Search results for: global communication

Authors: A. Flammini, R. Morbidelli, C. Saltalippi

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The increase of air surface temperature at global scale is a fact, with values around 0.85 ºC since the late nineteen century, as well as a significant change in main features of rainfall regime. Nevertheless, the detected climatic changes are not equally distributed all over the world, but exhibit specific characteristics in different regions. Therefore, studying the evolution of climatic indices in different geographical areas with a prefixed standard approach becomes very useful in order to analyze the existence of climatic trend and compare results. In this work, a methodology to investigate the climatic change and its effects on a wide set of climatic indices is proposed and applied at regional scale in the case study of a Mediterranean area, Umbria region in Italy. From data of the available temperature stations, nine temperature indices have been obtained and the existence of trends has been checked by applying the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test, while the non-parametric Pettitt test and the parametric Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT) have been applied to detect the presence of break points. In addition, aimed to characterize the rainfall regime, data from 11 rainfall stations have been used and a trend analysis has been performed on cumulative annual rainfall depth, daily rainfall, rainy days, and dry periods length. The results show a general increase in any temperature indices, even if with a trend pattern dependent of indices and stations, and a general decrease of cumulative annual rainfall and average daily rainfall, with a time rainfall distribution over the year different from the past.

Keywords: climatic change, temperature, rainfall regime, trend analysis

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Authors: Tabti Lahouaria, Kahlouche Salem, Benadda Belkacem, Beldjilali Bilal

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The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) provides an augmentation signal to GPS (Global Positioning System) single point positioning. Presently EGNOS provides data correction and integrity information using the GPS L1 (1575.42 MHz) frequency band. The main objective of this system is to provide a better real-time positioning precision than using GPS only. They are expected to be used with single-frequency code observations. EGNOS offers navigation performance for an open service (OS), in terms of precision and availability this performance gradually degrades as moving away from the service area. For accurate system performance, the service will become less and less available as the user moves away from the EGNOS service. The improvement in position solution is investigated using the two collocated dual frequency GPS, where no EGNOS Ranging and Integrity Monitoring Station (RIMS) exists. One of the pseudo-range was kept as GPS stand-alone and the other was corrected by EGNOS to estimate the planimetric and altimetric precision for different dates. It is found that precision in position improved significantly in the second due to EGNOS correction. The performance of EGNOS system in the north of Algeria is also investigated in terms of integrity. The results show that the horizontal protection level (HPL) value is below 18.25 meters (95%) and the vertical protection level (VPL) is below 42.22 meters (95 %). These results represent good integrity information transmitted by EGNOS for APV I service. This service is thus compliant with the aviation requirements for Approaches with Vertical Guidance (APV-I), which is characterised by 40 m HAL (horizontal alarm limit) and 50 m VAL (vertical alarm limit).

Keywords: EGNOS, GPS, positioning, integrity, protection level

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Authors: Salim Khan

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The attainment of the carbon neutrality objective and Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG-13) target, which pertains to climate actions, received widespread attention in developing and emerging nations. Given the increasing pace of urbanization, technological advancements, and rapid growth, it is imperative to examine the linear and nonlinear effects of urbanization and economic growth and the linear impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on carbon emissions (CO2e). This study employs the Dynamic System GMM (DSGMM) and Panel Quantile Regression (PQR) methodologies to investigate the causal relationship between urbanization, ICT, economic growth, and their interplay on CO2e in 39 BRI countries from 2001 to 2020. The study's findings indicate that the impact of urbanization on CO2e exhibits linear and nonlinear patterns. The specific nonlinear impact of urbanization leads to a decrease in CO2e, hence facilitating the achievement of carbon neutrality and contributing to SDG-13. The study highlights the importance of ICT in achieving SDG-13 by reducing CO2e, emphasizing the need for informatization. Simultaneously, the findings support the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis and support the pollution haven theory. Finally, based on empirical findings, significant policy implications are suggested for achieving SGD 13 and carbon neutrality.

Keywords: urbanization, ICT, CO2 emission, EKC, pollution haven, BRI

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Authors: Hala Abdulhafiz, Steffi Robak

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Introduction: Refugees often arrive in Germany with traumatic experiences, leading to psy-chosocial challenges. According to the World Health Organization's definition, psychosocial life skills help individuals effectively cope with everyday challenges and enhance their overall health and well-being. This study explores life skills acquired in integration courses and their impact on the integration of Syrian migrants. Methods: Qualitative expert interviews identified crucial life skills for successful integration, followed by a qualitative content analysis of integration course textbooks. Additionally, written interviews with former participants of integration courses were conducted. Results: Expert interviews highlighted the significance of communication skills and problem-solving abilities in promoting integration. Emotional and stress management, however, ranked lower in the hierarchy of essential life skills. While many highlighted life skills were addressed and encouraged in textbooks, there was a deficiency in opportunities to strengthen empathy, creativity, emotions, and stress management. The participant survey revealed that respondents possessed some of the defined life skills positively affecting their integration. However, there was a need for enhancing self-esteem, and many struggled with handling emotions and stress situations. Conclusion: The analyzed life skills should be further developed through educational programs and initiatives, with increased emphasis on textbooks.

