Search results for: specific%20methanogenic%20activity

Authors: A. Vahanyan

Abstract:

The paper touches upon the problem of revision and modernization of the current curriculum on translation studies at the Armenian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In the contemporary world where quality and speed of services provided are mostly valued, certain higher education centers in Armenia though do not demonstrate enough flexibility in terms of the revision and amendment of courses taught. This issue is present for various curricula at the university level and Translation Studies related curriculum, in particular. Technological innovations that are of great help for translators have been long ago smoothly implemented into the global Translation Industry. According to the European Master's in Translation (EMT) framework, translation service provision comprises linguistic, intercultural, information mining, thematic, and technological competencies. Therefore, to form the competencies mentioned above, the curriculum should be seriously restructured to meet the modern education and job market requirements, relevant courses should be proposed. New courses, in particular, should focus on the formation of technological competences. These suggestions have been made upon the author’s research of the problem across various HEIs in Armenia. The updated curricula should include courses aimed at familiarization with various computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools (MemoQ, Trados, OmegaT, Wordfast, etc.) in the translation process, creation of glossaries and termbases compatible with different platforms), which will ensure consistency in translation of similar texts and speeding up the translation process itself. Another aspect that may be strengthened via curriculum modification is the introduction of interdisciplinary and Project-Based Learning courses, which will enable info mining and thematic competences, which are of great importance as well. Of course, the amendment of the existing curriculum with the mentioned courses will require corresponding faculty development via training, workshops, and seminars. Finally, the provision of extensive internship with translation agencies is strongly recommended as it will ensure the synthesis of theoretical background and practical skills highly required for the specific area. Summing up, restructuring and modernization of the existing curricula on Translation Studies should focus on three major aspects, i.e., introduction of new courses that meet the global quality standards of education, professional development for faculty, and integration of extensive internship supervised by experts in the field.

Keywords: competencies, curriculum, modernization, technical literacy, translation studies

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Authors: A. De Serres-Lafontaine, S. Porlier, K. Poitras

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Introduction: Placement is, without doubt, a challenging experience for both foster children and biological parents who witness their child being removed from their care. Yet, few studies have examined parenting in such a context through critical parental skills such as parental sensitivity and commitment. Sensitivity is described as the capacity of parents to respond accurately to their child’s needs in a warm, predictable and consistent way, whereas commitment is the ability of the parent to get involved physically and emotionally in an enduring relationship with his child. The research confirms the important role of parental sensitivity and parental commitment on child development following placement in foster care. Nevertheless, these studies were mainly conducted with foster parents, and few studies have examined these components of parenthood with biological parents. Method: This study evolves in two times. At first, 17 parents participated throughout a 90-minutes interview. It allowed to collect information regarding the sociodemographic situation, contacts, placement trajectory. Parental sensitivity is observed during a supervised parent-child contact. The second time occurred one to two years later and implied an at-home 90-minutes interview where we updated the information from the first interview and were able to assess the level of parental commitment. In this ongoing part of the study, five parents have already participated in implying the rest of them remain to be interviewed in the coming months - from October through December 2018. Results: Descriptive analysis from the first part of the study suggests the examination of two groups: 11 children have been reunified whereas six are still in foster care. Qualitative analysis allows to compare themes of sensitivity and commitment regarding if the reunification project occurs or not. Preliminary analysis about thematic content shows key components of parental commitment through parent’s reveal of the way they nurture a relationship with their child. Furthermore, preliminary analysis suggests that parental sensitivity is not associated with family reunification (r = 0,11, p = 0,74). Further analysis will be assessed with the date from the second part of the study to examine the potential association between commitment and reunification. Discussion: Parental sensitivity and commitment are fundamental to the well-being of the child in a placement trajectory. They need to be understood better as two different complex concepts and as two parenting skills that might have a way of echoing to one another when engaged in a specific context. Above all, a more accurate comprehension of parenting in a placement trajectory allows to sustain adequate intervention practices for birth parents and could change the way parental adequacy is assessed when reaching for reunification.

Keywords: child welfare, foster care, intervention practices, parenthood

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Authors: I. Stacher, B. Schrank, K. Stiehl, K. A. Woodcock

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Background: The need and desire for connectedness and belonging to a peer group is a major concern in middle childhood. This is particularly true for the period of school transition when making and maintaining friendships is put to the test. Social relations are important for enhancing self-esteem, confidence, and mental health. Conflicts with peers and victimization mark challenges in the complex social environment of early adolescents. Thus, the promotion of supportive peer relationships is an important social goal. The current literature lacks an in-depth analysis of young people’s experiences connected to making and maintaining friendships. Aim: This qualitative study aims to understand the factors that facilitate and hinder friendship and peer relations within the complex context of school transition. Methods: Youth engagement workshops at primary and secondary schools were conducted with 53 classes (N = 906 pupils; M age = 10.44; SD = .912) in 29 different schools across lower Austria. A big poster was created with the entire class, collecting early adolescents’ ideas on ways they can support each other in the school environment. Then, students were divided into smaller groups and encouraged to share their personal experiences of friendship. Verbatim quotes from students were collected on observation sheets and sticky notes during the activities. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Early adolescents describe facilitating factors that allow them to connect with peers. These descriptions are mainly on a behavioral level and are relevant for face-to-face and digital contact, e.g., practical and emotional support, spending time together, pleasure and fun. Specific challenges such as offensive actions, betrayal, and lack of emotion regulation exist and need to be addressed if aiming to reduce barriers between peers. Conclusion: Knowing first-hand experiences, desires, and barriers for making and maintaining friends at the time of school transition will help researchers to develop preventive health programs that adequately address the needs and preferences of today’s youth.

Keywords: youth voice, experts by experience, friendship, peer relations, primary-secondary school, transition

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Authors: K. Masera, A. K. Hossain

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Hardly any neat biodiesel satisfies the European EN14214 standard for compression ignition engine application. To satisfy the EN14214 standard, various additives are doped into biodiesel; however, biodiesel additives might cause other problems such as increase in the particular emission and increased specific fuel consumption. In addition, the additives could be expensive. Considering the increasing level of greenhouse gas GHG emissions and fossil fuel depletion, it is forecasted that the use of biodiesel will be higher in the near future. Hence, the negative aspects of the biodiesel additives will likely to gain much more importance and need to be replaced with better solutions. This study aims to satisfy the European standard EN14214 by blending the biodiesels derived from sustainable feedstocks. Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) and Animal Fat Oil (AFO) are two sustainable feedstocks in the EU (including the UK) for producing biodiesels. In the first stage of the study, these oils were transesterified separately and neat biodiesels (W100 & A100) were produced. Secondly, the biodiesels were blended together in various ratios: 80% WCO biodiesel and 20% AFO biodiesel (W80A20), 60% WCO biodiesel and 40% AFO biodiesel (W60A40), 50% WCO biodiesel and 50% AFO biodiesel (W50A50), 30% WCO biodiesel and 70% AFO biodiesel (W30A70), 10% WCO biodiesel and 90% AFO biodiesel (W10A90). The prepared samples were analysed using Thermo Scientific Trace 1300 Gas Chromatograph and ISQ LT Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). The GS-MS analysis gave Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) breakdowns of the fuel samples. It was found that total saturation degree of the samples was linearly increasing (from 15% for W100 to 54% for A100) as the percentage of the AFO biodiesel was increased. Furthermore, it was found that WCO biodiesel was mainly (82%) composed of polyunsaturated FAMEs. Cetane numbers, iodine numbers, calorific values, lower heating values and the densities (at 15 ^oC) of the samples were estimated by using the mass percentages data of the FAMEs. Besides, kinematic viscosities (at 40 °C and 20 °C), densities (at 15 °C), heating values and flash point temperatures of the biomixture samples were measured in the lab. It was found that estimated and measured characterisation results were comparable. The current study concluded that biomixture fuel samples W60A40 and W50A50 were perfectly satisfying the European EN 14214 norms without any need of additives. Investigation on engine performance, exhaust emission and combustion characteristics will be conducted to assess the full feasibility of the proposed biomixture fuels.

