Search results for: degree of hearing loss

Authors: Harley Bray, Helen Pymar, Michelle Liu, Chau Pham, Tomislav Jelic, Fran Mulhall

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Background: Our study assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early pregnancy assessment clinic (EPAC) referrals and the use of virtual consultation in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Our clinic expanded to accept referrals from all Winnipeg Emergency Department (ED)/Urgent Care (UC) sites beginning November 2019 to April 2020. By May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached Manitoba and EPAC virtual care was expanded by performing hCG remotely and reviewing blood and ED/UC ultrasound results by phone. Methods: Emergency Department Information Systems (EDIS) and EPAC data reviewed ED/UC visits for pregnancy <20 weeks and vaginal bleeding 1-year pre-COVID (March 12, 2019, to March 11, 2020) and during COVID (March 12, 2020 (first case in Manitoba) to March 11, 2021). Results: There were fewer patient visits for vaginal bleeding or pregnancy of <20 weeks (4264 vs. 5180), diagnoses of threatened abortion (1895 vs. 2283), and ectopic pregnancy (78 vs. 97) during COVID compared with pre-COVID, respectively. ICD 10 codes were missing in 849 (20%) and 1183 (23%) of patients during COVID and pre-COVID, respectively. Wait times for all patient visits improved during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID (5.1 ± 4.4 hours vs. 5.5 ± 3.8 hours), more patients received obstetrical ultrasounds, 761 (18%) vs. 787 (15%), and fewer patients returned within 30 days (1360 (32%) vs. 1848 (36%); p<0.01). EPAC saw 708 patients (218; 31% new ED/UC) during COVID-19 compared to 552 (37; 7% new ED/UC) pre-COVID. Fewer operative interventions for pregnancy loss (346 vs. 456) and retained products (236 vs. 272) were noted. Surgeries to treat ectopic pregnancy (106 vs 113) remained stable during the study time interval. Conclusion: Accurate identification of pregnancy complications was difficult, with over 20% missing ICD-10 diagnostic codes. There were fewer ED/UC visits and surgical management for threatened abortion during COVID-19, but ectopic pregnancy operative management remained unchanged.

Keywords: early pregnancy, ultrasound, COVID-19, obstetrics

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Authors: Surbhi Surbhi, Andrea Erni, Gunter Meister, Harold Cremer, Christophe Beclin

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short 20-23 nucleotide long non-coding RNAs; there are 2605 miRNA in humans and 1936 miRNA in mouse in total (miRBase). The nervous system expresses the most abundant miRNA and most diverse. MiRNAs play a role in many steps during neurogenesis, like cell proliferation, differentiation, neural patterning, axon pathfinding, etc. Moreover, in vitro studies suggested a role in the regulation of local translation at the synapse, thus controlling neuronal plasticity. However, due to the specific structure of miRNA molecules, an in-vivo confirmation of the general role of miRNAs in the control of neuronal plasticity is still pending. For example, their small size and their high level of sequence homology make difficult the analysis of their cellular and sub-cellular localization in-vivo by in-situ hybridization. Moreover, it was found that only 40% of the expressed miRNA molecules in a cell are included in RNA-Induced Silencing Complexes (RISC) and, therefore, involved in inhibitory interactions while the rest is silent. Definitively, the development of new tools is needed to have a better understanding of the cellular function of miRNAs, in particular their role in neuronal plasticity. Here we describe a new technique called in-vivo AGO-APP designed to investigate miRNA expression and function in-vivo. This technique is based on the expression of a small peptide derived from the human RISC-complex protein TNRC6B, called T6B, which binds all known Argonaute (Ago) proteins with high affinity allowing the efficient immunoprecipitation of AGO-bound miRNAs. We have generated two transgenic mouse lines conditionally expressing T6B either ubiquitously in the cell or targeted at the synapse. A comparison of the repertoire of miRNAs immuno-precipitated from mature neurons of both mouse lines will provide us with a list of miRNAs showing a specific activity at the synapse. The physiological role of these miRNAs will be subsequently addressed through gain and loss of function experiments.

Keywords: RNA-induced silencing complexes, TNRC6B, miRNA, argonaute, synapse, neuronal plasticity, neurogenesis

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Authors: Sakshi Bhalla

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On the one hand, given their seemingly simplistic, near universal usage and understanding, emoji are discarded as a potential step back in the evolution of communication. On the other, their effectiveness, pervasiveness, and adaptability across and within contexts are undeniable. In this study, the responses of 40 people (categorized by age) were recorded based on a uniform two-part questionnaire where they were required to a) identify the meaning of 15 emoji when placed in isolation, and b) interpret the meaning of the same 15 emoji when placed in a context-defining posting on Twitter. Their responses were studied on the basis of deviation from their responses that identified the emoji in isolation, as well as the originally intended meaning ascribed to the emoji. Based on an analysis of these results, it was discovered that each of the five age categories uses, understands and perceives emoji differently, which could be attributed to the degree of exposure they have undergone. For example, in the case of the youngest category (aged < 20), it was observed that they were the least accurate at correctly identifying emoji in isolation (~55%). Further, their proclivity to change their response with respect to the context was also the least (~31%). However, an analysis of each of their individual responses showed that these first-borns of social media seem to have reached a point where emojis no longer inspire their most literal meanings to them. The meaning and implication of these emoji have evolved to imply their context-derived meanings, even when placed in isolation. These trends carry forward meaningfully for the other four groups as well. In the case of the oldest category (aged > 35), however, the trends indicated inaccuracy and therefore, a higher incidence of a proclivity to change their responses. When studied in a continuum, the responses indicate that slowly and steadily, emoji are evolving from pictograms to ideograms. That is to suggest that they do not just indicate a one-to-one relation between a singular form and singular meaning. In fact, they communicate increasingly complicated ideas. This is much like the evolution of ancient hieroglyphics on papyrus reed or cuneiform on Sumerian clay tablets, which evolved from simple pictograms to progressively more complex ideograms. This evolution within communication is parallel to and contingent on the simultaneous evolution of communication. What’s astounding is the capacity of humans to leverage different platforms to facilitate such changes. Twiterese, as it is now called, is one of the instances where language is adapting to the demands of the digital world. That it does not have a spoken component, an ostensible grammar, and lacks standardization of use and meaning, as some might suggest, may seem like impediments in qualifying it as the 'language' of the digital world. However, that kind of a declarative remains a function of time, and time alone.

