate while some believe that it should not. The types of sentence according to structure are also not devoid of controversy as the views of several linguists have not been properly harmonized. Findings have shown that serious effort and attention have not been paid by previous linguists to clear these ambiguities as it has a negative implication in the learning and teaching of English language. The variations on the concept of the English sentence have become particularly worrisome as a result of the widening patronage of English as a global language. The paper is therefore interested in the investigation of this controversy and suggesting a solution to the problem. In doing this, data was collected from students and scholars that show lack of uniformity in what a sentence is. Using the Systemic Functional Model as theoretical framework, the paper launches into the views held by these various schools of thought with the aim of reconciling these divergent views and also an attempt to open up further research on what actually constitute a sentence.

Keywords: traditional grammar, linguistics, controversy, sentence, grammatical units

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Authors: Azzah Alghamdi

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The Interactive White Boards (IWBs) as one of the innovative educational technologies have been extensively investigated in advanced countries such as the UK, US, and Australia. However, there is a significant lack of research studies, which mainly examine the use of IWBs in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the attitudes of primary teachers towards using IWBs in both the teaching and learning processes. Moreover, it aims to investigate if there is any significant difference between male teachers and females regarding their attitudes towards using this technology. This study concentrated on teachers in primary schools, which participated in Tatweer project in the city of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. Mixed methods approach was employed in this study using a designed questionnaire, classroom observations, and a semi-structured interview. 587 teachers (286 men and 301 women) from Tatweer primary schools were completed the questionnaire as well as twenty teachers were interviewed including seven female teachers were observed in their classrooms. The findings of this study indicated that approximately 11% of the teachers within the sample (n=587) had negative attitudes towards the use of IWBs in the teaching and learning processes. However, the majority of them nearly 89% agreed about the benefits of using IWBs in their classrooms. Additionally, all the twenty teachers who were interviewed (including the seven observed female teachers) had positive attitudes towards the use of these technologies. Moreover, 87% of male teachers and 91% of female teachers who completed the questionnaire accepted the usefulness of using IWBs in improving their teaching and students' learning. Thus, this indicates that there was no significant difference between male and female teachers in Tatweer primary schools in terms of their views about using these innovative technologies in their lessons. The findings of the current study will help the Ministry of Education to improve the policies of using IWBs in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, examining teachers’ attitudes towards IWBs is a very important issue because they are the main users in classrooms. Hence, their views should be considered to addressing the powers and boundaries of using IWBs. Moreover, students will feel comfortable to use IWBs if their teachers accept and use them well.

Keywords: IWBs, Saudi teachers’ views, Tatweer schools, teachers' gender

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Authors: Fernanda Mary R. G. Da Silva, Adriana C. F. Mozzambani, Marcelo F. Mello

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Introduction: Sexual assault against children and adolescents is a public health problem with serious consequences on their quality of life, especially for those who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The broad literature in this research area points to greater losses in verbal learning, explicit memory, speed of information processing, attention and executive functioning in PTSD. Objective: To compare the neuropsychological functions of adolescents from 14 to 17 years of age, victims of sexual violence with PTSD with those of healthy controls. Methodology: Application of a neuropsychological battery composed of the following subtests: WASI vocabulary and matrix reasoning; Digit subtests (WISC-IV); verbal auditory learning test RAVLT; Spatial Span subtest of the WMS - III scale; abbreviated version of the Wisconsin test; concentrated attention test - D2; prospective memory subtest of the NEUPSILIN scale; five-digit test - FDT and the Stroop test (Trenerry version) in adolescents with a history of sexual violence in the previous six months, referred to the Prove (Violence Care and Research Program of the Federal University of São Paulo), for further treatment. Results: The results showed a deficit in the word coding process in the RAVLT test, with impairment in A3 (p = 0.004) and A4 (p = 0.016) measures, which compromises the verbal learning process (p = 0.010) and the verbal recognition memory (p = 0.012), seeming to present a worse performance in the acquisition of verbal information that depends on the support of the attentional system. A worse performance was found in list B (p = 0.047), a lower priming effect p = 0.026, that is, lower evocation index of the initial words presented and less perseveration (p = 0.002), repeated words. Therefore, there seems to be a failure in the creation of strategies that help the mnemonic process of retention of the verbal information necessary for learning. Sustained attention was found to be impaired, with greater loss of setting in the Wisconsin test (p = 0.023), a lower rate of correct responses in stage C of the Stroop test (p = 0.023) and, consequently, a higher index of erroneous responses in C of the Stroop test (p = 0.023), besides more type II errors in the D2 test (p = 0.008). A higher incidence of total errors was observed in the reading stage of the FDT test p = 0.002, which suggests fatigue in the execution of the task. Performance is compromised in executive functions in the cognitive flexibility ability, suggesting a higher index of total errors in the alternating step of the FDT test (p = 0.009), as well as a greater number of persevering errors in the Wisconsin test (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The data from this study suggest that sexual violence and PTSD cause significant impairment in the neuropsychological functions of adolescents, evidencing risk to quality of life in stages that are fundamental for the development of learning and cognition.

