Search results for: factor analysis

Authors: Abdullah Al-Alaian, Ahmad Al-Enzi, Hasan Al-Herz, Ahmad Bakri, Shant Tatorian, Amr Nounou

Abstract:

Kuwait is a country that has an imbalanced economy since most of its national outcome comes from the oil trade. It is so risky for a country to be dependent on a single source for income, and this increases the need to diversify its economy. In addition, according to the Public Authority for Industry, the contribution of the industrial sector to the current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Kuwait is low which is about 4.33%. Therefore, the development of the industrial sector can be one of the means to diversify the economy and increase the industry's contribution to the national outcome. This is in accordance with Kuwait’s vision of 2035 which aims at increasing the contribution of the industrial sector to the GDP to 12%. In order to do so, this study aims at proposing a strategic plan that will accomplish certain objectives when implemented. It is based on analyzing the industrial sectors in Kuwait taking into consideration studying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing them. At the same time, it tends to gain from the experience of leading models and neighboring countries regarding the development of the industrial sector. In this study, the SWOT analysis technique will be conducted on all industrial sectors based on evaluation criteria in which it is determined whether any of them has a potential for improvement or not. In other words, it is determined whether the sectors are able to compete locally, regionally, or globally. Based on the results of the SWOT analysis, certain sectors will be chosen, assessed based on an assessment scheme, and their potentials for improvement will be aligned with the overall objectives. To ensure the achievement of the study’s objectives, an action plan will be proposed regarding recommendations for the related authorities, and for entrepreneurs. In addition, monitoring tools are going to be provided for the purpose of periodically checking the progress made in the implementation of the plan.

Keywords: industrial sector, SWOT analysis, productivity, competitiveness, GDP, Kuwait, economy

Procedia PDF Downloads 459

Authors: Jillian Gardner, Hilde D. Miniggio

Abstract:

The increasing prevalence of obesity has driven the pursuit of alternative weight loss strategies, such as jaw wiring (or ‘slimming wires’), a technique known in the medical community as maxillomandibular fixation, which has evolved beyond its original intention of treating temporomandibular joint disorders. Individuals have increasingly sought and utilized the procedure for weight loss purposes. Although legal in South Africa, this trend presents dentists with ethical dilemmas, as they face requests for interventions that prioritize aesthetic preferences over medical necessity. Drawing on scholarly literature and the four principles framework of Beauchamp and Childress, this ethical analysis offers guidance for dentists facing the ethical dilemma of patient requests for jaw wiring as a weight management intervention. The ethical analysis concludes that dentists who refuse autonomous requests to perform jaw wiring for purely weight loss purposes are ethically justified within the principlist framework in overriding these requests when the principles of non-maleficence and beneficence are at stake. The well-being and health of the patient, as well as societal and professional obligations, justify the refusal to perform jaw wiring purely for weight loss.

Keywords: ethics, jaw wiring, maxillomandibular fixation, principlism, weight loss

Procedia PDF Downloads 37

Authors: Trilochana Dash, Chandan Kumar Sahoo

Abstract:

In today's environment of intensive industrialization, the role of business in societal modernization is critical. The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) arose due to rising societal awareness of company conduct. Corporations that practice CSR devote a portion of their profits to society’s sustainable development (SD). The concept of CSR and SD has increased the impact of industries on society. In this study, bibliometric analysis was conducted using the “R” programming language to determine the comprehensiveness of CSR and SD. From 2003 to 2022, bibliometric data was collected from two databases: Scopus and Web of Science (WOS). According to the findings, CSR and SD research has risen exponentially in the past two decades, and “Corporate Social Responsibility and Environment Management” emerged as the most influential journal in this field. The findings also show that relatively very few researchers collaborate in CSR and SD research in the last twenty years. It is widely acknowledged that most CSR and SD research is conducted in developed countries and developing countries undergoing fast industrialization. Thematic evolution and cluster analysis clearly show that the notion of CSR and SD among scholars has been quite popular over the last two decades. Finally, limitations and future directions are discussed.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, bibliometric analysis, “R” programming language, visualization, holistic picture

Procedia PDF Downloads 72

Authors: Isabela Romanha de Alcantara, Jose Eustaquio Ribeiro Vieira Filho, Jose Garcia Gasques

Abstract:

Innovation and technology can be determinant factors to ensure agricultural and sustainable growth, as well as productivity gains. Technical change has contributed considerably to supply agricultural expansion in Brazil. This agricultural growth could be achieved by incorporating more land or capital. If capital is the main source of agricultural growth, it is possible to increase production per unit of land. The objective of this paper is to estimate: 1) total factor productivity (TFP), which is measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input; and 2) the land-saving effect (LSE) that is the amount of land required in the case that yield rate is constant over time. According to this study, from 1990 to 2019, it appears that 87 percent of Brazilian agriculture product growth comes from the gains of productivity; the rest of 13 percent comes from input growth. In the same period, the total LSE was roughly 400 Mha, which corresponds to 47 percent of the national territory. These effects reflect the greater efficiency of using productive factors, whose technical change has allowed an increase in agricultural production based on productivity gains.