Keywords: life skills, integration, migration, integration course

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Authors: Sohil I. Alqazlan

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Introduction and Objectives: The individual educational plans (IEPs) is the cornerstone in education for students with special education need (SEN). The Saudi government supported the students’ right to have an IEP, and their education is one of the primary goals for the Ministry of Education (MoE). However, this support does not reflect the huge government investment. For example, some SEN students do not have an IEP, and poor communication was found between IEP teams and student's families. As a result, this study investigated perspectives and understandings of the IEP from the views of SEN teachers in the Saudi context. Methods: This study design utilised a qualitative approach, where in-depth semi-structured interviews were used with 8 SEN teachers in Riyadh (the capital city of Saudi Arabia) schools. In terms of analysing the interviews’ findings, the researcher used the thematic analyses approach. Results and Conclusion: The legality and the consideration of the legal document in Saudi Arabia are the main areas wherein study participants were questioned. It was observed that the IEP is not considered a legal document in the region of Saudi Arabia. As interpreted from the response of the SEN teachers, the IEP lacks the required legality with respect to its implementation in Saudi Arabia. All teachers were in agreement that the IEP is not considered to be a legal document in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result, they did not use it for all their students with SEN. Such findings might have affected the teaching quality, and school outcomes as all SEN students must be supported individually depending on their needs.

Keywords: individual education plan, special education, IEP, teachers

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Authors: Seyed Ebrahim Hosseini, Shahbaz Pervez

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As people go through aging, maintenance and improvement of the quality of life become more important for them. To know the role of smartphone technology and communications applications on quality of life, a sample group of old people living in Dar-Iran was selected for a quasi-experimental study. The participants were registered senior inhabitants from public health centers in Dar, Iran in 2022. The number of participants was 39. Participants were randomly categorized into intervention and control groups. A validated Persian version of the Control, Autonomy, Self-realisation, Pleasure scale (CASP-19) scale questionnaire was provided for them which answers were used for the quality of life assessment. The paired t-test between pre-and post-test (t= -8.45, p<.00), post-and follow-up-test (t= -2.12, p=.01), and pre-test and the follow-up test (t= -8.27, p<.00) in the intervention group revealed a considerable mean difference. Based on the results of paired t-test for the control group, this was not significant between pre-test and post-test (t= 1.26, p=.15), post-test and follow-up test (t= .33, p=.67) and pre-test and follow-up test (t= 1.85, p=.08) for quality of life. Considering the educational training associated with it, this study aimed at helping families and aging field practitioners to understand the essentiality of modern communication technology teaching in promoting a greater life quality of the elderly’s community.

Keywords: Iranian elderly, quality of life, smartphone, social applications, CASP-19

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Authors: Win Thandar Soe, Innocent Mpawenimana, Mathieu Di Fazio, Cécile Belleudy, Aung Ze Ya

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Intelligent electronic equipment and automation network is the brain of high-tech energy management systems in critical role of smart homes dominance. Smart home is a technology integration for greater comfort, autonomy, reduced cost, and energy saving as well. These services can be provided to home owners for managing their home appliances locally or remotely and consequently allow them to automate intelligently and responsibly their consumption by individual or collective control systems. In this study, three smart plugs are described and one of them tested on typical household appliances. This article proposes to collect the data from the wireless technology and to extract some smart data for energy management system. This smart data is to quantify for three kinds of load: intermittent load, phantom load and continuous load. Phantom load is a waste power that is one of unnoticed power of each appliance while connected or disconnected to the main. Intermittent load and continuous load take in to consideration the power and using time of home appliances. By analysing the classification of loads, this smart data will be provided to reduce the communication of wireless sensor network for energy management system.

Keywords: energy management, load profile, smart plug, wireless sensor network

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Authors: Ali Heyrani, Maryam Saidyousefi

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The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and Self-Efficacy of physical education teachers in Ilam province. The research method is descriptive correlational. The study participants were of 170 physical education teachers (90 males, 80 females) with an age range of 20 to 50 years, who were selected randomly. The instruments for data collection were Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Bar-on (1997) to assess the Emotional Intelligence teachers and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire to measure their Self-Efficacy. The questionnaires used in the interior are reliable and valid. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and inferential tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson correlation and multiple regression) at a significance level of P <0/ 05 were used. The Results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between totall emotional intelligence and Self-Efficacy of teachers, so the more emotional intelligence of physical education teachers the better the extent of Self-Efficacy. Also, the results arising from regression analysis gradually showed that among components of emotional intelligence, three components, the General Mood, Adaptability, and Interpersonal Communication to Self-Efficacy are of a significant positive relationship and are able to predict the Self-Efficacy of physical education teachers. It seems the application of this study ҆s results can help to education authorities to promote the level of teachers’ emotional intelligence and therefore the improvement of their Self-Efficacy and success in learners’ teaching and training.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, physical education teachers, Ilam province