Keywords: adolescents, neuropsychological functions, PTSD, sexual violence

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Authors: Chang-Hsing Lee, Cheng-Chang Lien, Chin-Chuan Han

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In this paper, an edge-strength guided multiscale retinex (EGMSR) approach will be proposed for color image contrast enhancement. In EGMSR, the pixel-dependent weight associated with each pixel in the single scale retinex output image is computed according to the edge strength around this pixel in order to prevent from over-enhancing the noises contained in the smooth dark/bright regions. Further, by fusing together the enhanced results of EGMSR and adaptive multiscale retinex (AMSR), we can get a natural fused image having high contrast and proper tonal rendition. Experimental results on several low-contrast images have shown that our proposed approach can produce natural and appealing enhanced images.

Keywords: image enhancement, multiscale retinex, image fusion, EGMSR

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Authors: Aishatu Ibrahim Birma, Aminu Tukur, Abdulkarim Abbass Gora

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Machine translation plays a vital role in the Field of Natural Language Processing (NLP), breaking down language barriers and enabling communication across diverse communities. In the context of Hausa, a widely spoken language in West Africa, mainly in Nigeria, effective translation systems are essential for enabling seamless communication and promoting cultural exchange. However, due to the unique linguistic characteristics of Hausa, accurate translation remains a challenging task. The research proposes an approach to improving the machine learning translation of Hausa by integrating Named Entity Recognition (NER) techniques. Named entities, such as person names, locations, organizations, and dates, are critical components of a language's structure and meaning. Incorporating NER into the translation process can enhance the quality and accuracy of translations by preserving the integrity of named entities and also maintaining consistency in translating entities (e.g., proper names), and addressing the cultural references specific to Hausa. The NER will be incorporated into Neural Machine Translation (NMT) for the Hausa to English Translation.

Keywords: machine translation, natural language processing (NLP), named entity recognition (NER), neural machine translation (NMT)

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Authors: Chia-Hao Chang, Geng-Gui Wang, Jee-Cheng Wu

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The prediction of a landslide is a difficult task because it requires a detailed study of past activities using a complete range of investigative methods to determine the changing condition. In this research, first step, LiDAR 1-meter by 1-meter resolution of digital elevation model (DEM) was used to generate six environmental factors of landslide. Then, back-propagation neural networks (BPNN) was adopted to identify scarp, landslide areas and non-landslide areas. The BPNN uses 6 environmental factors in input layer and 1 output layer. Moreover, 6 landslide areas are used as training areas and 4 landslide areas as test areas in the BPNN. The hidden layer is set to be 1 and 2; the hidden layer neurons are set to be 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; the learning rates are set to be 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5. When using 1 hidden layer with 7 neurons and the learning rate sets to be 0.5, the result of Network training root mean square error is 0.001388. Finally, evaluation of BPNN classification accuracy by the confusion matrix shows that the overall accuracy can reach 94.4%, and the Kappa value is 0.7464.

Keywords: digital elevation model, DEM, environmental factors, back-propagation neural network, BPNN, LiDAR

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Authors: Victoria L. Chester, Usha Kuruganti

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The forest industry is a major economic sector of Canada and also one of the most dangerous industries for workers. The use of mechanized mobile forestry harvesting machines has successfully reduced the incidence of injuries in forest workers related to manual labor. However, these machines have also created additional concerns, including a high machine operation learning curve, increased the length of the workday, repetitive strain injury, cognitive load, physical and mental fatigue, and increased postural loads due to sitting in a confined space. It is critical to obtain objective performance data for employers to develop appropriate work practices for this industry, however ergonomic field studies of this industry are lacking mainly due to the difficulties in obtaining comprehensive data while operators are cutting trees in the woods. The purpose of this study was to establish a measurement and experimental protocol to examine the effects of worker skill level and movement training speed (joystick crane speed) on harvesting performance using a forestry simulator. A custom wrist angle measurement device was developed as part of the study to monitor Euler angles during operation of the simulator. The device of the system consisted of two accelerometers, a Bluetooth module, three 3V coin cells, a microcontroller, a voltage regulator and an application software. Harvesting performance and crane data was provided by the simulator software and included tree to frame collisions, crane to tree collisions, boom tip distance, number of trees cut, etc. A pilot study of 3 operators with various skill levels was tested to identify factors that distinguish highly skilled operators from novice or intermediate operators. Dependent variables such as reaction time, math skill, past work experience, training movement speed (e.g. joystick control speeds), harvesting experience level, muscle activity, and wrist biomechanics were measured and analyzed. A 10-channel wireless surface EMG system was used to monitor the amplitude and mean frequency of 10 upper extremity muscles during pre and postperformance on the forestry harvest stimulator. The results of the pilot study showed inconsistent changes in median frequency pre-and postoperation, but there was the increase in the activity of the flexor carpi radialis, anterior deltoid and upper trapezius of both arms. The wrist sensor results indicated that wrist supination and pronation occurred more than flexion and extension with radial-ulnar rotation demonstrating the least movement. Overall, wrist angular motion increased as the crane speed increased from slow to fast. Further data collection is needed and will help industry partners determine those factors that separate skill levels of operators, identify optimal training speeds, and determine the length of training required to bring new operators to an efficient skill level effectively. In addition to effective and employment training programs, results of this work will be used for selective employee recruitment strategies to improve employee retention after training. Further, improved training procedures and knowledge of the physical and mental demands on workers will lead to highly trained and efficient personnel, reduced risk of injury, and optimal work protocols.