Keywords: biodiesel, blending, characterisation, CI engine

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Authors: Mihaela Munteanu (Pila), Silvius Stanciu

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This paper presents the aspects of the official control of fishery in the Republic of Moldova. Currently, the regulations and the activity of national institutions with responsibilities in the field of food quality are in a process of harmonization with the European rules, aiming at European integration, quality improvement and providing a higher level of food safety. The National Agency for Food Safety is the main national body with responsibilities in the field of food safety. In the field of fishery products, the Agency carries out an intensive activity of informing the citizen and controlling the products marketed. The paper presents the dangers related to the consumption of fish and fishery products traded on the national market, the sanitary-veterinary inspections conducted by the profile institution and the improper situations identified. The national market of fishery products depends largely on imports, mainly focused on ocean fish. The research carried out has shown that during the period 2011-2018, following the inspections carried out on fishery products traded on the national market, a number of inconsistencies have been identified. Thus, indigenous products were frequently detected with sensory characteristics unfit for consumption, and being commercialized in inappropriate locations or contaminated with chemical pollutants. On import products controlled, the most frequent inconsistent situations have been represented by inconsistent sensory aspects and by parasite contamination. Taking into account the specific aspects of aquatic products, including the high level of alterability, special conditions of growth, marketing, culinary preparation and consumption are necessary in order to decrease the risk of disease over the population. Certificates, attestations and other documents certifying the quality of batches, completed by additional laboratory examinations, are necessary in order to increase the level of confidence on the quality of products marketed in the Republic. The implementation of various control procedures and mechanisms at national level, correlated with the focused activity of the specialized institutions, can decrease the risk of contamination and avoid cases of disease on the population due to the consumption of fishery products.

Keywords: fishery products, food safety, quality control, Republic of Moldova

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Authors: Shunyi Yang, Jingjing Yan, Siyu Dong, Xiangguo Cui

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Current architectural façade design practices incorporate various daylighting and solar radiation analysis methods. These emphasize the impact of geometry on façade design. There is scope to extend this knowledge into methods that address material translucency, porosity, and form. Such approaches can also achieve these conditions through adaptive robotic manufacturing approaches that exploit material dynamics within the design, and alleviate fabrication waste from molds, ultimately accelerating the autonomous manufacturing system. Besides analyzing the environmental solar radiant in building facade design, there is also a vacancy research area of how lighting effects can be precisely controlled by engaging the instant real-time data-driven robot control and manipulating the material properties. Ceramics carries a wide range of transmittance and deformation potentials for robotics control with the research of its material property. This paper presents one semi-autonomous system that engages with real-time data-driven robotics control, hardware kit design, environmental building studies, human interaction, and exploratory research and experiments. Our objectives are to investigate the relationship between different clay bodies or ceramics’ physio-material properties and their transmittance; to explore the feedback system of instant lighting data in robotic fabrication to achieve precise lighting effect; to design the sufficient end effector and robot behaviors for different stages of deformation. We experiment with architectural clay, as the material of the façade that is potentially translucent at a certain stage can respond to light. Studying the relationship between form, material properties, and porosity can help create different interior and exterior light effects and provide façade solutions for specific architectural functions. The key idea is to maximize the utilization of in-progress robotics fabrication and ceramics materiality to create a highly integrated autonomous system for lighting facade design and manufacture.

Keywords: light transmittance, data-driven fabrication, computational design, computer vision, gamification for manufacturing

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Authors: Jae-Hyun Choi, Sung-Soo Bae, Sangyoung Yoon, Hong-Ku Yun, Jiyoung Kwahk

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This study was conducted to investigate the effect of ocular dominance on recognition performance using a single-lens smart display designed for cycling. A total of 36 bicycle riders who have been cycling consistently were recruited and participated in the experiment. The participants were asked to perform tasks riding a bicycle on a stationary stand for safety reasons. Independent variables of interest include ocular dominance, bike usage, age group, and information layout. Recognition time (i.e., the time required to identify specific information measured with an eye-tracker), error rate (i.e. false answer or failure to identify the information in 5 seconds), and user preference scores were measured and statistical tests were conducted to identify significant results. Recognition time and error ratio showed significant difference by ocular dominance factor, while the preference score did not. Recognition time was faster when the single-lens see-through display on the dominant eye (average 1.12sec) than on the non-dominant eye (average 1.38sec). Error ratio of the information recognition task was significantly lower when the see-through display was worn on the dominant eye (average 4.86%) than on the non-dominant eye (average 14.04%). The interaction effect of ocular dominance and age group was significant with respect to recognition time and error ratio. The recognition time of the users in their 40s was significantly longer than the other age groups when the display was placed on the non-dominant eye, while no difference was observed on the dominant eye. Error ratio also showed the same pattern. Although no difference was observed for the main effect of ocular dominance and bike usage, the interaction effect between the two variables was significant with respect to preference score. Preference score of daily bike users was higher when the display was placed on the dominant eye, whereas participants who use bikes for leisure purposes showed the opposite preference patterns. It was found more effective and efficient to wear a see-through display on the dominant eye than on the non-dominant eye, although user preference was not affected by ocular dominance. It is recommended to wear a see-through display on the dominant eye since it is safer by helping the user recognize the presented information faster and more accurately, even if the user may not notice the difference.

Keywords: eye tracking, information recognition, ocular dominance, smart headware, wearable device

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Authors: Enhui Wang, Qingzhu Ou, Yan Tang, Xiaodong Guo

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As one of most popular polyanionic compounds in lithium-ion cathode materials, Li3V2(PO4)3 has always suffered from the low rate capability especially during 3~4.8V, which is considered to be related with the ion diffusion resistance and structural transformation during the Li+ de/intercalation. Here, as the change of cut-off voltages, cycling numbers and current densities, the process of SEI interfacial film’s formation-growing- destruction-repair on the surface of the cathode, the structural transformation during the charge and discharge, the de/intercalation kinetics reflected by the electrochemical impedance and the diffusion coefficient, have been investigated in detail. Current density, cycle numbers and cut-off voltage impacting on interfacial film and structure was studied specifically. Firstly, the matching between electrolyte and material was investigated, it turned out that the batteries with high voltage electrolyte showed the best electrochemical performance and high voltage electrolyte would be the best electrolyte. Secondly, AC impedance technology was used to study the changes of interface impedance and lithium ion diffusion coefficient, the results showed that current density, cycle numbers and cut-off voltage influenced the interfacial film together and the one who changed the interfacial properties most was the key factor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed that the attenuation of discharge specific capacity was associated with the destruction and repair process of the SEI film. Thirdly, the X-ray diffraction was used to study the changes of structure, which was also impacted by current density, cycle numbers and cut-off voltage. The results indicated that the cell volume of Li3V2 (PO4 )3 increased as the current density increased; cycle numbers merely influenced the structure of material; the cell volume decreased first and moved back gradually after two Li-ion had been deintercalated as the charging cut-off voltage increased, and increased as the intercalation number of Li-ion increased during the discharging process. Then, the results which studied the changes of interface impedance and lithium ion diffusion coefficient turned out that the interface impedance and lithium ion diffusion coefficient increased when the cut-off voltage passed the voltage platforms and decreased when the cut-off voltage was between voltage platforms. Finally, three-electrode system was first adopted to test the activation energy of the system, the results indicated that the activation energy of the three-electrode system (22.385 KJ /mol) was much smaller than that of two-electrode system (40.064 KJ /mol).

