Search results for: effective pair potential

Authors: Ruchi Agarwal, Jake Ansell

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Austerity impacts on all aspects of society. Companies into the future will have to be more capable of dealing with the risks they face. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) has widely been accepted in recent years as an approach to manage risks within businesses. ERM attempts to tackle risk holistically with gains from opportunities in a managing risk and reduction in the risk of failure. The paper reviews merits and demerits of approaches to risk management in regard to antifragility. A qualitative study has investigated current practices and the problems with ERM implementation by interviewing over 25 chief risk officers and senior management. The findings indicate the gap in ERM description, understanding, and implementation. The paper suggests risk learning and expertise knowledge supports development of effective enterprise risk management by designing systems with inherent resilience.

Keywords: risk management, interviews, antifragility, failure

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Authors: Abdullah Alotaiq

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The transition to low-carbon power generation is essential for mitigating climate change and achieving sustainability. This process, however, entails considerable costs, and understanding the factors influencing these costs is critical. This is necessary to cater to the increasing demand for low-carbon electricity across the heating, industry, and transportation sectors. A crucial aspect of this transition is identifying cost-effective and feasible paths for decarbonization, which is integral to global climate mitigation efforts. It is concluded that hybrid solutions, combining different low-carbon technologies, are optimal for minimizing costs and enhancing flexibility. These solutions also address the challenges associated with phasing out existing fossil fuel-based power plants and broadening the spectrum of low-carbon power generation options.

Keywords: review, power generation, energy transition, decarbonisation

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Authors: F. Pari, E. Fathiazar, T. Hashemi, M. Pari

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The present study aimed to examine the role of self-efficacy and school belonging in the academic achievement of Tabriz high school students in grade 11. Therefore, using a random cluster method, 377 subjects were selected from the whole students of Tabriz high schools. They filled in the School Belonging Questionnaire (SBQ) and General Self-Efficacy Scale. Data were analyzed using correlational as well as multiple regression methods. Findings demonstrate self-efficacy and school belonging have significant roles in the prediction of academic achievement. On the other hand, the results suggest that considering the gender variable there is no significant difference between self-efficacy and school belonging. On the whole, cognitive approaches could be effective in the explanation of academic achievement.

Keywords: school belonging, self-efficacy, academic achievement, high school

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Authors: Benjamin Kuester, Bjoern Eilert, Malte Stonis, Ludger Overmeyer

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Increasing quality requirements make reliable and effective quality management indispensable. This includes the complaint handling in which the 8D method is widely used. The 8D report as a written documentation of the 8D method is one of the key quality documents as it internally secures the quality standards and acts as a communication medium to the customer. In practice, however, the 8D report is mostly faulty and of poor quality. There is no quality control of 8D reports today. This paper describes the use of natural language processing for the automated evaluation of 8D reports. Based on semantic analysis and text-mining algorithms the presented system is able to uncover content and formal quality deficiencies and thus increases the quality of the complaint processing in the long term.

Keywords: 8D report, complaint management, evaluation system, text-mining

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Authors: Zahra Bakhtiari

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This article explores the development and evolution of the concept of environmental justice, which has shifted from being dominated by white and middle-class individuals to a civil struggle by marginalized communities against environmental injustices. Environmental justice aims to achieve equity in decision-making and policy-making related to the environment. The concept of justice in this context includes four fundamental aspects: distribution, procedure, recognition, and capabilities. Recent scholars have attempted to broaden the concept of justice to include dimensions of participation, recognition, and capabilities. Focusing on all four dimensions of environmental justice is crucial for effective planning and policy-making to address environmental issues. Ignoring any of these aspects can lead to the failure of efforts and the waste of resources.

Keywords: environmental justice, distribution, procedure, recognition, capabilities

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Authors: Tokuei Sako

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Light-induced ultrafast charge transfer in low-dimensional nanostructure has been studied by a model of a few electrons confined in a 1D electrostatic potential coupled to electrodes at both ends and subjected to an ultrashort pulsed laser field. The time-propagation of the one- and two-electron wave packets has been calculated by integrating the time-dependent Schrödinger equation by the symplectic integrator method with uniform Fourier grid. The temporal behavior of the resultant light-induced current in the studied systems has been discussed with respect to the central frequency and pulse width of the applied laser fields.

Keywords: pulsed laser field, nanowire, wave packet, quantum dots, conductivity

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Authors: Selma Bouasria, Mahi Abdelkader, Abbès Azzi, Herouz Keltoum

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This paper reports concept was used into the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code cfx through user-defined functions to assess ventilation efficiency inside (forced-ventilation local). CFX is a simulation tool which uses powerful computer and applied mathematics, to model fluid flow situations for the prediction of heat, mass and momentum transfer and optimal design in various heat transfer and fluid flow processes to evaluate thermal comfort in a room ventilated (highly-glazed). The quality of the solutions obtained from CFD simulations is an effective tool for predicting the behavior and performance indoor thermo-aéraulique comfort.