Keywords: EMG, forestry, human factors, wrist biomechanics

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Authors: Katie Dolaghan, Christina Tran, Kim Hamilton, Amanda Beresford, Vicky Adams, Jamie Toole, John Marley

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During the Covid 19 pandemic routine outpatient appointments were not possible face to face. That resulted in many branches of healthcare starting virtual clinics. These clinics have continued following the return to face to face patient appointments. With these new types of clinic it is important to ensure that a high standard of patient care is maintained. In order to improve patient and clinician experience of the telephone clinics a quality improvement project was carried out to ensure the patient and clinician experience of these clinics was enhanced whilst remaining a safe, effective and an efficient use of resources. The project began by developing a process map for the consultation process and agreed on the design of a driver diagram and tests of change. In plan do study act (PDSA) cycle1 a single consultant completed an online survey after every patient encounter over a 5 week period. Baseline patient responses were collected using a follow-up telephone survey for each patient. Piloting led to several iterations of both survey designs. Salient results of PDSA1 included; patients not receiving appointment letters, patients feeling more anxious about a virtual appointment and many would prefer a face to face appointment. The initial clinician data showed a positive response with a provisional diagnosis being reached in 96.4% of encounters. PDSA cycle 2 included provision of a patient information sheet and information leaflets relevant to the patients’ conditions were developed and sent following new patient telephone clinics with follow-up survey analysis as before to monitor for signals of change. We also introduced the ability for patients to send an images of their lesion prior to the consultation. Following the changes implemented we noted an improvement in patient satisfaction and, in fact, many patients preferring virtual clinics as it lead to less disruption of their working lives. The extra reading material both before and after the appointments eased patients’ anxiety around virtual clinics and helped them to prepare for their appointment. Following the patient feedback virtual clinics are now used for review patients as well, with all four consultants within the department continuing to utilise virtual clinics. During this presentation the progression of these clinics and the reasons that these clinics are still operating following the return to face to face appointments will be explored. The lessons that have been gained using a QI approach have helped to deliver an optimal service that is valid and reliable as well as being safe, effective and efficient for the patient along with helping reduce the pressures from ever increasing waiting lists. In summary our work in improving the quality of virtual clinics has resulted in improved patient satisfaction along with reduced pressures on the facilities of the health trust.

Keywords: clinic, satisfaction, telephone, virtual

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Authors: Uswah Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Moazam Fraz, Humayoon Shafique Satti, Qasim Aziz

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Approximately 10-14% of the global population experiences a functional disorder known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The disorder is defined by persistent abdominal pain and an irregular bowel pattern. IBS significantly impairs work productivity and disrupts patients' daily lives and activities. Although IBS is widespread, there is still an incomplete understanding of its underlying pathophysiology. This study aims to help characterize the phenotype of IBS patients by differentiating the comorbidities found in IBS patients from those in non-IBS patients using machine learning algorithms. In this study, we extracted samples coding for IBS from the UK BioBank cohort and randomly selected patients without a code for IBS to create a total sample size of 18,000. We selected the codes for comorbidities of these cases from 2 years before and after their IBS diagnosis and compared them to the comorbidities in the non-IBS cohort. Machine learning models, including Decision Trees, Gradient Boosting, Support Vector Machine (SVM), AdaBoost, Logistic Regression, and XGBoost, were employed to assess their accuracy in predicting IBS. The most accurate model was then chosen to identify the features associated with IBS. In our case, we used XGBoost feature importance as a feature selection method. We applied different models to the top 10% of features, which numbered 50. Gradient Boosting, Logistic Regression and XGBoost algorithms yielded a diagnosis of IBS with an optimal accuracy of 71.08%, 71.427%, and 71.53%, respectively. Among the comorbidities most closely associated with IBS included gut diseases (Haemorrhoids, diverticular diseases), atopic conditions(asthma), and psychiatric comorbidities (depressive episodes or disorder, anxiety). This finding emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach when evaluating the phenotype of IBS, suggesting the possibility of identifying new subsets of IBS rather than relying solely on the conventional classification based on stool type. Additionally, our study demonstrates the potential of machine learning algorithms in predicting the development of IBS based on comorbidities, which may enhance diagnosis and facilitate better management of modifiable risk factors for IBS. Further research is necessary to confirm our findings and establish cause and effect. Alternative feature selection methods and even larger and more diverse datasets may lead to more accurate classification models. Despite these limitations, our findings highlight the effectiveness of Logistic Regression and XGBoost in predicting IBS diagnosis.

