Search results for: frequency of use of technological devices

Authors: Zahra Esmaeily, Zahra Tajari, Shahrzad Daei, Mahshid Rezaei, Atefeh Eyvazkhani, Marjan Mansouri Dara, Ahmad Reza Dorosty Motlagh, Andriko Palmowski

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Objective: Sarcopenia (SPA) is associated with frailty and disability in the elderly. Adherence to current dietary guidelines in addition to physical activity could play a role in the prevention of muscle wasting and weakness. The Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) is a tool to assess diet quality as recommended in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This study aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between HEI scores and the probability of SPA (PS) among the Tehran elderly. Method: A previously validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess HEI and the dietary intake of randomly selected elderly people living in Tehran, Iran. Handgrip strength (HGS) was measured to evaluate the PS. Statistical evaluation included descriptive analysis and standard test procedures. Result: 201 subjects were included. Those probably suffering from SPA (as determined by HGS) had significantly lower HEI scores (p = 0.02). After adjusting for confounders, HEI scores and HGS were still significantly associated (adjusted R2 = 0.56, slope β = 0.03, P = 0.09). Elderly people with a low probability of SPA consumed more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.06) and ingested less added sugars and saturated fats (P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study, HEI scores are associated with the probability of SPA. Adhering to current dietary guidelines might contribute to ameliorating muscle strength and mass in aging individuals.

Keywords: aging, HEI-2015, Iranian, sarcopenic

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Authors: Rubina Shakya, Srijana Dangol, Dil Islam Mansur

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The exposure of constant stress stimuli in our daily lives is causing deterioration of neural connectivity in the brain. Interestingly, the improvement in larger-scale neural communication has been argued to rely on brain rhythms, which might be sensitive to binaural beats of particular frequency bands. The theoretical idea behind neural entrainment is that the rhythmic oscillatory activity within and between different brain regions can enhance cognitive function and mood state. So, we aimed to investigate whether the binaural beats of 40 Hz could enhance the cognition and the mood stability of the medical students at Kathmandu University of age 18-25 years old, which possibly, in the long run, might help to enhance their work productivity. The participants were asked to focus on the auditory stimuli of binaural beats with 200 Hz on the right side and 240 Hz on the left side of the headset for 15 minutes, every alternative day of three consecutive weeks. The Stroop’s test and the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) were applied to assess the cognitive function and the mood state, respectively. The binaural beats significantly decreased the reaction time for the incoherent component of Stroop’s test in both male and female participants. For the mood state, scores of all positive emotions except ‘Calmness’ were significantly increased in the case of males. Whereas, scores of all positive emotions except ‘Vigor’ were significantly increased in the case of females. The results suggested that the meditation aided by binaural beats of 40 Hz helps in improving cognition and mood states to some extent.

Keywords: binaural beats, cognitive function, gamma neural oscillation, mood states

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Authors: Maha Ali Al-Mohaya, Lubna Majed Al-Otaibi, Ebtissam Nassir Al-Bakr, Abdulrahman Al-Asmari

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Objectives: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disease. Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis and disease progression of OLP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, TNF-β and interleukin (IL)-10 gene polymorphisms with the OLP risk. Material and Methods: Forty-two unrelated patients with OLP and 211 healthy volunteers were genotyped for TNF-α (-308 G/A), TNF-β (+252A/G), IL-10 (-1082G/A), IL-10 (-819C/T), and IL-10 (-592C/A) polymorphisms. Results: The frequencies of allele A and genotype GA of TNF-α (-308G/A) were significantly higher while allele G and GG genotypes were lower in OLP patients as compared to the controls (P < 0.001). The frequency of GA genotype of TNF-β (+252A/G) was significantly higher in patients than in controls while the AA genotype was completely absent in OLP patients. These results indicated that allele A and genotype GA of TNF-α (-308G/A) as well as the GA genotype of TNF-β (+252A/G) polymorphisms are associated with OLP risk. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of -1082G/A, -819C/T and -592C/A polymorphisms in IL-10 gene did not differ significantly between OLP patients and controls (P > 0.05). However, haplotype ATA extracted from 1082G/A, -819C/T, -592C/A polymorphisms of IL-10 were more prevalent in OLP patients when compared to controls indicating its possible association with OLP susceptibility. Conclusion: It is concluded that TNF-α (-308G/A), TNF-β (+252A/G) and IL-10 (-1082G/A, -819C/T and -592C/A) polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility of OLP, thus giving additional support for the genetic basis of this disease. Further studies are required using a larger sample size to confirm this association and determine the prognostic values of these findings.