Keywords: cut-off voltage, de/intercalation kinetics, solid electrolyte interphase film, structural transformation

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Authors: Annalisa Gaetani, Anna Nora Tassetti, Gianna Fabi

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The hydroacoustic technology is an efficient tool to study the sea environment: the most recent advancement in artificial habitat mapping involves acoustic systems to investigate fish abundance, distribution and behavior in specific areas. Along with a detailed high-coverage bathymetric mapping of the seabed, the high-frequency Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) offers the potential of detecting fine-scale distribution of fish aggregation, combining its ability to detect at the same time the seafloor and the water column. Surveying fish schools distribution around artificial structures, MBES allows to evaluate how their presence modifies the biological natural habitat overtime in terms of fish attraction and abundance. In the last years, artificial habitat mapping experiences have been carried out by CNR-ISMAR in the Adriatic sea: fish assemblages aggregating at offshore gas platforms and artificial reefs have been systematically monitored employing different kinds of methodologies. This work focuses on two case studies: a gas extraction platform founded at 80 meters of depth in the central Adriatic sea, 30 miles far from the coast of Ancona, and the concrete and steel artificial reef of Senigallia, deployed by CNR-ISMAR about 1.2 miles offshore at a depth of 11.2 m . Relating the MBES data (metrical dimensions of fish assemblages, shape, depth, density etc.) with the results coming from other methodologies, such as experimental fishing surveys and underwater video camera, it has been possible to investigate the biological assemblage attracted by artificial structures hypothesizing which species populate the investigated area and their spatial dislocation from these artificial structures. Processing MBES bathymetric and water column data, 3D virtual scenes of the artificial habitats have been created, receiving an intuitive-looking depiction of their state and allowing overtime to evaluate their change in terms of dimensional characteristics and depth fish schools’ disposition. These MBES surveys play a leading part in the general multi-year programs carried out by CNR-ISMAR with the aim to assess potential biological changes linked to human activities on.

Keywords: artificial habitat mapping, fish assemblages, hydroacustic technology, multibeam echosounder

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Authors: Sultan Samah A. Alenezi

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Many EFL teachers are eager to look into the best way to suit the needs of their students in EFL writing courses. Numerous studies suggest that online blogging may present a social interaction opportunity for EFL writing students. Additionally, it can foster peer collaboration and social support in the form of scaffolding, which, when viewed from the perspective of socio-cultural theory, can boost social support and foster the development of students' writing abilities. This idea is based on Vygotsky's theories, which emphasize how collaboration and social interaction facilitate effective learning. In Saudi Arabia, students are taught to write using conventional methods that are totally under the teacher's control. Without any peer contact or cooperation, students are spoon-fed in a passive environment. This study included the cognitive processes of the genre-process approach into the EFL writing classroom to facilitate the use of internet blogging in EFL writing education. Thirty second-year undergraduate students from the Department of Languages and Translation at a Saudi college participated in this study. This study employed an action research project that blended qualitative and quantitative methodologies to comprehend Saudi students' perceptions and experiences with internet blogging in an EFL process-genre writing classroom. It also looked at the advantages and challenges people faced when blogging. They included a poll, interviews, and blog postings made by students. The intervention's outcomes showed that merging genre-process procedures with blogging was a successful tactic, and the Saudi students' perceptions of this method of online blogging for EFL writing were quite positive. The socio-cultural theory constructs that Vygotsky advocates, such as scaffolding, collaboration, and social interaction, were also improved by blogging. These elements demonstrated the improvement in the students' written, reading, social, and collaborative thinking skills, as well as their positive attitudes toward English-language writing. But the students encountered a variety of problems that made blogging difficult for them. These problems ranged from technological ones, such sluggish internet connections, to learner inadequacies, like a lack of computer know-how and ineffective time management.

Keywords: blogging, process-gnere approach, saudi learenrs, writing quality

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Authors: Bertalan Jillek, Péter Szabó, Judit Kopniczky, István Szabó, Balázs Patczai, Kinga Turzó

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Hip and knee prostheses are one of the most frequently used medical implants, that can significantly improve patients’ quality of life. Long term success and biointegration of these prostheses depend on several factors, like bulk and surface characteristics, construction and biocompatibility of the material. The applied surgical technique, the general health condition and life-quality of the patient are also determinant factors. Medical devices used in orthopedic surgeries have different surfaces depending on their function inside the human body. Surface roughness of these implants determines the interaction with the surrounding tissues. Numerous modifications have been applied in the recent decades to improve a specific property of an implant. Our goal was to compare the surface characteristics of typical implant materials used in orthopedic surgery and traumatology. Morphological and chemical structure of Vortex plate anodized titanium, cemented THR (total hip replacement) stem high nitrogen REX steel (SS), uncemented THR stem and cup titanium (Ti) alloy with titanium plasma spray coating (TPS), cemented cup and uncemented acetabular liner HXL and UHMWPE and TKR (total knee replacement) femoral component CoCrMo alloy (Sanatmetal Ltd, Hungary) discs were examined. Visualization and elemental analysis were made by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Surface roughness was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and profilometry. SEM and AFM revealed the morphological and roughness features of the examined materials. TPS Ti presented the highest Ra value (25 ± 2 μm, followed by CoCrMo alloy (535 ± 19 nm), Ti (227 ± 15 nm) and stainless steel (170 ± 11 nm). The roughness of the HXL and UHMWPE surfaces was in the same range, 147 ± 13 nm and 144 ± 15 nm, respectively. EDS confirmed typical elements on the investigated prosthesis materials: Vortex plate Ti (Ti, O, P); TPS Ti (Ti, O, Al); SS (Fe, Cr, Ni, C) CoCrMo (Co, Cr, Mo), HXL (C, Al, Ni) and UHMWPE (C, Al). The results indicate that the surface of prosthesis materials have significantly different features and the applied investigation methods are suitable for their characterization. Contact angle measurements and in vitro cell culture testing are further planned to test their surface energy characteristics and biocompatibility.