Keywords: comorbidities, disease association, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), predictive analytics

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Authors: Sumalee Tientongdee

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In this study, it was aimed to investigate Physics achievement of the pre-service science teacher studying in general science program at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand. The program has provided the new curriculum that focuses on 21st-century skills development. Active learning approaches are used to teach in all subjects. One of the active learning approaches Peer Instruction, or PI was used in this study to teach physics of waves as a compulsory course. It was conducted in the second semester from January to May of 2017. The concept test was given to evaluate pre-service science teachers’ understanding in concept of waves. Problem-solving assessment form was used to evaluate their problem-solving skill. The results indicated that after they had learned through Peer Instruction in physics of waves course, their concepts in physics of waves was significantly higher at 0.05 confident levels. Their problem-solving skill from the whole class was at the highest level. Based on the group interview on the opinions of using Peer Instruction in Physics class, they mostly felt that it was very useful and helping them understand more about physics, especially for female students.

Keywords: peer instruction, physics of waves, pre-service science teacher, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat university

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Authors: Siyao Zhu, Yifang Xu

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After natural and man-made disasters, robots can bypass the danger, expedite the search, and acquire unprecedented situational awareness to design rescue plans. The hands-free requirement from the first responders excludes the use of tedious manual control and operation. In unknown, unstructured, and obstructed environments, natural-language-based supervision is not amenable for first responders to formulate, and is difficult for robots to understand. Brain-computer interface is a promising option to overcome the limitations. This study aims to test the feasibility of using electroencephalography (EEG) signals to decode human intentions and detect the level of consensus on robot-provided information. EEG signals were classified using machine-learning and deep-learning methods to discriminate search intentions and agreement perceptions. The results show that the average classification accuracy for intention recognition and consensus assessment is 67% and 72%, respectively, proving the potential of incorporating recognizable users’ bioelectrical responses into advanced robot-assisted systems for emergency response.

Keywords: consensus assessment, electroencephalogram, emergency response, human-robot collaboration, intention recognition, search and rescue

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Authors: Jonathan A. Noble

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‘Origins’ is an exhibition designed and installed by MMA Design Studio, at the 2023 Venice Biennale. The instillation formed part of the ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ group exhibition at the Arsenale building. An immersive experience was created for those who visited, where video projection and the bodies of visitors interacted with the scene. Designed by South African architect, Mphethi Morojele – founder and owner of MMA – the primary inspiration for ‘Origins’ was the recent discovery by Professor Karim Sadr in 2019, of a substantial Tswana settlement. Situated in present day Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, some 45km south of Johannesburg, this precolonial city named Kweneng, has been dated back to the fifteenth century. This remarkable discovery was achieved thanks to advanced aerial, LiDAR scanning technology, which was used to capture the traces of Kweneng, spanning a terrain of some 10km long and 2km wide. Discovered by light (LiDAR) and exhibited through light, Origins presents a simulated experience of Kweneng. The presentation of Kweneng was achieved primarily though video, with a circular projection onto the floor of an animated LiDAR data sequence, and onto the walls a filmed dance sequence choreographed to embody the architectural, spatial and symbolic significance of Kweneng. This paper documents the design process that was involved in the conceptualization, development and final realization of this noteworthy exhibition, with an elucidation upon key social and cultural questions pertaining to precolonial heritage, reimagined histories and postcolonial identity. Periods of change and of social awakening sometimes spark an interest in questions of origin, of cultural lineage and belonging – and which certainly is the case for contemporary, post-Apartheid South Africa. Researching this paper has required primary study of MMA Design Studio’s project archive, including various proposals and other design related documents, conceptual design sketches, architectural drawings and photographs. This material is supported by the authors first-hand interviews with Morejele and others who were involved, especially with respect to the choreography of the interpretive dance, LiDAR visualization techniques and video production that informed the simulated, immersive experience at the exhibition. Presenting a ‘dangerous liaison’ between architecture and dance, Origins looks into the distant past to frame contemporary questions pertaining to intangible heritage, animism and embodiment through architecture and dance – considerations which are required “to survive the future”, says Morojele.

Keywords: architecture and dance, Kweneng, MMA design studio, origins, Venice Biennale

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Authors: Simon Strande Henriksen

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When a city and country decide to undertake an Olympic Games, they do so with the notion that hosting the Olympics will provide direct financial benefits to the city, country, and national companies. Like many activities, the Olympic Games tend to be more popular when it is warm, and the athletes are known, and therefore this paper will only focus on the two latest Olympic Summer Games. Cities and countries continue to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure to secure the role of being Olympic hosts. The multiple investments expect to provide both economic growth and a lasting legacy for the citizens. This study aims to determine whether host country companies experience superior economic impact from the Olympics. Building on existing work within the Olympic field of research, it asks: Do companies in host countries of the Olympic Summer Games experience a superior increase in operating revenue and return on assets compared to other comparable countries? In this context, comparable countries are the two candidates following the host city in the bidding procedure. Based on methods used by scholars, a panel data regression was conducted on revenue growth rate and return on assets, to determine if host country companies see a positive relation with hosting the Olympic Games. Combined with an analysis of motivation behind hosting the Olympics, the regression showed no significant positive relations across all analyses, besides in one instance. Indications of a relationship between company performance and economic motivation were found to be present. With the results indicating a limited effect on company growth, it is recommended that prospective host cities and countries carefully consider possible implications the role of being an Olympic host might have on national companies.

