Search results for: urban training circuits
7351 Investigation of the Opinions and Recommendations of Participants Related to Operating Room Nursing Certified Course Program
Authors: Zehra Gencel Efe, Fatma Susam Ozsayın, Satı Tas
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Background and Aim: It is not possible to teach all the knowledge related to operating room nursing in the nursing education process. Certified courses are organized by the Ministry of Health to compensate the lack of postgraduate training and the theoretical and practical training needs of working nurses. In this study; It is aimed to investigate the participants’ opinions and recommendations attending the certified course of operating room nursing that organized in İKCU AtaturkTraining and Research Hospital. Method: Two operating room nursing courses were organized in 2016. The 1st Operating Room Nursing Certified Course Program was organized between March 07, 2016 and April 6, 2016and the 2nd Operating Room Nursing Certified Course Program was organized between 07 November 2016 - 06 December 2016 at the İKCU Ataturk Training and Research Hospital. The first program was accepted for 29 participants, the second program was accepted for 30 participants. In the collection of the data, the 'Operating Room Nursing Certified Training Program Evaluation Form', 'Operating Room Nursing Certified Training Program Theoretical Training Evaluation Form' were used. Three point Likert-type scale is used for responses in the 'Operating Room Nursing Certified Training Program Evaluation Form’ (1=verygood, 2=good, 3=poor). Data is collected in five areas related to training program, operation room practice, communication, responsibility, experiences of learning. Four point Likert-type scale is used for responses in the 'Operating Room Nursing Certified Training Program Theoretical Training Evaluation Form' (1=verysatisfied, 2=quitesatisfied, 3=satisfied, 4=dissatisfied). Data is collected in two areas include presentation and content. Data were analyzed with SPSS 16 program. Findings and Conclusion: It was found that 93,22% of participants were female in addition, 62,7% had bachelor degree. It was seen that 33,87% of the work group had 1-5 years of experience in their field. It was found that; 88% of trainees participating in the first group to the operating room nursing-certified course program stated the training program was very good, 12% of them stated the training program was good. Nobody was signed the ‘poor’ choice. 81% of the trainees who participated in the 2nd group to the operating room nursing-certified course program stated the training program was very good, 19% of them stated the training program was good. Nobody was signed the ‘poor’ choice. It was found that there was no meaningful difference between the achievement ratios of the trainees and the learning status of the trainees when compared with the t test in the groups with success level of the operating room nursing certified course program according to the learning status of the participants (p ˃ 0,05). The trainees noted that the course was satisfied with theoretical and practical steps but the support services (lunch, coffee breaks etc.) were in adequate.Keywords: certified courses, nursing certified courses, operating room nursing, training program
Procedia PDF Downloads 2157350 The Comparison between Resistance and Aerobic Exercise Training on Metabolic Syndrome Components in Overweight Sedentary Female
Authors: Marzieh Sayyad, Mohsen Salesi
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Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a collection of cardiometabolic risk factors, is linked to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. The prevalence of MetS is on the rise with more women affected than men. The goal of this study was to compare the effects of resistance and aerobic exercise training on metabolic syndrome components in non-athlete, middle-aged woman. 51 non-athlete overweight female participated voluntarily in this study. Participants were divided randomly into three groups including resistance, aerobic and control group (number of each group 17). 24 hours before the beginning of training program, the blood sample was taken in fasting state. The two training groups participated in sport activities for eight weeks, three times a week duration 60-90 minutes. Two days following the end of the 8th week, all the measurements were performed similar to the pretest phase. The data was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. The results showed that aerobic exercise training significantly decreased weight (p=.05), triglyceride (p<0.01) and systolic blood pressure (p<0.02) and HDL-c (p<0.01) was significantly increased. Also in resistance exercise training group TG decreased significantly (p<0.01) and HDL-c (p<0.05) was significantly increased. This study demonstrated that a regular physical activity program improved several metabolic and physiological parameters in healthy, previously sedentary subjects with the metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, it seems that this type of training can be efficient, safe and inexpensive way in order to reduce and prevent metabolic syndrome.Keywords: aerobic exercise, metabolic syndrome, overweight sedentary female, resistance exercise
Procedia PDF Downloads 3057349 The Effect of Jujube Extract and Resistance Training on the Reduction of Complications Caused by the Induction of Anabolic Steroid Boldenone on the Histopathological Changes of Pancreatic Tissue of Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Sayyed-javad Ziaolhagh, Ali-Reza Saadatifar
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Introduction: Athletes frequently perform anabolic steroid resistance exercise, but the effects of medical doses and abuse along with resistance exercise on structural damage to the Pancreases and also jujube extract are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resistance training on body weight and hip fractures induced by boldenone injection in male rats. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 30 male Wistar rats aged 8-12 weeks (weight 202±9.34 g) were randomly divided into five groups: control, boldenone, extract of iujuba+boldenone, boldenone+resistance training and boldenone+resistance training +extract of jujuba. The resistance training program included climbing the ladder for 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 1 session training in a day and each session consisted of the 3 sets and 5 repetitions. Injection was conducted in depth in the hamstring once a week on an appointed day. After anesthesia, autopsy was performed, and the cardiac tissue was isolated. Results: Results showed that boldenone caused tissue damage, congestion, and nuclei unclear and diffuse. In the group "resistance + Boldenone," The Pancreases tissue showed a high degree of hyperemia, and the muscle cells were somewhat abnormal. In boldenone + jujube, the appearance of the tissue was normal, and the rejuvenating effect was visible. Conclusion: Boldenone appears to cause structural damage to the Pancreases tissue. Strength training with Jujube Extract can reduce part of the pancreatic system disorders (necrosis and inflammation) caused by anabolic steroid use.Keywords: boldenone, Jujube extract, pancreases tissue, resistance training