Keywords: agriculture, land-saving effect, livestock, productivity

Procedia PDF Downloads 220

Authors: S. Ritddech, P. Aroonjarattham, K. Aroonjarattham

Abstract:

The pullout strength had an effect on the stability of plate screw fixation when inserted in the cervical spine. Nine different titanium alloy bone screws were used to test the pullout strength through finite element analysis. The result showed that the Moss Miami I can bear the highest pullout force at 1,075 N, which causes the maximum von Mises stress at 858.87 MPa, a value over the yield strength of titanium. The bone screw should have large outer diameter, core diameter and proximal root radius to increase the pullout strength.

Keywords: pullout strength, screw parameter, cervical spine, finite element analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 279

Authors: M. Kastek, M. Kowalski, M. Szustakowski, H. Polakowski, T. Sosnowski

Abstract:

Development of highly efficient security systems is one of the most urgent topics for science and engineering. There are many kinds of threats and many methods of prevention. It is very important to detect a threat as early as possible in order to neutralize it. One of the very challenging problems is detection of dangerous objects hidden under human’s clothing. This problem is particularly important for safety of airport passengers. In order to develop methods and algorithms to detect hidden objects it is necessary to determine the thermal signatures of such objects of interest. The laboratory measurements were conducted to determine the thermal signatures of dangerous tools hidden under various clothes in different ambient conditions. Cameras used for measurements were working in spectral range 0.6-12.5 μm An infrared imaging Fourier transform spectroradiometer was also used, working in spectral range 7.7-11.7 μm. Analysis of registered thermograms and hyperspectral datacubes has yielded the thermal signatures for two types of guns, two types of knives and home-made explosive bombs. The determined thermal signatures will be used in the development of method and algorithms of image analysis implemented in proposed monitoring systems.

Keywords: hyperspectral detection, nultispectral detection, image processing, monitoring systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 336

Authors: Alldila Hendy, Agi Satria

Abstract:

Background: A colostomy procedure is an important part in the management of surgical procedures in some diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract. So it is necessary to find the factors that influence the occurrence of complications. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional analytic study in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital noting medical records of patients after the colostomy from January 2012 to December 2014 at the Division of Digestive Surgery. Results: In 136 cases of post-colostomy, 66 cases have complications, 14 is early-onset, and 52 is late-onset. 70 is without complications. Most complications are dermatitis, which is 31 (22.8%), cases of infection/abscess/fistula and intestinal obstruction are 13 (9.6%) and 5 patients (4.4%). A rare complication is colostomy retraction by 2 patients (1.5%), colostomy prolapse and necrosis/gangrene, which is only 3 patients (2.2%). A colostomy procedure in emergency surgery is riskier than elective surgery for complications after colostomy (p < 0.007, OR 2.85), Based on the operator who performs a colostomy procedure, the consultant had a lower risk of complications than fellow or resident (p < 0.0001). Based on the age factor, where the age of about 50 years has a risk of complications after colostomy (p < 0.018). Conclusion: The timing of operation (emergency or elective), age, and operator who perform a colostomy procedure have a significant relationship with an increased prevalence of complications after colostomy in RSCM.

Keywords: colostomy, complications, factors, procedure

Procedia PDF Downloads 257

Authors: Tomasz Grzes, Maciej Kopczynski, Jaroslaw Stepaniuk

Abstract:

The rough sets theory developed by Prof. Z. Pawlak is one of the tools that can be used in the intelligent systems for data analysis and processing. Banking, medicine, image recognition and security are among the possible fields of utilization. In all these fields, the amount of the collected data is increasing quickly, but with the increase of the data, the computation speed becomes the critical factor. Data reduction is one of the solutions to this problem. Removing the redundancy in the rough sets can be achieved with the reduct. A lot of algorithms of generating the reduct were developed, but most of them are only software implementations, therefore have many limitations. Microprocessor uses the fixed word length, consumes a lot of time for either fetching as well as processing of the instruction and data; consequently, the software based implementations are relatively slow. Hardware systems don’t have these limitations and can process the data faster than a software. Reduct is the subset of the decision attributes that provides the discernibility of the objects. For the given decision table there can be more than one reduct. Core is the set of all indispensable condition attributes. None of its elements can be removed without affecting the classification power of all condition attributes. Moreover, every reduct consists of all the attributes from the core. In this paper, the hardware implementation of the two-stage greedy algorithm to find the one reduct is presented. The decision table is used as an input. Output of the algorithm is the superreduct which is the reduct with some additional removable attributes. First stage of the algorithm is calculating the core using the discernibility matrix. Second stage is generating the superreduct by enriching the core with the most common attributes, i.e., attributes that are more frequent in the decision table. Described above algorithm has two disadvantages: i) generating the superreduct instead of reduct, ii) additional first stage may be unnecessary if the core is empty. But for the systems focused on the fast computation of the reduct the first disadvantage is not the key problem. The core calculation can be achieved with a combinational logic block, and thus add respectively little time to the whole process. Algorithm presented in this paper was implemented in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as a digital device consisting of blocks that process the data in a single step. Calculating the core is done by the comparators connected to the block called 'singleton detector', which detects if the input word contains only single 'one'. Calculating the number of occurrences of the attribute is performed in the combinational block made up of the cascade of the adders. The superreduct generation process is iterative and thus needs the sequential circuit for controlling the calculations. For the research purpose, the algorithm was also implemented in C language and run on a PC. The times of execution of the reduct calculation in a hardware and software were considered. Results show increase in the speed of data processing.