Keywords: ventilation, thermal comfort, CFD, indoor environment, solar air heater

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Authors: María Eugenia Peltzer, María Estela Rodríguez

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This work presents an approach to the cultural aspects of the Immigrants as part of the Cultural Intangible Heritage of Argentina. The intangible cultural heritage consists of the manifestations, practices, uses, representations, expressions, knowledge, techniques and cultural spaces that communities and groups recognize as an integral part of their cultural heritage. This heritage generates feelings of identity and establishes links with the collective memory, as well as being transmitted and recreated over time according to its environment, its interaction with nature and its history contributing to promote respect for cultural diversity and Human creativity. The Immigrants brings together those who came from other lands and their descendants, thus maintaining their traditions through time and linking the members of each cultural group with a strong sense of belonging through a communicative and effective process.

Keywords: cultural, immigration, memories, social

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Authors: R. H. Fattepur, Sameer R. Fattepur, D. K. Sreekantha

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Dairy Farming is one of the key industries in India. India is the leading producer and also the consumer of milk, milk-based products in the world. In this paper, we have attempted to the replace the human expert system and to develop an artificial expert system prototype to increase the speed and accuracy of decision making dairy farming credit risk evaluation. Fuzzy logic is used for dealing with uncertainty, vague and acquired knowledge, fuzzy rule base method is used for representing this knowledge for building an effective expert system.

Keywords: expert system, fuzzy logic, knowledge base, dairy farming, credit risk

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Authors: Sajeda Elbashabsheh, Kamel Al-Khaled

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This paper applies a modified Laplace Adomian decomposition method to solve the time-fractional JaulentMiodek system. The method produce convergent series solutions with easily compatible components. This paper considers the Caputo fractional derivative. The effectiveness and applicability of the method are demonstrated by comparing its results with those of prior studies. Results are presented in tables and figures. These solutions might be imperative and significant for the explanation of some practical physical phenomena. All computations and figures in the work are done using MATHEMATICA. The numerical results demonstrate that the current methods are effective, reliable, and simple to i implement for nonlinear fractional partial differential equations.

Keywords: approximate solutions, Jaulent-Miodek system, Adomian decomposition method, solitons

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Authors: Laura Rodriguez Amaya

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Advances in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are viewed as important to countries’ national economies and their capacities to be competitive in the global economy. However, many countries experience low numbers of students entering these disciplines. To strengthen the professional STEM pipelines, it is important that students are retained in these disciplines at universities. Scholars agree that to retain students in universities’ STEM degrees, it is necessary that STEM course content shows the relevance of these academic fields to their daily lives. By increasing students’ understanding on the importance of these degrees and careers, students’ motivation to remain in these academic programs can also increase. An effective way to make STEM content relevant to students’ lives is the use of geospatial technologies and geovisualization in the classroom. The Geospatial Revolution, and the science and technology associated with it, has provided scientists and engineers with an incredible amount of data about Earth and Earth systems. This data can be used in the classroom to support instruction and make content relevant to all students. The purpose of this study was to find out the prevalence use of geospatial technologies and geovisualization as teaching practices in a USA university. The Teaching Practices Inventory survey, which is a modified version of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative Teaching Practices Inventory, was selected for the study. Faculty in the STEM disciplines that participated in a summer learning institute at a 4-year university in the USA constituted the population selected for the study. One of the summer learning institute’s main purpose was to have an impact on the teaching of STEM courses, particularly the teaching of gateway courses taken by many STEM majors. The sample population for the study is 97.5 of the total number of summer learning institute participants. Basic descriptive statistics through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were performed to find out: 1) The percentage of faculty using geospatial technologies and geovisualization; 2) Did the faculty associated department impact their use of geospatial tools?; and 3) Did the number of years in a teaching capacity impact their use of geospatial tools? Findings indicate that only 10 percent of respondents had used geospatial technologies, and 18 percent had used geospatial visualization. In addition, the use of geovisualization among faculty of different disciplines was broader than the use of geospatial technologies. The use of geospatial technologies concentrated in the engineering departments. Data seems to indicate the lack of incorporation of geospatial tools in STEM education. The use of geospatial tools is an effective way to engage students in deep STEM learning. Future research should look at the effect on student learning and retention in science and engineering programs when geospatial tools are used.