Procedia PDF Downloads 707348 Mosque as a Sustainable Model in Iranian Traditional Urban Development: The Case Study of Vakil Mosque in Shiraz
Authors: Amir Hossein Ashari, Sedighe Erfan Manesh
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When investigating Iranian traditional and historical urban development, such as that seen in Shiraz, our attention is drawn to mosques as a focal point. Vakil Mosque in Shiraz is completely consistent, coordinated and integrated with the Bazaar, square and school. This is a significant example of traditional urban development. The position of the mosque in the most important urban joint near bazaar in a way that it is considered part of the bazaar structure are factors that have given it social, political, and economic roles in addition to the original religious role. These are among characteristics of sustainable development. The mosque has had an important effect in formation of the city because it is connected to main gates. In terms of access, the mosque has different main and peripheral access paths from different parts of the city. The courtyard of the mosque was located next to the main elements of the city so that it was considered as an urban open space, which made it a more active and more dynamic place. This study is carried out via library and field research with the purpose of finding strategies for taking advantage of useful features of the mosque in traditional urban development. These features include its role as a gathering center for people and city in sustainable urban development. Mosque can be used as a center for enhancing social interactions and creating a sense of association that leads to sustainable social space. These can act as a model which leads us to sustainable cities in terms of social and economic factors.Keywords: mosque, traditional urban development, sustainable social space, Vakil Mosque, Shiraz
Procedia PDF Downloads 4057347 Job Satisfaction and Associated factors of Urban Health Extension Professionals in Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia
Authors: Metkel Gebremedhin, Biruk Kebede, Guash Abay
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Job satisfaction largely determines the productivity and efficiency of human resources for health. There is scanty evidence on factors influencing the job satisfaction of health extension professionals (HEPs) in Addis Ababa. The objective of this study was to determine the level of and factors influencing job satisfaction among extension health workers in Addis Ababa city. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Among all public health centers found in the Addis Ababa city administration health bureau that would be included in the study, a multistage sampling technique was employed. Then we selected the study health centers randomly and urban health extension professionals from the selected health centers. In-depth interview data collection methods were carried out for a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting job satisfaction among Health extension professionals (HEPs) in Addis Ababa. HEPs working in Addis Ababa areas are the primary study population. Multivariate logistic regression with 95% CI at P ≤ 0.05 was used to assess associated factors to job satisfaction. The overall satisfaction rate was 10.7% only, while 89.3%% were dissatisfied with their jobs. The findings revealed that variables such as marital status, staff relations, community support, supervision, and rewards have a significant influence on the level of job satisfaction. For those who were not satisfied, the working environment, job description, low salary, poor leadership and training opportunities were the major causes. Other factors influencing the level of satisfaction were lack of medical equipment, lack of transport facilities, lack of training opportunities, and poor support from woreda experts. Our study documented a very low level of overall satisfaction among health extension professionals in Addis Ababa city public health centers. Considering the factors responsible for this state of affairs, urgent and concrete strategies must be developed to address the concerns of extension health professionals as they represent a sensitive domain of the health system of Addis Ababa city. Improving the overall work environment, review of job descriptions and better salaries might bring about a positive change.Keywords: job satisfaction, extension health professionals, Addis Ababa
Procedia PDF Downloads 777346 Enhancing Inservice Education Training Effectiveness Using a Mobile Based E-Learning Model
Authors: Richard Patrick Kabuye
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This study focuses on the addressing the enhancement of in-service training programs as a tool of transforming the existing traditional approaches of formal lectures/contact hours. This will be supported with a more versatile, robust, and remotely accessible means of mobile based e-learning, as a support tool for the traditional means. A combination of various factors in education and incorporation of the eLearning strategy proves to be a key factor in effective in-service education. Key factor needs to be factored in so as to maintain a credible co-existence of the programs, with the prevailing social, economic and political environments. Effective in-service education focuses on having immediate transformation of knowledge into practice for a good time period, active participation of attendees, enable before training planning, in training assessment and post training feedback training analysis which will yield knowledge to the trainers of the applicability of knowledge given out. All the above require a more robust approach to attain success in implementation. Incorporating mobile technology in eLearning will enable the above to be factored together in a more coherent manner, as it is evident that participants have to take time off their duties and attend to these training programs. Making it mobile, will save a lot of time since participants would be in position to follow certain modules while away from lecture rooms, get continuous program updates after completing the program, send feedback to instructors on knowledge gaps, and a wholly conclusive evaluation of the entire program on a learn as you work platform. This study will follow both qualitative and quantitative approaches in data collection, and this will be compounded incorporating a mobile eLearning application using Android.Keywords: in service, training, mobile, e- learning, model