Keywords: communication, emoji, language, Twitter

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Authors: Alija Uzunovic, Sasa Pilipovic, Aida Sapcanin, Zahida Ademovic, Berina Pilipović

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Capsaicin is a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from capsicum fruit extracts of different of Capsicum species. It has been employed topically to treat many diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, cancer pain and nerve pain in diabetes. The high degree of pre-systemic metabolism of intragastrical capsaicin and the short half-life of capsaicin by intravenous administration made topical application of capsaicin advantageous. In this study, we have evaluated differences in the dissolution characteristics of capsaicin patch 11 mg (purchased from market) at different dissolution rotation speed. The proposed patch area is 308 cm2 (22 cm x 14 cm; it contains 36 µg of capsaicin per square centimeter of adhesive). USP Apparatus 5 (Paddle Over Disc) is used for transdermal patch testing. The dissolution study was conducted using USP apparatus 5 (n=6), ERWEKA DT800 dissolution tester (paddle-type) with addition of a disc. The fabricated patch of 308 cm2 is to be cut into 9 cm2 was placed against a disc (delivery side up) retained with the stainless-steel screen and exposed to 500 mL of phosphate buffer solution pH 7.4. All dissolution studies were carried out at 32 ± 0.5 °C and different rotation speed (50± 5; 100± 5 and 150± 5 rpm). 5 ml aliquots of samples were withdrawn at various time intervals (1, 4, 8 and 12 hours) and replaced with 5 ml of dissolution medium. Withdrawn were appropriately diluted and analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC). A Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography (RP-LC) method has been developed, optimized and validated for the separation and quantitation of capsaicin in a transdermal patch. The method uses a ProntoSIL 120-3-C18 AQ 125 x 4,0 mm (3 μm) column maintained at 600C. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile: water (50:50 v/v), the flow rate of 0.9 mL/min, the injection volume 10 μL and the detection wavelength 222 nm. The used RP-LC method is simple, sensitive and accurate and can be applied for fast (total chromatographic run time was 4.0 minutes) and simultaneous analysis of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in a transdermal patch. According to the results obtained in this study, we can conclude that the relative difference of dissolution rate of capsaicin after 12 hours was elevated by increase of dissolution rotation speed (100 rpm vs 50 rpm: 84.9± 11.3% and 150 rpm vs 100 rpm: 39.8± 8.3%). Although several apparatus and procedures (USP apparatus 5, 6, 7 and a paddle over extraction cell method) have been used to study in vitro release characteristics of transdermal patches, USP Apparatus 5 (Paddle Over Disc) could be considered as a discriminatory test. would be able to point out the differences in the dissolution rate of capsaicin at different rotation speed.

Keywords: capsaicin, in vitro, patch, RP-LC, transdermal

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Authors: Muhammad Arif Rahman, Gamma Abdul Jabbar, Enggar Handra Pangestu, Alfi Syahrin Qadri, Iryan Anugrah Putra, Rizqi Ramadhandi.

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Indonesia lies above three major tectonic plates, Indo-Australia plate, Eurasia plate, and Pacific plate. Interactions between those plates resulted in high tectonic and volcanic activities that corelates into high risk of geological hazards in adjacent areas, one of the areas is in North of Sulawesi’s Islands. This case raises a problem in terms of infrastructure in order to mitigate existing infrastructure and various future infrastructures plan. One of the infrastructures that is essentials to enhance telecommunication aspect is submarine fiber optic cable, that has risk to geological hazard. This cable is essential that act as backbone in telecommunication. Damaged fiber optic cables can pose serious problem that make existing signal to be loss and have negative impact to people’s social and economic factor with also decreasing various governmental services performance. Submarine cables are facing challenges in terms of geological hazards, for instance are seamounts activity. Previous studies show that until 2023, five seamounts are identified in North of Sulawesi. Seamounts itself can damage and trigger many activities that can risks submarine cables, one of the examples is submarine landslide. Main focuses of this study are to identify new possible seamounts and submarine landslide path in area North of Sulawesi Islands to help minimize risks pose by those hazards, either to existing or future plan submarine cables. Using bathymetry data, this study conduct slope analysis and use distinctive morphological features to interpret possible seamounts. Then we mapped out valleys in between seamounts and determine where sediments might flow in case of landslide, and to finally, know how it affect submarine cables in the area.

Keywords: bathymetry, geological hazard, mitigation, seamount, submarine cable, submarine landslide, volcanic activity

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Authors: Kyung Suk Cho, Heung Youl Kim

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The analysis of the petrologic characteristics and thermal properties of crushed aggregates for concrete such as granite, gneiss, dolomite, shale and andesite found that rock-forming minerals decided the thermal properties of the aggregates. The thermal expansion coefficients of aggregates containing lots of quartz increased rapidly at 573 degrees due to quartz transition. The mass of aggregate containing carbonate minerals decreased rapidly at 750 degrees due to decarboxylation, while its specific heat capacity increased relatively. The mass of aggregates containing hydrated silicate minerals decreased more significantly, and their specific heat capacities were greater when compared with aggregates containing feldspar or quartz. It is deduced that the hydroxyl group (OH) in hydrated silicate dissolved as its bond became loose at high temperatures. Aggregates containing mafic minerals turned red at high temperatures due to oxidation response. Moreover, the comparison of cooling methods showed that rapid cooling using water resulted in more reduction in aggregate mass than slow cooling at room temperatures. In order to observe the fire resistance performance of concrete composed of the identical but coarse aggregate, mass loss and compressive strength reduction factor at 200, 400, 600 and 800 degrees were measured. It was found from the analysis of granite and gneiss that the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between cement paste and aggregates caused by quartz transit at 573 degrees resulted in thermal stress inside the concrete and thus triggered concrete cracking. The ferromagnesian hydrated silicate in andesite and shale caused greater reduction in both initial stiffness and mass compared with other aggregates. However, the thermal expansion coefficient of andesite and shale was similar to that of cement paste. Since they were low in thermal conductivity and high in specific heat capacity, concrete cracking was relatively less severe. Being slow in heat transfer, they were judged to be materials of high heat capacity.

Keywords: crush-aggregates, fire resistance, thermal expansion, heat transfer

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Authors: Asselah Amel, Affif Chaouche M'yassa, Toudji Amira, Tazerouti Amel

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This study covers two aspects ; the biodegradability and the performances in corrosion inhibition of a series of synthetized surfactants namely Φ- sodium methyl ester sulfonates (Φ-MES: C₁₂-MES, C₁₄-MES and C₁₆-MES. The biodegradability of these organic compounds was studied using the respirometric method, ‘the standard ISO 9408’. Degradation was followed by analysis of dissolved oxygen using the dissolved oxygen meter over 28 days and the results were compared with that of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The inoculum used consists of activated sludge taken from the aeration basin of the biological wastewater treatment plant in the city of Boumerdes-Algeria. In addition, the anticorrosive performances of Φ-MES surfactants on a carbon steel "X70" were evaluated in an injection water from a well of Hassi R'mel region- Algeria, known as Baremian water, and are compared to sodium dodecyl sulphate. Two technics, the weight loss and the linear polarization resistance corrosion rate (LPR) are used allowing to investigate the relationships between the concentrations of these synthetized surfactants and their surface properties, surface coverage and inhibition efficiency. Various adsorption isotherm models were used to characterize the nature of adsorption and explain their mechanism. The results show that the MES anionic surfactants was readily biodegradable, degrading faster than SDS, about 88% for C₁₂-MES compared to 66% for the SDS. The length of their carbon chain affects their biodegradability; the longer the chain, the lower the biodegradability. The inhibition efficiency of these surfactants is around 78.4% for C₁₂-MES, 76.60% for C₁₄-MES and 98.19% for C₁₆-MES and increases with their concentration and reaches a maximum value around their critical micelle concentrations ( CMCs). Scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy allowed to the visualization of a good adhesion of the protective film formed by the surfactants to the surface of the steel. The studied surfactants show the Langmuirian behavior from which the thermodynamic parameters as adsorption constant (Kads), standard free energy of adsorption (〖∆G〗_ads^0 ) are determined. Interaction of the surfactants with steel surface have involved physisorptions.