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Authors: Kamyar Kildashti, Rasoul Mirghaderi

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This paper describes the three-dimensional seismic performance assessment of a high-rise steel moment-frame setback tower, designed and detailed per the 2010 ASCE7, under multiple support excitations. The vulnerability analyses are conducted based on nonlinear history analyses under a set of multi-directional strong ground motion records which are scaled to design-based site-specific spectrum in accordance with ASCE41-13. Spatial variation of input motions between far distant supports of each part of the tower is considered by defining time lag. Plastic hinge monotonic and cyclic behavior for prequalified steel connections, panel zones, as well as steel columns is obtained from predefined values presented in TBI Guidelines, PEER/ATC72 and FEMA P440A to include stiffness and strength degradation. Inter-story drift ratios, residual drift ratios, as well as plastic hinge rotation demands under multiple support excitations, are compared to those obtained from uniform support excitations. Performance objectives based on acceptance criteria declared by TBI Guidelines are compared between uniform and multiple support excitations. The results demonstrate that input motion discrepancy results in detrimental effects on the local and global response of the tower.

Keywords: high-rise building, nonlinear time history analysis, multiple support excitation, performance-based design

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Authors: Kristina Johansen

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Participation is a universal right that all children and young people are entitled to, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Social work and action research share participation as a core value. However, we have limited knowledge of how children and young people of refugee background experience taking part in participatory research. The point of departure of this presentation is a qualitative study involving young, unaccompanied refugees, addressing the issues of psychosocial health and participation. The research design included participatory methods and action research. The presentation highlights the perspectives of young, unaccompanied refugees on what made participating in the research process valuable, what created challenges for participation and what created challenges for the action part in the research process. Feedback from participants indicated that taking part in enjoyable experiences, being listened to, sharing experiences, and learning from each other contributed to making the participation valuable. At the same time, participants addressed challenges related to communication, sensitive topics, participation in decision-making and powerlessness. The presentation will end with implications for social work research and practice involving young refugees.

Keywords: participatory research, power, young unaccompanied refugeees, relationships, participation

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Authors: Francesca Risplendi, Li-Chiang Lin, Jeffrey C. Grossman, Giancarlo Cicero

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Desalination is one of the most employed approaches to supply water in the context of a rapidly growing global water shortage. However, the most popular water filtration method available is the reverse osmosis (RO) technique, still suffers from important drawbacks, such as a large energy demands and high process costs. In addition some serious limitations have been recently discovered, among them, the boron problem seems to have a critical meaning. Boron has been found to have a dual effect on the living systems on Earth and the difference between boron deficiency and boron toxicity levels is quite small. The aim of this project is to develop a new generation of RO membranes based on porous graphene or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) able to remove salts from seawater and to reduce boron concentrations in the permeate to the level that meets the drinking or process water requirements, by means of a theoretical approach based on density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics. Computer simulations have been employed to investigate the relationship between the atomic structure of nanoporous graphene or rGO monolayer and its membrane properties in RO applications (i.e. water permeability and resilience at RO pressures). In addition, an emphasis has been given to multilayer nanoporous rGO and rGO flakes based membranes. By means of non-equilibrium MD simulations, we investigated the water transport mechanism permeating through such multilayer membrane focusing on the effect of slit widths and sheet geometries. These simulations allowed us to establish the implications of these graphene based materials as promising membrane properties for desalination plants and as boron filtration.

Keywords: boron filtration, desalination, graphene membrane, reduced graphene oxide membrane

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Authors: Kazuhisa Koda, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Rebecca Lorennji, Alington Robert, Halston DeBrum, Julious Lucky, Paul Paul

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Atolls are low-lying small islands with highly permeable ground that does not allow rivers and lakes to develop. As the water resources on these atolls basically rely on precipitation, groundwater becomes a very important water resource during droughts. Freshwater lenses develop as groundwater on relatively large atoll islands and play a key role in the stable water supply. Atoll islands in the Pacific Ocean sometimes suffer from drought due to El Nino. The global warming effects are noticeable, particularly on atoll islands. The Republic of the Marshall Islands in Oceania is burdened with the problems common to atoll islands. About half of its population lives in the capital, Majuro, and securing water resources for these people is a crucial issue. There is a freshwater lens on the largest, Laura Island, which serves as a water source for the downtown area. A serious drought that occurred in 1998 resulted in excessive water intake from the freshwater lens on Laura Island causing up-coning. Up-coning mixes saltwater into groundwater pumped from water-intake wells. Because up-coning makes the freshwater lens unusable, there was a need to investigate the freshwater lens on Laura Island. In this study, we observed the electrical conductivities of the groundwater at different depths in existing monitoring wells to determine the total storage volume of the freshwater lens on Laura Island from 2010 to 2013. Our results indicated that most of the groundwater that seeped into the freshwater lens had flowed out into the sea.