Keywords: oral lichen planus, cytokines, polymorphism, genetic

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Authors: Olufemi Samuel Shola, Oladapo Adenike Adesola

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Inadequate dietary intake has increased the susceptibility of under five children to malnutrition and infections. This study, therefore, assessed the feeding practices of children of 0-23 months of age among mothers in urban areas of Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select four hundred (400) mothers out of 710 mothers from 7 primary health care centres in Akure metropolis for the study. Data were collected using modified WHO 2003 Questionnaire on child feeding practices. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while chi-square was used to determine the association between variables. Results showed that 52.0% of the children were males, with 47.5% in the 6-8 months age group. More than half (57.0%) of the mothers were between the ages of 20-29 years, and 45.0% had secondary education. Majority (94.3%) of the mothers breastfed their children in the last 24 hours preceding the survey. The feeding practices history of mothers showed that 28.0% and 53.7% of the mothers initiated breastfeeding less than 30 minutes and between 30 minutes to 1 hour after delivery, respectively. Also, 52.0% of mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding for six months, while 26.2% breastfed from 6 months up to 2 years of age. Dietary diversity of the children age 6-23 months revealed that 68.7% of the children attained the minimum dietary diversity by consuming 4 or more food groups in the last 24 hours. There was a significant association (P < 0.05) between mothers’ education (n=180), occupation(n=41) and dietary diversity (n= 150) and meal frequency (n=209). Therefore, the study concluded that the duration of breastfeeding and time of introduction of complementary food did not meet WHO recommended guidelines. There is urgent need to launching more programmes.

Keywords: breastfeeding, mothers, child feeding, urban areas, ondo state, nigeria

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Authors: Gokul Pathak, Dilip Kumar Yadav

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Background: Unsafe/unprotected and early sexual relations are highly responsible for the problems of unwanted pregnancy, child birth and other adverse consequences. Emergency contraception (EC) refers to methods that women can use to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse, method failure or incorrect use. Aim and Objective: The objective of this research study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and behavior on emergency contraception among youth students of Lekhnath Municipality. Methodology: This institution based descriptive study was carried out in August-October 2012 on Lekhnath Municipality, Nepal. Multistage simple random sampling procedure with pretested semi structured questionnaire following self administered technique was used to collect information. Collected data was coded and entered in the EpiData 3.1 ® and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS®) version 20.0 for analysis. Chi-square test and Spearman correlation was applied wherever required. Results: A total of 641 students (87.6 %), youth students participated in this study which incorporates 354 male and 287 female youth students, of them 54.3% were from Higher Secondary level and 45.7% were from Undergraduate level. The awareness of EC among respondents was found only 64.7%. 25.8% respondents were found to have fair knowledge level where as 74.2% had poor knowledge level. Level of knowledge was significantly associated with age, educational level, faculty and educational status of mother. The study showed 82.4% respondent’s favorable attitude towards use of EC. 21.1% respondents were found to be sexually active (29.7% male and 10.5% female) and only 28.1% of sexually active respondents had ever used any method of EC. Conclusion: Knowledge about EC was found quiet low among youth. There was significant lack of knowledge about exact time limit of using devices of EC. Similarly several misconceptions regarding EC were found very high among youth. Health education initiatives should target students as they are more likely to be sexually active.

