Search results for: rapport management approach

Authors: Mohamed Ahmed Abdelmawla

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Calling to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) engaged with agriculture, i.e. poverty alleviation targets, human resources involved in agricultural sectors with special emphasis on irrigation must receive wealth of practical experience and training. Increased food production, including staple food, is needed to overcome the present and future threats to food security. This should happen within a framework of sustainable management of natural resources, elimination of unsustainable methods of production and poverty reduction (i.e. axes of modernization). A didactic tool to confirm the task of wise and maximum utility is the best management and accurate measurement, as major requisites for modernization process. The key component to modernization as a warranted goal is adhering great attention to management and measurement issues via capacity building. As such, this paper stressed the issues of discharge management and measurement by Field Outlet Pipes (FOP) for selected ones within the Gezira Scheme, where randomly nine FOPs were selected as representative locations. These FOPs extended along the Gezira Main Canal at Kilo 57 areas in the South up to Kilo 194 in the North. The following steps were followed during the field data collection and measurements: For each selected FOP, a 90 v- notch thin plate weir was placed in such away that the water was directed to pass only through the notch. An optical survey level was used to measure the water head of the notch and FOP. Both calculated discharge rates as measured by the v – notch, denoted as [Qc], and the adopted discharges given by (MOIWR), denoted as [Qa], are tackled for the average of three replicated readings undertaken at each location. The study revealed that the FOP overestimates and sometimes underestimates the discharges. This is attributed to the fact that the original design specifications were not fulfilled or met at present conditions where water is allowed to flow day and night with high head fluctuation, knowing that the FOP is non modular structure, i.e. the flow depends on both levels upstream and downstream and confirmed by the results of this study. It is convenient and formative to quantify the discharge in FOP with weirs or Parshall flumes. Cropping calendar should be clearly determined and agreed upon before the beginning of the season in accordance and consistency with the Sudan Gezira Board (SGB) and Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources. As such, the water indenting should be based on actual Crop Water Requirements (CWRs), not on rules of thumb (420 m3/feddan, irrespective of crop or time of season).

Keywords: management, measurement, MDGs, modernization

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Authors: Bara' Al-Mistarehi

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Documentation and assessment of conservation state of an archaeological structure is a significant procedure in any management plan. However, it has always been a challenge to apply this with a low coast and safe methodology. It is also a time-demanding procedure. Therefore, a low cost, efficient methodology for documenting the state of a structure is needed. In the scope of this research, this paper will employ digital photogrammetry and laser scanner to one of highly significant structures in Germany, The Old Castle (German: Altes Schloss). The site is well known for its unique features. However, the castle suffers from serious deterioration threats because of the environmental conditions and the absence of continuous monitoring, maintenance and repair plans. Digital photogrammetry is a generally accepted technique for the collection of 3D representations of the environment. For this reason, this image-based technique has been extensively used to produce high quality 3D models of heritage sites and historical buildings for documentation and presentation purposes. Additionally, terrestrial laser scanners are used, which directly measure 3D surface coordinates based on the run-time of reflected light pulses. These systems feature high data acquisition rates, good accuracy and high spatial data density. Despite the potential of each single approach, in this research work maximum benefit is to be expected by a combination of data from both digital cameras and terrestrial laser scanners. Within the paper, the usage, application and advantages of the technique will be investigated in terms of building high realistic 3D textured model for some parts of the old castle. The model will be used as diagnosing tool of the conservation state of the castle and monitoring mean for future changes.

Keywords: Digital photogrammetry, Terrestrial laser scanners, 3D textured model, archaeological structure

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Authors: H. Erbiyik, A. Bal, M. Sirakaya, Ö. Yesildal, E. Yolcu

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The emergence of many environmental issues began with the Industrial Revolution. The depletion of natural resources and emerging environmental challenges over time requires enterprises and managers to take into consideration environmental factors while managing business. If we take notice of these causes; the design and implementation of environmentally friendly green purchasing, production and waste management systems become very important at green logistics systems. Companies can adopt green supply chain with the awareness of these facts. The concept of green supply chain constitutes from green purchasing, green production, green logistics, waste management and reverse logistics. In this study, we wanted to identify the concept of green supply chain and why green supply chain should be applied. In the practice part of the study an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) study is conducted on an aluminum production company to evaluate suppliers.

Keywords: aluminum sector, analytic hierarchy process, decision making, green logistics

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Authors: Georges Ghazi, Marc-Henry Devillers, Ruxandra M. Botez

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Aircraft flight trajectory optimization has been identified to be a promising solution for reducing both airline costs and the aviation net carbon footprint. Nowadays, this role has been mainly attributed to the flight management system. This system is an onboard multi-purpose computer responsible for providing the crew members with the optimized flight plan from a destination to the next. To accomplish this function, the flight management system uses a variety of look-up tables to compute the optimal speed and altitude for each flight regime instantly. Because the cruise is the longest segment of a typical flight, the proposed algorithm is focused on minimizing fuel consumption for this flight phase. In this paper, a complete methodology to estimate the aircraft performance and subsequently compute the optimal speed in cruise is presented. Results showed that the obtained performance database was accurate enough to predict the flight costs associated with the cruise phase.