Keywords: corrosion, surfactants, adsorption, adsorption isotherems

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Authors: James Boag

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The needs of people with a diagnosis of dementia and their carers and families are physical, psychosocial, and psychological and begin at the time of diagnosis. There is frequently a lack of emotional support and counselling. Care- giving support is required from the presentation of the first symptoms of dementia until death. Alzheimer's disease begins decades before the clinical symptoms begin to appear, and in many cases, it remains undiagnosed, or diagnosed too late for any possible interventions to have any effect. However, if an incorrect diagnosis is given, it may result in a person being treated, without effect, for a type of dementia they do not have and delaying the interventions they should have received. Being diagnosed with dementia can cause emotional distress to the person, and physical and emotional support is needed, which will become more important as the disease progresses. The severity of the patient's dementia and their symptoms has a bearing of the impact on the carer and the support needed. A lack of insight and /or a denial of the diagnosis, grief, reacting to anticipated future losses, and coping methods to maximise the disease outcome, are things that should be addressed. Because of the stigma, it is important for carers not to lose contact with family and others because social isolation leads to depression and burnout. The impact on a carer's well- being and quality of life can be influenced by the severity of the illness, its type of dementia, its symptoms, healthcare support, financial and social status, career, age, health, residential setting, and relationship to the patient. Carer burnout due to lack of support leads to people diagnosed with dementia being put into residential care prematurely. Often dementia is not recognised as a terminal illness, limiting the ability of the person diagnosed with dementia and their carers to work on advance care planning and getting access to palliative and other support. Many carers have been satisfied with the physical support they were given in their everyday life, however, it was agreed that there was an immense unmet need for psychosocial support, especially after diagnosis and approaching end of life. Providing continuity and coordination of care is important. Training is necessary for providers to understand that every case is different, and they should understand the complexities. Grief, the emotional response to loss, is suffered during the progression of the disease and long afterwards, and carers should continue to be supported after the death of the person they were caring for.

Keywords: dementia, caring, challenges, needs

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Authors: Aqsa Kanwal, Min Zhang, Faisal Sharaf, Li Chengtao

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The globe is facing increasing challenges of plastic pollution due to single-use of plastic-based packaging material. The plastic material is continuously being dumped into the natural environment, which causes serious harm to the entire ecosystem. Polymer degradation in nature is very difficult, so the use of biodegradable polymers instead of conventional polymers can mitigate this issue. Due to the good mechanical properties and biodegradability, aliphatic-aromatic polymers are being widely commercialized. Due to the advancement in molecular biology, many studies have reported specific microbes that can effectively degrade PBAT. Aliphatic polyesters undergo hydrolytic cleavage of ester groups, so they can be easily degraded by microorganisms. In this study, we investigated the enzymatic degradation of poly (butylene adipate terephthalate) (PBAT) copolymer using lipase B from Candida Antarctica (CALB). Results of the study displayed approximately 5.16 % loss in PBAT mass after 2 days which significantly increased to approximately 15.7 % at the end of the experiment (12 days) as compared to blank. The pH of the degradation solution also displayed significant reduction and reached the minimum value of 6.85 at the end of the experiment. The structure and morphology of PBAT after degradation were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA. FTIR analysis showed that after degradation many peaks become weaker and the peak at 2950 cm-1 almost disappeared after 12 days. The XRD results indicated that as the degradation time increases the intensity of diffraction peaks slightly increases as compared to the blank PBAT. TGA analysis also confirmed the successful degradation of PBAT with time. SEM micrographs further confirmed that degradation has occurred. Hence, biodegradable polymers can widely be used. The effect of PBAT biodegradation on plant growth was also studied and it was found that PBAT has no toxic effect on the growth of plants. Hence PBAT can be employed in a wide range of applications.

Keywords: aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters, polybutylene adipate terephthalate, lipase (CALB), biodegradation, plant growth

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Authors: Joachim F. Sartor

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According to German guidelines, external natural catchments are greater sub-catchments without significant portions of impervious areas, which possess a surface drainage system and empty in a sewer network. Basically, such catchments should be disconnected from sewer networks, particularly from combined systems. If this is not possible due to local conditions, their flow hydrographs have to be considered at the design of sewer systems, because the impact may be significant. Since there is a lack of sufficient measurements of storm-runoff events for such catchments and hence verified simulation methods to analyze their design flows, German standards give only general advices and demands special considerations in such cases. Compared to urban sub-catchments, external natural catchments exhibit greatly different flow characteristics. With increasing area size their hydrological behavior approximates that of rural catchments, e.g. sub-surface flow may prevail and lag times are comparable long. There are few observed peak flow values and simple (mostly empirical) approaches that are offered by literature for Central Europe. Most of them are at least helpful to crosscheck results that are achieved by simulation lacking calibration. Using storm-runoff data from five monitored rural watersheds in the west of Germany with catchment areas between 0.33 and 1.07 km2 , the author investigated by multiple event simulation three different approaches to determine the rainfall excess. These are the modified SCS variable run-off coefficient methods by Lutz and Zaiß as well as the soil moisture model by Ostrowski. Selection criteria for storm events from continuous precipitation data were taken from recommendations of M 165 and the runoff concentration method (parallel cascades of linear reservoirs) from a DWA working report to which the author had contributed. In general, the two run-off coefficient methods showed results that are of sufficient accuracy for most practical purposes. The soil moisture model showed no significant better results, at least not to such a degree that it would justify the additional data collection that its parameter determination requires. Particularly typical convective summer events after long dry periods, that are often decisive for sewer networks (not so much for rivers), showed discrepancies between simulated and measured flow hydrographs.

Keywords: external natural catchments, sewer network design, storm-runoff modelling, urban drainage

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Authors: Mustafa M. Donma, Ayşen Haksayar, Bahadır Batar, Buse Tepe, Birol Topçu, Orkide Donma

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Childhood obesity is an ever-increasing health problem. The Association of obesity with severe chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases makes the problem life-threatening. Aside from psychological, societal and metabolic factors, genetic polymorphisms have gained importance concerning etiology in recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between rs10455872 gene polymorphism in the Lipoprotein (a) locus and the development of childhood obesity. This was a prospective study carried out according to the Helsinki Declarations. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. This study was supported by Tekirdag Namik Kemal University Rectorate, Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit. Project No: NKUBAP.02.TU.20.278. A total of 180 children (103 obese (OB) and 77 healthy), aged 6-18 years, without any acute or chronic disease, participated in the study. Two different groups were created: OB and healthy control. Each group was divided into two further groups depending on the nature of the polymorphism. Anthropometric measurements were taken during the detailed physical examination. Laboratory tests and TANITA measurements were performed. For the statistical evaluations, SPSS version 28.0 was used. A P-value smaller than 0.05 was the statistical significance degree. The distribution of lipoprotein (a) rs10455872 gene polymorphism did not differ between OB and healthy children. Children with AG genotype in both OB and control groups had lower body mass index (BMI), diagnostic obesity notation model assessment index (DONMA II), body fat ratio (BFR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and metabolic syndrome index (MetS index) values compared to children with normal AA genotype. In the OB group, serum iron, vitamin B12, hemoglobin, MCV, and MCH values were found to be higher in the AG genotype group than those of children with the normal AA genotype. A significant correlation was found between the MetS index and BFR among OB children with normal homozygous genotype. MetS index increased as BFR increased in this group. However, such a correlation was not observed in the OB group with heterozygous AG genotype. To the best of our knowledge, the association of lipoprotein (a) rs10455872 gene polymorphism with the etiology of childhood obesity has not been studied yet. Therefore, this study was the first report suggesting polymorphism with AG genotype as a good risk factor for obesity.