Keywords: morphology, PE, roughness, titanium

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Authors: Raluca-Ioana Antonescu

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The field research of the paper stands at the intersection between Linguistics and Sociology, while the problem of the research is the importance of language in the modernization process and in a globalized society. The research objective is to prove that language is a stimulant for modernity, while it defines the tradition and the culture of a specific society. In order to examine the linguistic change of the Korean language due to the modernity and globalization, the paper tries to answer one main question, What are the changes the Korean language underwent from a traditional version of Korean, towards one influenced by modernity?, and two secondary questions, How are explored in specialized literature the relations between globalization (and modernity) and culture (focusing on language)? and What influences the Korean language? For the purpose of answering the research questions, the paper has the main premise that due to modernity and globalization, the Korean language changed its discourse construction, and two secondary hypothesis, first is that in literature there are not much explored the relations between culture and modernity focusing on the language discourse construction, but more about identity issue and commodification problems, and the second hypothesis is that the Korean language is influenced by traditional values (like Confucianism) while receiving influence also of globalization process (especially from English language). In terms of methodology, the paper will analyze the two main influences upon the Korean language, referring to traditionalism (being defined as the influence of Confucianism) and modernism (as the influence of other countries’ language and culture), and how the Korean language it was constructed and modified due to these two elements. The paper will analyze at what level (grammatical, lexical, etc.) the traditionalism help at the construction of the Korean language, and what are the changes at each level that modernism brought along. As for the results of this research, the influence of modernism changed both lexically and grammatically the Korean language. In 60 years the increase of English influence is astonishing, and this paper shows the main changes the Korean language underwent, like the loanwords (Konglish), but also the reduction of the speech levels and the ease of the register variation use. Therefore the grammatical influence of modernity and globalization could be seen at the reduction of the speech level and register variation, while the lexical change comes with the influence of English language especially, where about 10% of the Korean vocabulary is considered to be loanwords. Also the paper presents the interrelation between traditionalism and modernity, with the example of Konglish, but not only (we can consider also the Korean greetings which are translated by Koreans when they speak in other languages, bringing their cultural characteristics in English discourse construction), which makes the Koreans global, since they speak in an international language, but still local since they cannot get rid completely of their culture.

Keywords: Confucianism, globalization, language and linguistic change, modernism, traditionalism

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Authors: Dohun Kim

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Technological innovations have stimulated flipped learning in many disciplines, including language teaching. It is a specific type of blended learning, which combines onsite (i.e. face-to-face) with online experiences to produce effective, efficient and flexible learning. Flipped learning literally ‘flips’ conventional teaching and learning activities upside down: it leverages technologies to deliver a lecture and direct instruction—other asynchronous activities as well—outside the classroom to reserve onsite time for interaction and activities in the upper cognitive realms: applying, analysing, evaluating and creating. Unlike the conventional flipped approaches, which focused on video lecture, followed by face-to-face or on-site session, new innovative methods incorporate various means and structures to serve the needs of different academic disciplines and classrooms. In the light of such innovations, this study adopted ‘student-engaged’ approaches to interpreter training and contrasts them with traditional classrooms. To this end, students were also encouraged to engage in asynchronous activities online, and innovative technologies, such as Telepresence, were employed. Based on the class implementation, a thorough examination was conducted to examine how we can structure and implement flipped classrooms for language and interpreting training while actively engaging learners. This study adopted a quantitative research method, while complementing it with a qualitative one. The key findings suggest that the significance of the instructor’s role does not dwindle, but his/her role changes to a moderator and a facilitator. Second, we can apply flipped learning to both theory- and practice-oriented modules. Third, students’ integration into the community of inquiry is of significant importance to foster active and higher-order learning. Fourth, cognitive presence and competence can be enhanced through strengthened and integrated teaching and social presences. Well-orchestrated teaching presence stimulates students to find out the problems and voices the convergences and divergences, while fluid social presence facilitates the exchanges of knowledge and the adjustment of solutions, which eventually contributes to consolidating cognitive presence—a key ingredient that enables the application and testing of the solutions and reflection thereon.

Keywords: blended learning, Community of Inquiry, flipped learning, interpreter training, student-centred learning

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Authors: Abeer Heider

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This paper explores and classifies the different kinds of avoidances that students commonly make in the acquisition of Arabic as a second/foreign language, and suggests specific strategies to help students lessen their avoidance trends in hopes of streamlining the learning process. Students most commonly use avoidance strategies in grammar, and word choice. These different types of strategies have different implications and naturally require different approaches. Thus the question remains as to the most effective way to help students improve their Arabic, and how teachers can efficiently utilize these techniques. It is hoped that this research will contribute to understand the role of avoidance in the field of the second language acquisition in general, and as a type of input. Yet some researchers also note that similarity between L1 and L2 may be problematic as well since the learner may doubt that such similarity indeed exists and consequently avoid the identical constructions or elements (Jordens, 1977; Kellermann, 1977, 1978, 1986). In an effort to resolve this issue, a case study is being conducted. The present case study attempts to provide a broader analysis of what is acquired than is usually the case, analyzing the learners ‘accomplishments in terms of three –part framework of the components of communicative competence suggested by Michele Canale: grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence and discourse competence. The subjects of this study are 15 students’ 22th year who came to study Arabic at Qatar University of Cairo. The 15 students are in the advanced level. They were complete intermediate level in Arabic when they arrive in Qatar for the first time. The study used discourse analytic method to examine how the first language affects students’ production and output in the second language, and how and when students use avoidance methods in their learning. The study will be conducted through Fall 2015 through analyzing audio recordings that are recorded throughout the entire semester. The recordings will be around 30 clips. The students are using supplementary listening and speaking materials. The group will be tested at the end of the term to assess any measurable difference between the techniques. Questionnaires will be administered to teachers and students before and after the semester to assess any change in attitude toward avoidance and selectivity methods. Responses to these questionnaires are analyzed and discussed to assess the relative merits of the aforementioned strategies to avoidance and selectivity to further support on. Implications and recommendations for teacher training are proposed.

Keywords: the second language acquisition, learning languages, selectivity, avoidance

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Authors: Seema Sant

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In the 21st century were four generation workforces are working, it’s crucial for organizations to build talent management strategy, as tech-savvy Gen Y has entered the work force. They are more connected to each other than ever – through the internet enabled Social media networks Social media has become important in today’s world. The users of such Social media sites have increased in multiple. From sharing their opinion for a brand/product to researching a company before going for an interview, making a conception about a company’s culture or following a Company’s updates due to sheer interest or for job vacancy, Work force today is constantly in touch with social networks. Thus corporate world has rightly realized its potential uses for business purpose. Companies now use social media for marketing, advertising, consumer survey, etc. For HR professionals, it is used for networking and connecting to the Talent pool- through Talent Community. Social recruiting is the process of sourcing or hiring candidates through the use of social sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook Twitter which provide them with an array of information about potential employee; this study represents an exploratory investigation on the role of social networking sites in recruitment. The primarily aim is to analyze the factors that can enhance the channel of recruitment used by of the recruiter with specific reference to the IT organizations in Mumbai, India. Particularly, the aim is to identify how and why companies use social media to attract and screen applicants during their recruitment processes. It also examines the advantages and limitations of recruitment through social media for employers. This is done by literature review. Further, the papers examine the recruiter impact and understand the various opportunities which have created due to technology, thus, to analyze and examine these factors, both primary, as well as secondary data, are collected for the study. The primary data are gathered from five HR manager working in five top IT organizations in Mumbai and 100 HR consultants’ i.e., recruiter. The data was collected by conducting a survey and supplying a closed-ended questionnaire. A comprehension analysis of the study is depicted through graphs and figures. From the analysis, it was observed that there exists a positive relationship between the level of employee recruited through social media and their organizational commitment. Finally the findings show that company’s i.e. recruiters are currently using social media in recruitment, but perhaps not as effective as they could be. The paper gives recommendations and conditions for success that can help employers to make the most out of social media in recruitment.