Keywords: cross-country analysis, mega-event, multiple regression, quantitative analysis

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Authors: Iliya Ibrahim Gimba

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Human beings or groups over the world have a traditional and cultural practices which guide and direct their ways of life. They value and promote these practices not minding the attitude of others towards them. In spite of the place of culture which is an embodiment of these practices in every human society some people still reduce the understanding of culture to idolatry and other archaic and anachronistic arts good perhaps only for the museum. Others consider culture to be just drumming and dancing. Whether a culture is “good” or “bad”, civilized or barbaric, it can be reformed for the betterment of the society. Hence, this paper focuses on reforming traditional and cultural practices in Nigeria for enhancing development in the 21st century using the Jukun people as a case study. Relevant literatures from journals, reports, published books among others will be consulted.

Keywords: Jukun, traditional and cultural practices, sustainable development, human

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Authors: Nicole Vlasman, Karamjeet Dhillon

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Over the past four years, the Healthy Relationships Program has been delivered in community organizations and schools across Canada. More than 240 groups have been facilitated in collaboration with 33 organizations. As a result, 2157 youth have been engaged in the programming. The purpose and scope of the Healthy Relationships Program are to offer sustainable, evidence-based skills through small group implementation to prevent violence and promote positive, healthy relationships in youth. The program development has included extensive networking at regional and national levels. The Healthy Relationships Program is currently being implemented, adapted, and researched within the Resilience and Inclusion through Strengthening and Enhancing Relationships (RISE-R) project. Alongside the project’s research objectives, the RISE-R team has worked to virtually share the ongoing findings of the project through a slow ontology approach. Slow ontology is a practice integrated into project systems and structures whereby slowing the pace and volume of outputs offers creative opportunities. Creative production reveals different layers of success and complements the project, the building blocks for sustainability. As a result of integrating a slow ontology approach, the RISE-R team has developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) that documents local landscapes through a Story Map feature, and more specifically, video installations. Video installations capture the cartography of space and place within the context of singular diverse community spaces (case studies). By documenting spaces via human connections, the project captures narratives, which further enhance the voices and faces of the community within the larger project scope. This GIS project aims to create a visual and interactive flow of information that complements the project's mixed-method research approach. Conclusively, creative project development in the form of a geographic information system can provide learning and engagement opportunities at many levels (i.e., within community organizations and educational spaces or with the general public). In each of these disconnected spaces, fragmented stories are connected through a visual display of project outputs. A slow ontology practice within the context of the RISE-R project documents activities on the fringes and within internal structures; primarily through documenting project successes as further contributions to the Centre for School Mental Health framework (philosophy, recruitment techniques, allocation of resources and time, and a shared commitment to evidence-based products).

Keywords: community programming, geographic information system, project development, project management, qualitative, slow ontology

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Authors: Ioannis Andrianakis, Manolis Falelakis, Maria Pavlidou, Konstantinos Papakonstantinou, Ermioni Avramidou, Dimitrios Kalogiannis, Nikolaos Milios, Katerina Bountakidou, Kiriakos Chatzidimitriou, Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos

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Artistic events, such as concerts and performances, are challenging to organize because they involve many people with different skill sets. Small and medium venues often struggle to afford the costs and overheads of booking and hosting remote artists, especially if they lack sponsors or subsidies. This limits the opportunities for both venues and artists, especially those outside of big cities. However, more and more research shows that audiences prefer smaller-scale events and concerts, which benefit local economies and communities. To address this challenge, our project “PerformAnts: Digital Event Manager-Organizer” aims to develop a smart digital tool that automates and optimizes the processes and costs of live shows and tours. By using machine learning, applying best practices and training users through workshops, our platform offers a comprehensive solution for a growing market, enhances the mobility of artists and the accessibility of venues and allows professionals to focus on the creative aspects of concert production.

Keywords: event organization, creative industries, event promotion, machine learning

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Authors: Minhui Chiu

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According to relevant studies, clinical nurses have high work pressure and relatively high job adaptation needs. The nurses who work in oncology wards have more adaptation needs when they face repeating hospitalization patients. The aims of this study were to investigate the job stress adaptation and related factors of nurses in oncology wards and to understand the predictors of job stress adaptation needs. Convenience sampling was used in this study. The nurses in the oncology specialist ward of a regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan were selected as the research objects. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire, random sampling, and the questionnaires were filled out by the participating nurses. A total of 68 people were tested, and 65 valid questionnaires (95.6%). One basic data questionnaire and nurses’ job stress adaptation needs questionnaire were used. The data was archived with Microsoft Excel, and statistical analysis was performed with JMP12.0. The results showed that the average age was 28.8 (±6.7) years old, most of them were women, 62 (95.38%), and the average clinical experience in the hospital was 5.7 years (±5.9), and 62 (95.38%) were university graduates. 39 people (60.0%) had no work experience. 39 people (60.0%) liked nursing work very much, and 23 people (35.3%) just “liked”. 47 (72.3%) people were supported to be oncology nurses by their families. The nurses' job stress adaptation needs were 119.75 points (±17.24). The t-test and variance analysis of the impact of nurses' job pressure adaptation needs were carried out. The results showed that the score of college graduates was 121.10 (±16.39), which was significantly higher than that of master graduates 96.67 (±22.81), and the degree of liking for nursing work also reached a Significant difference. These two variables are important predictors of job adaptation needs, and the R Square is 24.15%. Conclusion: Increasing the love of clinical nurses in nursing and encouraging university graduation to have positive effects on job pressure adaptation needs and can be used as a reference for the management of human resources hospitals for oncology nurses.