Keywords: data reduction, digital systems design, field programmable gate array (FPGA), reduct, rough set

Procedia PDF Downloads 205

Authors: Reem Al-Garni

Abstract:

Malnutrition is a global epidemic, but the under-weight or Failure-To-Thrive risk is increasing in rehabilitation setting and considered one of the contribution factor for developmental delay. Beside the consequences of malnutrition on children growth and development, there are other side-effects that might delay or hold the progress of rehabilitation. The awareness for malnutrition must be raised and discussed by the rehabilitation team, to promote the treatment and to optimize the client care. The solution can start from food supplements intake and / or Enteral Nutrition plan, depending on the malnutrition level and to reach the goal, the medical team should to work together in order to provide comprehensive treatment and to help the family to be able to manage their child condition. We have explore the outcomes of rehabilitation between the children with CP whose diagnosed with malnutrition and children with normal body Wight Over a period of 4 months who received 4-6 weeks of rehabilitation two hours daily by using WeeFIM score to measure rehabilitation outcomes. WeeFIM measures and covers various domains, such as: self-care, mobility, locomotion, communication and other psycho-social aspects. Our findings reported that children with normal body Wight has better outcomes and improvement comparing with children with malnutrition for the entire study sample.

Keywords: Cerebral Palsy (CP), pediatric Functional Independent Measure (WeeFIM), rehabilitation, malnutrition

Procedia PDF Downloads 304

Authors: Vilma Deltuvaitė

Abstract:

Comparisons of financial development across countries are central to answering many of the questions on factors leading to economic development. For this reason this study analyzes the implications of financial system’s development on country’s economic development. The aim of the article: to analyze the impact of financial system’s development on economic development. The following research methods were used: systemic, logical and comparative analysis of scientific literature, analysis of statistical data, time series model (Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model). The empirical results suggest about positive short and long term effect of stock market development on GDP per capita.

Keywords: banking sector, economic development, financial system’s development, stock market, private bond market

Procedia PDF Downloads 367

Authors: Jitendra Singh, Vivek Kumar

Abstract:

In this paper, a susceptible infective susceptible mathematical model is proposed and analyzed where the migration of human population is given by migration function. It is assumed that the disease is transmitted by direct contact of susceptible and infective populations with constant contact rate. The equilibria and their stability are studied by using the stability theory of ordinary differential equations and computer simulation. The model analysis shows that the spread of infectious disease increases when human population immigration increases in the habitat but it decreases if emigration increases.

Keywords: SIS (Susceptible Infective Susceptible) model, migration function, susceptible, stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 242

Authors: Nazih Ramadan, Ghada Hassabo

Abstract:

Background and Aims: Domestic violence and other forms of violence against women and other family members are known to be substantial and widespread, with women more likely than men to be abused mostly by their partner, which is known as gender-based violence. Domestic violence is a major precipitating factor for suicide in many communities especially in our Middle East area. The aim of the study is to show the real relation between suicidal attempts and domestic violence especially in female victims. We tried also through this study to know the most common age at which the abused person attempt suicide, the perpetrator, the educational level of the abused person, and the social level of them. Materials and Methods: In this study, we collect data from 150 victims of suicidal attempts who came to seek medical help at National Poisoning Center. They were asked to answer a preformed questionnaire after giving consent. Results: The study shows that women are at higher risk for suicidal behavior and that suicidal attempt is directly proportionate to low level of education and low social class situation. Conclusion: the study shows the strong relation between attempting suicide and exposure to domestic violence. At the end of this work, we recommend understanding the broad scope and tragic impact of domestic violence; further research is needed concerning domestic violence-related suicide.