Keywords: recruitment, social media, social sites, workforce

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Authors: Peter J. Robinson, W. J. Wouter Botzen

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Individuals often over-weight low probabilities and under-weight moderate to high probabilities, however very low probabilities are either significantly over-weighted or neglected. Little is known about factors affecting probability weighting in Prospect Theory related to emotions specific to risk (anticipatory and anticipated emotions), the threshold of concern, as well as personality traits like locus of control. This study provides these insights by examining factors that influence probability weighting in the context of flood insurance demand in an economic experiment. In particular, we focus on determinants of flood probability neglect to provide recommendations for improved risk management. In addition, results obtained using real incentives and no performance-based payments are compared in the experiment with high experimental outcomes. Based on data collected from 1’041 Dutch homeowners, we find that: flood probability neglect is related to anticipated regret, worry and the threshold of concern. Moreover, locus of control and regret affect probabilistic pessimism. Nevertheless, we do not observe strong evidence that incentives influence flood probability neglect nor probability weighting. The results show that low, moderate and high flood probabilities are under-weighted, which is related to framing in the flooding context and the degree of realism respondents attach to high probability property damages. We suggest several policies to overcome psychological factors related to under-weighting flood probabilities to improve flood preparations. These include policies that promote better risk communication to enhance insurance decisions for individuals with a high threshold of concern, and education and information provision to change the behaviour of internal locus of control types as well as people who see insurance as an investment. Multi-year flood insurance may also prevent short-sighted behaviour of people who have a tendency to regret paying for insurance. Moreover, bundling low-probability/high-impact risks with more immediate risks may achieve an overall covered risk which is less likely to be judged as falling below thresholds of concern. These measures could aid the development of a flood insurance market in the Netherlands for which we find to be demand.

Keywords: flood insurance demand, prospect theory, risk perceptions, risk preferences

Procedia PDF Downloads 273

Authors: Rajesh Karki, Safal Bhattarai, Saket Adhikari

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Reliable and economic operation of power systems are becoming extremely challenging with large scale integration of renewable energy sources due to the intermittency and uncertainty associated with renewable power generation. It is, therefore, important to make a quantitative risk assessment and explore the potential resources to mitigate such risks. Probabilistic models for different energy storage systems (ESS), such as the flywheel energy storage system (FESS) and the compressed air energy storage (CAES) incorporating specific charge/discharge performance and failure characteristics suitable for probabilistic risk assessment in power system operation and planning are presented in this paper. The proposed methodology used in FESS modelling offers flexibility to accommodate different configurations of plant topology. It is perceived that CAES has a high potential for grid-scale application, and a hybrid approach is proposed, which embeds a Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS) method in an analytical technique to develop a suitable reliability model of the CAES. The proposed ESS models are applied to a test system to investigate the economic and reliability benefits of the energy storage technologies in system operation and planning, as well as to assess their contributions in facilitating wind integration during different operating scenarios. A comparative study considering various storage system topologies are also presented. The impacts of failure rates of the critical components of ESS on the expected state of charge (SOC) and the performance of the different types of ESS during operation are illustrated with selected studies on the test system. The paper also applies the proposed models on the test system to investigate the economic and reliability benefits of the different ESS technologies and to evaluate their contributions in facilitating wind integration during different operating scenarios and system configurations. The conclusions drawn from the study results provide valuable information to help policymakers, system planners, and operators in arriving at effective and efficient policies, investment decisions, and operating strategies for planning and operation of power systems with large penetrations of renewable energy sources.

Keywords: flywheel energy storage, compressed air energy storage, power system reliability, renewable energy, system planning, system operation

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Authors: J. Tirano, H. Zea, C. Luhrs

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It is well known that titanium dioxide is a semiconductor with several applications in photocatalytic process. Its band gap makes it very interesting in the photoelectrodes manufacturing used in photoelectrochemical cells for hydrogen production, a clean and environmentally friendly fuel. The synthesis of 1D titanium dioxide nanostructures, such as nanotubes, makes possible to produce more efficient photoelectrodes for solar energy to hydrogen conversion. In essence, this is because it increases the charge transport rate, decreasing recombination options. However, its principal constraint is to be mainly sensitive to UV range, which represents a very low percentage of solar radiation that reaches earth's surface. One of the alternatives to modifying the TiO2’s band gap and improving its photoactivity under visible light irradiation is to dope the nanotubes with transition metals. This option requires fabricating efficient nanostructured photoelectrodes with controlled morphology and specific properties able to offer a suitable surface area for metallic doping. Hence, currently one of the central challenges in photoelectrochemical cells is the construction of nanomaterials with a proper band position for driving the reaction while absorbing energy over the VIS spectrum. This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of Nidoped TiO2 nanotubes for improving its photocatalytic activity in solar energy conversion applications. Initially, titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) with controlled morphology were synthesized by two-step potentiostatic anodization of titanium foil. The anodization was carried out at room temperature in an electrolyte composed of ammonium fluoride, deionized water and ethylene glycol. Consequent thermal annealing of as-prepared TNTs was conducted in the air between 450 °C - 550 °C. Afterwards, the nanotubes were superficially modified by nickel deposition. Morphology and crystalline phase of the samples were carried out by SEM, EDS and XRD analysis before and after nickel deposition. Determining the photoelectrochemical performance of photoelectrodes is based on typical electrochemical characterization techniques. Also, the morphological characterization associated electrochemical behavior analysis were discussed to establish the effect of nickel nanoparticles modification on the TiO2 nanotubes. The methodology proposed in this research allows using other transition metal for nanotube surface modification.

Keywords: dimensionally stable electrode, nickel nanoparticles, photo-electrode, TiO₂ nanotubes

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Authors: Torben Hansen, Lars Gronholdt, Alexander Josiassen, Anne Martensen

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Consumers often exhibit a bias in their knowledge; they often think that they know more or less than they do. The concept of 'knowledge over/underconfidence' (O/U) has in previous studies been used to investigate such knowledge bias. O/U appears as a combination of subjective and objective knowledge. Subjective knowledge relates to consumers’ perception of their knowledge, while objective knowledge relates to consumers’ absolute knowledge measured by objective standards. This separation leads to three scenarios: The consumer can either be knowledge calibrated (subjective and objective knowledge are similar), overconfident (subjective knowledge exceeds objective knowledge) or underconfident (objective knowledge exceeds subjective knowledge). Knowledge O/U is a highly useful concept in understanding consumer choice behavior. For example, knowledge overconfident individuals are likely to exaggerate their ability to make right choices, are more likely to opt out of necessary information search, spend less time to carry out a specific task than less knowledge confident consumers, and are more likely to show high financial trading volumes. Through the use of financial services as a case study, this study contributes to previous research by examining how consumer knowledge O/U affects two types of trust (broad-scope trust and narrow-scope trust) and consumer relationship satisfaction. Trust does not only concern consumer trust in individual companies (i.e., narrow.-scope confidence NST), but also concerns consumer confidence in the broader business context in which consumers plan and implement their behavior (i.e., broad scope trust, BST). NST is defined as "the expectation that the service provider can be relied on to deliver on its promises’, while BST is defined as ‘the expectation that companies within a particular business type can generally be relied on to deliver on their promises.’ This study expands our understanding of the interplay between consumer knowledge bias, consumer trust, and relationship marketing in two main ways: First, it is demonstrated that the more knowledge O/U a consumer becomes, the higher/lower NST and levels of relationship satisfaction will be. Second, it is demonstrated that BST has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between knowledge O/U and satisfaction, such that knowledge O/U has a higher positive/negative effect on relationship satisfaction when BST is low vs. high. The data for this study comprises 756 mutual fund investors. Trust is particularly important in consumers’ mutual fund behavior because mutual funds have important responsibilities in providing financial advice and in managing consumers’ funds.