Keywords: Atoll islands, drought, El-Nino, freshwater lens, groundwater observation

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Authors: Patricia Portugal Marques de Carvalho Lourenco

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Big Bang is like a dirty martini embroiled in a stew of personal individual scandals that have rocked the group’s image and perception, from G-Dragon’s and T.O.P. marijuana episodes in 2011 and 2016, respectively, to Daesung’s building illicit entertainment activities in 2018to the Burning Sun shebang that led to the Titanic sink of Big Bang’s youngest member Seungri in 2019 and the positive sentiment migration to the antithetical side. BTS, on the other hand, are like a martini, clear, clean, attracting as many crowds to their performances and online content as the Pope attracts believers to Sunday Mass in the Vatican, as exemplified by their latest MVs. Big Bang’s 2022 Still Life achieved 16.4 million views on Youtube in 24hours, whilst BTS Permission to Dance achieved 68.5 million in the same period of time. The difference is significant when added Big Bang’s and BTS overall award wins, a total of 117 in contrast to 460. Both groups are uniquely talented and exceptional performers that have been contributing greatly to the dissemination of Korean Pop Music on a global scale in their own inimitable ways. Both are exceptional in their own right and while the artists cannot, ought not, should not be compared for the grave injustice made in comparing one individual planet with one solar system, a contrast is merited and hence done. The reality, nonetheless, is about disengagement from a group that lives life humanly, learning and evolving with each challenge and mistake without a clean, perfect tag attached to it, demonstrating not only an inability to disassociate the person from the artist and the music but also an inability to understand the difference between a private and public life.

Keywords: K-Pop, big bang, BTS, music, public image, entertainment, korean entertainment

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Authors: Jandot Aurélia

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In France, in the main media, the concern about nuclear safety and security has not really appeared before the beginning of the 1970s. The gradual changes in its perception are studied here through the arguments given in the main French news magazines, linked with several parameters. As this represents a considerable amount of copies and thus of information, are selected here the main articles as well as the main “mental images” aiming to persuade the readers and which have led the public awareness to evolve. Indeed, in the 1970s, in France, these evolutions were not made in one day. Indeed, over the period, many articles were still in favor of nuclear power plants and promoted the technological advances that were made in this field. They had to be taken into account. But, gradually, grew up arguments and mental images discrediting the perception of nuclear technology. Among these were the environmental impacts of this industry, as the question of pollution progressively appeared. So, between 1970 and 1979, the language has changed, as the perceptible objectives of the communication, allowing to discern the deepest intentions of the editorial staffs of the French news magazines. This is all these changes that are emphasized here, over a period when the safety and security concern linked to the nuclear technology, to there a field for specialists, has become progressively a social issue seemingly open to all.

Keywords: environmental impacts, media discourse, nuclear security, public awareness

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Authors: Seyyed Masoud Seyyedoshohadaei, Borhanuddin Mohd Ali

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To support group mobility, the NEMO Basic Support Protocol has been standardized as an extension of Mobile IP that enables an entire network to change its point of attachment to the Internet. Using NEMO in IEEE 802.16e (WiMax) networks causes latency in handover procedure and affects seamless communication of real-time applications. To decrease handover latency and service disruption time, an integrated scheme named Optimized Fast NEMO (OFNEMO) was introduced by authors of this paper. In OFNEMO a pre-establish multi tunnels concept, cross function optimization and cross layer design are used. In this paper, an analytical model is developed to evaluate total cost consisting of signaling and packet delivery costs of the OFNEMO compared with RFC3963. Results show that OFNEMO increases probability of predictive mode compared with RFC3963 due to smaller handover latency. Even though OFNEMO needs extra signalling to pre-establish multi tunnel, it has less total cost thanks to its optimized algorithm. OFNEMO can minimize handover latency for supporting real time application in moving networks.

Keywords: fast mobile IPv6, handover latency, IEEE802.16e, network mobility

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Authors: Mohammad Pervez Mughal, Huma Shazadi

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Pakistan became a full signatory to the Washington Accord in June 2017, with the expectation that undergraduate engineering programs will be recognized by other signatory countries. Pakistan's accrediting body, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), has distributed 12 Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) under Outcome Based Education (OBE) criteria for engineering institutions in Pakistan to follow. However, no research has been conducted to rank graduates' employability skills in relation to these PLOs from the perspective of potential employers. The current work makes a concerted effort to rank the skills required by employers, which include both technical and non-technical skill sets. A survey was conducted throughout Pakistan to validate the relative importance of employability skills. 198 HR personnel, 1554 graduating students, 1540 alumni, and 267 faculty members provided valid responses, which were analyzed. According to the findings, ethics, communication, and lifelong learning are the most important attributes of engineering graduates' employability in the eyes of employers. Graduating students, alumni, and faculty's differential prospects are also presented and compared to employers' perspectives.