Keywords: engineering education, geospatial technology, geovisualization, STEM

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Authors: Bulcha Belay Etana, Benny Malengier, Debelo Oljira, Janarthanan Krishnamoorthy, Lieva Vanlangenhove

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Electromyography (EMG) is a technique used to measure the electrical activity of muscles. EMG can be used to assess muscle function in a variety of settings, including clinical, research, and sports medicine. The aim of this study was to develop a wearable textile sensor for EMG monitoring. The sensor was designed to be soft, stretchable, and washable, making it suitable for long-term use. The sensor was fabricated using a conductive thread material that was embroidered onto a fabric substrate. The sensor was then connected to a microcontroller unit (MCU) and a Wi-Fi-enabled module. The MCU was programmed to acquire the EMG signal and transmit it wirelessly to the Wi-Fi-enabled module. The Wi-Fi-enabled module then sent the signal to a server, where it could be accessed by a computer or smartphone. The sensor was able to successfully acquire and transmit EMG signals from a variety of muscles. The signal quality was comparable to that of commercial EMG sensors. The development of this sensor has the potential to improve the way EMG is used in a variety of settings. The sensor is soft, stretchable, and washable, making it suitable for long-term use. This makes it ideal for use in clinical settings, where patients may need to wear the sensor for extended periods of time. The sensor is also small and lightweight, making it ideal for use in sports medicine and research settings. The data for this study was collected from a group of healthy volunteers. The volunteers were asked to perform a series of muscle contractions while the EMG signal was recorded. The data was then analyzed to assess the performance of the sensor. The EMG signals were analyzed using a variety of methods, including time-domain analysis and frequency-domain analysis. The time-domain analysis was used to extract features such as the root mean square (RMS) and average rectified value (ARV). The frequency-domain analysis was used to extract features such as the power spectrum. The question addressed by this study was whether a wearable textile sensor could be developed that is soft, stretchable, and washable and that can successfully acquire and transmit EMG signals. The results of this study demonstrate that a wearable textile sensor can be developed that meets the requirements of being soft, stretchable, washable, and capable of acquiring and transmitting EMG signals. This sensor has the potential to improve the way EMG is used in a variety of settings.

Keywords: EMG, electrode position, smart wearable, textile sensor, IoT, IoT-integrated textile sensor

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Authors: Ksenia Volkova, Artur Petrosyan, Ignatii Dubyshkin, Alexei Ossadtchi

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Brain-computer interfaces are a growing research field producing many implementations that find use in different fields and are used for research and practical purposes. Despite the popularity of the implementations using non-invasive neuroimaging methods, radical improvement of the state channel bandwidth and, thus, decoding accuracy is only possible by using invasive techniques. Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a minimally invasive neuroimaging method that provides highly informative brain activity signals, effective analysis of which requires the use of machine learning methods that are able to learn representations of complex patterns. Deep learning is a family of machine learning algorithms that allow learning representations of data with multiple levels of abstraction. This study explores the potential of deep learning approaches for ECoG processing, decoding movement intentions and the perception of proprioceptive information. To obtain synchronous recording of kinematic movement characteristics and corresponding electrical brain activity, a series of experiments were carried out, during which subjects performed finger movements at their own pace. Finger movements were recorded with a three-axis accelerometer, while ECoG was synchronously registered from the electrode strips that were implanted over the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. Then, multichannel ECoG signals were used to track finger movement trajectory characterized by accelerometer signal. This process was carried out both causally and non-causally, using different position of the ECoG data segment with respect to the accelerometer data stream. The recorded data was split into training and testing sets, containing continuous non-overlapping fragments of the multichannel ECoG. A deep convolutional neural network was implemented and trained, using 1-second segments of ECoG data from the training dataset as input. To assess the decoding accuracy, correlation coefficient r between the output of the model and the accelerometer readings was computed. After optimization of hyperparameters and training, the deep learning model allowed reasonably accurate causal decoding of finger movement with correlation coefficient r = 0.8. In contrast, the classical Wiener-filter like approach was able to achieve only 0.56 in the causal decoding mode. In the noncausal case, the traditional approach reached the accuracy of r = 0.69, which may be due to the presence of additional proprioceptive information. This result demonstrates that the deep neural network was able to effectively find a representation of the complex top-down information related to the actual movement rather than proprioception. The sensitivity analysis shows physiologically plausible pictures of the extent to which individual features (channel, wavelet subband) are utilized during the decoding procedure. In conclusion, the results of this study have demonstrated that a combination of a minimally invasive neuroimaging technique such as ECoG and advanced machine learning approaches allows decoding motion with high accuracy. Such setup provides means for control of devices with a large number of degrees of freedom as well as exploratory studies of the complex neural processes underlying movement execution.

Keywords: brain-computer interface, deep learning, ECoG, movement decoding, sensorimotor cortex

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Authors: E. O. Aluta, C. A. Booth, D. G. Proverbs, T. Appleby