Keywords: child, gene polymorphism, lipoprotein (a), obesity, rs10455872

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Authors: Ariadne Katsouras, Andrea Chareunsy

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The number of large hydroelectric dams in the world has increased from almost 6,000 in the 1950s to over 45,000 in 2000. Dams are often built to increase the economic development of a country. This can occur in several ways. Large dams take many years to build so the construction process employs many people for a long time and that increased production and income can flow on into other sectors of the economy. Additionally, the provision of electricity can help raise people’s living standards and if the electricity is sold to another country then the money can be used to provide other public goods for the residents of the country that own the dam. Dams are also built to control flooding and provide irrigation water. Most dams are of these types. This paper will give an overview of the environmental and economic theories of the impact of dams in different regions of the world. There is a difference in the degree of environmental and economic impacts due to the varying climates and varying social and political factors of the regions. Production of greenhouse gases from the dam’s reservoir, for instance, tends to be higher in tropical areas as opposed to Nordic environments. However, there are also common impacts due to construction of the dam itself, such as, flooding of land for the creation of the reservoir and displacement of local populations. Economically, the local population tends to benefit least from the construction of the dam. Additionally, if a foreign company owns the dam or the government subsidises the cost of electricity to businesses, then the funds from electricity production do not benefit the residents of the country the dam is built in. So, in the end, the dams can benefit a country economically, but the varying factors related to its construction and how these are dealt with, determine the level of benefit, if any, of the dam. Some of the theories or practices used to evaluate the potential value of a dam include cost-benefit analysis, environmental impacts assessments and regressions. Systems analysis is also a useful method. While these theories have value, there are also possible shortcomings. Cost-benefit analysis converts all the costs and benefits to dollar values, which can be problematic. Environmental impact assessments, likewise, can be incomplete, especially if the assessment does not include feedback effects, that is, they only consider the initial impact. Finally, regression analysis is dependent on the available data and again would not necessarily include feedbacks. Systems analysis is a method that can allow more complex modelling of the environment and the economic system. It would allow a clearer picture to emerge of the impacts and can include a long time frame.

Keywords: comparison, economics, environment, hydroelectric dams

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Authors: Maffo Maffo Nicole Liliane, Mounmemi Kpoumie Hubert, Libalah Moses, Ouandji Angele, Zapfack Louis

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Forest degradation causes biodiversity and carbon loss and thus indirectly contributes to climate change. In order to assess the contribution of forests to climate change mitigation, the present study was conducted in the Ngambe-Ndom-Nyanon Communal Forest with the main objective of assessing the floristic diversity and estimating the carbon stock in the different reservoirs of the said forest. Nine plots of 2000 m² each were installed in 3 TOSs of the forest (young secondary forests, gallery forests and fallow lands) with a total area of 18,000 m² or 1,8 ha. All trees with a Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were inventoried at 1.30 m from the ground in each plot. Species richness, floristic diversity indices, and structural parameters were studied. 1542 trees divided into 162 species, 122 genera and 44 families were identified. The most important families were listed: Myristicaceae (30.22%), Apocynaceae (25.20%), Fabaceae (24.41%), Euphorbiaceae (22.91%) and Phyllanthaceae (20.23%). The richest genera are: Cola, Macaranga, Oncoba (4 species each); the genera Diospyros, Trichilia, Vitex and Zanthoxylum (3 species each). The ecologically important species within the forest studied are: Funtumia africana (26.14%), Coelocaryon preussii (18.46%), Pycnanthus angolensis (15.57%), Tabernaemontana crassa (14.85%) and Olax subscorpioidea (13.04%). Assessment of carbon stocks in the six forest reservoirs studied (living trees and roots, understorey, dead wood, litter and rootlets) shows that they vary according to the land-use types. It is 119.41 t.C.ha-¹ in gallery forest, 115.2 t.C.ha-¹ in young secondary forest and 90.56 t.C.ha-¹ in fallow. The Wilcoxon statistical test shows that the carbon in the young secondary forest is identical to that in the fallow, which is identical to the carbon in the gallery forest. At the individual species level, the largest diameter class [25-35[ sequesters the most carbon (232.94 tC/ha). This work shows that the quantity of carbon sequestered by a biotope is a function of the age of the stand.

Keywords: floristic diversity, carbon stocks, evergreen forests, communal forest, Ngambé-Ndom-Nyanon

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Authors: Dayane de Almeida

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This work aims at presenting a study that demonstrates the usability of categories of analysis from Discourse Semiotics – also known as Greimassian Semiotics in authorship cases in forensic contexts. It is necessary to know if the categories examined in semiotic analysis (the ‘grammar’ of the content plane) can distinguish authors. Thus, a study with 4 sets of texts from a corpus of ‘not on demand’ written samples (those texts differ in formality degree, purpose, addressees, themes, etc.) was performed. Each author contributed with 20 texts, separated into 2 groups of 10 (Author1A, Author1B, and so on). The hypothesis was that texts from a single author were semiotically more similar to each other than texts from different authors. The assumptions and issues that led to this idea are as follows: -The features analyzed in authorship studies mostly relate to the expression plane: they are manifested on the ‘surface’ of texts. If language is both expression and content, content would also have to be considered for more accurate results. Style is present in both planes. -Semiotics postulates the content plane is structured in a ‘grammar’ that underlies expression, and that presents different levels of abstraction. This ‘grammar’ would be a style marker. -Sociolinguistics demonstrates intra-speaker variation: an individual employs different linguistic uses in different situations. Then, how to determine if someone is the author of several texts, distinct in nature (as it is the case in most forensic sets), when it is known intra-speaker variation is dependent on so many factors?-The idea is that the more abstract the level in the content plane, the lower the intra-speaker variation, because there will be a greater chance for the author to choose the same thing. If two authors recurrently chose the same options, differently from one another, it means each one’s option has discriminatory power. -Size is another issue for various attribution methods. Since most texts in real forensic settings are short, methods relying only on the expression plane tend to fail. The analysis of the content plane as proposed by greimassian semiotics would be less size-dependable. -The semiotic analysis was performed using the software Corpus Tool, generating tags to allow the counting of data. Then, similarities and differences were quantitatively measured, through the application of the Jaccard coefficient (a statistical measure that compares the similarities and differences between samples). The results showed the hypothesis was confirmed and, hence, the grammatical categories of the content plane may successfully be used in questioned authorship scenarios.

Keywords: authorship attribution, content plane, forensic linguistics, greimassian semiotics, intraspeaker variation, style

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Authors: A. P. Pashkov

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The number of environmental factors that adversely affect children's health is growing every year; their combination in each territory is different. The contribution of socio-economic factors to the health status of the younger generation is increasing. It is the child’s body that is most sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, responding to this with a deterioration in health. Over the past years, scientists have determined the influence of environmental factors and the incidence of children. Currently, there is a tendency to study regional characteristics of the interaction of a combination of environmental factors with the child's body. The aim of the work was to identify trends in the primary non-infectious morbidity of the children of the Altai Territory as a unique region that combines territories with different levels of environmental quality indicators, as well as to assess the effect of atmospheric air, drinking water and socio-economic indicators on the incidence of children in the region. An unfavorable tendency has been revealed in the region for incidence of such nosological groups as neoplasms, including malignant ones, diseases of the endocrine system, including obesity and thyroid disease, diseases of the circulatory system, digestive diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system, congenital anomalies, and respiratory diseases. Between some groups of diseases revealed a pattern of geographical distribution during mapping and a significant correlation. Some nosologies have a relationship with socio-economic indicators for an integrated assessment: circulatory system diseases, respiratory diseases (direct connection), endocrine system diseases, eating disorders, and metabolic disorders (feedback). The analysis of associations of the incidence of children with average annual concentrations of substances that pollute the air and drinking water showed the existence of reliable correlation in areas of critical and intense degree of environmental quality. This fact confirms that the population living in contaminated areas is subject to the negative influence of environmental factors, which immediately affects the health status of children. The results obtained indicate the need for a detailed assessment of the influence of environmental factors on the incidence of children in the regional aspect, the formation of a database, and the development of automated programs that can predict the incidence in each specific territory. This will increase the effectiveness, including economic of preventive measures.