Keywords: Cairo, domestic violence, domestic violence-related suicide, violence against women

Procedia PDF Downloads 270

Authors: Kholil Kholil, Soecahyadi Soecahyadi

Abstract:

Geographically, Padang Panjang Regency which located in the heart of Western Sumatra has great potentials for the tourism industry. However, these potentials have not been strategically developed for increasing local economic development and people's welfare. The purpose of this research is to design the strategy of sustainable tourism area development using Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing (SAST) and Exponential Rank Method (ERM). Result study showed, there are four aspects which importance and certainly for developing tourism area destination in Padang Panjang Regency; (1) tourist information center and promotion, (2) regional cooperation development; (3) minangese center as a center of excellence; and (4) building the center of the public market. To build an attractive tourist area required action plan includes the construction of an information center, center of excellence of minangese, and tourist infrastructure; and public participation is a key success factor for ensuring sustainability of tourism development in Padang Panjang Regency.

Keywords: local economic development, tourism attraction, SAST, ERM

Procedia PDF Downloads 327

Authors: Wen-Bin Liau, Wan-Ting Wang, Chiang-Jen Hsiao, Sheng-Mao Tseng

Abstract:

In this paper, an interesting and easy method to prepare one-dimensional nanostructured polyaniline/dendritic silver composites is reported. It is well known that the morphology of metal particle is a very important factor to influence the properties of polymer-metal composites. Usually, the dendritic silver is prepared by kinetic control in reduction reaction. It is not a thermodynamically stable structure. It is the goal to reduce silver ion to dendritic silver by polyaniline polymer via kinetic control and form one-dimensional nanostructured polyaniline/dendritic silver composites. The preparation is a two steps sequential reaction. First step, the polyaniline networks composed of nano fibrillar polyaniline are synthesized from aniline monomers aqueous with ammonium persulfate as the initiator at room temperature. In second step, the silver nitrate is added into polyaniline networks dispersed in deionized water. The dendritic silver is formed via reduction by polyaniline networks under the kinetic control. The formation of polyaniline is discussed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nanosheets, nanotubes, nanospheres, nanosticks, and networks are observed via TEM. Then, the mechanism of formation of one-dimensional nanostructured polyaniline/dendritic silver composites is discussed. The formation of dendritic silver is observed by TEM and X-ray diffraction.

Keywords: 1D nanostructured polyaniline, dendritic silver, synthesis

Procedia PDF Downloads 486

Authors: Cherry Dhiman, Ayushi Paliwal, Mohd. Shahid Khan, M. N. Reddy, Vinay Gupta, Monika Tomar

Abstract:

The laser based high resolution spectroscopic experimental techniques such as Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Rotating Disk Electrode Optical Emission spectroscopy (RDE-OES) and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) have been used for the study of composition and degradation analysis of used engine oils. Engine oils are mainly composed of aliphatic and aromatics compounds and its soot contains hazardous components in the form of fine, coarse and ultrafine particles consisting of wear metal elements. Such coarse particulates matter (PM) and toxic elements are extremely dangerous for human health that can cause respiratory and genetic disorder in humans. The combustible soot from thermal power plants, industry, aircrafts, ships and vehicles can lead to the environmental and climate destabilization. It contributes towards global pollution for land, water, air and global warming for environment. The detection of such toxicants in the form of elemental analysis is a very serious issue for the waste material management of various organic, inorganic hydrocarbons and radioactive waste elements. In view of such important points, the current study on used engine oils was performed. The fundamental characterization of engine oils was conducted by measuring water content and kinematic viscosity test that proves the crude analysis of the degradation of used engine oils samples. The microscopic quantitative and qualitative analysis was presented by RDE-OES technique which confirms the presence of elemental impurities of Pb, Al, Cu, Si, Fe, Cr, Na and Ba lines for used waste engine oil samples in few ppm. The presence of such elemental impurities was confirmed by LIBS spectral analysis at various transition levels of atomic line. The recorded transition line of Pb confirms the maximum degradation which was found in used engine oil sample no. 3 and 4. Apart from the basic tests, the calculations for dielectric constants and refractive index of the engine oils were performed via SPR analysis.

Keywords: surface plasmon resonance, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, ICCD spectrometer, engine oil

Procedia PDF Downloads 130

Authors: Siyu Wang, Anthony Ward

Abstract:

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a well-established personal characteristic. It has been viewed as a critical factor which can influence an individual's academic achievement, ability to work and potential to succeed. When working in a group, EI is fundamentally connected to the group members' interaction and ability to work as a team. The ability of a group member to intelligently perceive and understand own emotions (Intrapersonal EI), to intelligently perceive and understand other members' emotions (Interpersonal EI), and to intelligently perceive and understand emotions between different groups (Cross-boundary EI) can be considered as Group emotional intelligence (Group EI). In this research, a more representative Group EI measurement approach, which incorporates the information of the composition of a group and an individual’s role in that group, is proposed. To demonstrate the claim of being more representative Group EI measurement approach, this study adopts a multi-method research design, involving a combination of both qualitative and quantitative techniques to establish a metric of Group EI. From the results, it can be concluded that by introducing the weight coefficient of each group member on group work into the measurement of Group EI, Group EI will be more representative and more capable of understanding what happens during teamwork than previous approaches.