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Challenges in the effective management of potable water have attracted global attention in recent years and remain many world regions’ major priorities. Scarcity and unavailability of potable water may potentially escalate poverty, obviate democratic expression of views and militate against inter-sectoral development. These challenges contra-indicate the inherent potentials of the resource. Thus, while creation of poverty may be regarded as a broad-based problem, it is capable of reflecting life-span reduction diseases, the friction of interests manifesting in threats and warfare, the relegation of democratic principles for authoritarian definitions and Human Rights abuse. The challenges may be identified as manifestations of ineffective management of potable water resource and therefore, regarded as major problems in environmental protection. In reaction, some nations have re-examined their laws and policies, while others have developed innovative projects, which seek to ameliorate difficulties of providing sustainable potable water. The problems resonate in Nigeria, where the legal framework supporting the supply and management of potable water has been criticized as ineffective. This has impacted more on rural community members, often regarded as ‘voiceless’. At that level, the participation of non-state actors has been identified as an effective strategy, which can improve water supply. However, there are indications that there is no pragmatic application of this, resulting in over-centralization and top-down management. Thus, this study focuses on how the participatory process may enable the development of participatory water governance framework, for use in Nigeria rural communities. The Rural Advisory Board (RAB) is proposed as a governing body to promote proximal relationships, institute democratisation borne out of participation, while enabling effective accountability and information. The RAB establishes mechanisms for effectiveness, taking into consideration Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP), advocated as guiding principles of decision-makers. Other tools, which may be explored in achieving these are, Laws and Policies supporting the water sector, under the direction of the Ministries and Law Courts, which ensure non-violation of laws. Community norms and values, consisting of Nigerian traditional belief system, perceptions, attitude and reality (often undermined in favour of legislations), are relied on to pave the way for enforcement. While the Task Forces consist of community members with specific designation of duties, which ensure compliance and enforceability, a cross-section of community members are assigned duties. Thus, the principle of participation is pragmatically reflected. A review of the literature provided information on the potentials of the participatory process, in potable water governance. Qualitative methodology was explored by using the semi-structured interview as strategy for inquiry. The purposive sampling strategy, consisting of homogeneous, heterogeneous and criterion techniques was applied to enable sampling. The samples, sourced from diverse positions of life, were from the study area of Delta State of Nigeria, involving three local governments of Oshimili South, Uvwie and Warri South. From the findings, there are indications that the application of the participatory process is inhered with empowerment of the rural community members to make legitimate demands for TAP. This includes the obviation of mono-decision making for the supply and management of potable water. This is capable of restructuring the top-down management to a top-down/bottom-up system.

Keywords: participation, participatory process, participatory water governance, rural advisory board

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Authors: Rosie Cooper, Tracey Chantler, Ellen Pringle, Sadie Bell, Emily Edmundson, Heidi Nielsen, Sheila Roberts, Michael Edelstein, Sandra Mounier Jack

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Introduction: In line with the National Health Service’s (NHS) long-term plan, the NHS is looking to implement more digital health interventions. This study explores a case study in this area: a digital intervention used by NHS Trusts in London to consent adolescents for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) immunisation. Methods: The electronic consent intervention was implemented in 14 secondary schools in inner city, London. These schools were statistically matched with 14 schools from the same area that were consenting using paper forms. Schools were matched on deprivation and English as an additional language. Consent form return rates and HPV vaccine uptake were compared quantitatively between intervention and matched schools. Data from observations of immunisation sessions and school feedback forms were analysed thematically. Individual and group interviews were undertaken with implementers parents and adolescents and a focus group with adolescents were undertaken and analysed thematically. Results: Twenty-eight schools (14 e-consent schools and 14 paper consent schools) comprising 3219 girls (1733 in paper consent schools and 1486 in e-consent schools) were included in the study. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, with English as an additional language and students' ethnicity profile, was similar between the e-consent and paper consent schools. Return of consent forms was not increased by the implementation of the e-consent intervention. There was no difference in the proportion of pupils that were vaccinated at the scheduled vaccination session between the paper (n=14) and e-consent (n=14) schools (80.6% vs. 81.3%, p=0.93). The transition to using the system was not straightforward, whilst schools and staff understood the potential benefits, they found it difficult to adapt to new ways of working which removed some level or control from schools. Part of the reason for lower consent form return in e-consent schools was that some parents found the intervention difficult to use due to limited access to the internet, finding it hard to open the weblink, language barriers, and in some cases, the system closed a few days prior to sessions. Adolescents also highlighted the potential for e-consent interventions to by-pass their information needs. Discussion: We would advise caution against dismissing the e-consent intervention because it did not achieve its goal of increasing the return of consent forms. Given the problems embedding a news service, it was encouraging that HPV vaccine uptake remained stable. Introducing change requires stakeholders to understand, buy in, and work together with others. Schools and staff understood the potential benefits of using e-consent but found the new ways of working removed some level of control from schools, which they found hard to adapt to, possibly suggesting implementing digital technology will require an embedding process. Conclusion: The future direction of the NHS will require implementation of digital technology. Obtaining electronic consent from parents could help streamline school-based adolescent immunisation programmes. Findings from this study suggest that when implementing new digital technologies, it is important to allow for a period of embedding to enable them to become incorporated in everyday practice.