Procedia PDF Downloads 2187345 A Comparative Case Study on the Relationship between Solar Energy Potential and Block Typology and Density in Shanghai Context
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This study explores the relationship between solar potential and block typology and density by analyzing sixteen existing typical street blocks with different topologies and densities in Shanghai, a representative high-density urban in China. Several indicators are proposed to quantify, and a methodology is conducted to evaluate and compare the solar potential both on façade and roof across various selected urban forms. 1) The importance of appropriate solar energy indicators and geometric parameters to be used in comparative studies, and 2) the relationship between urban typology, density, and solar performance are discussed. In this way, the results reveal the key design attributes contributing to increasing solar potential.Keywords: block typology, geometric parameters, high-density urban, solar potential
Procedia PDF Downloads 3367344 Sustainability of Urban Affordable Housing in Malaysia
Authors: Lim Poh Im
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This paper examines the current strategic and planning issues in the provision of affordable housing in urban centres in Malaysia from the perspective of sustainability. Sustainability here refers to social sustainability such as the need to address urban poverty and ensure better quality of life; economic sustainability in ensuring that the financial mechanisms are healthy and stable in the long-run, and to a lesser extent, environmental sustainability in reducing pollution related problems and building footprint. The Malaysian affordable housing sector has undergone tremendous transformations since the sixties, transcending from the earlier social housing catering to the poorer strata of the society, to the current state of housing woes plaguing the young urban middle class. The increase in urban land prices and construction costs, coupled with rampant property speculative and manipulative activities have resulted in situations of housing that are largely unaffordable even to the middle income sector of the urban populations. To overcome such scenario, the public as well as private sectors in the recent years, have came up with various intermediate, as well as medium-term policies aimed to curb the burning housing needs of the urban populations. Key strategies include financial intervention in regulating the interests rates, imposing property gain taxes; loosening the requirement for density and other planning requirements, faster approval of projects, compulsory contribution from developers, etc. Some of the policies are commendable, while others are ad-hoc by nature, and are not able to resolve the long-term socio-economic challenges. This paper discusses and examines the issues from the ‘sustainability’ perspective, focusing on key fiscal, land use and planning policies, as well as the more subtle (but important) political and institutional factors shaping the provision of mass housing for the urban populations in Malaysia.Keywords: affordable housing, urban housing, sustainable housing, planning for urban housing
Procedia PDF Downloads 4437343 Clinical Pharmacology Throughout the World: A View from Global Health
Authors: Ragy Raafat Gaber Attaalla
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Despite having the greatest rates of mortality and morbidity in the world, low- and middle-income (LMIC) nations trail high-income nations in terms of the number of clinical trials, the number of qualified researchers, and the amount of research information specific to their people. Health inequities and the use of precision medicine may be hampered by a lack of local genomic data, clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics competence, and training opportunities. These issues can be solved by carrying out health care infrastructure development, which includes data gathering and well-designed clinical pharmacology training in LMICs. It will be advantageous if there is international cooperation focused at enhancing education and infrastructure and promoting locally motivated clinical trials and research. This paper outlines various instances where clinical pharmacology knowledge could be put to use, including pharmacogenomic opportunities that could lead to better clinical guideline recommendations. Examples of how clinical pharmacology training can be successfully implemented in LMICs are also provided, including clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics training programmes in Africa and a Tanzanian researcher's personal experience while on a training sabbatical in the United States. These training initiatives will profit from advocacy for clinical pharmacologists' employment prospects and career development pathways, which are gradually becoming acknowledged and established in LMICs. The advancement of training and research infrastructure to increase clinical pharmacologists' knowledge in LMICs would be extremely beneficial because they have a significant role to play in global health.Keywords: low- and middle-income, clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, career development pathways
Procedia PDF Downloads 727342 The Effect of Phase Development on Micro-Climate Change of Urban Area
Authors: Tommy Lo
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This paper presented the changes in temperature and air ventilation of an inner urban area at different development stages during 2002 to 2012 and the high-rise buildings to be built in 2018. 3D simulation models ENVI-met and Autodesk Falcon were used. The results indicated that replacement of old residence buildings or open space with high-rise buildings will increase the air temperature of inner urban area; the air temperature at the pedestrian level will increase more than that at the upper levels. The temperature of the inner street in future will get higher than that in 2002, 2008 and 2012. It is attributed that heat is trapped in the street canyons as the air permeability at the pedestrian levels is lower. High-rise buildings with massive podium will further reduce the air ventilation in that area. In addition, sufficient separations among buildings is essential in design. High-rise buildings aligned along the waterfront will obstruct the wind flowing into the inner urban area and accelerate the temperature increase both in daytime and night time.Keywords: micro-climate change, urban design, ENVI-met, construction engineering
Procedia PDF Downloads 2827341 Environmental Impacts on Urban Agriculture in Algiers
Authors: Sara Bouzekri, Said Madani