Keywords: case study, emotional intelligence, group EI, multi-method research

Procedia PDF Downloads 111

Authors: Maryam Rafraf, Aida Ghaffari

Abstract:

Objectives: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Dyslipidemia contributes to the enhanced risk of CVD in persons with NAFLD. This study aimed to investigate the effects of turmeric supplementation on serum lipids levels in patients with NAFLD. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 46 NAFLD patients (21 males and 25 females; age range, 20 – 60 years) were randomly assigned in the two groups. The intervention and control groups received 3g of turmeric (n = 23) and placebo (n = 23), daily for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and at the end of the trial. Results: Turmeric supplementation significantly increased serum levels of HDL-C compared with the placebo group at the end of the study (by 12.73%, P < 0.05). Serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly reduced within turmeric group at the end of the study (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Turmeric consumption had beneficial effects on serum lipids levels of subjects and may be useful in controlling of CVD risk factors in NAFLD patients.

Keywords: nonalcoholic fatty liver, serum lipids, supplementation, turmeric

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: M. Abir Hossain, M. Shahjada Tarafder

Abstract:

This paper deals with the analysis of potential flow past two-dimensional body by discretizing the body into panels where the Laplace equation was applied to each panel. The Laplace equation was solved at each panel by applying the boundary conditions. The boundary condition was applied at each panel to mathematically formulate the problem and then convert the problem into a computer-solvable problem. Kutta condition was applied at both the leading and trailing edges to see whether the condition is satisfied or not. Another approach that is applied for the analysis is Vortex Lattice Method (VLM). A vortex ring is considered at each control point. Using the Biot-Savart Law the strength at each control point is calculated and hence the pressure differentials are measured. For the comparison of the analytic result with the experimental result, different NACA section hydrofoil is used. The analytic result of NACA 0012 and NACA 0015 are compared with the experimental result of Abbott and Doenhoff and found significant conformity with the achieved result.

Keywords: Kutta condition, Law of Biot-Savart, pressure differentials, potential flow, vortex lattice method

Procedia PDF Downloads 178

Authors: Lina Zhong, Sunny Sun, Rob Law

Abstract:

Artificial intelligence has been developing rapidly. Previous studies have evaluated hotel technology either from an employee or consumer perspective. However, impacts, which mainly include the social and economic impacts of hotel robots, are unknown as they are newly introduced. To bridge the aforementioned research gap, this study evaluates hotel robots from contextual, diagnostic, evaluative, and strategic aspects using framework analysis as a basis to assist hotel managers in real-time hotel marketing strategy management, adjustment and revenue achievement. Findings show that, from a consumer perspective, the overall acceptance of hotel robots is low. The main implication is that the cost of hotel robots should be carefully estimated, and the investment should be made based on phases.

Keywords: application, evaluation, framework analysis, hotel robot

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Md. Maksudur Rahman Khan, Chee Wai Woon, Huei Ruey Ong, Vignes Rasiah, Chin Kui Cheng, Kar Min Chan, E. Baranitharan

Abstract:

The present work represents a preparation of non-precious iron-based electrocatalyst (FeN) for ORR in air-cathode microbial fuel cell by pyrolysis treatment. Iron oxalate which recovered from the industrial wastewater and Phenanthroline (Phen) were used as the iron and nitrogen precursors, respectively in preparing FeN catalyst. The performance of as prepared catalyst (FeN) was investigated in a single chambered air cathode MFC in which anaerobic sludge was used as inoculum and palm oil mill effluent as substrate. The maximum open circuit potential (OCV) and the highest power density recorded were 0.543 V and 4.9 mW/m2, respectively. Physical characterization of FeN was elucidated by using Brunauner Emmett Teller (BET), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) while the electrochemical properties were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis. The presence of biofilm on anode surface was examined using FESEM and confirmed using Infrared Spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis. The findings of this study demonstrated that FeN is electrochemically active and further modification is needed to increase the ORR catalytic activity.