Keywords: consent, digital, immunisation, prevention

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Authors: Harry Einhorn

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This paper aims to explore the integration of Buddhism into educational settings with the goal of fostering the holistic development of children. By incorporating Buddhist principles and practices, educators can create a nurturing environment that cultivates wisdom, compassion, and ethical values in children. The teachings of Buddhism provide valuable insights into mindfulness, compassion, and critical thinking, which can be adapted and applied to educational curricula to enhance children's intellectual, emotional, and moral growth. One of the fundamental aspects of Buddhist philosophy that is particularly relevant to education is the concept of mindfulness. By introducing mindfulness practices, such as meditation and breathing exercises, children can learn to cultivate present-moment awareness, develop emotional resilience, and enhance their ability to concentrate and focus. These skills are essential for effective learning and can contribute to reducing stress and promoting overall well-being in children. Mindfulness practices can also teach children how to manage their emotions and thoughts, promoting self-regulation and creating a positive classroom environment. In addition to mindfulness, Buddhism emphasizes the cultivation of compassion and empathy toward all living beings. Integrating teachings on kindness, empathy, and ethical behavior into the educational framework can help children develop a deep sense of interconnectedness and social responsibility. By engaging children in activities that promote empathy and encourage acts of kindness, such as community service projects and cooperative learning, educators can foster the development of compassionate individuals who are actively engaged in creating a more harmonious and compassionate society. Moreover, Buddhist teachings encourage critical thinking and inquiry, which are crucial skills for intellectual development. By introducing children to fundamental Buddhist concepts such as impermanence, interdependence, and the nature of suffering, educators can engage them in philosophical reflections and broaden their perspectives on life. These teachings promote open-mindedness, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all things. Through the exploration of these concepts, children can develop critical thinking skills and gain insights into the complexities of the world, enabling them to navigate challenges with wisdom and discernment. While integrating Buddhism into education requires sensitivity, cultural awareness, and respect for diverse beliefs and backgrounds, it holds great potential for nurturing the holistic development of children. By incorporating mindfulness practices, fostering compassion and empathy, and promoting critical thinking, Buddhism can contribute to the creation of a more compassionate, inclusive, and harmonious educational environment. This integration can shape well-rounded individuals who are equipped with the necessary skills and qualities to navigate the complexities of the modern world with wisdom, compassion, and resilience. In conclusion, the integration of Buddhism into education offers a valuable framework for cultivating wisdom, compassion, and ethical values in children. By incorporating mindfulness, compassion, and critical thinking into educational practices, educators can create a supportive environment that promotes children's holistic development. By nurturing these qualities, Buddhism can help shape individuals who are not only academically proficient but also morally and ethically responsible, contributing to a more compassionate and harmonious society.

Keywords: Buddhism, education, children, mindfulness

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Authors: Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman, Zaeem Sheikh Abdul Wadudi Haruna

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This article aims to explore the crucial link between counter-terrorism efforts and the preservation of human security. As acts of terrorism continue to pose significant threats to societies worldwide, it is imperative to develop effective strategies that mitigate risks while safeguarding the rights and well-being of individuals. This paper discusses key aspects of counter-terrorism and human security, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach that integrates intelligence, prevention, response, and resilience-building measures. By highlighting successful case studies and lessons learned, this article provides valuable insights for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and practitioners in their quest to address terrorism and foster human security.

Keywords: human security, risk mitigation, terrorist activities, civil liberties

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Authors: Rabbia Tariq, Hannan Sajjad, Mehreen Sirshar

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Design patterns are widely used to make the process of development easier as they greatly help the developers to develop the software. Different design patterns have been introduced till now but the behavior of same design pattern may differ in different domains that can lead to the wrong selection of the design pattern. The paper aims to discover the design patterns that suits best with respect to their domain thereby helping the developers to choose an effective design pattern. It presents the comprehensive analysis of design patterns based on different methodologies that include simulation, case study and comparison of various algorithms. Due to the difference of the domain the methodology used in one domain may be inapplicable to the other domain. The paper draws a conclusion based on strength and limitation of each design pattern in their respective domain.

Keywords: design patterns, evaluation, quality assurance, software domains

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Authors: R. Bhagwan, M. Subbhan

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Nursing is a very challenging field in South Africa and due to the burden of disease it is critical that nursing students are prepared with the adequate knowledge and skills to deliver effective patient care. Despite this very little research has been done on the teaching strategies used by nurse educators to teach nursing students. It is in this context that a survey of all nurse educators at Nursing Colleges and Universities in Kwa-Zulu Natal was undertaken (n=300) to explore what current pedagogical strategies were being used and which more creative methodologies should be implemented in relation to specific nursing content. Findings revealed that most nurse educators still utlize the lecture approach, but although believe other methodologies such as e-learning are important have not done so because of inadequate training. The recommendations made are that more creative pedagogical strategies such as simultation, portfoloios and case studies be adopted.