Keywords: emergency contraception, youth, unsafe/unprotected sexual intercourse, knowledge, attitude and behavior

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Authors: Iram Siddique

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Synthetic seed technology is an alternative to traditional micropropagation for production and delivery of cloned plantlets. Synthetic seeds were produced by encapsulating nodal segments of C. angustifolia in calcium alginate gel. 3% (w/v) sodium alginate and 100 mM CaCl2. 2H2O were found most suitable for encapsulation of nodal segments. Synthetic seeds cultured on half strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with thidiazuron (5.0 µM) + indole -3- acetic acid (1.0 µM) produced maximum number of shoots (10.9 ± 0.78) after 8 weeks of culture exhibiting (78%) in vitro conversion response. Encapsulated nodal segments demonstrated successful regeneration after different period (1-6 weeks) of cold storage at 4 °C. The synthetic seeds stored at 4 °C for a period of 4 weeks resulted in maximum conversion frequency (93%) after 8 weeks when placed back to regeneration medium. The isolated shoots when cultured on half strength MS medium supplemented with 1.0 µM indole -3- butyric acid (IBA), produced healthy roots and plantlets with well developed shoot and roots were successfully hardened off in plastic pots containing sterile soilrite inside the growth chamber and gradually transferred to greenhouse where they grew well with 85% survival rate. Changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments, net photosynthetic rate (PN), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in C. angustifolia indicated the adaptation of micropropagated plants to ex vitro conditions.

Keywords: biochemical studies, nodal segments, rooting, synthetic seeds, thidiazuron

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Authors: Oanthata Jester Sealetsa, Richie Moalosi

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Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are reported to be amongst the leading contributing factors of low productivity in many industries across the world, and the most affected being New Emerging Economies (NEC) such as Botswana. This is due to lack of expertise and resources to deal with existing ergonomics challenges. This study was aimed to evaluate occupational postures and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among diamond polishers in a diamond company in Botswana. A case study was conducted with about 106 diamond polishers in Gaborone, Botswana. A case study was chosen because it can investigate and explore an issue thoroughly and deeply, and record behaviour over time so changes in behaviour can be identified. The Corlett and Bishop Body Map was used to determine frequency of MSDs symptoms in different body parts of the workers. This was then followed by the use of the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) to evaluate the occupational postural risks of MSDs. Descriptive statistics, chi square, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. The results of the study reveal that workers experienced pain in the upper back, lower back, shoulders, neck, and wrists with the most pain reported in the upper back (44.6%) and lower back (44.2%). However, the mean REBA score of 6.07 suggests that sawing, bruiting and polishing were the most dangerous processes in diamond polishing. The study recommends that a redesign of the diamond polishing workstations is necessary to accommodate the anthropometry characteristic of Batswana (people from Botswana) to prevent the development of MSDs.

Keywords: assessment, Botswana, diamond polishing, ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, occupational postural risks

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Authors: A. Ameur Ameur, H. Boukherrouba

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In red meat slaughterhouses a significant number of organs and carcasses were seized because of the presence of lesions of various origins. The objective of this study is to characterize and evaluate the frequency of these lesions in the slaughterhouse of the Wilaya of BOUIRA. On cattle slaughtered in 2646 and inspected 72% of these carcasses have been no seizures against 28% who have undergone at least one entry. 325 lung (44%), 164 livers (22%), 149 hearts (21%) are the main saisis.38 kidneys members (5%), 33 breasts (4%) and 16 whole carcasses (2%) are less seizures parties. The main reasons are the input hydatid cyst for most seized organs such as the lungs (64.5%), livers (51.8%), hearts (23.2%), hydronephrosis for the kidneys (39.4%), and chronic mastitis (54%) for the breasts. Then we recorded second-degree pneumonia (16%) to the lungs, chronic fascioliasis (25%) for livers. A significant difference was observed (p < 0.0001) by sex, race, origin and age of all cattle having been saisie.une a specific input patterns and So pathology was recorded based on race. The local breed presented (75.2%) of hydatid cyst, (95%) and chronic fascioliasis (60%) pyelonephritis, for against the improved breed presented the entire respiratory lesions include pneumonia (64%) the chronic tuberculosis (64%) and mastitis (76%). These results are an important step in the implementation of the concept of risk assessment as the scientific basis of food legislation, by the identification and characterization of macroscopic damage leading withdrawals in meat and to establish the level of inclusion of these injuries within the recommended risk assessment systems (HACCP).