Keywords: iron based catalyst, microbial fuel cells, oxygen reduction reaction, palm oil mill effluent

Procedia PDF Downloads 314

Authors: Muhammad Tariq, Hammad Tahir, Fawwad Mahmood Butt

Abstract:

Purpose: This study attempts to examine the best forecasting methodologies in the time series. The time series forecasting models such as VAR, ARCH and the ARMA are considered for the analysis. Methodology: The Bench Marks or the parameters such as Adjusted R square, F-stats, Durban Watson, and Direction of the roots have been critically and empirically analyzed. The empirical analysis consists of time series data of Consumer Price Index and Closing Stock Price. Findings: The results show that the VAR model performed better in comparison to other models. Both the reliability and significance of VAR model is highly appreciable. In contrary to it, the ARCH model showed very poor results for forecasting. However, the results of ARMA model appeared double standards i.e. the AR roots showed that model is stationary and that of MA roots showed that the model is invertible. Therefore, the forecasting would remain doubtful if it made on the bases of ARMA model. It has been concluded that VAR model provides best forecasting results. Practical Implications: This paper provides empirical evidences for the application of time series forecasting model. This paper therefore provides the base for the application of best time series forecasting model.

Keywords: forecasting, time series, auto regression, ARCH, ARMA

Procedia PDF Downloads 330

Authors: Kawalpreet Kaur, Panagiotis Mitropoulos

Abstract:

The division of the project scope into work packages is the most important step in the preconstruction phase of construction projects. The work division determines the scope and complexity of each bid package, resulting in dependencies between project participants performing these work packages. The coordination between project participants is necessary because of these dependencies. Excessive dependencies between the bid packages create coordination difficulties, leading to delays, added costs, and contractual friction among project participants. However, the literature on construction provides limited knowledge regarding work structuring approaches, issues, and challenges. Manufacturing industry literature provides a systematic approach to defining the project scope into work packages, and the implementation of social network analysis (SNA) in manufacturing is an effective approach to defining and analyzing the divided scope of work at the dependencies level. This paper presents a case study of implementing a similar approach using SNA in construction bid packages. The study uses SNA to analyze the scope of bid packages and determine the dependency between scope elements. The method successfully identifies the bid package with the maximum interaction with other trade contractors and the scope elements that are crucial for project performance. The analysis provided graphical and quantitative information on bid package dependencies. The study can be helpful in performing an analysis to determine the dependencies between bid packages and their scope elements and how these scope elements are critical for project performance. The study illustrates the potential use of SNA as a systematic approach to analyzing bid package dependencies in construction projects, which can guide the division of crucial scope elements to minimize negative impacts on project performance.

Keywords: work structuring, bid packages, work breakdown, project participants

Procedia PDF Downloads 68

Authors: Ma. Rosario Concepcion O. Ang, Luis Caezar Ian K. Panganiban, Charmyne B. Mamador, Oliver Dan G. De Luna, Michael D. Bausas, Joselito P. Cruz

Abstract:

PhilSHORE is a multi-site, multi-device and multi-criteria decision support tool designed to support the development of tidal current energy in the Philippines. Its platform is based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which allows for the collection, storage, processing, analyses and display of geospatial data. Combining GIS tools with open source web development applications, PhilSHORE becomes a webGIS-based marine spatial planning tool. To date, PhilSHORE displays output maps and graphs of power and energy density, site suitability and site-device analysis. It enables stakeholders and the public easy access to the results of tidal current energy resource assessments and site suitability analyses. Results of the initial development shows PhilSHORE is a promising decision support tool for ORE project developments.

Keywords: gis, site suitability analysis, tidal current energy resource assessment, webgis

Procedia PDF Downloads 511

Authors: Danna Jia, Bin Li

Abstract:

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and refractory inflammatory skin disease characterized by relapsing eczematous and pruritic skin lesions. The global prevalence of AD ranges from 1~ 20%, and its incidence rates are increasing. It affects individuals from infancy to adulthood, significantly impacting their daily lives and social activities. Despite its major health burden, the precise mechanisms underlying AD remain unknown. Understanding the genetic differences associated with AD is crucial for advancing diagnosis and targeted treatment development. This study aims to identify candidate genes of AD by using bioinformatics analysis. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of four pooled transcriptomic datasets (GSE16161, GSE32924, GSE130588, and GSE120721) obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differential gene expression analysis was performed using the R statistical language. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AD patients and normal individuals were functionally analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. Furthermore, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify candidate genes. Results: Among the patient-level gene expression datasets, we identified 114 shared DEGs, consisting of 53 upregulated genes and 61 downregulated genes. Functional analysis using GO and KEGG revealed that the DEGs were mainly associated with the negative regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter, membrane-related functions, protein binding, and the Human papillomavirus infection pathway. Through the PPI network analysis, we identified eight core genes: CD44, STAT1, HMMR, AURKA, MKI67, and SMARCA4. Conclusion: This study elucidates key genes associated with AD, providing potential targets for diagnosis and treatment. The identified genes have the potential to contribute to the understanding and management of AD. The bioinformatics analysis conducted in this study offers new insights and directions for further research on AD. Future studies can focus on validating the functional roles of these genes and exploring their therapeutic potential in AD. While these findings will require further verification as achieved with experiments involving in vivo and in vitro models, these results provided some initial insights into dysfunctional inflammatory and immune responses associated with AD. Such information offers the potential to develop novel therapeutic targets for use in preventing and treating AD.