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In many Mediterranean cities such as Algiers, the human activity, the strong mobility the urban sprawl, the air pollution, the problems of waste management, the wasting of the resources and the degradation of the environment weaken in an unquestionable way the farming. The question of sustainable action vis-a-vis these threats arises then in order to maintain a level of desired local development. The methodology is based on a multi-criteria method based on the AFOM diagnosis, which classifies agricultural strength indicators and those of threat, according to an analytical approach. In a sustainable development perspective, it will be appropriate to link the threat factors of the case study with the factors of climate change to see their impact on the future of agriculture. This will be accompanied by a SWOT analysis, which crosses the most significant criteria to arrive at the necessary recommendations based on future projects for urban agriculture.Keywords: Algiers, environment, urban agriculture, threat factors
Procedia PDF Downloads 2997340 A Research on Inference from Multiple Distance Variables in Hedonic Regression Focus on Three Variables
Authors: Yan Wang, Yasushi Asami, Yukio Sadahiro
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In urban context, urban nodes such as amenity or hazard will certainly affect house price, while classic hedonic analysis will employ distance variables measured from each urban nodes. However, effects from distances to facilities on house prices generally do not represent the true price of the property. Distance variables measured on the same surface are suffering a problem called multicollinearity, which is usually presented as magnitude variance and mean value in regression, errors caused by instability. In this paper, we provided a theoretical framework to identify and gather the data with less bias, and also provided specific sampling method on locating the sample region to avoid the spatial multicollinerity problem in three distance variable’s case.Keywords: hedonic regression, urban node, distance variables, multicollinerity, collinearity
Procedia PDF Downloads 4647339 Effect of Exercise Training on Body Composition and Metabolic Profile in Older Adults during Cancer Treatment
Authors: Adeline Fontvieille, Hugo Parent-Roberge, Marie-France Langlois, Tamas Fulop, Michel Pavic, Eleonor Riesco
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Introduction: Total lean body mass is reduced during cancer treatment. This loss is called cancer cachexia and is accompanied by a progressive loss of fat mass. In older adults, these body composition changes can have a larger impact on metabolic health, physical autonomy, and cancer survival. Although currently untreatable, exercise training could reduce these effects. Hence, the objective of this pilot study is to investigate if 12 weeks of exercise training during cancer treatment can mitigate the loss of muscle mass and fat mass in older adults. Methods: A total of 40 older adults (65-80 years) with an ongoing treatment for a curable cancer are currently recruited and randomised in two groups: 1) Combined training (EX, n=20) and 2) Control group (CON, n=20). All variables are measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention: Anthropometry (weight, height, body mass index), body composition (total fat mass, visceral adipose tissue, total and appendicular muscle mass; DXA), metabolic profile (HDL-C and LDL-C, triglycerides, glucose and insulin levels). Results: Preliminary analyses revealed no impact of exercise training on appendicular muscle mass (p=0,31) and fat mass (p=0,31). Furthermore, total body weight, waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, glucose and insulin levels remained unchanged (all p ≥ 0.79) after 12 weeks of training. However, statistical analyses revealed that triglyceride levels slightly increased (p=0.03), irrespective of the group. Conclusion: Preliminary analyses did not reveal any impact of aerobic and resistance exercise training on body composition in oncogeriatric patients. Furthermore, exercise training seems not efficient to prevent the cancer treatment-related triglyceride levels increase.Keywords: muscle mass, fat mass, metabolic profile, combined training, aging, cancer
Procedia PDF Downloads 3647338 The Balance between the Two Characters of the Night: A Study on the Nightscape of Pei Ho Street and Yen Chow Street West in Sham Shui Po
Authors: Lei Danyang, Lu Jialiang
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As nightlife is getting richer in urban area, urban nightscape has become an increasingly important part of the urban landscape. Understanding urban nightscape from the perspective of pedestrian perception is very important to improve the livability and walkability of a city. The purpose of this study is to analyze the nightscapes of two different urban forms. The research methods are literature investigation and field investigation. From analyzing the lighting, sensory experience, and night activities, this research studies the two streets, Pei Ho Street and Yen Chow Street West in Sham Shui Po. Results revealed that the two streets are on the two extremes of the two characters of the night and a better balance needs to be found between them. Because of the different land usage and stakeholders, the two streets should play different roles in the nightscape, so their balance points are also different. On the one hand, Pei Ho Street, which has a strong commercial atmosphere, should not only retain its vitality and diversity but also ensure its function of relaxation at night; on the other hand, in Yen Chow Street West, it is necessary to develop its potential of reconnecting people with the darkness of the night while ensuring its safety. These findings may not only provide policymakers with information to help them improve the nightscape and livability of the Sham Shui Po area but also help bridge the gap between research and design. In the future, more attention should be paid to pedestrian preference and nightscape perception of vulnerable groups.Keywords: Hong Kong, pedestrian perception, Sham Shui Po, urban form, urban nightscape
Procedia PDF Downloads 1447337 Explore Urban Spatial Density with Boltzmann Statistical Distribution
Authors: Jianjia Wang, Tong Yu, Haoran Zhu, Kun Liu, Jinwei Hao