Keywords: oncology nurse, job stress, job stress adaptation needs, manpower

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Authors: Anu Malhotra, Rahul Malhotra

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This review paper is focused on achievement ability analysis of perspective teachers and students of technical education of Haryana. It is well known that women have higher verbal achievement, while men have higher achievement in non-verbal and scientific achievement. Chi-square analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of information and communication technology tools on the scientific, verbal and non-verbal achievement of the controlled and uncontrolled group of 204 students of Haryana. The computed value of expected count, which is more than 5, shows that there is a significant improvement in achievement ability of students of the controlled group when compared to the uncontrolled group. The research analyzes that the Information and communication technology tools play an important role in enhancing student’s achievement.

Keywords: achievement, ICT, perspective teacher, verbal achievement

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Authors: Raquel C. A. G. Mota, Livia R. Menezes, Emerson O. da Silva

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Both silver nanoparticles and titanium dioxide have been extensively used in tissue engineering since they’ve been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and present a bactericide effect when added to a polymeric matrix. In this work, the focus is on fabricating binary systems with both nanoparticles so that the synergistic effect can be investigated. The systems were tested by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier-Transformed Infrared (FTIR), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and had both their bioactivity and bactericide effect tested. The binary systems presented different properties than the individual systems, enhancing both the thermal and biological properties as was to be expected. The crystallinity was also affected, as indicated by the finding of the DSC and XDR techniques, and the NMR showed a good dispersion of both nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. These findings indicate the potential of combining TiO₂ and silver nanoparticles in biomedicine.

Keywords: metallic nanoparticles, nanotechnology, polymer nanocomposites, polymer science

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Authors: Aamir Hasan, Subhash Mishra

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The purpose of the study was to determine the key drivers which influence the shopping behavior of the customers in the retail store. In today‟s competitive world with increasing number of retail stores, the retailers need to be more customer oriented. Retail has changed and expanded in all lines of business, be it apparel,jewelry, footwear, groceries etc. The modern consumer is posing a challenging task for the Indian retailer. More aware, more confident and much more demanding, therefore the retailers are looking for ways to deliver better consumer value and to increase consumer purchase intention. Retailers tend to differentiate themselves by making their service easier to consumers. The study aims to study the key drivers that can influence shopping behavior in retail store. A survey (store intercept) method was employed to elicit primary information from 300 shoppers in different retail stores of Lucknow. The findings reveal the factors that play a greater role in influencing the shopping behavior of customers in retail store. As such, a survey of retail store customers‟ attitude towards reduced price, sales promotion, quality of the products, proximity to the home, customer service, store atmospherics were analyzed to identify the key drivers influencing shopping behavior in retail store. A questionnaire based on a five-item Likert scale, as well as random sampling, was employed for data collection. Data analysis was accomplished using SPSS software. The paper has found shopping experience, store image and value for money as three important variable out of which shopping experience emerged as a dominant factor which influences the consumer's shopping behavior in the retail store. Since the research has established empirical evidences in determining the key drivers which influences the shopping behavior of the customers in the retail store, it serves as a foundation for a deeper probe into the shopping behavior of the customers in the retail store research domain in the Indian context.

Keywords: retail, shopping, customers, questionnaire

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Authors: Ali Akbar Attari, Ali Asghar Beheshti Shirazi

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In this paper, we propose a blind and robust audio watermarking scheme based on spread spectrum in Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) domain. Watermarks are embedded in the low-frequency coefficients, which is less audible. The key idea is dividing the audio signal into small frames, and magnitude of the 6^th level of DWT approximation coefficients is modifying based upon the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technique. Also, the psychoacoustic model for enhancing in imperceptibility, as well as Savitsky-Golay filter for increasing accuracy in extraction, is used. The experimental results illustrate high robustness against most common attacks, i.e. Gaussian noise addition, Low pass filter, Resampling, Requantizing, MP3 compression, without significant perceptual distortion (ODG is higher than -1). The proposed scheme has about 83 bps data payload.