Keywords: Cessna Citation X, cruise speed optimization, flight cost, cost index, and golden section search

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Authors: Gayathri Sadanala, Shibam Pokhrel, Owen Murphy

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In the ever-evolving landscape of education, Virtual Reality (VR) environments offer a promising avenue for enhancing student engagement and learning experiences. However, understanding and predicting student behavior within these immersive settings remain challenging tasks. This paper presents a comprehensive study on the predictive modeling of student behavior in VR using machine learning techniques. We introduce a rich data set capturing student interactions, movements, and progress within a VR orientation program. The dataset is divided into training and testing sets, allowing us to develop and evaluate predictive models for various aspects of student behavior, including engagement levels, task completion, and performance. Our machine learning approach leverages a combination of feature engineering and model selection to reveal hidden patterns in the data. We employ regression and classification models to predict student outcomes, and the results showcase promising accuracy in forecasting behavior within VR environments. Furthermore, we demonstrate the practical implications of our predictive models for personalized VR-based learning experiences and early intervention strategies. By uncovering the intricate relationship between student behavior and VR interactions, we provide valuable insights for educators, designers, and developers seeking to optimize virtual learning environments.

Keywords: interaction, machine learning, predictive modeling, virtual reality

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Authors: Niina Jallinoja, Anu Moisio

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Focus on adult learning is vital to overcome economic challenges as well as to respond to the demand for new competencies and sustained productivity in the digitalized world economy. Employees of all ages must be able to carry on continuous professional development to remain competitive in the labor market. According to EU policies, countries should offer more flexible opportunities for adult learners who study online and in so-called ‘second chance’ qualification programmes. Traditionally, adult education in Finland has comprised of not only liberal adult education but also the government funding to study for Bachelor, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees in Finnish Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS). From the beginning of 2021, public funding is allocated not only to degrees but also to courses to achieve new competencies for adult learners in Finland. Consequently, there will be degree students (often younger of age) and adult learners studying in the same evening, online and blended courses. The question is thus: How are combined studies meeting the different needs of degree students and adult learners? Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (UAS), located in the metropolitan area of Finland, is taking up the challenge of continuous learning for adult learners. Haaga-Helia has been reforming the bachelor level education and respective shorter courses from 2019 in the biggest project in its history. By the end of 2023, Haaga-Helia will have a flexible, modular curriculum for the bachelor's degrees of hospitality management, business administration, business information technology, journalism and sports management. Building on the shared key competencies, degree students will have the possibility to build individual study paths more flexibly, thanks to the new modular structure of the curriculum. They will be able to choose courses across all degrees, and thus, build their own unique competence combinations. All modules can also be offered as separate courses or learning paths to non-degree students, both publicly funded and as commercial services for employers. Consequently, there will be shared course implementations for degree studies and adult learners with various competence requirements. The newly designed courses are piloted in parallel of the designing of the curriculum in Haaga-Helia during 2020 and 2021. Semi-structured online surveys are composed among the participants for the key competence courses. The focus of the research is to understand how students in the bachelor programme and adult learners from Open UAE perceive the learning experience in such a diverse learning group. A comparison is also executed between learning methods of in-site teaching, online implementation, blended learning and virtual self-learning courses to understand how the pedagogy is meeting the learning objectives of these two different groups. The new flexible curricula and the study modules are to be designed to fill the most important competence gaps that exist in the Finnish labor markets. The new curriculum will be dynamic and constantly evolving over time according to the future competence needs in the labor market. This type of approach requires constant dialogue between Haaga-Helia and workplaces during and after designing of the shared curriculum.

Keywords: ccompetence development, continuous learning, curriculum, higher education

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Authors: Valerie Triggs, Michele Sorensen

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As two university professors in postsecondary faculties of social work and education, we have observed that students often recognize the importance of learning facts about colonization but have difficulty grappling with how they themselves might be implicated in reconciliation or how they might respond to these facts in meaningful ways. The detachment observed between students and factual information results in the initiation of a research study centered around an approach to teaching the course. This involved transitioning its pedagogical format to embrace a/r/tographic methods of teaching, learning, and inquiry. By taking seriously the arguments of various Indigenous scholars for learning from the land and by working alongside traditional Indigenous knowledge, we chose to engage a speculative approach to course design and teaching, which actually used the land as one of the course texts. We incorporated art practices that involved connecting bodies with land as well as using land materials in various creative and aesthetic projects while being informed by Medicine Keepers, Indigenous and settler artists, and knowledge-keeper helpers. In this study, we share some of the unanticipated themes that arose when students began to allow land and artmaking, both aesthetically and intuitively, through both joy and sorrow, to affect a reimagining and repositioning of selves and relations. We found that time and engagement with land and art began to build more empathic understanding and foster personal and professional practices grounded in respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility.