Keywords: employability skills, employers' perspective, outcome-based education, engineering graduates, Pakistan

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Authors: Sihem Benaouda

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English is gaining an international identity as it affects every academic and professional field in the world. Without increasing their cultural understanding, it would obviously be difficult to completely educate learners for communication in a globalised environment. The concept of culture is intricate and needs to be elucidated, especially in an English language teaching (ELT) context. The study focuses on the investigation of the cultural studies integrated into the different types of English for specific purposes (ESP) materials, as opposed to English for general purposes (EGP) textbooks. A qualitative methodology based on a triangulation of techniques was conducted through materials analysis of five textbooks in both advanced EGP and three types of ESP. In addition to a semi-structured interview conducted with Algerian ESP practitioners, data analysis results revealed that culture in ESP textbooks is not overtly isolated into chapters and that cultural studies are predominantly present in business and economics materials, namely English for hotel and catering staff, tourism, and flight attendants. However, implicit cultural instruction is signalled in the social sciences and is negligible in science and technology sources. In terms of content, cultural studies in EGP are more related to generic topics, whereas, in some ESP materials, the topics are rather oriented to the specific field they belong to. Furthermore, the respondents’ answers showed an unawareness of the importance of culture in ESP teaching, besides some disregard for culture teaching per se in ESP contexts.

Keywords: ESP, EGP, cultural studies, textbooks, teaching, materials

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Authors: Mohammed Alonazi, Natalia Beloff, Martin White

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This paper presents a proposal for a mobile government adoption and utilization model (MGAUM), which is a framework designed to increase the adoption rate of m-government services in Saudi Arabia. Recent advances in mobile technologies such are Mobile compatibilities, The development of wireless communication, mobile applications and devices are enabling governments to deliver services in new ways to citizens more efficiently and economically. In the last decade, many governments around the globe are utilizing these advances effectively to develop their next generation of e-government services. However, a low adoption rate of m-government services by citizens is a common problem in Arabian countries, including Saudi Arabia. Yet, to our knowledge, very little research has been conducted focused on understanding the factors that influence citizen adoption of these m-government services in this part of the world. A set of social, cultural and technological factors have been identified in the literature, which has led to the formulation of associated research questions and hypotheses. These hypotheses will be tested on Saudi citizens using questionnaires and interview methods based around the technology acceptance model. A key objective of the MGAUM framework is to investigate and understand Saudi citizens perception towards adoption and utilization of m-government services.

Keywords: e-government, m-government, citizen services quality, technology acceptance model, Saudi Arabia, adoption framework.

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Authors: Rahul Agarwal, Ashutosh Singh

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Cervical cancer is one of the women related cancers which starts from the pre-cancerous cells and a fraction of women with pre-cancers of the cervix will develop cervical cancer. Cervical pre-cancers if treated in pre-invasive stage can prevent almost all true cervical squamous cell carcinoma. The present study investigates the genes and pathways that are involved in the progression of cervical cancer and are responsible in transition from pre-invasive stage to other advanced invasive stages. The study used GDS3292 microarray data to identify the stage specific genes in cervical cancer and further to generate the network of the significant genes. The microarray data GDS3292 consists of the expression profiling of 10 normal cervices, 7 HSILs and 21 SCCs samples. The study identifies 70 upregulated and 37 downregulated genes in HSIL stage while 95 upregulated and 60 downregulated genes in SCC stages. Biological process including cell communication, signal transduction are highly enriched in both HSIL and SCC stages of cervical cancer. Further, the ppi interaction of genes involved in HSIL and SCC stages helps in identifying the interacting partners. This work may lead to the identification of potential diagnostic biomarker which can be utilized for early stage detection.