Keywords: incidence of children, regional features, socio-economic factors, environmental factors

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Authors: Jonathon Bailey, Neil Bressloff, Nick Curzen

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Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) devices are stent-like frames with prosthetic leaflets on the inside, which are percutaneously implanted. The device in a crimped state is fed through the arteries to the aortic root, where the device frame is opened through either self-expansion or balloon expansion, which reveals the prosthetic valve within. The frequency at which TAVI is being used to treat aortic stenosis is rapidly increasing. In time, TAVI is likely to become the favoured treatment over Surgical Valve Replacement (SVR). Mortality after TAVI has been associated with severe Paravalvular Aortic Regurgitation (PAR). PAR occurs when the frame of the TAVI device does not make an effective seal against the internal surface of the aortic root, allowing blood to flow backwards about the valve. PAR is common in patients and has been reported to some degree in as much as 76% of cases. Severe PAR (grade 3 or 4) has been reported in approximately 17% of TAVI patients resulting in post-procedural mortality increases from 6.7% to 16.5%. TAVI devices, like SVR devices, are circular in cross-section as the aortic root is often considered to be approximately circular in shape. In reality, however, the aortic root is often non-circular. The ascending aorta, aortic sino tubular junction, aortic annulus and left ventricular outflow tract have an average ellipticity ratio of 1.07, 1.09, 1.29, and 1.49 respectively. An elliptical aortic root does not severely affect SVR, as the leaflets are completely removed during the surgical procedure. However, an elliptical aortic root can inhibit the ability of the circular Balloon-Expandable (BE) TAVI devices to conform to the interior of the aortic root wall, which increases the risk of PAR. Self-Expanding (SE) TAVI devices are considered better at conforming to elliptical aortic roots, however the valve leaflets were not designed for elliptical function, furthermore the incidence of PAR is greater in SE devices than BE devices (19.8% vs. 12.2% respectively). If a patient’s aortic root is too severely elliptical, they will not be suitable for TAVI, narrowing the treatment options to SVR. It therefore follows that in order to increase the population who can undergo TAVI, and reduce the risk associated with TAVI, non-circular devices should be developed. Computational simulations were employed to further advance our understanding of non-circular TAVI devices. Radial stiffness of the TAVI devices in multiple directions, frame bending stiffness and resistance to balloon induced expansion are all computationally simulated. Finally, a simulation has been developed that demonstrates the expansion of TAVI devices into a non-circular patient specific aortic root model in order to assess the alterations in deployment dynamics, PAR and the stresses induced in the aortic root.

Keywords: tavi, tavr, fea, par, fem

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Authors: Samantha R. Dutra

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There are many issues that students face in college, such as academic-based struggles, financial issues, family responsibilities, and vocational problems. Students with dyslexia struggle even more with these problems compared to other students. This qualitative study examines faculty perceptions of instructing students with dyslexia. This study is important to the human services and post-secondary educational fields due to the increase in disabled students enrolled in college. This study is also substantial because of the reported bias faced by students with dyslexia and their academic failure. When students with LDs such as dyslexia experience bias, discrimination, and isolation, they are more apt to not seek accommodations, lack communication with faculty, and are more likely to drop out or fail. College students with dyslexia often take longer to complete their post-secondary education and are more likely to withdraw or drop out without earning a degree. Faculty attitudes and academic cultures are major barriers to the success and use of accommodations as well as modified instruction for students with disabilities, which leads to student success. Faculty members are often uneducated or misinformed regarding students with dyslexia. More importantly, many faculty members are unaware of the many ethical and legal implications that they face regarding accommodating students with dyslexia. Instructor expectations can generally be defined as the understanding and perceptions of students regarding their academic success. Skewed instructor expectations can affect how instructors interact with their students and can also affect student success. This is true for students with dyslexia in that instructors may have lower and biased expectations of these students and, therefore, directly impact students’ academic successes and failures. It is vital to understand how instructor attitudes affect the academic achievement of dyslexic students. This study will examine faculty perceptions of instructing students with dyslexia and faculty attitudes towards accommodations and institutional support. The literature concludes that students with dyslexia have many deficits and several learning needs. Furthermore, these are the students with the highest dropout and failure rates, as well as the lowest retention rates. Disabled students generally have many reasons why accommodations and supports just do not help. Some research suggests that accommodations do help students and show positive outcomes. Many improvements need to be made between student support service personnel, faculty, and administrators regarding providing access and adequate supports for students with dyslexia. As the research also suggests, providing more efficient and effective accommodations may increase positive student as well as faculty attitudes in college, and may improve student outcomes overall.

Keywords: dyslexia, faculty perception, higher education, learning disability

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Authors: Wujian Han

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In the process of human interaction and communication, speech act verbs are considered to be the most active component and the main means for information transmission, and are also taken as an indication of the structure of linguistic behavior. The theoretical value and practical significance of such everyday built-in metalanguage have long been recognized. This paper, which is part of a bigger study, is aimed to provide useful insights for a more precise and systematic application to speech act verbs translation between English and Chinese, especially with regard to the degree to which generic integrity is maintained in the practice of translation of legal documents. In this study, the corpus, i.e. Chinese legal texts and their English translations, English legal texts, ordinary Chinese texts, and ordinary English texts, serve as a testing ground for examining contrastively the usage of English and Chinese directive speech act verbs in legal genre. The scope of this paper is relatively wide and essentially covers all directive speech act verbs which are used in ordinary English and Chinese, such as order, command, request, prohibit, threat, advice, warn and permit. The researcher, by combining the corpus methodology with a contrastive perspective, explored a range of characteristics of English and Chinese directive speech act verbs including their semantic, syntactic and pragmatic features, and then contrasted them in a structured way. It has been found that there are similarities between English and Chinese directive speech act verbs in legal genre, such as similar semantic components between English speech act verbs and their translation equivalents in Chinese, formal and accurate usage of English and Chinese directive speech act verbs in legal contexts. But notable differences have been identified in areas of difference between their usage in the original Chinese and English legal texts such as valency patterns and frequency of occurrences. For example, the subjects of some directive speech act verbs are very frequently omitted in Chinese legal texts, but this is not the case in English legal texts. One of the practicable methods to achieve adequacy and conciseness in speech act verb translation from Chinese into English in legal genre is to repeat the subjects or the message with discrepancy, and vice versa. In addition, translation effects such as overuse and underuse of certain directive speech act verbs are also found in the translated English texts compared to the original English texts. Legal texts constitute a particularly valuable material for speech act verb study. Building up such a contrastive picture of the Chinese and English speech act verbs in legal language would yield results of value and interest to legal translators and students of language for legal purposes and have practical application to legal translation between English and Chinese.