Keywords: reconciliation, decolonization, artmaking, respect

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Authors: Nguyen Tien Thanh, Günter Meon

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Precipitation plays a key role in water cycle, defining the local climatic conditions and in ecosystem. It is also an important input parameter for water resources management and hydrologic models. With spatial continuous data, a certainty of discharge predictions or other environmental factors is unquestionably better than without. This is, however, not always willingly available to acquire for a small basin, especially for coastal region in Vietnam due to a low network of meteorological stations (30 stations) on long coast of 3260 km2. Furthermore, available gridded precipitation datasets are not fine enough when applying to hydrologic models. Under conditions of global warming, an application of spatial interpolation methods is a crucial for the climate change impact studies to obtain the spatial continuous data. In recent research projects, although some methods can perform better than others do, no methods draw the best results for all cases. The objective of this paper therefore, is to investigate different spatial interpolation methods for daily precipitation over a small basin (approximately 400 km2) located in coastal region, Southern Vietnam and find out the most efficient interpolation method on this catchment. The five different interpolation methods consisting of cressman, ordinary kriging, regression kriging, dual kriging and inverse distance weighting have been applied to identify the best method for the area of study on the spatio-temporal scale (daily, 10 km x 10 km). A 30-year precipitation database was created and merged into available gridded datasets. Finally, observed changes in constructed precipitation were performed. The results demonstrate that the method of ordinary kriging interpolation is an effective approach to analyze the daily precipitation. The mixed trends of increasing and decreasing monthly, seasonal and annual precipitation have documented at significant levels.

Keywords: interpolation, precipitation, trend, vietnam

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Authors: T. Holecki, J. Wozniak-Holecka, P. Romaniuk

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Due to the highly centralized model of financing health care in Poland, local self-government rarely undertook their own initiatives in the field of public health, particularly health promotion. However, since 2017 the possibility of applying for a subsidy to health policy programs has been allowed, with the additional resources to be retrieved from the National Health Fund, which is the dominant payer in the health system. The amount of subsidy depends on the number of inhabitants in a given unit and ranges about 40% of the total cost of the program. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of newly implemented solutions in financing health policy on the management of public finances, as well as on the activity provided by local self-government in health promotion. An effort to estimate the amount of expenses that both local governments, and the National Health Fund, spent on local health policy programs while implementing the new solutions. The research method is the analysis of financial data obtained from the National Health Fund and from local government units, as well as reports published by the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Pricing, which holds substantive control over the health policy programs, and releases permission for their implementation. The study was based on a comparative analysis of expenditures on the implementation of health programs in Poland in years 2010-2018. The presentation of the results includes the inclusion of average annual expenditures of local government units per 1 inhabitant, the total number of positively evaluated applications and the percentage share in total expenditures of local governments (16 voivodships areas). The most essential purpose is to determine whether the assumptions of the subsidy program are working correctly in practice, and what are the real effects of introducing legislative changes into local government levels in the context of public health tasks. The assumption of the study was that the use of a new motivation tool in the field of public management would result in multiplication of resources invested in the provision of health policy programs. Preliminary conclusions show that financial expenditures changed significantly after the introduction of public funding at the level of 40%, obtaining an increase in funding from own funds of local governments at the level of 80 to 90%.

Keywords: health care system, health policy programs, local self-governments, public health management

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Authors: Garg Ramneesh, Uppal Sanjeev, Mittal Rajinder, Shah Sheerin, Jain Vikas, Singla Bhupinder

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Introduction: Despite advances in trauma care, a classification system for soft tissue injuries of the face still needs to be objectively defined. Aim: To develop a classification system for soft tissue injuries of the face; that is objective, easy to remember, reproducible, universally applicable, aids in surgical management and helps to develop a structured data that can be used for future use. Material and Methods: This classification system includes those patients that need surgical management of facial injuries. Associated underlying bony fractures have been intentionally excluded. Depending upon the severity of soft tissue injury, these can be graded from 0 to IV (O-Abrasions, I-lacerations, II-Avulsion injuries with no skin loss, III-Avulsion injuries with skin loss that would need graft or flap cover, and IV-complex injuries). Anatomically, the face has been divided into three zones (Zone 1/2/3), as per aesthetic subunits. Zone 1e stands for injury of eyebrows; Zones 2 a/b/c stand for nose, upper eyelid and lower eyelid respectively; Zones 3 a/b/c stand for upper lip, lower lip and cheek respectively. Suffices R and L stand for right or left involved side, B for presence of foreign body like glass or pellets, C for extensive contamination and D for depth which can be graded as D 1/2/3 if depth is still fat, muscle or bone respectively. I is for damage to facial nerve or parotid duct. Results and conclusions: This classification system is easy to remember, clinically applicable and would help in standardization of surgical management of soft tissue injuries of face. Certain inherent limitations of this classification system are inability to classify sutured wounds, hematomas and injuries along or against Langer’s lines.