Keywords: knowledge, cognitive bias, trust, customer-seller relationships, financial services

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Authors: Marlene Rosa, Susana Lopes

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Board games have been used for different purposes in geriatric care, demonstrating good results for health in general. However, there is not a conceptual framework that can help professionals and researchers in this area to design intervention programs or to think about future studies in this area. The aim of this study was to provide a pilot collection of board games’ serious purposes in geriatric care, using a WHO framework for health and disability. Study cases were developed in seven geriatric residential institutions from the center region in Portugal that are included in AGILAB program. The AGILAB program is a serious game-based method to train and spread out the implementation of board games in geriatric care. Each institution provides 2-hours/week of experiences using TATI Hand Game for serious purposes and then fulfill questions about a study-case (player characteristics; explain changes in players health according to this game experience). Two independent researchers read the information and classified it according to the International Classification for Functioning and Disability (ICF) categories. Any discrepancy was solved in a consensus meeting. Results indicate an important variability in body functions and structures: specific mental functions (e.g., b140 Attention functions, b144 Memory functions), b156 Perceptual functions, b2 sensory functions and pain (e.g., b230 Hearing functions; b265 Touch function; b280 Sensation of pain), b7 neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related functions (e.g., b730 Muscle power functions; b760 Control of voluntary movement functions; b710 Mobility of joint functions). Less variability was found in activities and participation domains, such as purposeful sensory experiences (d110-d129) (e.g., d115 Listening), communication (d3), d710 basic interpersonal interactions, d920 recreation and leisure (d9200 Play; d9205 Socializing). Concluding, this framework designed from a brief gamed-based experience includes mental, perceptual, sensory, neuromusculoskeletal, and movement-related functions and participation in sensory, communication, and leisure domains. More studies, including different experiences and a high number of users, should be developed to provide a more comprehensive ICF framework for game-based experiences in geriatric care.

Keywords: board game, aging, framework, experience

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Authors: Pawel Albrycht, Monika Ksiezopolska-Gocalska, Robert Holyst

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Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a technique of growing importance not only in purely scientific research related to analytical chemistry. It finds more and more applications in broadly understood testing - medical, forensic, pharmaceutical, food - and everywhere works perfectly, on one condition that SERS substrates used for testing give adequate enhancement, repeatability, and homogeneity of SERS signal. This is a problem that has existed since the invention of this technique. Some laboratories use as SERS amplifiers colloids with silver or gold nanoparticles, others form rough silver or gold surfaces, but results are generally either weak or unrepeatable. Furthermore, these structures are very often highly specific - they amplify the signal only of a small group of compounds. It means that they work with some kinds of analytes but only with those which were used at a developer’s laboratory. When it comes to research on different compounds, completely new SERS 'substrates' are required. That underlay our decision to develop universal substrates for the SERS spectroscopy. Generally, each compound has different affinity for both silver and gold, which have the best SERS properties, and that's what depends on what signal we get in the SERS spectrum. Our task was to create the platform that gives a characteristic 'fingerprint' of the largest number of compounds with very high repeatability - even at the expense of the intensity of the enhancement factor (EF) (possibility to repeat research results is of the uttermost importance). As specified above SERS substrates are offered by SERSitive company. Applied method is based on cyclic potentiodynamic electrodeposition of silver or silver-gold nanoparticles on the conductive surface of ITO-coated glass at controlled temperature of the reaction solution. Silver nanoparticles are supplied in the form of silver nitrate (AgNO₃, 10 mM), gold nanoparticles are derived from tetrachloroauric acid (10 mM) while sodium sulfite (Na₂O₃, 5 mM) is used as a reductor. To limit and standardize the size of the SERS surface on which nanoparticles are deposited, photolithography is used. We secure the desired ITO-coated glass surface, and then etch the unprotected ITO layer which prevents nanoparticles from settling at these sites. On the prepared surface, we carry out the process described above, obtaining SERS surface with nanoparticles of sizes 50-400 nm. The SERSitive platforms present highly sensitivity (EF = 10⁵-10⁶), homogeneity and repeatability (70-80%).

Keywords: electrodeposition, nanoparticles, Raman spectroscopy, SERS, SERSitive, SERS platforms, SERS substrates

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Authors: Ali Alshumrani, Nathan Clarke, Bogdan Ghite, Stavros Shiaeles

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Digital forensics has become an essential tool in the investigation of cyber and computer-assisted crime. Arguably, given the prevalence of technology and the subsequent digital footprints that exist, it could have a significant role across almost all crimes. However, the variety of technology platforms (such as computers, mobiles, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), Internet of Things (IoT), databases, drones, cloud computing services), heterogeneity and volume of data, forensic tool capability, and the investigative cost make investigations both technically challenging and prohibitively expensive. Forensic tools also tend to be siloed into specific technologies, e.g., File System Forensic Analysis Tools (FS-FAT) and Network Forensic Analysis Tools (N-FAT), and a good deal of data sources has little to no specialist forensic tools. Increasingly it also becomes essential to compare and correlate evidence across data sources and to do so in an efficient and effective manner enabling an investigator to answer high-level questions of the data in a timely manner without having to trawl through data and perform the correlation manually. This paper proposes a Unified Forensic Analysis Tool (U-FAT), which aims to establish a common language for electronic information and permit multi-source forensic analysis. Core to this approach is the identification and development of forensic analyses that automate complex data correlations, enabling investigators to investigate cases more efficiently. The paper presents a systematic analysis of major crime categories and identifies what forensic analyses could be used. For example, in a child abduction, an investigation team might have evidence from a range of sources including computing devices (mobile phone, PC), CCTV (potentially a large number), ISP records, and mobile network cell tower data, in addition to third party databases such as the National Sex Offender registry and tax records, with the desire to auto-correlate and across sources and visualize in a cognitively effective manner. U-FAT provides a holistic, flexible, and extensible approach to providing digital forensics in technology, application, and data-agnostic manner, providing powerful and automated forensic analysis.

Keywords: digital forensics, evidence correlation, heterogeneous data, forensics tool

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Authors: Muhammad Shafi’U Adamu

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This study examined the effects of two groups of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) which, includes Cognitive Restructuring (CB) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), on the Psychological Distress of awaiting-trial Inmates in Correctional Centers in North-West Nigeria. The study had four specific objectives, four research questions, and four null hypotheses. The study used a quasi-experimental design that involved pre-test and post-test. The population comprised of all 7,962 awaiting-trial inmates in correctional centers in North-west Nigeria. 131 awaiting trial inmates from three intact Correctional Centers were randomly selected using the census technique. The respondents were sampled and randomly put into 3 groups (CR, REBT and Control). Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was adapted for data collection in the study. The instrument was validated by experts and subjected to a pilot study using Cronbach's Alpha with a reliability coefficient of 0.772. Each group received treatment for 8 consecutive weeks (60 minutes/week). Data collected from the field were subjected to descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and mean difference to answer the research questions. Inferential statistics of ANOVA and independent sample t-test were used to test the null hypotheses at P≤ 0.05 level of significance. Results in the study revealed that there was no significant difference among the pre-treatment mean scores of experimental and control groups. Statistical evidence also showed a significant difference among the mean scores of the three groups, and thus, results of the Post Hoc multiple-comparison test indicated the posttreatment reduction of psychological distress in the awaiting-trial inmates. Documented output also showed a significant difference between the post-treatment psychologically distressed mean scores of male and female awaiting-trial inmates, but there was no difference in those exposed to REBT. The research recommends that a standardized structured CBT counseling technique treatment should be designed for correctional centers across Nigeria, and CBT counseling techniques could be used in the treatment of PD in both correctional and clinical settings.