Keywords: atopic dermatitis, bioinformatics, biomarkers, genes

Procedia PDF Downloads 68

Authors: Ngabirano Levis

Abstract:

One of Africa’s major environmental challenges remains air pollution. In 2017, UNICEF estimated over 400,000 children in Africa died as a result of indoor pollution, while 350 million children remain exposed to the risks of indoor pollution due to the use of biomass and burning of wood for cooking. Over time, indeed, the major causes of mortality across Africa are shifting from the unsafe water, poor sanitation, and malnutrition to the ambient and household indoor pollution, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remain a key factor in this. In addition, studies by the OECD estimated that the economic cost of premature deaths due to Ambient Particulate Matter Pollution (APMP) and Household Air Pollution across Africa in 2013 was about 215 Billion US Dollars and US 232 Billion US Dollars, respectively. This is not only a huge cost for a continent where over 41% of the Sub-Saharan population lives on less than 1.9 US Dollars a day but also makes the people extremely vulnerable to the negative climate change and environmental degradation effects. Such impacts have led to extended droughts, flooding, health complications, and reduced crop yields hence food insecurity. Climate change, therefore, poses a threat to global targets like poverty reduction, health, and famine. Despite efforts towards mitigation, air contributors like carbon dioxide emissions are on a generally upward trajectory across Africa. In Egypt, for instance, emission levels had increased by over 141% in 2010 from the 1990 baseline. Efforts like the climate change adaptation and mitigation financing have also hit obstacles on the continent. The International Community and developed nations stress that Africa still faces challenges of limited human, institutional and financial systems capable of attracting climate funding from these developed economies. By using the qualitative multi-case study method supplemented by interviews of key actors and comprehensive textual analysis of relevant literature, this paper dissects the key emissions and air pollutant sources, their impact on the well-being of the African people, and puts forward suggestions as well as a remedial mechanism to these challenges. The findings reveal that whereas climate change mitigation plans appear comprehensive and good on paper for many African countries like Uganda; the lingering political interference, limited research guided planning, lack of population engagement, irrational resource allocation, and limited system and personnel capacity has largely impeded the realization of the set targets. Recommendations have been put forward to address the above climate change impacts that threaten the food security, health, and livelihoods of the people on the continent.

Keywords: Africa, air pollution, climate change, mitigation, emissions, effective planning, institutional strengthening

Procedia PDF Downloads 68

Authors: Levan Sabauri

Abstract:

Audit is an independent inspection of the financial statement of the audited person and expresses the opinion of an auditor on the reliability of this statement. The auditor’s activity (auditor’s service) is realized by auditing organizations, individual auditors in connection to conduction of an audit and rendering of audit accompanying services. The profession of auditor means a high level of responsibility for rendered service. Results of decisions made by information users depend on the quality of the auditor’s conclusion. Owners, investors, creditors, and society rely on the opinion of the auditor under the condition that inspection was conducted with good quality. Therefore, the existence of the well-functioning audit quality control system for the administering of the audit is an important issue. An efficient audit quality control system is a substantial challenge that many countries face worldwide, especially those states where these systems are being formed within the respective reform program. The presented article reflects on the best practices of the leading countries, the assumptions and recommendations for the financial accounting, reporting and audit; current reforms in Georgia are made based on this comparative analysis.

Keywords: audit quality control, audit program, financial statement, perspective analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 143

Authors: Leticia Lengler, Jefferson Oliveira, Vania Estivalete, Jordana Marques Kneipp

Abstract:

The context of social, economic and environmental transformations has driven innumerable changes in the organizational environment, influencing the social interactions that occur in this scenario. In this sense, social entrepreneurship emerges as a unique opportunity to challenge, question, rethink certain concepts and traditional theories widely discussed in relation to entrepreneurship. Therefore, the interest in studying personal values has been based on the idea that they might be predictors of the behavior of individuals. As an attempt to relate personal values with the characteristics of social entrepreneurs, this study aims to investigate the salient values and the social entrepreneurship perceptions that occur in two social projects responsible for developing sports skills among the students. For purposes of analysis, it is intended to consider: (i) a description of both Social Projects and their respective institutions, considering their history and relevance in the context; (ii) analysis of the personal values of the idealizers and teachers responsible for the projects, (iii) identification of the characteristics of social entrepreneurship manifested in the two projects, and (iv) discussion of similarities and disparities of the categories identified among the participants of the projects. Therefore, this study will carry a qualitative analysis from the interviews with 10 participants of each social project (named Projeto Remar/ASENA and Projeto Mãos Dadas/JUDÔ SANTA MARIA): 2 projects coordinators, 2 students, 2 parents of students, 2 physical education internships and 2 businessmen who stablished a partnership with each project. The data collection will be done through semi-structured interviews that are going to last around 30 minutes each, being recorded, transcribed and later analyzed, through the categorical analysis. The option for categorical analysis is supported by the fact that it is the best alternative when one wants to study values, opinions, attitudes and beliefs, through qualitative ones. In the present research, the pre-analysis phase consisted of an organization of the material collected during the research with Remar and Mãos Dadas Project, and a dynamic reading of this material, seeking to identify the characteristics of social entrepreneurship and values addressed in the study. In the analytical description phase, a more in-depth analysis of the material collected in the research will be carried out. The third phase, referred to as referential interpretation or treatment of results obtained will allow to verify the homogeneity and the heterogeneity among the participants' perceptions of the projects. Some preliminary results coming from the first interviews revealed the projects are guided by values such as cooperation, respect, well-being and nature preservation. These values are linked to the social entrepreneurship perception of the projects managers, who established their activities in behalf of the local community.