Keywords: soft tissue injuries, face, avulsion, classification

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Authors: Gabrielle Peck, Ryan Hayes

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This research presents the design and creation of a drone gas analyser, aimed at addressing the need for independent data collection and analysis of gas emissions during large-scale fires, particularly wasteland fires. The analyser drone, comprising a lightweight gas analysis system attached to a remote-controlled drone, enables the real-time assessment of smoke toxicity and the monitoring of gases released into the atmosphere during such incidents. The key components of the analyser unit included two gas line inlets connected to glass wool filters, a pump with regulated flow controlled by a mass flow controller, and electrochemical cells for detecting nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, and oxygen levels. Additionally, a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) analyser is employed to monitor carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and hydrocarbon concentrations. Thermocouples can be attached to the analyser to monitor temperature, as well as McCaffrey probes combined with pressure transducers to monitor air velocity and wind direction. These additions allow for monitoring of the large fire and can be used for predictions of fire spread. The innovative system not only provides crucial data for assessing smoke toxicity but also contributes to fire prediction and management. The remote-controlled drone's mobility allows for safe and efficient data collection in proximity to the fire source, reducing the need for human exposure to hazardous conditions. The data obtained from the gas analyser unit facilitates informed decision-making by emergency responders, aiding in the protection of both human health and the environment. This abstract highlights the successful development of a drone gas analyser, illustrating its potential for enhancing smoke toxicity analysis and fire prediction capabilities. The integration of this technology into fire management strategies offers a promising solution for addressing the challenges associated with wildfires and other large-scale fire incidents. The project's methodology and results contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of environmental monitoring and safety, emphasizing the practical utility of drones for critical applications.

Keywords: fire prediction, drone, smoke toxicity, analyser, fire management

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Authors: Mais Khader, Xingjie Wei

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This research sheds light on female entrepreneurs by providing new insights on the survival predictions of companies led by females in the UK. This study aims to build a predictive machine learning model of the survival of female-led & co-led small & medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK over the period 2000-2020. The predictive model built utilised a combination of financial and non-financial features related to both companies and their directors to predict SMEs' survival. These features were studied in terms of their contribution to the resultant predictive model. Five machine learning models are used in the modelling: Decision tree, AdaBoost, Naïve Bayes, Logistic regression and SVM. The AdaBoost model had the highest performance of the five models, with an accuracy of 73% and an AUC of 80%. The results show high feature importance in predicting companies' survival for company size, management experience, financial performance, industry, region, and females' percentage in management.

Keywords: company survival, entrepreneurship, females, machine learning, SMEs

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Authors: Mitchell Stanton

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Background: Endovascular management is well established as a mainstay treatment option for cerebral aneurysms. It is also well established that immediate post procedural imaging can be difficult to interpret due to the presence of contrast material. However, through the use of Dual-Energy computed tomography, it has become possible to differentiate contrast extravasation and intracranial haemorrhage. This case illustrates the importance of this technology following endovascular treatment of an unruptured cerebral aneurysm. Case Presentation: A 79-year-old female was found to have an unruptured large intracavernous ICA fusiform aneurysm on CT Brain Angiogram after presenting with acute ophthalmoplegia. This ophthalmoplegia was caused by mass effect from the aneurysm and subsequently the aneurysm was treated with an endovascular flow diverting stent. CT brain was performed post operatively due to a reduced level of consciousness and this showed diffuse subarachnoid hyperdensity of the left hemisphere. The use of Dual-Energy CT allowed accurate differentiation and illustrated diffuse contrast material extravasation, allowing patient to continue on dual-antiplatelets and therapeutic anticoagulation to reduce the risk of ischaemic injury post endovascular stent. Conclusion: Endovascular treatment options for management of intracranial aneurysms are constantly evolving. The use of Dual-Energy CT therefore has an integral role in accurately diagnosing any post-operative complications. Specifically, differentiating between subarachnoid haemorrhage and contrast extravasation is vital in these patients due to the significant consequences to their ongoing management in regards to continuation or cessation of antiplatelets or anticoagulation. With increasing access to this technology, its use should become standard practice in the post-operative investigation of these patients undergoing endovascular treatment.

Keywords: aneurysm, computed tomography, contrast extravasation, dual-energy CT, endovascular, subarachnoid haemorrhage

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Authors: Mahdi Salarian, Xi Xu, Rashid Ansari

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Accurate localization of mobile devices based on camera-acquired visual media information usually requires a search over a very large GPS-referenced image database. This paper proposes an efficient method for limiting the search space for image retrieval engine by extracting and leveraging additional media information about Estimated Positional Error (EP E) to address complexity and accuracy issues in the search, especially to be used for compensating GPS location inaccuracy in dense urban areas. The improved performance is achieved by up to a hundred-fold reduction in the search area used in available reference methods while providing improved accuracy. To test our procedure we created a database by acquiring Google Street View (GSV) images for down town of Chicago. Other available databases are not suitable for our approach due to lack of EP E for the query images. We tested the procedure using more than 200 query images along with EP E acquired mostly in the densest areas of Chicago with different phones and in different conditions such as low illumination and from under rail tracks. The effectiveness of our approach and the effect of size and sector angle of the search area are discussed and experimental results demonstrate how our proposed method can improve performance just by utilizing a data that is available for mobile systems such as smart phones.