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The underlying pattern in the modern city is agglomeration. To some degree, the distribution of urban spatial density can be used to describe the status of this assemblage. There are three intrinsic characteristics to measure urban spatial density, namely, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), Building Coverage Ratio (BCR), and Average Storeys (AS). But the underlying mechanism that contributes to these quantities is still vague in the statistical urban study. In this paper, we explore the corresponding extrinsic factors related to spatial density. These factors can further provide the potential influence on the intrinsic quantities. Here, we take Shanghai Inner Ring Area and Manhattan in New York as examples to analyse the potential impacts on urban spatial density with six selected extrinsic elements. Ebery single factor presents the correlation to the spatial distribution, but the overall global impact of all is still implicit. To handle this issue, we attempt to develop the Boltzmann statistical model to explicitly explain the mechanism behind that. We derive a corresponding novel quantity, called capacity, to measure the global effects of all other extrinsic factors to the three intrinsic characteristics. The distribution of capacity presents a similar pattern to real measurements. This reveals the nonlinear influence on the multi-factor relations to the urban spatial density in agglomeration.Keywords: urban spatial density, Boltzmann statistics, multi-factor correlation, spatial distribution
Procedia PDF Downloads 1497336 Effects of Transtheoretical Model in Obese and Overweight Women Nutritional Behavior Change and Lose Weight
Authors: Abdmohammad Mousavi, Mohsen Shams, Mehdi Akbartabar Toori, Ali Mousavizadeh, Mohammad Ali Morowatisharifabad
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The effectiveness of Transtheoretical Model (TTM) on nutritional behavior change and lose weight has been subject to questions by some studies. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of nutritional behavior change and lose weight interventions based on TTM in obese and overweight women. This experimental study that was a 8 months trial nutritional behavior change and weight loss program based on TTM with two conditions and pre–post intervention measurements weight mean. 299 obese and overweight 20-44 years old women were selected from two health centers include training (142) and control (157) groups in Yasuj, a city in south west of Iran. Data were analyzed using paired T-test and One–Way ANOVA tests. In baseline, adherence with nutritional healthy behavior in training group(9.4%) compare with control(38.8%) were different significantly(p=.003), weight mean of training(Mean=78.02 kg, SD=11.67) compared with control group(Mean=77.23 kg, SD=10.25) were not (P=.66). In post test, adherence with nutritional healthy behavior in training group(70.1%) compare with control (37.4%) were different significantly (p=.000), weight mean of training (Mean=74.65 kg, SD=10.93, p=.000) compare with pre test were different significantly and control (Mean=77.43 kg, SD=10.43, p=.411) were not. The training group has lost 3.37 kg weight, whereas the control group has increased .2 kg weight. These results supported the applicability of the TTM for women weight lose intervention.Keywords: nutritional behavior, Transtheoretical Model, weight lose, women
Procedia PDF Downloads 4847335 Effect of 10 Weeks of Aerobic Exercise Training on Serum Concentrations of Surfactant Protein D and Insulin Resistance in Women with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Sajjad Rezaei, Mahdieh Molanouri Shamsi, Azadeh Jamali
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Background and purpose: Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a lung-specific protein that is detectable in human plasma. Effect of exercise training on SP-D levels as well as its relation to metabolic indices is not known. The present study then aimed to investigate the effects of 10 weeks of aerobic training on serum levels of SP-D and insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods: Twenty-two overweight women with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited through deliberate sampling and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups (11 in each group). The intervention group underwent a progressive aerobic training program for 10 weeks, 3 days per week, 30-55 min/day at 50-75% heart rate reserve (HRR). Control group continued with its everyday routine. Blood samples were obtained before and after training for biochemical analysis. Within-group and between-group differences were analyzed with paired and independent t-tests in spss software, respectively, and the relation between variables was analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient (all at P = 0.05). Results: Significant differences were observed between groups in leptin, glucose, waist circumference and VO2 max after training. SP-D was decreased and VO2 max was increased significantly in intervention group. However, no significant correlation was observed between SP-D and other variables. Conclusion: Since there was no corresponding decrease in insulin resistance with decreased levels of SP-D, it seems unlikely for SP-D to mediate the association between obesity and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics.Keywords: exercise training, SP-D, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes
Procedia PDF Downloads 4167334 Household Food Insecurity and Associated Coping Strategies in Urban, Peri-Urban and Rural Settings: A Case of Morogoro and Iringa Towns, Tanzania
Authors: U. Tumaini, J. Msuya
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Food insecurity is a worrying challenge worldwide with sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania being the most affected. Although factors that influence household food access security status and ways of coping with such factors have been examined, little has been reported on how these coping strategies vary along the urban-rural continuum especially in medium-sized towns. The purpose of this study was to identify food insecurity coping strategies employed by households and assess whether they are similar along the urban-rural continuum. The study was cross-sectional in design whereby a random sample of 279 households was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 software. It was revealed that the proportion of households relying on less preferred and quality foods, eating fewer meals per day, undertaking work for food or money, performing farm and off-farm activities, and selling fall back assets was higher in rural settings compared to urban and peri-urban areas. Similarly, more households in urban and peri-urban areas cope with food access insecurity by having strict food budgets compared to those in rural households (p ≤ 0.001). The study concludes that food insecurity coping strategies vary significantly from one spatial entity to another. It is thereby recommended that poor, particularly rural households should be supported to diversify their income-generating activities not only for food security purposes during times of food shortage but also as businesses aimed at increasing their household incomes.Keywords: food coping strategies, household food insecurity, medium-sized towns, urban-rural continuum