Keywords: slaughterhouses, meat safety, seizure patterns, HACCP

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Authors: Ahmed H. Elkholy

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An elastic analysis is developed to obtain the distribution of stresses, strains, bending moment and deformation for a thin hollow, variable thickness cylindrical specimen when subjected to different biaxial loadings. The specimen was subjected to a combination of internal pressure, axial tensile loading and external pressure. Several axial to circumferential stress ratios were investigated in detail. The analytical model was then validated using experimental results obtained from a test rig using several biaxial loadings. Based on the preliminary results obtained, the specimen was then modified geometrically to ensure uniform strain distribution through its wall thickness and along its gauge length. The new design of the specimen has a higher buckling strength and a maximum value of equivalent stress according to the maximum distortion energy theory. A cyclic function generator of the standard servo-controlled, electro-hydraulic testing machine is used to generate a specific signal shape (sine, square,…) at a certain frequency. The two independent controllers of the electronic circuit cause an independent movement to each servo-valve piston. The movement of each piston pressurizes the upper and lower sides of the actuators alternately. So, the specimen will be subjected to axial and diametral loads independent of each other. The hydraulic system has two different pressures: one pressure will be responsible for axial stress produced in the specimen and the other will be responsible for the tangential stress. Changing the two pressure ratios will change the stress ratios accordingly. The only restriction on the maximum stress obtained is the capacity of the testing system and specimen instability due to buckling.

Keywords: biaxial, fatigue, stress, testing

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Authors: Sara Mohammad Atef Sabaika

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Background: The development of factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor and hemophilic arthropathy in patients with hemophilia A (PWHA) are a great challenge for hemophilia care. Both genetic and environmental factors led to complications in PWHA. The development of inhibitory antibodies is usually induced by the immune response. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), one of the cytokines, might contribute to its polymorphism. Aim: Study the association between tumor necrosis alpha level and genotypes in pediatric patients with hemophilia A and its relation to inhibitor development and joint status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sufficient number of PWHA attending the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit, Pediatric department in Menoufia University hospital. The clinical parameters, FVIII, FVIII inhibitor, and serum TNF-α level were assessed. The genotyping of −380G > A TNF-α gene polymorphism was performed using real time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Among the 50 PWHA, 28 (56%) were identified as severe PWHA. The FVIII inhibitor was identified in 6/28 (21.5%) of severe PWHA. There was a significant correlation between serum TNF-α level and the development of inhibitor (p = 0:043). There was significant correlation between polymorphisms of −380G > A TNF-α gene and hemophilic arthropathy development (p = 0:645). Conclusion: The prevalence of FVIII inhibitor in severe PWHA in Menoufia was 21.5%. The frequency of replacement therapy is a risk factor for inhibitor development. Serum TNF-α level and its gene polymorphism might be used to predict inhibitor development and joint status in pediatric patients with hemophilia A.

Keywords: hemophilic arthropathy, TNF alpha., patients witb hemophilia A PWHA, inhibitor

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Authors: Eman Ahmed Alsaleh

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Background: Many studies published in other countries identified certain perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity among patients with coronary heart disease. Nevertheless, there is no data about the issue relating to Jordanian patients with coronary heart disease. Objective: This study aimed to describe the prevalence of level of physical activity, benefits of and barriers to physical activity as perceived by Jordanian patients with coronary heart disease, and the relationship between physical activity and perceived benefits of and barriers to physical activity. In addition, it focused on examining the influence of selected sociodemographic and health characteristics on physical activity and the perceived benefits of and barriers to physical activity. Methods: A cross-sectional design was performed on a sample of 400 patients with coronary heart disease. They were given a list of perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity and asked to what extent they disagreed or agreed with each. Results: Jordanian patients with coronary heart disease perceived various benefits and barriers to physical activity. Most of these benefits were physiologically related (average mean = 5.7, SD = .7). The most substantial barriers to physical activity as perceived by the patients were: feeling anxiety, not having enough time, lack of interest, bad weather, and feeling of being uncomfortable. Sociodemographic and health characteristics that significantly influenced perceived barriers to physical activity were age, gender, health perception, chest pain frequency, education, job, caring responsibilities, ability to travel alone, smoking, and previous and current physical activity behaviour. Conclusion: This research demonstrates that patients with coronary heart disease have perceived physiological benefits of physical activity, and they have perceived motivational, physical health, and environmental barriers to physical activity, which is significant in developing intervention strategies that aim to maximize patients' participation in physical activity and overcome barriers to physical activity.