Keywords: localization, retrieval, GPS uncertainty, bag of word

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Authors: Elizabeth Waleola Afolabi-Soyemi

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As the population of older adults continues to grow, improving health outcomes for this demographic has become an increasingly important public health goal. Health promotion interventions have been developed to address the unique health needs and challenges faced by older adults. This abstract reviews the literature on health promotion interventions for older adults and their effectiveness in improving health outcomes. Various interventions have been found to be effective, including physical activity programs, nutrition education, medication management, and social support programs. These interventions have been shown to improve outcomes such as functional status, quality of life, and disease management. Despite the success of these interventions, there are still barriers to their implementation, such as a lack of access to resources and inadequate funding. Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for overcoming these barriers and to develop more tailored interventions for specific populations of older adults. Overall, health promotion interventions have great potential to improve the health outcomes and quality of life of older adults and should be a priority for public health efforts.

Keywords: health, humanity, health promotion, older adults

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Authors: Bahareh Asefi, Fereidoun Farzaneh, Ghazaleh Asefi, Chang-Ping Yu

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Increased production of food waste (FW) is a global issue that is receiving more attention due to its environmental and economic impacts. The generation of electricity from food waste, known as energy recovery, is one of the effective solutions in food waste management. Food waste has high energy content which seems ideal to achieve dual benefits in terms of energy recovery and waste stabilization. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising technology for treating food waste and generate electricity. In this work, we will review energy utilization from different kind of food waste using MFC and factors which affected the process. We have studied the key technology of energy generated from food waste using MFC to enhance the food waste management. The power density and electricity production by each kind of food waste and challenges were identified. This work explored the conversion of FW into energy from different type of food waste, which aim to provide a theoretical analysis for energy utilization of food waste.

Keywords: energy generation, food waste, microbial fuel cell, power density

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Authors: Sebastián Olivares Lizana, Marianna Oyanedel González

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This study takes part of a major project based on implementing a CLIL program (Content and Language Integrated Learning) at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, a leading Chilean tertiary Institution. It aims at examining the relationship between the development of Reflective Processes (RP) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in weekly learning logs written by faculty members, participants of an initial professional development online course on English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Such course was designed with a genre-based approach, and consists of multiple tasks directed to academic writing proficiency. The results of this analysis will be described and classified in a scale of key indicators that represent both the Reflective Processes and the advances in CALP, and that also consider linguistic proficiency and task progression. Such indicators will evidence affordances and constrains of using a genre-based approach in an EFL Engineering CLIL program implementation at tertiary level in Chile, and will serve as the starting point to the design of a professional development course directed to teaching methodologies in a CLIL EFL environment in Engineering education at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María.

Keywords: EFL, EAL, genre, CLIL, engineering

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Authors: Abdulrahman Alajlan

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While the sun serves as a robust energy source, the frigid conditions of outer space present promising prospects for nocturnal power generation due to its continuous accessibility during nighttime hours. This investigation illustrates a proficient methodology facilitating uninterrupted energy capture throughout the day. This method involves the utilization of water-based heat storage systems and radiative thermal emitters implemented across thermometric devices. Remarkably, this approach permits an enhancement of nighttime power generation that exceeds the level of 1 Wm-2, which is unattainable by alternative methodologies. Outdoor experiments conducted at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) have demonstrated unparalleled performance, surpassing prior experimental benchmarks by nearly an order of magnitude. Furthermore, the developed device exhibits the capacity to concurrently supply power to multiple light-emitting diodes, thereby showcasing practical applications for nighttime power generation. This research unveils opportunities for the creation of scalable and efficient 24-hour power generation systems based on thermoelectric devices. Central findings from this study encompass the realization of continuous 24-hour power generation from clean and sustainable energy sources. Theoretical analyses indicate the potential for nighttime power generation reaching up to 1 Wm-2, while experimental results have reached nighttime power generation at a density of 0.5 Wm-2. Additionally, the efficiency of multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has been evaluated when powered by the nighttime output of the integrated thermoelectric generator (TEG). Therefore, this methodology exhibits promise for practical applications, particularly in lighting, marking a pivotal advancement in the utilization of renewable energy for both on-grid and off-grid scenarios.

Keywords: nighttime power generation, thermoelectric devices, radiative cooling, thermal management

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Authors: Asaiel Mubark Al Hadi

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Background: A frequent anorectal condition known as hemorrhoids, sometimes known as piles, is characterized by a weakening of the anal cushion and the supporting tissue as well as spasms of the internal sphincter. Hemorrhoids are most frequently identified by painless bright red bleeding, prolapse, annoying grape-like tissue prolapse, itching, or a combination of symptoms. digital rectal examination (DRE) and anoscope are used to diagnose it. Constipation, a low-fiber diet, a high body- mass index (BMI), pregnancy, and a reduced physical activity are among the factors that are typically thought to increase the risk of hemorrhoids. Golighers is the most commonly used hemorrhoid classification scheme It is 4 degrees, which determines the degree of the event. The purpose of this study is to assess knowledge and awareness level of the causes and stages of Hemorrhoids in the public of Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Saudi Arabia between Oct 2022- Dec 2022. The study group included at least 384 aged above 18 years. The outcomes of this study were analyzed using the SPSS program using a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: The study included 1410 participants, 69.9% of them were females and 30.1% were males. 53.7% of participants aged 20- 30 years old. 17% of participants had hemorrhoids and 42% had a relative who had hemorrhoids. 42.8% of participants could identify stage 1 of hemorrhoids correctly, 44.7% identified stage 2 correctly, 46.7% identified stage 3 correctly and 58.1% identified stage 4 correctly. Only 28.9% of participants had high level of knowledge about hemorrhoids, 62.7% had moderate knowledge and 8.4% had low knowledge. Conclusion: In conclusion, Saudi general population has poor knowledge of hemorrhoids, their causes and their management approach. There was a significant association between knowledge scores of hemorrhoids with age, gender, residence area and employment.