Keywords: personal values, social entrepreneurship, social projects, sports participants

Procedia PDF Downloads 350

Authors: Cinthia Campoverde, Mateo Benavidez, Victor Arias, Milton Torres

Abstract:

This article evaluates and compares three propagation models: the Okumura-Hata model, the Ericsson 9999 model, and the SUI model. The inclusion of vegetation attenuation in the area is also taken into account. These mathematical models aim to predict the power loss between a transmitting antenna (Tx) and a receiving antenna (Rx). The study was conducted in the open areas of the Livestock Department at the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH) University, located in the city of Riobamba, Ecuador. The necessary parameters for each model were calculated, considering LTE technology. The transmitting antenna belongs to the mobile phone company ”TUENTI” in Band 2, operating at a frequency of 1940 MHz. The reception power data in the area were empirically measured using the ”Network Cell Info” application. A total of 170 samples were collected, distributed across 19 radius, forming concentric circles around the transmitting antenna. The results demonstrate that the Okumura Hata urban model provides the best fit to the measured data.

Keywords: propagation models, reception power, LTE, power losses, correction factor

Procedia PDF Downloads 71

Authors: Melaku Tsehay

Abstract:

The Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations (CCRDA), and the CORE Group Polio Partners (CGPP) Secretariat have been working with Global Alliance for Vac-cines and Immunization (GAVI) to improve the immunization data quality in Afar and Somali Regional States. The main aim of this study was to compare the quality of immunization data before and after the above interventions in health facilities in the pastoralist communities in Ethiopia. To this end, a comparative-cross-sectional study was conducted on 51 health facilities. The baseline data was collected in May 2019, while the end line data in August 2021. The WHO data quality self-assessment tool (DQS) was used to collect data. A significant improvment was seen in the accuracy of the pentavalent vaccine (PT)1 (p = 0.012) data at the health posts (HP), while PT3 (p = 0.010), and Measles (p = 0.020) at the health centers (HC). Besides, a highly sig-nificant improvment was observed in the accuracy of tetanus toxoid (TT)2 data at HP (p < 0.001). The level of over- or under-reporting was found to be < 8%, at the HP, and < 10% at the HC for PT3. The data completeness was also increased from 72.09% to 88.89% at the HC. Nearly 74% of the health facilities timely reported their respective immunization data, which is much better than the baseline (7.1%) (p < 0.001). These findings may provide some hints for the policies and pro-grams targetting on improving immunization data qaulity in the pastoralist communities.

Keywords: data quality, immunization, verification factor, pastoralist region

Procedia PDF Downloads 86

Authors: Manirath Wongsim

Abstract:

Information technology management has become important for the achievement of organisations. An increase in the pace of technological change has revolutionised the way accountants perform their jobs. In response to this challenge, the identification of a new comprehensive set of information technology competencies combined with information technology skills and other skills (namely, soft skills) are necessary. Thus, this study aims to investigate IT competencies among professional accountants to enhance firm performance. This research was conducted with 42 respondents at ten organisations in Thailand. This research used qualitative, interpretive evidence.The results indicate that the factor IT competencies within the organizational issues defines19 factors. Specifically, these new factors, based on the research findings and the literature and unique to IT competences for professional accountants, include ERP software skills, BI software skills and accounting law and legal skills. The evidence in this study suggests that ERP software, spreadsheets, BI software and accounting software were ranked as much-needed skills to be acquired by accountants while communication skills were ranked as the most required skills, and delegation skills as the least required. The findings of the research’s empirical evidence suggest that organizations should understand appropriate into developing information technology related competencies for knowledge workers in general and professional accountants in particular and provide assistance in all processes of decision making.

Keywords: IT competencies, IT competencies for accountants, IT skills for accounting, soft skills for accountants

Procedia PDF Downloads 400