Keywords: awaiting-trial inmates, cognitive restructuring, correctional centers, rational emotive behavioral therapy

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Authors: Carla Palencia-Aguilar

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In order to attain the 2050’s zero emissions goal, it is necessary to know the carbon dioxide changes over time either from pollution to attenuations in the mining industry versus at green zones to establish real goals and redirect efforts to reduce greenhouse effects. Two methods were used to compute the amount of CO2 tons in specific mining zones in Colombia. The former by means of NPP with MODIS MOD17A3HGF from years 2000 to 2021. The latter by using MODIS MYD021KM bands 33 to 36 with maximum values of 644 data points distributed in 7 sites corresponding to surface mineral mining of: coal, nickel, iron and limestone. The green zones selected were located at the proximities of the studied sites, but further than 1 km to avoid information overlapping. Year 2012 was selected for method 2 to compare the results with data provided by the Colombian government to determine range of values. Some data was compared with 2022 MODIS energy values and converted to kton of CO2 by using the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator by EPA. The results showed that Nickel mining was the least pollutant with 81 kton of CO2 e.q on average and maximum of 102 kton of CO2 e.q. per year, with green zones attenuating carbon dioxide in 103 kton of CO2 on average and 125 kton maximum per year in the last 22 years. Following Nickel, there was Coal with average kton of CO2 per year of 152 and maximum of 188, values very similar to the subjacent green zones with average and maximum kton of CO2 of 157 and 190 respectively. Iron had similar results with respect to 3 Limestone sites with average values of 287 kton of CO2 for mining and 310 kton for green zones, and maximum values of 310 kton for iron mining and 356 kton for green zones. One of the limestone sites exceeded the other sites with an average value of 441 kton per year and maximum of 490 kton per year, eventhough it had higher attenuation by green zones than a close Limestore site (3.5 Km apart): 371 kton versus 281 kton on average and maximum 416 kton versus 323 kton, such vegetation contribution is not enough, meaning that manufacturing process should be improved for the most pollutant site. By comparing bands 33 to 36 for years 2012 and 2022 from January to August, it can be seen that on average the kton of CO2 were similar for mining sites and green zones; showing an average yearly balance of carbon dioxide emissions and attenuation. However, efforts on improving manufacturing process are needed to overcome the carbon dioxide effects specially during emissions’ peaks because surrounding vegetation cannot fully attenuate it.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, MODIS, surface mining, vegetation

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Authors: Admire Isaac Tichafa Shayanowako, Mark Laing, Hussein Shimelis

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Striga asiatica is among the leading abiotic constraints to maize production under small-holder farming communities in southern African. However, confirmed sources of resistance to the parasitic weed are still limited. Conventional breeding programmes have been progressing slowly due to the complex nature of the inheritance of Striga resistance, hence there is a need for more innovative approaches. This study aimed to achieve partial resistance as well as to breed for compatibility with Fusarium oxysporum fsp strigae, a soil fungus that is highly specific in its pathogenicity. The agar gel and paper roll assays in conjunction with a glass house pot trial were done to select genotypes based on their potential to stimulate germination of Striga and to test the efficacy of Fusarium oxysporum as a biocontrol agent. Results from agar gel assays showed a moderate to high potential in the release of Strigalactones among the 33 OPVs. Maximum Striga germination distances from the host root of 1.38 cm and up to 46% germination were observed in most of the populations. Considerable resistance was observed in a landrace ‘8lines’ which had the least Striga germination percentage (19%) with a maximum distance of 0.93 cm compared to the resistant check Z-DPLO-DTC1 that had 23% germination at a distance of 1.4cm. The number of fusarium colony forming units significantly deferred (P < 0.05) amongst the genotypes growing between germination papers. The number of crown roots, length of primary root and fresh weight of shoot and roots were highly correlated with concentration of fusarium macrospore counts. Pot trials showed significant differences between the fusarium coated and the uncoated treatments in terms of plant height, leaf counts, anthesis-silks intervals, Striga counts, Striga damage rating and Striga vigour. Striga emergence counts and Striga flowers were low in fusarium treated pots. Plants in fusarium treated pots had non-significant differences in height with the control treatment. This suggests that foxy 2 reduces the impact of Striga damage severity. Variability within fusarium treated genotypes with respect to traits under evaluation indicates the varying degree of compatibility with the biocontrol.

Keywords: maize, Striga asiaitca, resistance, compatibility, F. oxysporum

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Authors: Diana Puigserver Cuerda, Jofre Herrero Ferran, José M. Carmona Perez

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In the transition zone between aquifers and basal aquitards, DNAPL-pools of chlorinated solvents are more recalcitrant than at other depths in the aquifer. Although degradation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) and chloroform (CF) occurs in this zone, this is a slow process, which is why an adequate remediation strategy is necessary. The working hypothesis of this study is that the biostimulation of the transition zone of an aquifer contaminated by CT and CF can be an effective remediation strategy. This hypothesis has been tested in a site on an unconfined aquifer in which the major contaminants were CT and CF of industrial origin and where the hydrochemical background was rich in other compounds that can hinder natural attenuation of chloromethanes. Field studies and five laboratory microcosm experiments were carried out at the level of groundwater and sediments to identify: i) the degradation processes of CT and CF; ii) the structure of microbial communities; and iii) the microorganisms implicated on this degradation. For this, concentration of contaminants and co-contaminants (nitrate and sulfate), Compound Specific Isotope Analysis, molecular techniques (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) and clone library analysis were used. The main results were: i) degradation processes of CT and CF occurred in groundwater and in the lesser conductive sediments; ii) sulfate-reducing conditions in the transition zone were high and similar to those in the source of contamination; iii) two microorganisms (Azospira suillum and a bacterium of the Clostridiales order) were identified in the transition zone at the field and lab experiments that were compatible with the role of carrying out the reductive dechlorination of CT, CF and their degradation products (dichloromethane and chloromethane); iv) these two microorganisms were present at the high starting concentrations of the microcosm experiments (similar to those in the source of DNAPL) and continued being present until the last day of the lactate biostimulation; and v) the lactate biostimulation gave rise to the fastest and highest degradation rates and promoted the elimination of other electron acceptors (e.g. nitrate and sulfate). All these results are evidence that lactate biostimulation can be effective in remediating the source and plume, especially in the transition zone, and highlight the environmental relevance of the treatment of contaminated transition zones in industrial contexts similar to that studied.