Keywords: audio watermarking, spread spectrum, discrete wavelet transform, psychoacoustic, Savitsky-Golay filter

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Authors: Rami Qaoud, Alkama Djamal

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When we ask about the impact of rising architectural façade in improving the terms physical urban ambiance inside the free space for urban fabric. Considered as bringing back life and culture values and civilization to these cities. And This will be the theme of this search. Where we have conducted the study about the relationship that connects the empty and full of in the urban fabric in terms of the density construction and the architectural elevation of its façade to street view. In this framework, we adopted in the methodology of this research the technical field experience. And according to three types of Street engineering(H≥2W, H=W, H≤0.5W). Where we conducted a field to raise the values of the physical ambiance according to three main axes of ambiance. The first axe 1 - Thermal ambiance. Where the temperature values were collected, relative humidity, wind speed, temperature of surfaces (the outer wall-ground). The second axe 2- Visual ambiance. Where we took the values of natural lighting levels during the daytime. The third axe 3- Acoustic ambiance . Where we take sound values during the entire day. That experience, which lasted for three consecutive days, and through six stations of measuring, where it has been one measuring station for each type of the street engineering and in two different way street. Through the obtained results and with the comparison of those values. We noticed the difference between this values and the three type of street engineering. Where the difference the calorific values of air equal 4 ° C , in terms of the visual ambiance the difference in the direct lighting natural periods amounted six hours between the three types of street engineering. As well in terms of sound ambience, registered a difference in values of up 15 (db) between the three types. This difference in values indicates The impact of rising architectural façade in improving the physical urban ambiance within the free field - street- for urban fabric.

Keywords: street, physical urban ambience, rising architectural façade, urban fabric

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Authors: Piyush Sharma, Devi Prasad Sharma, Sulabh Bansal

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Diseases are fairly common in fruits and vegetables because of the changing climatic and environmental circumstances. Crop diseases, which are frequently difficult to control, interfere with the growth and output of the crops. Accurate disease detection and timely disease control measures are required to guarantee high production standards and good quality. In India, apples are a common crop that may be afflicted by a variety of diseases on the fruit, stem, and leaves. It is fungi, bacteria, and viruses that trigger the early symptoms of leaf diseases. In order to assist farmers and take the appropriate action, it is important to develop an automated system that can be used to detect the type of illnesses. Machine learning-based image processing can be used to: this research suggested a system that can automatically identify diseases in apple fruit and apple plants. Hence, this research utilizes the hybrid SVM-RBN model. As a consequence, the model may produce results that are more effective in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 Score, with respective values of 96%, 99%, 94%, and 93%.

Keywords: fruit plant disease, crop disease, machine learning, image processing, SVM-RBN

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Authors: Leah Li Echiverri, Haoyu Shang, Yue Li

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Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU) is a Sino-US Cooperative University in China. It practices the English Immersion Program (EIP), where all the courses are taught in English. Class discussions and presentations are pervasively interwoven in designing students’ learning experiences. This WKU model has brought positive influences on students and is in some way ahead of traditional college English majors. However, literature to support the perceptions on the positive outcomes of this teaching and learning model remain scarce. The distinctive profile of Chinese-ESL students in an English Medium of Instruction (EMI) environment contributes further to the scarcity of literature compared to existing studies conducted among ESL learners in Western educational settings. Hence, the study investigated the students’ perceptions towards the English Immersion Program and determine how it influences Chinese-ESL students’ academic performance (AP). This research can provide empirical data that would be helpful to educators, teaching practitioners, university administrators, and other researchers in making informed decisions when developing curricular reforms, instructional and pedagogical methods, and university-wide support programs using this educational model. The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between the English Immersion Program and Academic Performance among Chinese-ESL students enrolled at WKU for the academic year 2020-2021. Course length, immersion location, course type, and instructional design were the constructs of the English immersion program. English language learning, learning efficiency, and class participation were used to measure academic performance. Descriptive-correlational design was used in this cross-sectional research project. A quantitative approach for data analysis was applied to determine the relationship between the English immersion program and Chinese-ESL students’ academic performance. The research was conducted at WKU; a Chinese-American jointly established higher educational institution located in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Convenience, random, and snowball sampling of 283 students, a response rate of 10.5%, were applied to represent the WKU student population. The questionnaire was posted through the survey website named Wenjuanxing and shared to QQ or WeChat. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability of the research instrument. Findings revealed that when professors integrate technology (PowerPoint, videos, and audios) in teaching, students pay more attention. This contributes to the acquisition of more professional knowledge in their major courses. As to course immersion, students perceive WKU as a good place to study, providing them a high degree of confidence to talk with their professors in English. This also contributes to their English fluency and better pronunciation in their communication. In the construct of designing instruction, the use of pictures, video clips, and professors’ non-verbal communication, and demonstration of concern for students encouraged students to be more active in-class participation. Findings on course length and academic performance indicated that students’ perception regarding taking courses during fall and spring terms can moderately contribute to their academic performance. In conclusion, the findings revealed a significantly strong positive relationship between course type, immersion location, instructional design, and academic performance.