Keywords: hemorrhoids, external hemorrhoid, internal hemorrhoid, anal fissure, hemorrhoid stages, prolapse, rectal bleeding

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Authors: Thulile Ndou

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The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges encountered in the mediation of attracting and recruiting academic expatriates who in turn encounter their own obstacles in adjusting into and settling in their host country, host academic institutions and host communities. The none-existence of literature on attraction, placement and management of academic expatriates in the South African context has been acknowledged. Moreover, Higher Education Institutions in South Africa have voiced concerns relating to delayed and prolonged recruitment and selection processes experienced in the employment process of academic expatriates. Once employed, academic expatriates should be supported and acquainted with the surroundings, the local communities as well as be assisted to establish working relations with colleagues in order to facilitate their adjustment and integration process. Hence, an employer should play a critical role in facilitating the adjustment of academic expatriates. This mixed methods study was located in four Higher Education Institutions based in the KwaZulu-Natal province, in South Africa. The explanatory sequential design approach was deployed in the study. The merits of this approach were chiefly that it employed both the quantitative and qualitative techniques of inquiry. Therefore, the study examined and interrogated its subject from a multiplicity of quantitative and qualitative vantage points, yielding a much more enriched and enriching illumination. Mixing the strengths of both the quantitative and the qualitative techniques delivered much more durable articulation and understanding of the subject. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data relating to interaction adjustment, general adjustment and work adjustment from academic expatriates. One hundred and forty two (142) academic expatriates participated in the quantitative study. Qualitative data relating to employment process and support offered to academic expatriates was collected through a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. A total of 48 respondents; including, line managers, human resources practitioners, and academic expatriates participated in the qualitative study. The Independent T-test, ANOVA and Descriptive Statistics were performed to analyse, interpret and make meaning of quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The qualitative results revealed that academic talent is sourced from outside the borders of the country because of the academic skills shortage in almost all academic disciplines especially in the disciplines associated with Science, Engineering and Accounting. However, delays in work permit application process made it difficult to finalise the recruitment and selection process on time. Furthermore, the quantitative results revealed that academic expatriates experience general and interaction adjustment challenges associated with the use of local language and understanding of local culture. However, female academic expatriates were found to be better adjusted in the two areas as compared to male academic expatriates. Moreover, significant mean differences were found between institutions suggesting that academic expatriates based in rural areas experienced adjustment challenges differently from the academic expatriates based in urban areas. The study gestured to the need for policy revisions in the area of immigration, human resources and academic administration.

Keywords: academic expatriates, recruitment and selection, interaction and general adjustment, work adjustment

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Authors: B. S. Akhmetov, P. T.Kharitonov, L. Sh. Balgabayeva, O. V. Kisseleva, T. S. Kartbayev

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This article analyzes the applicability of known renewable energy technical means as mobile power sources under the field and extreme conditions. The requirements are determined for the parameters of mobile micro-HPP. The application prospectively of the mobile micro-HPP with intelligent control systems is proved for this purpose. Variants of low-speed electric generators for micro HPP are given. Variants of designs for mobile micro HPP are presented with the direct (gearless) transfer of torque from the hydraulic drive to the rotor of the electric generator. Variant of the hydraulic drive for micro HPP is described workable at low water flows. A general structure of the micro HPP intelligent system control is offered that implements the principle of maximum energy efficiency. The legitimacy of construction and application of mobile micro HPP is proved as electrical power sources for life safety of people under the field and extreme conditions.

Keywords: mobile micro-hydro powerplants, information management systems, hydraulic drive, computer science

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Authors: Amara Rafik, Mostefa Belhadj Aissa

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Radar data is one of the many data sources used by ATM Air Traffic Management systems. These data come from air navigation radar antennas. These radars intercept signals emitted by the various aircraft crossing the controlled airspace and calculate the position of these aircraft and retransmit their positions to the Air Traffic Management System. For greater reliability, these radars are positioned in such a way as to allow their coverage areas to overlap. An aircraft will therefore be detected by at least one of these radars. However, the position coordinates of the same aircraft and sent by these different radars are not necessarily identical. Therefore, the ATM system must calculate a single position (radar track) which will ultimately be sent to the control position and displayed on the air traffic controller's monitor. There are several techniques for calculating the radar track. Furthermore, the geographical nature of the problem requires the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS), i.e. a geographical database on the one hand and geographical processing. The objective of this work is to propose a GIS for traffic simulation which reconstructs the evolution over time of aircraft positions from a multi-source radar data set and by applying these different techniques.