Procedia PDF Downloads 3287333 Effects of High Intensity Interval vs. Low Intensity Continuous Training on LXRβ, ABCG5 and ABCG8 Genes Expression in Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Sdiqeh Jalali, M. R. Khazdair
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Liver X receptors (LXR) have an essential role in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism, and their activation increase ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes expression for the improvement of cholesterol excretion from the body during reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high-intensity interval (HIT) and low intensity continuous (LIT) trainings on gene expression of these substances after a high-fat diet in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Fifteen male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: control group (n = 5), HIT exercise group (n = 5) and LIT exercise group (n = 5). All groups used a high-fat diet for 13 weeks, and the HIT and LIT groups performed the specific training program. The expression of LXRβ, ABCG5, and ABCG8 genes was measured after the training period. Findings: Data analysis showed significantly higher levels of LXRβ, ABCG5, and ABCG8 gene expression in HIT and LIT groups compared to the control group (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: HIT and LIT trainings after a high-fat diet have beneficial effects on RCT that prevent heart attack. Also, HIT training may have a greater effect on cholesterol excretion during the reverse cholesterol transport mechanism than LIT.Keywords: liver X receptor, atherosclerosis, interval training, endurance training
Procedia PDF Downloads 1177332 Improving Trainings of Mineral Processing Operators Through Gamification and Modelling and Simulation
Authors: Pedro A. S. Bergamo, Emilia S. Streng, Jan Rosenkranz, Yousef Ghorbani
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Within the often-hazardous mineral industry, simulation training has speedily gained appreciation as an important method of increasing site safety and productivity through enhanced operator skill and knowledge. Performance calculations related to froth flotation, one of the most important concentration methods, is probably the hardest topic taught during the training of plant operators. Currently, most training teach those skills by traditional methods like slide presentations and hand-written exercises with a heavy focus on memorization. To optimize certain aspects of these pieces of training, we developed “MinFloat”, which teaches the operation formulas of the froth flotation process with the help of gamification. The simulation core based on a first-principles flotation model was implemented in Unity3D and an instructor tutoring system was developed, which presents didactic content and reviews the selected answers. The game was tested by 25 professionals with extensive experience in the mining industry based on a questionnaire formulated for training evaluations. According to their feedback, the game scored well in terms of quality, didactic efficacy and inspiring character. The feedback of the testers on the main target audience and the outlook of the mentioned solution is presented. This paper aims to provide technical background on the construction of educational games for the mining industry besides showing how feedback from experts can more efficiently be gathered thanks to new technologies such as online forms.Keywords: training evaluation, simulation based training, modelling, and simulation, froth flotation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1137331 Urban Agriculture in a Scandinavian Context as a Tool for Climate Adaption and for Empowering Communities through Food Production
Authors: Signe Voltelen, Kristin Astrup Aas
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In the Scandinavian cities, there is a raised focus on the potential of using urban agriculture in city development, both as a tool for handling challenges provoked by climate change and to develop new, and stronger social communities. During the last couple of years, Copenhagen has experienced an increase in extreme weather resulting in dramatical floods with huge humanitarian and economic consequences. As an approach for climate adaption and mitigation the government has made a strategy for changing a significant amount of the cities hard surfaces into green and absorbing surfaces. Including urban farms and gardens. In close collaboration with the municipality, it has been possible to implement citizen-run gardens under the different concepts climate adaption and food literacy. Like other European cities, Copenhagen has a historical tradition of small-scale farming for food security inside the city, and in the outskirts of the urban area. Lately, this tradition has gotten new relevance, and new initiatives are popping up. In addition to providing local food, the urban farm becomes a semi-public, semi-private room that invites to community and integration across ethnicity, social background, and age. The direct interaction in the process of farming creates a connection between the urban and the rural and are educational for people growing up and living their whole life in the dense city. In the paper, three local example models of urban agriculture are presented, and the experiences of their potential as tools for developing social and environmental sustainable cities is examined.Keywords: city development, climate mitigation, community building, urban agriculture, urban- rural transition, food security
Procedia PDF Downloads 2837330 The Pedagogical Integration of Digital Technologies in Initial Teacher Training
Authors: Vânia Graça, Paula Quadros-Flores, Altina Ramos
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The use of Digital Technologies in teaching and learning processes is currently a reality, namely in initial teacher training. This study aims at knowing the digital reality of students in initial teacher training in order to improve training in the educational use of ICT and to promote digital technology integration strategies in an educational context. It is part of the IFITIC Project "Innovate with ICT in Initial Teacher Training to Promote Methodological Renewal in Pre-school Education and in the 1st and 2nd Basic Education Cycle" which involves the School of Education, Polytechnic of Porto and Institute of Education, University of Minho. The Project aims at rethinking educational practice with ICT in the initial training of future teachers in order to promote methodological innovation in Pre-school Education and in the 1st and 2nd Cycles of Basic Education. A qualitative methodology was used, in which a questionnaire survey was applied to teachers in initial training. For data analysis, the techniques of content analysis with the support of NVivo software were used. The results point to the following aspects: a) future teachers recognize that they have more technical knowledge about ICT than pedagogical knowledge. This result makes sense if we consider the objective of Basic Education, so that the gaps can be filled in the Master's Course by students who wish to follow the teaching; b) the respondents are aware that the integration of digital resources contributes positively to students' learning and to the life of children and young people, which also promotes preparation in life; c) to be a teacher in the digital age there is a need for the development of digital literacy, lifelong learning and the adoption of new ways of teaching how to learn. Thus, this study aims to contribute to a reflection on the teaching profession in the digital age.Keywords: digital technologies, initial teacher training, pedagogical use of ICT, skills