Keywords: contrastive analysis, corpus-based, directive speech act verbs, legal texts, translation between English and Chinese

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Authors: Elizabeth Latham

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Billions of people worldwide profess some feeling of psychological or spiritual connection with the divine. The majority of them attribute this personal connection to the God of the Christian Bible. The objective of this research was to discover what could be known about the exact social nature of these relationships and to see if they mimic the interactions recounted in the bible; if a worldwide majority believes that the Christian Bible is a true account of God’s interactions with mankind, it is reasonable to assume that the interactions between God and the aforementioned people would be similar to the ones in the bible. This analysis required the employment of an unusual method of biblical analysis: Game Theory. Because the research focused on documented social interaction between God and man in scripture, it was important to go beyond text-analysis methods. We used stories from the New Revised Standard Version of the bible to set up “games” using economics-style matrices featuring each player’s motivations and possible courses of action, modeled after interactions in the Old and New Testaments between the Judeo-Christian God and some mortal person. We examined all relevant interactions for the objectives held by each party and their strategies for obtaining them. These findings were then compared to similar “games” created based on interviews with people subscribing to different levels of Christianity who ranged from barely-practicing to clergymen. The range was broad so as to look for a correlation between scriptural knowledge and game-similarity to the bible. Each interview described a personal experience someone believed they had with God and matrices were developed to describe each one as social interaction: a “game” to be analyzed quantitively. The data showed that in most cases, the social features of God-man interactions in the modern lives of people were like those present in the “games” between God and man in the bible. This similarity was referred to in the study as “biblical faith” and it alone was a fascinating finding with many implications. The even more notable finding, however, was that the amount of game-similarity present did not correlate with the amount of scriptural knowledge. Each participant was also surveyed on family background, political stances, general education, scriptural knowledge, and those who had biblical faith were not necessarily the ones that knew the bible best. Instead, there was a high degree of correlation between biblical faith and family religious observance. It seems that to have a biblical psychological relationship with God, it is more important to have a religious family than to have studied scripture, a surprising insight with massive implications on the practice and preservation of religion.

Keywords: bible, Christianity, game theory, social psychology

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Authors: Yun Chan Lee

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Background: End-of-life care is a large area of all nursing practice and student nurses are likely to meet dying patients in many placement areas. It is therefore important to understand the emotional responses and coping strategies of student nurses in order for nursing education systems to have some appreciation of how nursing students might be supported in the future. Methodology: This research used a qualitative phenomenological approach. Six student nurses understanding a degree-level adult nursing course were interviewed. Their responses to questions were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Finding: The findings identified 3 main themes. First, the common experience of ‘unpreparedness’. A very small number of participants felt that this was unavoidable and that ‘no preparation is possible’, the majority felt that they were unprepared because of ‘insufficient input’ from the university and as a result of wider ‘social taboos’ around death and dying. The second theme showed that emotions were affected by ‘the personal connection to the patient’ and the important sub-themes of ‘the evoking of memories’, ‘involvement in care’ and ‘sense of responsibility’. The third theme, the coping strategies used by students, seemed to fall into two broad areas those ‘internal’ with the student and those ‘external’. In terms of the internal coping strategies, ‘detachment’, ‘faith’, ‘rationalization’ and ‘reflective skills’ are the important components of this part. Regarding the external coping strategies, ‘clinical staff’ and ‘the importance of family and friends’ are the importance of accessing external forms of support. Implication: It is clear that student nurses are affected emotionally by caring for dying patients and many of them have apprehension even before they begin on their placements but very often this is unspoken. Those anxieties before the placement become more pronounced during and continue after the placements. This has implications for when support is offered and possibly its duration. Another significant point of the study is that participants often highlighted their wish to speak to qualified nurses after their experiences of being involved in end-of-life care and especially when they had been present at the time of death. Many of the students spoke that qualified nurses were not available to them. This seemed to be due to a number of reasons. Because the qualified nurses were not available, students had to make use of family members and friends to talk to. Consequently, the implication of this study is not only to educate student nurses but also to educate the qualified mentors on the importance of providing emotional support to students.

Keywords: nursing students, coping strategies, end-of-life care, emotional responses

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Authors: Hachul Jung, Ahee Kim, Sanghoon Lee, Dahye Kwon, Songwoo Yoon, Jinhee Moon

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We fabricated a wearable patch device including novel patch type flexible dry electrode based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and silicone-based elastomer (MED 6215) for real-time ECG monitoring. There are many methods to make flexible conductive polymer by mixing metal or carbon-based nanoparticles. In this study, CNFs are selected for conductive nanoparticles because carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are difficult to disperse uniformly in elastomer compare with CNFs and silver nanowires are relatively high cost and easily oxidized in the air. Wearable patch is composed of 2 parts that dry electrode parts for recording bio signal and sticky patch parts for mounting on the skin. Dry electrode parts were made by vortexer and baking in prepared mold. To optimize electrical performance and diffusion degree of uniformity, we developed unique mixing and baking process. Secondly, sticky patch parts were made by patterning and detaching from smooth surface substrate after spin-coating soft skin adhesive. In this process, attachable and detachable strengths of sticky patch are measured and optimized for them, using a monitoring system. Assembled patch is flexible, stretchable, easily skin mountable and connectable directly with the system. To evaluate the performance of electrical characteristics and ECG (Electrocardiography) recording, wearable patch was tested by changing concentrations of CNFs and thickness of the dry electrode. In these results, the CNF concentration and thickness of dry electrodes were important variables to obtain high-quality ECG signals without incidental distractions. Cytotoxicity test is conducted to prove biocompatibility, and long-term wearing test showed no skin reactions such as itching or erythema. To minimize noises from motion artifacts and line noise, we make the customized wireless, light-weight data acquisition system. Measured ECG Signals from this system are stable and successfully monitored simultaneously. To sum up, we could fully utilize fabricated wearable patch devices for real-time ECG monitoring easily.

Keywords: carbon nanofibers, ECG monitoring, flexible dry electrode, wearable patch

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Authors: Ahmed Ali Samejo, Riffat Sultana

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Pakistan has the sandy Thar Desert in the eastern area, which share border line with India and has exotic fauna and flora, the livelihood of native people rely on livestock and rain fed cultivated fields. The climate of Thar Desert is very harsh and stressful due to frequent drought and very little rainfall, which may occur during monsoon season in the months of July to October and temperature is high, and wind speed also increases in April to June. Schistocerca gregaria is a destructive pest of vegetation from Mauritania to the border line of Pakistan and India. Sometimes they produce swarms which consume all plant where ever they land down and cause the loss in agro-economy of the world. During the recent study, we observed that vegetation was not unique throughout the Thar Desert in the year 2015, because the first spell of rainfall showered over all areas of the Thar Desert in July. However, the second and third spell of rain was confined to village Mahandre jo par and surroundings from August to October. Consequently, vegetation and cultivated crops grew up specially bajra crop (Pennistum glaucum). The climate of Mahandre jo par and surroundings became favorable for S.gregaria, and remaining areas of Thar Desert went hostile. Therefore desert locust attracted to the pleasant area (Mahandre jo par and surroundings) and gradually concentrated, increased reproductive activities, but did not gregarize due to the harvest of bajra crop and the onset of the winter season with an immediate decrease in temperature. An outbreak was near to come into existence, and thereupon conditions become stressful for hoppers to continue further development. Afore mentioned was one reason behind hurdle to the outbreak, another reason might be that migration and concentration of desert locust took place at the end of the season, so climate becomes unfavorable for hoppers, due to dryness of vegetation. Soils also become dry, because rainfall was not showered in end of the season, that’s why eggs that were deposited in late summer were desiccated. This data might be proved fruitful to forecast any outbreak update in future.