Keywords: cervical cancer, HSIL, microarray, SCC

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Authors: A. Ratika Thakur, B. A. K. Sinha , C. R. K. Pathak

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Reproductive Tract Infections are recognized as a serious global health problem with direct impact on women. In the developing countries, prevalence of RTI is much higher relative to other health problems. Women of the reproductive age group are socially, mentally and physically more vulnerable to infections. Also, it is a well established fact that RTI has prolonged complications in women rather than men. It causes ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory diseases, miscarriage and infertility in the long course. Women perspective about infections is less studied. In this view the study was carried out with an aim to determine knowledge, perception and belief of married women towards reproductive tract infection. The study was conducted in Junga village, District Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. 48 women were interviewed regarding awareness, beliefs and taboos related to reproductive tract infection. Other aspects like fertility history were also taken into account. The data were collected using interviews with the help of interview schedule and interview guide. Data were recorded in the form of narratives and case studies. The analysis was done using quantitative and qualitative analysis. It was found that a majority of women were not aware about the reasons of infection. Moreover cultural beliefs, perceptions and taboos made them more vulnerable and exposed to RTI. Economic dependency upon men, lack of control in barrier methods were some of the factors that contributed to delayed treatment of women. It was found that a majority of women suffering from RTIs were silently bearing the burden and underwent treatment when the case would not rest in their hands.

Keywords: belief, infection, perception, taboo, women

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Authors: Vivek Vaishnav, Shamim Akhtar Ansari

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Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) belonging to plant family Lamiaceae and the most commercialized timber species is endemic to South-Asia. The adaptive fitness of the species metapopulation was evaluated through its genetic differentiation and assessing the influence of geo-climatic conditions. 290 genotypes were sampled from 29 locations of its natural distribution and the genetic data was incorporated with geo-climatic parameters. Through Bayesian approach based analysis of 43 highly polymorphic ISSR markers, six homogeneous clusters (0.8% genetic variability) were identified. The six clusters were found with the various regimes of the temperature range, i.e., I - 9.10±1.35⁰C, II -6.35±0.21⁰C, III -12.21±0.43⁰C, IV - 10.8±1.06⁰C, V - 11.67±3.04⁰C, and VI - 12.35±0.21⁰C. The population had a very high percentage of LD (21.48%) among the amplified loci possibly due to experiencing restricted gene flow as well as co-adaptation and association of distant/diverse loci/alleles as a result of the stabilized climatic conditions and countless cycles of historical recombination events on a large geological timescale. The same possibly accounts for the narrow distribution of teak as a climax species in the tropical deciduous forests of the country. The regions of strong LD in teak genome significantly associated with climatic parameters also reflect that the species is tolerant to the wide regimes of the temperature range and may possibly withstand global warming and climate change in the coming millennium.

Keywords: Bayesian analysis, inter simple sequence repeat, linkage disequilibrium, marker-geoclimatic association

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Authors: Kulvinder Bajwa, Narsi R. Bishnoi

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Finding a sustainable alternative for today’s petrochemical industry is a major challenge facing by researchers, scientists, chemical engineers, and society at the global level. Microorganisms are considered to be sustainable feedstock for 3rd generation biofuel production. In this study, we have investigated the potential of a native bacterial strain isolated from a petrol contaminated site for the production of biodiesel. The bacterium was identified to be Rhodococcus opacus by biochemical test and 16S rRNA. Compositional analysis of bacterial biomass has been carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in order to confirm lipid profile. Lipid and biomass were optimized by combination with Box Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology. The factors selected for the optimization of growth condition were glucose, yeast extract, and ammonium nitrate concentration. The experimental model developed through RSM in terms of effective operational factors (BBD) was found to be suitable to describe the lipid and biomass production, which indicated higher lipid and biomass with a minimum concentration of ammonium nitrate, yeast extract, and quite higher dose of glucose supplementation. Optimum results of the experiments were found to be 2.88 gL⁻¹ biomass and lipid content 38.75% at glucose 20 gL⁻¹, ammonium nitrate 0.5 gL⁻¹ and yeast extract 1.25 gL⁻¹. Furthermore, GCMS study revealed that Rhodococcus opacus has favorable fatty acid profile for biodiesel production.

Keywords: biofuel, Oleaginious bacteria, Rhodococcus opacus, FTIR, BBD, free fatty acids

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Authors: K. G. Sorokozherdyev, E. A. Efimov

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The socio-economic development of regions and countries is an important research issue. Today, in the face of many negative events in the global and regional economies, it is especially important to identify those areas that can serve as sources of economic growth and the basis for the well-being of the population. This study aims to identify the most important sectors of the economy of the Arkhangelsk region that can contribute to the socio-economic development of the region as a whole. For research, the Arkhangelsk region was taken as one of the typical Russian regions that do not have significant reserves of hydrocarbons nor there are located any large industrial complexes. In this regard, the question of possible origins of economic growth seems especially relevant. The basis of this study constitutes the distributed lag regression model (ADL model) developed by the authors, which is based on quarterly data on the socio-economic development of the Arkhangelsk region for the period 2004-2016. As a result, we obtained three equations reflecting the dynamics of three indicators of the socio-economic development of the region -the average wage, the regional GRP, and the birth rate. The influencing factors are the shares in GRP of such sectors as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, as well as the financial sector. The study showed that the greatest influence on the socio-economic development of the region is exerted by such industries as wholesale and retail trade, construction, and industrial sectors. The study can be the basis for forecasting and modeling the socio-economic development of the Arkhangelsk region in the short and medium term. It also can be helpful while analyzing the effectiveness of measures aimed at stimulating those or other industries of the region. The model can be used in developing a regional development strategy.