Procedia PDF Downloads 1227329 Utility, Satisfaction and Necessity of Urban Parks: An Empirical Study of Two Suburban Parks of Kolkata Metropolitan Area, India
Authors: Jaydip De
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Urban parks are open places, green fields and riverside gardens usually maintained by public or private authorities, or eventually by both jointly; and utilized for a multidimensional purpose by the citizens. These parks are indeed the lung of urban centers. In urban socio-environmental setup, parks are the nucleus of social integration, community building, and physical development. In contemporary cities, these green places seem to perform as the panacea of congested, complex and stressful urban life. The alarmingly increasing urban population and the resultant congestion of high-rises are making life wearisome in neo-liberal cities. This has made the citizen always quest for open space and fresh air. In such a circumstance, the mere existence of parks is not capable of satisfying the growing aspirations. Therefore in this endeavour, a structured attempt is so made to empirically identify the utility, visitors’ satisfaction, and future needs through the cases of two urban parks of Kolkata Metropolitan Area, India. This study is principally based upon primary information collected through visitors’ perception survey conducted at the Chinsurah ground and Chandernagore strand. The correlation between different utility categories is identified and analyzed systematically. At the same time, indices like Weighted Satisfaction Score (WSS), Facility wise Satisfaction Index (FSI), Urban Park Satisfaction Index (UPSI) and Urban Park Necessity Index (UPNI) are advocated to quantify the visitors’ satisfaction and future necessities. It is explored that the most important utilities are passive in nature. Simultaneously, satisfaction levels of visitors are average, and their requirements are centred on the daily needs of the next generation, i.e., the children. Further, considering the visitors’ opinion planning measures are promulgated for holistic development of urban parks to revitalize sustainability of citified life.Keywords: citified life, future needs, visitors’ satisfaction, urban parks, utility
Procedia PDF Downloads 1787328 The Relations between Spatial Structure and Land Price
Authors: Jung-Hun Cho, Tae-Heon Moon, Jin-Hak Lee
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Land price contains the comprehensive characteristics of urban space, representing the social and economic features of the city. Accordingly, land price can be utilized as an indicator, which can identify the changes of spatial structure and socioeconomic variations caused by urban development. This study attempted to explore the changes in land price by a new road construction. Methodologically, it adopted Space Syntax, which can interpret urban spatial structure comprehensively, to identify the relationship between the forms of road networks and land price. The result of the regression analysis showed the ‘integration index’ of Space Syntax is statistically significant and has a strong correlation with land price. If the integration value is high, land price increases proportionally. Subsequently, using regression equation, it tried to predict the land price changes of each of the lots surrounding the roads that are newly opened. The research methods or study results have the advantage of predicting the changes in land price in an easy way. In addition, it will contribute to planners and project managers to establish relevant polices and smoothing urban regeneration projects through enhancing residents’ understanding by providing possible results and advantages in their land price before the execution of urban regeneration and development projects.Keywords: space syntax, urban regeneration, spatial structure, official land price
Procedia PDF Downloads 3287327 Improvement in Quality-Factor Superconducting Co-Planer Waveguide Resonators by Passivation Air-Interfaces Using Self-Assembled Monolayers
Authors: Saleem Rao, Mohammed Al-Ghadeer, Archan Banerjee, Hossein Fariborzi
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Materials imperfection, particularly two-level-system (TLS) defects in planer superconducting quantum circuits, contributes significantly to decoherence, ultimately limiting the performance of quantum computation and sensing. Oxides at air interfaces are among the host of TLS, and different material has been used to reduce TLS losses. Passivation with an inorganic layer is not an option to reduce these interface oxides; however, they can be etched away, but their regrowth remains a problem. Here, we report the chemisorption of molecular self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) at air interfaces of superconducting co-planer waveguide (CPW) resonators that suppress the regrowth of oxides and also modify the dielectric constant of the interface. With SAMs, we observed sustained order of magnitude improvement in quality factor -better than oxide etched interfaces. Quality factor measurements at millikelvin temperature and at single photon, XPS data, and TEM images of SAM passivated air interface sustenance our claim. Compatibility of SAM with micro-/nano-fabrication processes opens new ways to improve the coherence time in cQED.Keywords: superconducting circuits, quality-factor, self-assembled monolayer, coherence
Procedia PDF Downloads 827326 A Study for Turkish Underwater Sports Federation Athletes: Evaluation of the Street Foods Consumption
Authors: Su Tezel