Keywords: creative, teaching methodologies, dydactic, nursing

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Authors: Aasaithambi Kalaiselvi, Michael Gabriel Paulraj, Ekambaram Nakkeeran

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Emergences of mosquito vector-borne diseases are considered as a perpetual problem globally in tropical countries. The outbreak of several diseases such as chikungunya, zika virus infection and dengue fever has created a massive threat towards the living population. Frequent usage of synthetic insecticides like Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT) eventually had its adverse harmful effects on humans as well as the environment. Since there are no perennial vaccines, prevention, treatment or drugs available for these pathogenic vectors, WHO is more concerned in eradicating their breeding sites effectively without any side effects on humans and environment by approaching plant-derived natural eco-friendly bio-insecticides. The aim of this study is to investigate the larvicidal potency of Cinnamomum verum essential oil (CEO) loaded niosomes. Cholesterol and surfactant variants of Span 20, 60 and 80 were used in synthesizing CEO loaded niosomes using Transmembrane pH gradient method. The synthesized CEO loaded niosomes were characterized by Zeta potential, particle size, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), GC-MS and SEM analysis to evaluate charge, size, functional properties, the composition of secondary metabolites and morphology. The Z-average size of the formed niosomes was 1870.84 nm and had good stability with zeta potential -85.3 meV. The entrapment efficiency of the CEO loaded niosomes was determined by UV-Visible Spectrophotometry. The bio-potency of CEO loaded niosomes was treated and assessed against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans) at various concentrations. The larvicidal activity was evaluated against II to IV instar larvae of Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus at various concentrations for 24 h. The mortality rate of LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values were calculated. The results exhibited that CEO loaded niosomes have greater efficiency against mosquito larvicidal activity. The results suggest that niosomes could be used in various applications of biotechnology and drug delivery systems with greater stability by altering the drug of interest.

Keywords: Cinnamomum verum, niosomes, entrapment efficiency, bactericidal and fungicidal, mosquito larvicidal activity

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Authors: Ming-Kwei Lee, Chih-Feng Yen

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The electrical characteristics of liquid phase deposited silicon oxynitride film on ammonium sulfide treated p-type (100) gallium arsenide substrate were investigated. Hydrofluosilicic acid, ammonia and boric acid aqueous solutions were used as precursors. The electrical characteristics of silicon oxynitride film are much improved on gallium arsenide substrate with ammonium sulfide treatment. With post-metallization annealing, hydrogen ions can further passivate defects in SiON/GaAs film and interface. The leakage currents can reach 7.1 × 10-8 and 1.8 × 10-7 at ± 2 V. The dielectric constant and effective oxide charges are 5.6 and -5.3 × 1010 C/cm2, respectively. The hysteresis offset of hysteresis loop is merely 0.09 V.

Keywords: liquid phase deposition, SiON, GaAs, PMA, (NH4)2S

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Authors: Natasa Ilic, Alisa Gruden-Movsesijan, Maja Kosanovic, Sofija Glamoclija, Marina Bekic, Ljiljana Sofronic-Milosavljevic, Sergej Tomic

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As a very promising candidate for modulation of immune response in the sense of biasing the inflammatory towards an anti-inflammatory type of response, Trichinella spiralis infection was shown to successfully alleviate the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the animal model of human disease multiple sclerosis. This effect is achieved via its excretory-secretory muscle larvae (ES L1) products which affect the maturation status and function of dendritic cells (DCs) by inducing the tolerogenic status of DCs, which leads to the mitigation of the Th1 type of response and the activation of a regulatory type of immune response both in vitro and in vivo. ES L1 alone or via treated DCs successfully mitigated EAE in the same manner as the infection itself. On the other hand, it has been shown that T. spiralis infection slows down the tumour growth and significantly reduces the tumour size in the model of mouse melanoma, while ES L1 possesses a pro-apoptotic and anti-survival effect on melanoma cells in vitro. Hence, although the mechanisms still need to be revealed, T. spiralis infection and its ES L1 products have a bit of controversial potential to modulate both inflammatory diseases and malignancies. The recent discovery of T. spiralis extracellular vesicles (TsEVs) suggested that the induction of complex regulation of the immune response requires simultaneous delivery of different signals in nano-sized packages. This study aimed to explore whether TsEVs bare the similar potential as ES L1 to influence the status of DCs in initiation, progression and regulation of immune response, but also to investigate the effect of both ES L1 and TsEVs on myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) which present the regular tumour tissue environment. TsEVs were enriched from the conditioned medium of T. spiralis muscle larvae by differential centrifugation and used for the treatment of human monocyte-derived DCs and MDSC. On DCs, TsEVs induced low expression of HLA DR and CD40, moderate CD83 and CD86, and increased expression of ILT3 and CCR7 on treated DCs, i.e., they induced tolerogenic DCs. Such DCs possess the capacity to polarize T cell immune response towards regulatory type, with an increased proportion of IL-10 and TGF-β producing cells, similarly to ES L1. These findings indicated that the ability of TsEVs to induce tolerogenic DCs favoring anti-inflammatory responses may be helpful in coping with diseases that involve Th1/Th17-, but also Th2-mediated inflammation. In MDSC in vitro model, although both ES L1 and TsEVs had the same impact on MDSC phenotype i.e., they acted suppressive, ES L1 treated MDSC, unlike TsEVs treated ones, induced T cell response characterized by the increased RoRγT and IFN-γ, while the proportion of regulatory cells was decreased followed by the decrease in IL-10 and TGF-β positive cells proportion within this population. These findings indicate the interesting ability of ES L1 to modulate T cells response via MDSC towards pro-inflamatory type, suggesting that, unlike TsEVs which consistently demonstrate the suppresive effect on inflammatory response, it could be used also for the development of new approaches aimed for the treatment of malignant diseases. Acknowledgment: This work was funded by the Promis project – Nano-MDCS-Thera, Science Fund, Republic of Serbia.