Keywords: ATM, GIS, radar data, simulation

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Authors: Karolína Augustovaá

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Turkey’s eastern borders have been at the center of criticism by the European Commission who condemns restrictions against Kurdish civilians as the result of Turkey’s military operations against terrorist organizations (namely PKK). Yet, the Commission has launched economic and political support for numerous military projects along the Iran-Turkey border to fight cross-border crime (namely “illegal” migration) along its external borders. Whilst border externalization has been extensively examined in the EU’s wide neighborhood, its analysis from the ground in conflict zones is emerging. The existing analysis also rarely considers the impact of external border management beyond international migration - on the local context and its people. However, tough externalization policies at borders, where local wars are fought, are fundamental to scrutinize as they invite us to question the effects of EU’s migration management on diverse communities navigating their life along external borders. To fill this research lacunae, this article examines intersections between the local military operations and international (EU-Turkey) migration management at the Turkey’s border with Iran and questions their impact on the everyday struggles of people living at and migrating across the border. To do so, it applies critical feminist and military literature to border studies. Methodologically, the article draws upon ethnographic research in Van (Eastern Turkey), using participant observations and interviews with sixty participants. This article argues that the EU’s externalization policies add to the violence generated by the local militarized conflict and eventually (re-)produce it in the forms of push-backs and physical violence against people who daily cross the border irregularly for their physical/economic survival. By doing so, I suggest that (inter)national fears of terrorism and migration inter-sect, materialize and affect everyday sites of diverse racialized groups living at and moving across external borders, such as international migrants (Afghans) and the local residents (Kurds) at the Turkey-Iran border. This article highlights the need to analyze the local border context in tandem with international migration management in the EU’s wider neighborhood to understand how conflict and violence evolves there.

Keywords: european union border externalization, eastern turkey, migration, conflict, kurdish question

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Authors: Zoya Khan, Amina Muzaffar

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Social media based brand communities are communities that are developed around a brand. In the highly globalized world of today, Facebook is undoubtedly being regarded and has been widely recognized as a trendy and well-accepted medium of marketing. By means of a Facebook fan page, organizations can effectually create, enhance, and sustain customer-brand relationship. In this article, we explore whether brand communities based on social media (a special type of online brand communities) have positive effects on the main community elements and value creation practices in the communities as well as on brand trust and brand loyalty. A survey was conducted and 201 valid responses were used for analysis. The results of structural equation modeling show that brand communities established on social media have positive effects on value creation practices. Brand use, impression management practices and brand identification has an impact on brand trust and this brand trust then further leads to brand loyalty.

Keywords: relationship quality, impression management practices, brand identification, brand trust, brand loyalty

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Authors: Julie A. Baldwin, Robert T. Trotter, Mark Remiker, C. Loren Buck, Amanda Aguirre, Trudie Milner, Emma Torres, Frank A. von Hippel

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Introduction: In the past, there have been concerns about contaminants in the water sources in Yuma, Arizona, including the Colorado River. Prolonged exposure to contaminants, such as perchlorate and heavy metals, can lead to deleterious health effects in humans. This project examined the association between the concentration of environmental contaminants and patient health outcomes in Yuma residents, using a community-engaged approach to data collection. Methods: A community-engaged design allowed community partners and researchers to establish joint research goals, recruit participants, collect data, and formulate strategies for dissemination of findings. Key informant interviews were conducted to evaluate adherence to models of community-based research. Results: The training needs, roles, and expectations of community partners varied based on available resources, prior research experience, and perceived research challenges and ways to address them. Conclusions: Leveraging community-engaged approaches for studies of environmental contamination in marginalized communities can expedite recruitment efforts and stimulate action that can lead to improved community health.

Keywords: community engaged research, environmental contaminants, underserved populations, health equity

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Authors: Hesham Kozou

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Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) poses a significant challenge due to limited access to the inner ear for therapies. Emerging treatments such as regenerative, genetic, and pharmacotherapies offer hope for addressing this condition. This study aims to highlight the potential of cochlear implants and emerging therapies in managing sensorineural hearing loss by improving access to the inner ear. The study is conducted through a review of relevant literature and research articles in the field of cochlear implants and emerging therapies for hearing loss. It outlines how advancements in cochlear implant technologies, electrodes, and surgical techniques can facilitate the delivery of therapies to the inner ear, potentially revolutionizing the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss. The study underscores the potential of cochlear implants and emerging therapies in revolutionizing the treatment landscape for sensorineural hearing loss, emphasizing the feasibility of curing this condition by leveraging technological advancements.

Keywords: therapies for hearing loss management, future of CI as a cochlear delivery channel, regenerative, genetic and pharmacotherapeutic management of hearing loss

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Authors: Omolola A. Tajelawi, Hari L. Garbharran

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Revenue leakages are one of the major challenges manufacturers face in production processes, as most of the input materials that should emanate as products from the lines are lost as waste. Rather than generating income from material input which is meant to end-up as products, losses are further incurred as costs in order to manage waste generated. In addition, due to the lack of a clear view of the flow of resources on the lines from input to output stage, acquiring information on the true cost of waste generated have become a challenge. This has therefore given birth to the conceptualization and implementation of waste minimization strategies by several manufacturing industries. This paper reviews the principles and applications of three environmental management accounting tools namely Activity-based Costing (ABC), Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) in the manufacturing industry and their effectiveness in curbing revenue leakages. The paper unveils the strengths and limitations of each of the tools; beaming a searchlight on the tool that could allow for optimal resource utilization, transparency in production process as well as improved cost efficiency. Findings from this review reveal that MFCA may offer superior advantages with regards to the provision of more detailed information (both in physical and monetary terms) on the flow of material inputs throughout the production process compared to the other environmental accounting tools. This paper therefore makes a case for the adoption of MFCA as a viable technique for the identification and reduction of waste in production processes, and also for effective decision making by production managers, financial advisors and other relevant stakeholders.