Keywords: class participation, English immersion program, English language learning, learning efficiency

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Authors: Anirudh Lahiri

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Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the intricate operations of biological neural networks, offers a revolutionary approach to overcoming the limitations of traditional computing architectures. This research proposes the integration of spintronics with neuromorphic systems, aiming to enhance computational performance, scalability, and energy efficiency. Traditional computing systems, based on the Von Neumann architecture, struggle with scalability and efficiency due to the segregation of memory and processing functions. In contrast, the human brain exemplifies high efficiency and adaptability, processing vast amounts of information with minimal energy consumption. This project explores the use of spintronics, which utilizes the electron's spin rather than its charge, to create more energy-efficient computing systems. Spintronic devices, such as magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) manipulated through spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT), offer a promising pathway to reducing power consumption and enhancing the speed of data processing. The integration of these devices within a neuromorphic framework aims to replicate the efficiency and adaptability of biological systems. The research is structured into three phases: an exhaustive literature review to build a theoretical foundation, laboratory experiments to test and optimize the theoretical models, and iterative refinements based on experimental results to finalize the system. The initial phase focuses on understanding the current state of neuromorphic and spintronic technologies. The second phase involves practical experimentation with spintronic devices and the development of neuromorphic systems that mimic synaptic plasticity and other biological processes. The final phase focuses on refining the systems based on feedback from the testing phase and preparing the findings for publication. The expected contributions of this research are twofold. Firstly, it aims to significantly reduce the energy consumption of computational systems while maintaining or increasing processing speed, addressing a critical need in the field of computing. Secondly, it seeks to enhance the learning capabilities of neuromorphic systems, allowing them to adapt more dynamically to changing environmental inputs, thus better mimicking the human brain's functionality. The integration of spintronics with neuromorphic computing could revolutionize how computational systems are designed, making them more efficient, faster, and more adaptable. This research aligns with the ongoing pursuit of energy-efficient and scalable computing solutions, marking a significant step forward in the field of computational technology.

Keywords: material science, biological engineering, mechanical engineering, neuromorphic computing, spintronics, energy efficiency, computational scalability, synaptic plasticity.

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Authors: N. Belas, O. Belaribi, S. Aggoun, K. Bendani, N. Bouhamou, A. Mebrouki

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This experimental work is a part of a long research on the valorization of the dam dredged sediments issued from Fergoug Dam (Mascara-West Algeria). These sediments have to be subjected to thermal treatment to become reactive with the cement and thus to obtain an artificial pozzolana. It is therefore a question of developing the calcined mud as substitutable material in part to the cement used in the composition of self compacting concrete. The objective of the present work is to highlight its influence on the behavior of self compacting concrete compared to that of the natural pozzolana and this, in fresh and hardened states. The study is being conducted on three SCC, the first using 20% in volume of natural pozzolana, the second with 20 % of calcined mud and the third for the sake of comparison is made with cement only. The first results showed the possibility of obtaining SCC with calcined mud complying with the AFGC recommendations having a good mechanical behavior which makes interesting its development as construction materials.

Keywords: dam, fresh state, hardened state mud, sediments, self compacting concrete, valorization

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Authors: Bassant Eyada, Hanan Atef Kamal Eldin

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Advertising has witnessed a diffusion and development in technology to promote products and services, increasingly relying on the interactivity between the consumer and the advertisement. Consumers seek, self-select, process, use and respond to the information provided, hence, providing the potential to increase consumers’ efficiency, involvement, trustworthiness, response, and satisfaction towards the advertised product or service. The power of interactive personalized messages shifts the focus of traditional advertising to more concentrated consumers, sending out tailored messages with more specific individual needs and preferences, defining the importance and relevance that consumers attach to the advertisement, therefore, enhancing the ability to persuade, and the quality of decision making. In this paper, the researchers seek to discuss and explore innovative interactive advertising, its’ effectiveness on consumers and the benefits the advertisements provide, through designing an interactive ad to be placed at the international airports promoting tourism in Egypt.

Keywords: advertising, effectiveness, interactivity, Egypt

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Authors: Farida Habib, Haya Alfozan, Eman Miligi, Najla Alotaibi

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Background: Women’s satisfaction with maternity services, especially care during labor and birth, has become highly significant to healthcare providers, administrators, and policymakers. Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess maternal satisfaction regarding the quality of care during labor and to compare the level of maternal satisfaction between women who delivered by physicians and those delivered by midwives. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used. A convenient sample of 180 low-risk cases of immediate postpartum women who delivered at King Abdul-Aziz medical city was recruited. Women whose babies were diagnosed with serious health problems were excluded from the study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were ensured. The questionnaire included three parts, namely: demographics data, medical history, and obstetrical history, and the last part is the satisfaction assessment tool. Ethical confederations were ensured. Maternal satisfaction during labor was classified in terms of health care, health workers' communication, and the environment. Results: Regarding health care, women were highly satisfied with care received from nurse (M = 4.21 + 0.88), medical care received (M = 4.17 + 0.79), and comfort techniques (M = 4.04 + 0.91). Regarding health workers' communication, women were highly satisfied with the provider to treat with dignity and respect (M = 4.03 + 0.91) and orientation to the toilet, bathroom, washing area (M = 4.00 + 0.93). Regarding the environment, women were highly satisfied with the experience of their baby's birth (M = 4.18 + 0.98) and supplies with drugs and supplies (M = 4.09 + 0.97). There was no statistically significant difference in maternal satisfaction between women who delivered by physicians and those delivered by midwives. Conclusion: Women were generally satisfied with their labor and delivery experience. There was no difference in maternal satisfaction on the labor process between women who delivered by physicians and those delivered by midwives.

Keywords: maternity, satisfaction, labor, delivery

Procedia PDF Downloads 191