Keywords: regional economic development, regional sectoral structure, ADL model, Arkhangelsk region

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Authors: Samar Alkindy

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Purpose: The BIM model has been used to support the planning of different construction projects in the industry by showing the different stages of the construction process. The model has been instrumental in identifying some of the common errors in the construction process through the spatial arrangement. The continuous use of the BIM model in the construction industry has resulted in various radical changes such as virtual prototyping. Construction virtual prototyping is a highly advanced technology that incorporates a BIM model with realistic graphical simulations, and facilitates the simulation of the project before a product is built in the factory. The paper presents virtual prototyping in the construction industry by examining its application, challenges and benefits to a construction project. Methodology approach: A case study was conducted for this study in four major construction projects, which incorporate virtual construction prototyping in several stages of the construction project. Furthermore, there was the administration of interviews with the project manager and engineer and the planning manager. Findings: Data collected from the methodological approach shows a positive response for virtual construction prototyping in construction, especially concerning communication and visualization. Furthermore, the use of virtual prototyping has increased collaboration and efficiency between construction experts handling a project. During the planning stage, virtual prototyping has increased accuracy, reduced planning time, and reduced the amount of rework during the implementation stage. Irrespective of virtual prototyping being a new concept in the construction industry, the findings outline that the approach will benefit the management of construction projects.

Keywords: construction operations, construction planning, process simulation, virtual prototyping

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Authors: S. Khosravi, X. Chelius, A. Unger, D. Rieger, J. Frickel, T. Sachsenheimer, C. Luechtenborg, R. Schieweck, B. Bruegger, B. Westermann, T. Klecker, W. Neupert, M. E. Harner

Abstract:

The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism to study eukaryotic cell functions has been used successfully for decades. Like virtually all eukaryotic cells, they contain mitochondria as essential organelles performing various functions, including participation in lipid metabolism. They are separated from the cytosol by a double membrane system consisting of the mitochondrial inner membrane (MIM) and the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). This physical separation of the mitochondria requires an exchange of metabolites, proteins, and lipids. Proteinaceous contact sites are thought to be important for this communication. Recently, it was found that Cqd1, in cooperation with Cqd2, controls the distribution of Coenzyme Q within the cell. In this study, a contact site is described, formed by the MOM protein complex Por1-Om14 and the UbiB protein kinase-like MIM protein Cqd1. The present results suggest the additional involvement of Cqd1 in the homeostasis of phospholipids. Moreover, we show that overexpression of the UbiB family proteins also causes tethering of the mitochondria to the endoplasmatic reticulum. Due to the conservation of the subunits of this contact site to higher eukaryotes, its identification in S. cerevisiae might provide promising avenues for further research in other organisms.

Keywords: contact sites, mitochondrial architecture, mitochondrial proteins, yeast mitochondria

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Authors: Jana Atteah, Wid Jan, Yara AlHibshi, Rahaf AlRougi

Abstract:

Anyword is an AI copywriting tool that helps marketers create effective campaigns for specific audiences. It offers a wide range of templates for various platforms, brand voice guidelines, and valuable analytics insights. Anyword is used by top global companies and has been recognized as one of the "Fastest Growing Products" in the 2023 software awards. A recent study examined the utilization and impact of AI-powered writing tools, specifically focusing on the adoption of AI in writing pursuits and the use of the Anyword platform. The results indicate that a majority of respondents (52.17%) had not previously used Anyword, but those who had were generally satisfied with the platform. Notable productivity improvements were observed among 13% of the participants, while an additional 34.8% reported a slight increase in productivity. A majority (47.8%) maintained a neutral stance, suggesting that their productivity remained unaffected. Only a minimal percentage (4.3%) claimed that their productivity did not improve with the usage of Anyword AI. In terms of the quality of written content generated, the participants responded positively. Approximately 91% of participants gave Anyword AI a score of 5 or higher, with roughly 17% giving it a perfect score. A small percentage (approximately 9%) gave a low score between 0-2. The mode result was a score of 7, indicating a generally positive perception of the quality of content generated using Anyword AI. These findings suggest that AI can contribute to increased productivity and positively influence the quality of written content. Further research and exploration of AI tools in writing pursuits are warranted to fully understand their potential and limitations.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, marketing platforms, productivity, user interface

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Authors: Lovemore Motsi

Abstract:

The rapid pace of technological innovation, along with a global fascination with the internet, continues to result in a dominating call to integrate internet technologies in institutions of learning. However, the pressing question remains – how can online in-service training for teachers, support quality and success in professional development programmers. The aim of this study was to examine an integrated model that extended the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with additional constructs – including attitude and behaviour intention – adopted from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to answer the question. Data was collected from secondary school teachers at 10 selected schools in the Tshwane South district by means of the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS v 23.0), and the collected data was analysed quantitatively. The findings are congruent with model testing under conditions of volitional usage behaviour. In this regard, the role of facilitating condition variables is insignificant as a determinant of usage behaviour. Social norm variables also proved to be a weak determinant of behavioural intentions. Findings demonstrate that effort expectancy is the key determinant of online INSET usage. Based on these findings, the variable social influence and facilitating conditions are important factors in ensuring the acceptance of online INSET among teachers in selected secondary schools in the Tshwane South district.