Keywords: MFCA, environmental management accounting, resource efficiency, waste reduction, revenue losses

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Authors: Anders Schou Simonsen, Thomas Condra, Kim Sørensen

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Various processes are modelled using a discrete phase, where particles are seeded from a source. Such particles can represent liquid water droplets, which are affecting the continuous phase by exchanging thermal energy, momentum, species etc. Discrete phases are typically modelled using parcel, which represents a collection of particles, which share properties such as temperature, velocity etc. When coupling the phases, the exchange rates are integrated over the cell, in which the parcel is located. This can cause spikes and fluctuating exchange rates. This paper presents an alternative method of coupling a discrete and a continuous plug flow phase. This is done using triangular parcels, which span between nodes following the dynamics of single droplets. Thus, the triangular parcels are propagated using the corner nodes. At each time step, the exchange rates are spatially integrated over the surface of the triangular parcels, which yields a smooth continuous exchange rate to the continuous phase. The results shows that the method is more stable, converges slightly faster and yields smooth exchange rates compared with the steam tube approach. However, the computational requirements are about five times greater, so the applicability of the alternative method should be limited to processes, where the exchange rates are important. The overall balances of the exchanged properties did not change significantly using the new approach.

Keywords: CFD, coupling, discrete phase, parcel

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: K. Ismail, A. Ali, R. C. Hasan, I. Khalil, Z. Bachok, N. M. Said, A. M. Muslim, M. S. Che Din, W. S. Chong

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The marine ecosystem in Malaysia holds invaluable potential in terms of economics, food security, pharmaceuticals components and protection from natural hazards. Although exploration of oil and gas industry and fisheries are active within Malaysian waters, knowledge of the seascape and ecological functioning of benthic habitats is still extremely poor in the marine parks around Malaysia due to the lack of detailed seafloor information. Consequently, it is difficult to manage marine resources effectively, protect ecologically important areas and set legislation to safeguard the marine parks. The limited baseline data hinders scientific linkage to support effective marine spatial management in Malaysia. This became the main driver behind the first seabed mapping effort at the national level. Taman Laut Labuan (TLL) is located to the west coast of Sabah and to the east of South China Sea. The total area of TLL is approximately 158.15 km2, comprises of three islands namely Pulau Kuraman, Rusukan Besar and Rusukan Kecil and is characterised by shallow fringing reef with few submerged shallow reef. The unfamiliar rocky shorelines limit the survey of multibeam echosounder to area with depth more than 10 m. Whereas, singlebeam and side scan sonar systems were used to acquire the data for area with depth less than 10 m. By integrating data from multibeam bathymetry and backscatter with singlebeam bathymetry and side sonar images, we produce a substrate map and coral coverage map for the TLL using i) marine landscape mapping technique and ii) RSOBIA ArcGIS toolbar (developed by T. Le Bas). We take the initiative to explore the ability of aerial drone and satellite image (WorldView-3) to derive the depths and substrate type within the intertidal and subtidal zone where it is not accessible via acoustic mapping. Although the coverage was limited, the outcome showed a promising technique to be incorporated towards establishing a guideline to facilitate a standard practice for efficient marine spatial management in Malaysia.

Keywords: habitat mapping, marine spatial management, South China Sea, National seabed mapping

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Authors: Desislav Andreev, Veselin Stanev

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Linux operating system continues to gain popularity with every passed year. This is due to its open-source license and a great number of distributions, covering users’ needs. At first glance it seems that Linux can be integrated in every type of systems – it is already present in personal computers, smartphones and even in some embedded systems like Raspberry Pi. However, Linux still does not meet the performance and security requirements to run effectively on a real-time system. Real-time systems are very time-restricted – their processes have to execute and finish at strict time intervals. The Completely Fair Scheduler present in Linux does not have such scheduling capabilities and it is not able to ensure that critical-time processes will execute on time. One of the ways to solve this problem is implementing an Adaptive Partition Scheduler solution similar to that present in QNX Neutrino operating system. This type of scheduling divides the CPU in multiple adaptive partitions where each partition holds a percentage of CPU usage called budget, which allows optimal usage of the CPU resources and also provides protection against cyber attacks such as Denial of Service. This approach will also benefit systems, where functional safety is highly demanded, such as the instrumental clusters in the Automotive industry. The purpose of this paper is to present a concept of Adaptive Partition Scheduler designed for Linux-based operating systems.

Keywords: adaptive partitions, Linux kernel modules, real-time systems, scheduling

Procedia PDF Downloads 85