Keywords: dendritic cells, myeloid derived suppressor cells, immunomodulation, Trichinella spiralis

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Authors: Mohammed A. Almomani, Dina W. Al-Qudah

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Product performance depends on the type and quality of its building material. Successful product must be made using high quality material, and using the right methods. Many foot problems took place as a result of using poor insole material. Therefore, selecting a proper insole material is crucial to eliminate these problems. In this study, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to provide a systematic procedure for choosing the best material adequate for this application among three material alternatives (polyurethane, poron, and plastzote). Several comparison criteria are used to build the AHP model including: density, stiffness, durability, energy absorption, and ease of fabrication. Poron was selected as the best choice. Inconsistency testing indicates that the model is reasonable, and the materials alternative ranking is effective.

Keywords: AHP, footwear insole, insole material, materials selection

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Authors: Wuttigrai Ngamsirijit

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Creative tourism is an ongoing development in many countries as an attempt to moving away from serial reproduction of culture and reviving the culture. Despite, in the destinations with diverse and potential cultural resources, creating new tourism services can be vague. This paper presents how tourism experiences are modularized and consolidated in order to form new creative tourism service offerings in evanescent cultural communities of Bangkok, Thailand. The benefits from data mining in accommodating value co-creation are discussed, and implication of experience modularization to national creative tourism policy is addressed.

Keywords: co-creation, creative tourism, new service design, experience modularization

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Authors: E. Güler, M. Güler

Abstract:

We present some elastic parameters of cubic fluorite type uranium dioxide (UO2) with a recent EAM type interatomic potential through geometry optimization calculations. Typical cubic elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, young modulus and other related elastic parameters were calculated during research. After calculations, we compared our results not only with the available theoretical data but also with previous experimental results. Our results are consistent with experiments and compare well the former theoretical results of the considered parameters of UO2.

Keywords: UO2, elastic constants, bulk modulus, mechanical properties

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Authors: Rezaul K. Sk., Mohammad Ashiq, Avinash K. Srivastava

Abstract:

The use of radiation shielding technology ranging from EMI to high energy gamma rays in various areas such as devices, medical science, defense, nuclear power plants, medical diagnostics etc. is increasing all over the world. However, exposure to different radiations such as X-ray, gamma ray, neutrons and EMI above the permissible limits is harmful to living beings, the environment and sensitive laboratory equipment. In order to solve this problem, there is a need to develop effective radiation shielding materials. Conventionally, lead and lead-based materials are used in making shielding materials, as lead is cheap, dense and provides very effective shielding to radiation. However, the problem associated with the use of lead is its toxic nature and carcinogenic. So, to overcome these drawbacks, there is a great need for lead-free radiation shielding materials and that should also be economically sustainable. Therefore, it is necessary to look for the synthesis of radiation-shielding glass by using other heavy metal oxides (HMO) instead of lead. The lead-free BaO-doped TeZnCaB glass systems have been synthesized by the traditional melt-quenching method. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the glassy nature of the synthesized samples. The densities of the developed glass samples were increased by doping the BaO concentration, ranging from 4.292 to 4.725 g/cm3. The vibrational and bending modes of the BaO-doped glass samples were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) was performed to study the functional group present in the samples. UV-visible characterization revealed the significance of optical parameters such as Urbach’s energy, refractive index and optical energy band gap. The indirect and direct energy band gaps were decreased with the BaO concentration whereas the refractive index was increased. X-ray attenuation measurements were performed to determine the radiation shielding parameters such as linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), attenuation factor (Att%) and lead equivalent thickness of the lead-free BaO-doped TeZnCaB glass system. It was observed that the radiation shielding characteristics were enhanced with the addition of BaO content in the TeZnCaB glass samples. The glass samples with higher contents of BaO have the best attenuation performance. So, it could be concluded that the addition of BaO into TeZnCaB glass samples is a significant technique to improve the radiation shielding performance of the glass samples. The best lead equivalent thickness was 2.626 mm, and these glasses could be good materials for medical diagnostics applications.