Keywords: agro-economy, destructive pest, climate, outbreak, vegetation

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Authors: Addin Osman, Anwar Ali Yahya, Mohammed Basit Kamal

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Datasets or collections are becoming important assets by themselves and now they can be accepted as a primary intellectual output of a research. The quality and usage of the datasets depend mainly on the context under which they have been collected, processed, analyzed, validated, and interpreted. This paper aims to present a collection of program educational objectives mapped to student’s outcomes collected from self-study reports prepared by 32 engineering programs accredited by ABET. The manual mapping (classification) of this data is a notoriously tedious, time consuming process. In addition, it requires experts in the area, which are mostly not available. It has been shown the operational settings under which the collection has been produced. The collection has been cleansed, preprocessed, some features have been selected and preliminary exploratory data analysis has been performed so as to illustrate the properties and usefulness of the collection. At the end, the collection has been benchmarked using nine of the most widely used supervised multiclass classification techniques (Binary Relevance, Label Powerset, Classifier Chains, Pruned Sets, Random k-label sets, Ensemble of Classifier Chains, Ensemble of Pruned Sets, Multi-Label k-Nearest Neighbors and Back-Propagation Multi-Label Learning). The techniques have been compared to each other using five well-known measurements (Accuracy, Hamming Loss, Micro-F, Macro-F, and Macro-F). The Ensemble of Classifier Chains and Ensemble of Pruned Sets have achieved encouraging performance compared to other experimented multi-label classification methods. The Classifier Chains method has shown the worst performance. To recap, the benchmark has achieved promising results by utilizing preliminary exploratory data analysis performed on the collection, proposing new trends for research and providing a baseline for future studies.

Keywords: ABET, accreditation, benchmark collection, machine learning, program educational objectives, student outcomes, supervised multi-class classification, text mining

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Authors: Monika Balach, Iwona Frydrych, Agnieszka Cichocka

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The objective of this research is to develop an algorithm, taking into account material type and body type that will describe the fabric properties and quality of fit of a garment to the body. One of the objectives of this research is to develop a new algorithm to simulate cloth draping within CAD/CAM software. Existing virtual fitting does not accurately simulate fabric draping behaviour. Part of the research into virtual fitting will focus on the mechanical properties of fabrics. Material behaviour depends on many factors including fibre, yarn, manufacturing process, fabric weight, textile finish, etc. For this study, several different fabric types with very different mechanical properties will be selected and evaluated for all of the above fabric characteristics. These fabrics include woven thick cotton fabric which is stiff and non-bending, woven with elastic content, which is elastic and bends on the body. Within the virtual simulation, the following mechanical properties can be specified: shear, bending, weight, thickness, and friction. To help calculate these properties, the KES system (Kawabata) can be used. This system was originally developed to calculate the mechanical properties of fabric. In this research, the author will focus on three properties: bending, shear, and roughness. This study will consider current research using the KES system to understand and simulate fabric folding on the virtual body. Testing will help to determine which material properties have the largest impact on the fit of the garment. By developing an algorithm which factors in body type, material type, and clothing function, it will be possible to determine how a specific type of clothing made from a particular type of material will fit on a specific body shape and size. A fit indicator will display areas of stress on the garment such as shoulders, chest waist, hips. From this data, CAD/CAM software can be used to develop garments that fit with a very high degree of accuracy. This research, therefore, aims to provide an innovative solution for garment fitting which will aid in the manufacture of clothing. This research will help the clothing industry by cutting the cost of the clothing manufacturing process and also reduce the cost spent on fitting. The manufacturing process can be made more efficient by virtual fitting of the garment before the real clothing sample is made. Fitting software could be integrated into clothing retailer websites allowing customers to enter their biometric data and determine how the particular garment and material type would fit their body.

Keywords: 3D scanning, fabric mechanical properties, quality of fit, virtual fitting

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Authors: James Kralj

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Commercial shellfish aquaculture makes significant contributions to the economy and culture of the Pacific Northwest United States. The industry faces intense pressure to minimize environmental impacts as a result of Federal policies like the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act and the Endangered Species Act. These policies demand the protection of essential fish habitat and declare several salmon species as endangered. Consequently, numerous projects related to the protection and rehabilitation of eelgrass beds, a crucial ecosystem for countless fish species, have been proposed at both state and federal levels. Both eelgrass beds and commercial shellfish farms occupy the same physical space, and therefore understanding the effects of shellfish aquaculture on eelgrass ecosystems has become a top ecological and economic priority of both government and industry. This study evaluates the organismal communities that eelgrass and oyster aquaculture habitats support. Water samples were collected from Willapa Bay, Washington; Tillamook Bay, Oregon; Humboldt Bay, California; and Sammish Bay, Washington to compare species diversity in eelgrass beds, oyster aquaculture plots, and boundary edges between these two habitats. Diversity was assessed using a novel technique: environmental DNA (eDNA). All organisms constantly shed small pieces of DNA into their surrounding environment through the loss of skin, hair, tissues, and waste. In the marine environment, this DNA becomes suspended in the water column allowing it to be easily collected. Once extracted and sequenced, this eDNA can be used to paint a picture of all the organisms that live in a particular habitat making it a powerful technology for environmental monitoring. Industry professionals and government officials should consider these findings to better inform future policies regulating eelgrass beds and oyster aquaculture. Furthermore, the information collected in this study may be used to improve the environmental sustainability of commercial shellfish aquaculture while simultaneously enhancing its growth and profitability in the face of ever-changing political and ecological landscapes.

Keywords: aquaculture, environmental DNA, shellfish, sustainability

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Authors: Chrysoula Karathanasi, Senad Karavdic, Angela Odero, Michèle Baumann

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It is not only the economic determinants that impact on life conditions, but maintaining a good level of life satisfaction (LS) may also be an important challenge currently. In Luxembourg, university students receive financial aid from the government. They are then registered at the Centre for Documentation and Information on Higher Education (CEDIES). Luxembourg is built on migration with almost half its population consisting of foreigners. It is upon this basis that our research aims to analyze the associations with mental health factors (health satisfaction, psychological quality of life, worry), perceived financial situation, career attitudes (adaptability, optimism, knowledge, planning) and LS, for non-Luxembourgish and native postgraduate students. Between 2012 and 2013, postgraduates registered at CEDIES were contacted by post and asked to participate in an online survey with either the option of English or French. The study population comprised of 644 respondents. Our statistical analysis excluded: those born abroad who had Luxembourgish citizenship, or those born in Luxembourg who did not have citizenship. Two groups were formed one consisting 147 non-Luxembourgish and the other 284 natives. A single item measured LS (1=not at all satisfied to 10=very satisfied). Bivariate tests, correlations and multiple linear regression models were used in which only significant relationships (p<0.05) were integrated. Among the two groups no differences were found between LS indicators (7.8/10 non-Luxembourgish; 8.0/10 natives) as both were higher than the European indicator of 7.2/10 (for 25-34 years). In the case of non-Luxembourgish students, they were older than natives (29.3 years vs. 26.3 years) perceived their financial situation as more difficult, and a higher percentage of their parents had an education level higher than a Bachelor's degree (father 59.2% vs 44.6% for natives; mother 51.4% vs 33.7% for natives). In addition, the father’s education was related to the LS of postgraduates and the higher was the score, the greater was the contribution to LS. Whereas for native students, when their scores of health satisfaction and career optimism were higher, their LS’ score was higher. For both groups their LS was linked to mental health-related factors, perception of their financial situation, career optimism, adaptability and planning. The higher the psychological quality of life score was, the greater the LS of postgraduates’ was. Good health and positive attitudes related to the job market enhanced their LS indicator.