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The paper deals with licensed athletes affiliated with the Turkish Underwater Sports Federation to assess the consumption status of street food. The aim of the paper is the frequency of training during competition preparatory training or season periods, the athletes' economic situation, social life, work-life or education situations are the directs them to street food? Also to evaluate the importance that athletes attach to their nutritional status. Data were collected with survey method. 141 underwater sports athletes participated in the survey. Empirical findings on 141 respondents are related to athletes' demographic information, which underwater sports branch they doing (underwater hockey, underwater rugby and free diving), with whom they live, training hours and frequency, street food consumption frequency and preferences, which type drinks they prefer drink with or without street foods and other similar things. Most of the athletes were male (64.5%), female (35.5%) and the most athletes from the sports branches included in the survey belong to underwater hockey (95.7%). 93.7% of athletes have a training time between 08:00 pm to 00:00 am and the frequency of consuming street food after training is 88%. As a remarkable result, 48% of the reasons for consuming street food easy access to street foods after training. Statistical analyzes were made with the data obtained and the status of street food consumption of athletes, whether they were suitable for professional athlete nutrition and their attitudes were evaluated.Keywords: nutrition, street foods, underwater hockey, underwater sport
Procedia PDF Downloads 1507325 Strategies of Smart City in Response to Climate Change: Focused on the Case Studies of Sweden, Japan, and Korea
Authors: K. M. Kim, S. J. Lee, D. S. Oh, Sadohara Satoru
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The climate change poses a serious challenge to urban sustainability. To alleviate the environmental risk, urban planning has been concentrated on climate adaptation and mitigation, and the sustainable urban model, smart city, has been suggested. However, with regard to sustainable smart city development, a majority of researchers have focused mainly on the aspect of adaptation, which causes the lack of the approaches for mitigation. Therefore, the objective was to identify the planning elements of smart city with integrative reviews about mitigation and adaptation. Moreover, the concepts of smart cities in Sweden, Japan, and Korea were analyzed to find out the country-specific characteristics and strategies for achieving smart city.Keywords: sustainable urban planning, climate change, mitigating and adaptation, smart city
Procedia PDF Downloads 3597324 Analysis of Ecological Footprint of Residents for Urban Spatial Restructuring
Authors: Taehyun Kim, Hyunjoo Park, Taehyun Kim
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Since the rapid economic development, Korea has recently entered a period of low growth due to population decline and aging. Due to the urbanization around the metropolitan area and the hollowing of local cities, the ecological capacity of a city is decreasing while ecological footprints are increasing, requiring a compact space plan for maintaining urban functions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between urban spatial structure and residents' ecological footprints for sustainable spatial planning. To do this, we try to analyze the relationship between intra-urban spatial structure, such as net/gross density and service accessibility, and resident ecological footprints of food, housing, transportation, goods and services through survey and structural equation modeling. The results of the study will be useful in establishing an implementation plan for sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially for sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) in the future.Keywords: ecological footprint, structural equation modeling, survey, sustainability, urban spatial structure
Procedia PDF Downloads 2657323 Review of Hydrologic Applications of Conceptual Models for Precipitation-Runoff Process
Authors: Oluwatosin Olofintoye, Josiah Adeyemo, Gbemileke Shomade
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The relationship between rainfall and runoff is an important issue in surface water hydrology therefore the understanding and development of accurate rainfall-runoff models and their applications in water resources planning, management and operation are of paramount importance in hydrological studies. This paper reviews some of the previous works on the rainfall-runoff process modeling. The hydrologic applications of conceptual models and artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the precipitation-runoff process modeling were studied. Gradient training methods such as error back-propagation (BP) and evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are discussed in relation to the training of artificial neural networks and it is shown that application of EAs to artificial neural networks training could be an alternative to other training methods. Therefore, further research interest to exploit the abundant expert knowledge in the area of artificial intelligence for the solution of hydrologic and water resources planning and management problems is needed.Keywords: artificial intelligence, artificial neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, gradient training method, rainfall-runoff model
Procedia PDF Downloads 4547322 The Emergence of Smart Growth in Developed and Developing Countries and Its Possible Application in Kabul City, Afghanistan
Authors: Bashir Ahmad Amiri, Nsenda Lukumwena
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The global trend indicates that more and more people live and will continue to live in urban areas. Today cities are expanding both in physical size and number due to the rapid population growth along with sprawl development, which caused the cities to expand beyond the growth boundary and exerting intense pressure on environmental resources specially farmlands to accommodate new housing and urban facilities. Also noticeable is the increase in urban decay along with the increase of slum dwellers present another challenge that most cities in developed and developing countries have to deal with. Today urban practitioners, researchers, planners, and decision-makers are seeking for alternative development and growth management policies to house the rising urban population and also cure the urban decay and slum issues turn to Smart Growth to achieve their goals. Many cities across the globe have adopted smart growth as an alternative growth management tool to deal with patterns and forms of development and to cure the rising urban and environmental problems. The method used in this study is a literature analysis method through reviewing various resources to highlight the potential benefits of Smart Growth in both developed and developing countries and analyze, to what extent it can be a strategic alternative for Afghanistan’s cities, especially the capital city. Hence a comparative analysis is carried on three countries, namely the USA, China, and India to identify the potential benefits of smart growth likely to serve as an achievable broad base for recommendations in different urban contexts.Keywords: growth management, housing, Kabul city, smart growth, urban-expansion
Procedia PDF Downloads 231