Keywords: heavy metal oxides, lead-free, melt-quenching method, x-ray attenuation

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Authors: Jacques M. Berner, Monja Gerber, Gillian L. Maggs-Kolling, Stuart J. Piketh

Abstract:

The enigmatic melon species, Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Hook. f., locally known as !nara, is endemic to the hyper-arid Namib Desert, where it thrives in sandy dune areas and dry river banks. The Namib Desert is characterized by extreme weather conditions which include high temperatures, very low rainfall, and extremely dry air. Plant and animals that have made the Namib Dessert their home are dependent on non-rainfall water inputs, like fog, dew and water vapor, for survival. Fog is believed to be the most important non-rainfall water input for most of the coastal Namib Desert and is a life line to many Namib plants and animals. It is commonly assumed that the !nara plant is adapted and dependent upon coastal fog events. The !nara plant shares many comparable adaptive features with other organisms that are known to exploit fog as a source of moisture. These include groove-like structures on the stems and the cone-like structures of thorns. These structures are believed to be the driving forces behind directional water flow that allow plants to take advantage of fog events. The !nara-fog interaction was investigated in this study to determine the dependence of !nara on these fog events, as it would illustrate strategies to benefit from non-rainfall water inputs. The direct water uptake capacity of !nara shoots was investigated through absorption tests. Furthermore, the movement and behavior of fluorescent water droplets on a !nara stem were investigated through time-lapse macrophotography. The shoot water potential was measured to investigate the effect of fog on the water status of !nara stems. These tests were used to determine whether the morphology of !nara has evolved to exploit fog as a non-rainfall water input and whether the !nara plant has adapted physiologically in response to fog. Chlorophyll a fluorescence was used to compare the photochemical efficiency of !nara plants on days with fog events to that on non-foggy days. The results indicate that !nara plants do have the ability to take advantage of fog events as commonly believed. However, the !nara plant did not exhibit visible signs of drought stress and this, together with the strong shoot water potential, indicates that these plants are reliant on permanent underground water sources. Chlorophyll a fluorescence data indicated that temperature stress and wind were some of the main abiotic factors influencing the plants’ overall vitality.

Keywords: Acanthosicyos horridus, chlorophyll a fluorescence, fog, foliar absorption, !nara

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Authors: Mai Ali

Abstract:

The abstract underscores the critical importance of junior paediatricians acquiring expertise in handling paediatric emergencies, with a particular focus on Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). Existing literature reveals a wealth of research on healthcare professionals' knowledge regarding DKA, encompassing diverse cultural backgrounds and medical specialties. Consistently, challenges such as the absence of standardized protocols and inadequacies in training emerge as common issues across healthcare centres. This research proposal seeks to conduct a thematic analysis of the proficiency of paediatric trainees in the United Kingdom in managing DKA within various clinical contexts. The primary objective is to assess their level of competence and propose effective strategies to enhance DKA training comprehensively.

Keywords: DKA, knowledge, Junior paediatricians, local protocols

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Authors: Nareshkumar Harale, B. B. Meshram

Abstract:

The continued exponential growth of successful cyber intrusions against today’s businesses has made it abundantly clear that traditional perimeter security measures are no longer adequate and effective. We evolved the network trust architecture from trust-untrust to Zero-Trust, With Zero Trust, essential security capabilities are deployed in a way that provides policy enforcement and protection for all users, devices, applications, data resources, and the communications traffic between them, regardless of their location. Information exchange over the Internet, in spite of inclusion of advanced security controls, is always under innovative, inventive and prone to cyberattacks. TCP/IP protocol stack, the adapted standard for communication over network, suffers from inherent design vulnerabilities such as communication and session management protocols, routing protocols and security protocols are the major cause of major attacks. With the explosion of cyber security threats, such as viruses, worms, rootkits, malwares, Denial of Service attacks, accomplishing efficient and effective intrusion detection and prevention is become crucial and challenging too. In this paper, we propose a design and analysis model for next generation network intrusion detection and protection system as part of layered security strategy. The proposed system design provides intrusion detection for wide range of attacks with layered architecture and framework. The proposed network intrusion classification framework deals with cyberattacks on standard TCP/IP protocol, routing protocols and security protocols. It thereby forms the basis for detection of attack classes and applies signature based matching for known cyberattacks and data mining based machine learning approaches for unknown cyberattacks. Our proposed implemented software can effectively detect attacks even when malicious connections are hidden within normal events. The unsupervised learning algorithm applied to network audit data trails results in unknown intrusion detection. Association rule mining algorithms generate new rules from collected audit trail data resulting in increased intrusion prevention though integrated firewall systems. Intrusion response mechanisms can be initiated in real-time thereby minimizing the impact of network intrusions. Finally, we have shown that our approach can be validated and how the analysis results can be used for detecting and protection from the new network anomalies.

Keywords: network intrusion detection, network intrusion prevention, association rule mining, system analysis and design

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Authors: Abdelghafour Galadi

Abstract:

In this paper, accurate power MOSFET models including quasi-saturation effect are presented. These models have no internal node voltages determined by the circuit simulator and use one JFET or one depletion mode MOSFET transistors controlled by an “effective” gate voltage taking into account the quasi-saturation effect. The proposed models achieve accurate simulation results with an average error percentage less than 9%, which is an improvement of 21 percentage points compared to the commonly used standard power MOSFET model. In addition, the models can be integrated in any available commercial circuit simulators by using their analytical equations. A description of the models will be provided along with the parameter extraction procedure.

Keywords: power MOSFET, drift layer, quasi-saturation effect, SPICE model

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