Keywords: career attributes, father's education level, life satisfaction, mental health

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Authors: Sasiwan Tassana-iem, Sumattana Glangkarn

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Diabetic nephropathy is a major complication in diabetic patients whom as the glomerular filtration rate falls. The affects their quality of life and results in loss of money for kidney replacement therapy costs. There is an existing intervention, but the prevalence remains high, thus this research aims to study lessons learned in implementing programs to delay diabetic nephropathy management in primary health care. Method: The target settings are, 24 sub-district health promoting hospital in Sakon Nakhon province. Participants included the health care professionals, head of the sub-district health promoting hospital and the person responsible for managing diabetic nephropathy in each hospital (n= 50). There are 400 patients with diabetes mellitus in an area. Data were collected using questionnaires, patient records data, interviews and focus groups and analyzed by statistics and content analysis. Result: Reflection of participants that the interventions to delay diabetic nephropathy management in each area, the Ministry of Public Health has a policy to screen and manage this disease. The implementing programs aimed to provide health education, innovative teaching media used in communication to educate. Patients and caregivers had misunderstanding about the actual causes and prevention of this disease and how to apply knowledge suitable for daily life. Conclusion: The obstacles to the success of the implementing programs to delay diabetic nephropathy management in primary health care were most importantly, the patient needs self-care and should be evaluated for health literacy. This is crucial to promote health literacy; to access and understand health information as well to decide their health-related choices based on health information which will promote and maintain a good health. This preliminary research confirms that situation of diabetic nephropathy still exists. The results of this study will lead to the development of delay in diabetic nephropathy implementation among patients in the province studied.

Keywords: diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, primary health care, implementation

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Authors: Renate Verkaik, Mieke Rijken, Hennie Boeije

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Elderly who are living alone and who are having one or more impairments are vulnerable for a loss of wellbeing and institutionalization. Physical exercise and social activities together with peers have the potential to make them more resilient. The Dutch program ‘More Resilience, Longer at Home’ initiated by FNO funded 126 local projects to stimulate vulnerable older citizens to participate in exercise and social activities, and as such to improve wellbeing and independent living. The program evaluation addressed the following questions: (1) what are the effects of the program on older (65+) participants exercise behavior, social activities and what is the relationship with wellbeing?, (2) which factors contribute to successful implementation of the projects and their outcomes? A mixed method approach was used. Effects on participants were assessed with a short survey, containing questions on exercise, social engagement, daily functioning, loneliness and life satisfaction. Results of the participants were compared with those of a reference group from the Dutch national population. Perceived influencing factors were investigated with a questionnaire for project leaders. This questionnaire was based on site visits and interviews with project leaders, volunteers and participating elderly. Preliminary results show that social engagement of the participating elderly rises significantly (p ≤ .05) as do their exercise levels and daily functioning. They experience less social loneliness, but not less emotional loneliness. Additionally, there is a positive association between daily functioning and life satisfaction and between exercise and life satisfaction. Perceived influencing factors that contribute to successful implementation of the projects can be categorized in 4 types: (1) characteristics of the activities; (2) profiles of the involved staff (professionals and volunteers), (3) characteristics of the organization, (4) the social political environment. Conclusions are that local projects have been successful in stimulating older citizens to participate in exercise and social activities. Multiple factors need to be addressed to ensure sustainability and scaling-up of the good practices.

Keywords: elderly living alone in the community, exercise and social activities, resilience, quality of life

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Authors: Muhammad Zafar Khan, Babar Khan, Muhammad Saeed Awan, Farida Begum

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Livestock depredation has greater significance in pastoral societies like Himalaya-Karakoram-Hindu Kush mountain ranges. The dynamics of depredation by large predators (snow leopard and wolf) and its implications for conservation and livelihoods of local people was investigated by household surveys in Hushey valley of Central Karakoram National Park, Pakistan. We found that, during five years (2008-12) 90% of the households in the valley had lost their livestock to snow leopard and wolf, accounting for 4.3% of the total livestock holding per year. On average each household had to bear a loss of 0.8 livestock head per year, equivalent to Pak Rupees 9,853 (US$ 101), or 10% of the average annual cash income. Majority of the predation incidences occurred during late summer in alpine pastures, mostly at night when animals were not penned properly. The prey animals in most of the cases were females or young ones. Of the total predation incidences, 60% were attributed to snow leopard, 37% to wolf, while in 3% the predator was unknown. The fear of snow leopard is greater than that of wolf. As immediate response on predation, majority of the local people (64%, n=99) preferred to report the case to their village conservation committee, 32% had no response while only 1% tended to kill the predator. The perceived causes of predation were: poor guarding practices (77%); reduction in wild prey (13%) and livestock being the favourite food of predators (10%). The most preferred strategies for predator management, according to the respondents were improved and enhanced guarding of livestock (72%), followed by increasing wild prey (18%) and lethal control (10%). To strike a balance between predator populations and pastoral livelihoods, better animal husbandry practices should be promoted including: improved guarding through collective hiring of skilled shepherds; corral improvement and use of guard dogs.

Keywords: Panthera unica, Canis lupus, Karakoram, human-carnivore conflict, predation

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Authors: Shazia Shamim, Pallavi Gautam

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The present study describes the presence of rare or endangered plants from Poonch Dist., which spread over 1674 Km sq. located between latitude 330 25' N to 340 01' N and longitude 730 58' E to 740 35' E forming a part of the Northwest Himalaya in Jammu and Kashmir state of India, with the aim of suggesting the strategy for the conservation and promotion of cultivation of rare and endangered medicinal plants, as well as developing traditional knowledge of medicinal plants. The main threats to biodiversity and ecosystem are overexploitation, global climate change, habitat loss, fragmentation, pollution, and invasion of alien species and disturbance of community structure. Surveys were carried out during 2015-2016 throughout the Poonch valley. During the field survey, various criteria of International Union for the conservation of nature for categorizing threatened plants, extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, probability of extinction, etc. were measured. The rarity of species was determined by field study, visual estimations, and literature. During the collection, it was observed that few rare and endangered species which were present in the study area, are also mentioned in the prescribed red data book of Indian plants, International Union for conservation of nature, list of threatened species and list of Botanical Survey of India presented by its Northern Regional Centre. The study was based on extensive surveys of the study area and then concluded by preparing a list of plant species occurring in different seasons, the photographs of all these plant species were collected. Actual threats to the population of a selected plant species in a given area were recorded by direct observation. The present paper provides information about 22 rare and endangered medicinal plant species belonging to 18 families that are used by the native of these areas. Information provided includes botanical name, family name, local name, habitat, part used, ethno medicinal uses and brief preparation of the reported plant species is presented in the present work.

Keywords: biodiversity, traditional knowledge, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Botanical Survery of India

Procedia PDF Downloads 135