Keywords: unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), teacher professional development, secondary schools, online INSET

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Authors: Ilma Robo, Saimir Heta, Gerhard Nokaj

Abstract:

Introduction: The method of treatment and the treatment protocols of apical periodontitis are now known, but the ongoing debate remains on whether or not prescription antibiotics should be given to patients suffering from this type of pathology. In fact, as an indication for prescribing antibiotics, this type of pathology remains between clinical indication and contraindication. Material and Methods: This article is of the short-communication type and has the sole purpose of analyzing the clinical picture of apical periodontitis and the fact that the appearance and extent of this pathology in the periapex area passes the stage when the host or the immune cells of the organism of the affected individual, react against bacterial factors. Results: Determining whether or not to prescribe systemic antibiotics according to literature sources can be avoided. In some cases, research in this field about this pathology even indicates endodontic rinsers or irrigants, such as chlorhexidine, in typical cases, mainly in persistent apical periodontitis. Conclusions: In times when bacterial resistance is a hot topic in some fields of scientific research, it is important to divide dental pathologies of bacterial origin into those when systemic antibiotic prescriptions must be given and those when every clinical issue is resolved only with endodontic root canal treatment. Even certain sources of published literature show the specifics of the most effective antibiotics against the bacterial flora causing the pathology of apical periodontitis.

Keywords: endodontic treatment, apical periodontitis, antibiotics, chlorhexidine

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Authors: Claudineia Brazil, Elison Eduardo Jardim Bierhals, Luciane Teresa Salvi, Rafael Haag

Abstract:

Renewable energy sources are dependent on climatic variability, so for adequate energy planning, observations of the meteorological variables are required, preferably representing long-period series. Despite the scientific and technological advances that meteorological measurement systems have undergone in the last decades, there is still a considerable lack of meteorological observations that form series of long periods. The reanalysis is a system of assimilation of data prepared using general atmospheric circulation models, based on the combination of data collected at surface stations, ocean buoys, satellites and radiosondes, allowing the production of long period data, for a wide gamma. The third generation of reanalysis data emerged in 2010, among them is the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) developed by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), these data have a spatial resolution of 0.50 x 0.50. In order to overcome these difficulties, it aims to evaluate the performance of solar radiation estimation through alternative data bases, such as data from Reanalysis and from meteorological satellites that satisfactorily meet the absence of observations of solar radiation at global and/or regional level. The results of the analysis of the solar radiation data indicated that the reanalysis data of the CFSR model presented a good performance in relation to the observed data, with determination coefficient around 0.90. Therefore, it is concluded that these data have the potential to be used as an alternative source in locations with no seasons or long series of solar radiation, important for the evaluation of solar energy potential.

Keywords: climate, reanalysis, renewable energy, solar radiation

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Authors: Kitda Praraththajariya

Abstract:

The main purpose of this research was to study how to communicate the identity of the Mueang district, SamutSongkram province for ecotourism. The qualitative data was collected through studying related materials, exploring the area, in-depth interviews with three groups of people: three directly responsible officers who were key informants of the district, twenty foreign tourists and five Thai tourist guides. A content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The two main findings of the study were as follows: (1) The identity of Amphur (District) Mueang, SamutSongkram province. This establishment was near the Mouth of Maekong River for normal people and tourists, consisting of rest accommodations. There are restaurants where food and drinks are served, rich mangrove forests, Hoy Lod (Razor Clam) and mangrove trees. Don Hoy Lod, is characterized by muddy beaches, is a coastal wetland for Ramsar Site. It is at 1099th ranging where the greatest number of Hoy Lod (Razor Clam) can be seen from March to May each year. (2) The communication of the identity of AmphurMueang, SamutSongkram province which the researcher could find and design to present in English materials can be summed up in 4 items: 1) The history of AmphurMueang, SamutSongkram province 2) WatPhetSamutWorrawihan 3) The Learning source of Ecotourism: Don Hoy Lod and Mangrove forest 4) How to keep AmphurMueang, SamutSongkram province for ecotourism.

Keywords: foreigner tourists, signified, semiotics, ecotourism

Procedia PDF Downloads 290