Keywords: Azospira suillum, lactate biostimulation of carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, reductive dechlorination, transition zone between aquifer and aquitard

Procedia PDF Downloads 175

Authors: A. González-Caro, A. M. Merino-Lechuga, D. Suescum-Morales, E. Fernández-Ledesma, J. R. Jiménez, J. M. Fernández-Rodríguez

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Climate change is one of the most significant issues today. Since the 19th century, the rise in temperature has not only been due to natural change, but also to human activities, which have been the main cause of climate change, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The boom in the construction sector in recent years is also one of the main contributors to CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere; for example, for every tonne of cement produced, 1 tonne of CO₂ is emitted into the atmosphere. Most of the research being carried out in this sector is focused on reducing the large environmental impact generated during the manufacturing process of building materials. In detail, this research focuses on the recovery of waste from olive oil mills. Spain is the world's largest producer of olive oil, and this sector generates a large amount of waste and by-products such as olive pits, “alpechín” or “alpeorujo”. This olive stone by means of a pyrosilisis process gives rise to the production of active carbon. The process causes the carbon to develop many internal spaces. This study is based on the manufacture of porous mortars with Portland cement and natural limestone sand, with an addition of 5% and 10% of activated carbon. Two curing environments were used: i) dry chamber, with a humidity of 65 ± 10% and temperature of 21 ± 2 ºC and an atmospheric CO₂ concentration (approximately 0.04%); ii) accelerated carbonation chamber, with a humidity of 65 ± 10% and temperature of 21 ± 2 ºC and an atmospheric CO₂ concentration of 5%. In addition to eliminating waste from an industry, the aim of this study is to reduce atmospheric CO₂. For this purpose, first, a physicochemical and mineralogical characterisation of all raw materials was carried out, using techniques such as fluorescence and X-ray diffraction. The particle size and specific surface area of the activated carbon were determined. Subsequently, tests were carried out on the hardened mortar, such as thermogravimetric analysis (to determine the percentage of CO₂ capture), as well as mechanical properties, density, porosity, and water absorption. It was concluded that the activated carbon acts as a sink for CO₂, causing it to be trapped inside the voids. This increases CO₂ capture by 300% with the addition of 10% activated carbon at 7 days of curing. There was an increase in compressive strength of 17.5% with the CO₂ chamber after 7 days of curing using 10% activated carbon compared to the dry chamber.

Keywords: olive stone, activated carbon, porous mortar, CO₂ capture, economy circular

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Authors: Lucie Matricon, Anne Roubaud, Geert Haarlemmer, Christophe Geantet

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Introduction: This case discusses the management of two floor of mouth (FOM) Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC) not identified upon initial biopsy. Case Report: A 51 year-old male presented with right FOM erythroleukoplakia. Relevant medical history included alcoholic dependence syndrome and alcoholic liver disease. Relevant drug therapy encompassed acamprosate, folic acid, hydroxocobalamin and thiamine. The patient had a 55.5 pack-year smoking history and alcohol dependence from age 14, drinking 16 units/day. FOM incisional biopsy and histopathological analysis diagnosed Carcinoma in situ. Treatment involved wide local excision. Specimen analysis revealed two separate foci of pT1 moderately differentiated SCCs. Carcinoma staging scans revealed no pathological lymphadenopathy, no local invasion or metastasis. SCCs had been excised in completion with narrow margins. MDT discussion concluded that in view of the field changes it would be difficult to identify specific areas needing further excision, although techniques such as Lugol’s Iodine were considered. Further surgical resection, surgical neck management and sentinel lymph node biopsy was offered. The patient declined intervention, primary management involved close monitoring alongside alcohol and smoking cessation referral. Discussion: Narrow excisional margins can increase carcinoma recurrence risk. Biopsy failed to identify SCCs, despite sampling an area of clinical concern. For gross field change multiple incisional biopsies should be considered to increase chance of accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Coupling of tobacco and alcohol has a synergistic effect, exponentially increasing the relative risk of oral carcinoma development. Tobacco and alcoholic control is fundamental in reducing treatment‑related side effects, recurrence risk, and second primary cancer development.

Keywords: microalgae, biofuels, hydrothermal liquefaction, biomass

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Authors: Marius Sebastian Secula, Mihaela Darie, Gabriela Carja

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Persistent organic pollutant discharged by various industries or urban regions into the aquatic ecosystems represent a serious threat to fauna and human health. The endocrine disrupting compounds are known to have toxic effects even at very low values of concentration. The anti-inflammatory agent Ibuprofen is an endocrine disrupting compound and is considered as model pollutant in the present study. The use of light energy to accomplish the latest requirements concerning wastewater discharge demands highly-performant and robust photo-catalysts. Many efforts have been paid to obtain efficient photo-responsive materials. Among the promising photo-catalysts, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) attracted significant consideration especially due to their composition flexibility, high surface area and tailored redox features. This work presents Fe(II) self-supported on ZnMeLDHs (Me =Al3+, Fe3+) as novel efficient photo-catalysts for Fenton-like catalysis. The co-precipitation method was used to prepare ZnAlLDH, ZnFeAlLDH and ZnCrLDH (Zn2+/Me3+ = 2 molar ratio). Fe(II) was self-supported on the LDHs matrices by using the reconstruction method, at two different values of weight concentration. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the structural, textural, and micromorphology of the catalysts. The Fe(II)/ZnMeLDHs nano-hybrids were tested for the degradation of a model pharmaceutical agent, the anti-inflammatory agent ibuprofen, by photocatalysis and photo-Fenton catalysis, respectively. The results point out that the embedment Fe(II) into ZnFeAlLDH and ZnCrLDH lead to a slight enhancement of ibuprofen degradation by light irradiation, whereas in case of ZnAlLDH, the degradation process is relatively low. A remarkable enhancement of ibuprofen degradation was found in the case of Fe(II)/ZnMeLDHs by photo-Fenton process. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS - UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0405.

Keywords: layered double hydroxide, heterogeneous Fenton, micropollutant, photocatalysis

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Authors: Nishita Jaiswal, Apoorv Mohan Satpute

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The increasing demand for efficient, cost-effective motor control systems in the automotive industry has driven the need for advanced, highly optimized control algorithms. Field-Oriented Control (FOC) has established itself as the leading approach for motor control, offering precise and dynamic regulation of torque, speed, and position. However, as energy efficiency becomes more critical in modern applications, implementing FOC on low-power, cost-sensitive microcontrollers pose significant challenges due to the limited availability of computational and hardware resources. Currently, most solutions rely on high-performance 32-bit microcontrollers or Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) equipped with Floating Point Units (FPUs) and Hardware Accelerated Units (HAUs). These advanced platforms enable rapid computation and simplify the execution of complex control algorithms like FOC. However, these benefits come at the expense of higher costs, increased power consumption, and added system complexity. These drawbacks limit their suitability for embedded systems with strict power and budget constraints, where achieving energy and execution efficiency without compromising performance is essential. In this paper, we present an alternative approach that utilizes optimized data representation and computation techniques on a 16-bit microcontroller without FPUs or HAUs. By carefully optimizing data point formats and employing fixed-point arithmetic, we demonstrate how the precision and computational efficiency required for FOC can be maintained in resource-constrained environments. This approach eliminates the overhead performance associated with floating-point operations and hardware acceleration, providing a more practical solution in terms of cost, scalability and improved execution time efficiency, allowing faster response in motor control applications. Furthermore, it enhances system design flexibility, making it particularly well-suited for applications that demand stringent control over power consumption and costs.

Keywords: field-oriented control, fixed-point arithmetic, floating point unit, hardware accelerator unit, motor control systems

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