Keywords: prevalence, coronary heart disease, physical activity, perceived barriers

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Authors: Muhammad Faizan Chinannai, Jaeseung Lee, Mohamed Hassan Gundu, Hyunchul Ju

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Fuel cell is known to be an effective renewable energy resource which is commercializing in the present era. It is really important to know about the improvement in performance even when the system faces some defects. This study was carried out to analyze the performance of the Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFCs) under different operating conditions such as current density, relative humidity and Pt loadings considering defects with load changes. The purpose of this study is to analyze the response of the fuel cell system with defects in Balance of Plants (BOPs) and catalyst layer (CL) degradation by maintaining the coolant flow rate as such to preserve the cell temperature at the required level. Multi-Scale Simulation of 3D two-phase PEFC model with coolant was carried out under different load conditions. For detailed analysis and performance comparison, extensive contours of temperature, current density, water content, and relative humidity are provided. The simulation results of the different cases are compared with the reference data. Hence the response of the fuel cell stack with defects in BOP and CL degradations can be analyzed by the temperature difference between the coolant outlet and membrane electrode assembly. The results showed that the Failure of the humidifier increases High-Frequency Resistance (HFR), air flow defects and CL degradation results in the non-uniformity of current density distribution and high cathode activation overpotential, respectively.

Keywords: PEM fuel cell, fuel cell modeling, performance analysis, BOP components, current density distribution, degradation

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Authors: Wanessa G. Oliveira, Fernando C. Capovilla

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Capovilla and Raphael’s Libras Dictionary documents a corpus of 4,200 Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) signs. Duduchi and Capovilla’s software SignTracking permits users to retrieve signs even when ignoring the gloss corresponding to it and to discover the meaning of all 4,200 signs sign simply by clicking on graphic menus of the sign characteristics (phonemes). Duduchi and Capovilla have discovered that the ease with which any given sign can be retrieved is an inverse function of the average popularity of its component phonemes. Thus, signs composed of rare (distinct) phonemes are easier to retrieve than are those composed of common phonemes. SignTracking offers a means of computing the average popularity of the phonemes that make up each one of 4,200 signs. It provides a precise measure of the degree of ease with which signs can be retrieved, and sign meanings can be discovered. Duduchi and Capovilla’s logarithmic model proved valid: The degree with which any given sign can be retrieved is an inverse function of the arithmetic mean of the logarithm of the popularity of each component phoneme. Capovilla, Raphael and Mauricio’s New Libras Dictionary documents a corpus of 10,400 Libras signs. The present analysis revealed Libras DNA structure by mapping the incidence of 501 sign phonemes resulting from the layered distribution of five parameters: 163 handshape phonemes (CherEmes-ManusIculi); 34 finger shape phonemes (DactilEmes-DigitumIculi); 55 hand placement phonemes (ArtrotoToposEmes-ArticulatiLocusIculi); 173 movement dimension phonemes (CinesEmes-MotusIculi) pertaining to direction, frequency, and type; and 76 Facial Expression phonemes (MascarEmes-PersonalIculi).

Keywords: Brazilian sign language, lexical retrieval, libras sign, sign phonology

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Authors: A. Schuchter, M. Promegger

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The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that online education is so much more than just a cool feature for teachers – it is an essential part of modern teaching. In online math teaching, it is common to use tools to share screens, compute and calculate mathematical examples, while the students can watch the process. On the other hand, flipped classroom models are on the rise, with their focus on how students can gather knowledge by watching videos and on the teacher’s use of technological tools for information transfer. This paper proposes a co-educational teaching approach for coding and engineering subjects with the help of drone-building to spark interest in technology and create a platform for knowledge transfer. The project combines aspects from mathematics (matrices, vectors, shaders, trigonometry), physics (force, pressure and rotation) and coding (computational thinking, block-based programming, JavaScript and Python) and makes use of collaborative-shared 3D Modeling with clara.io, where students create mathematics knowhow. The instructor follows a problem-based learning approach and encourages their students to find solutions in their own time and in their own way, which will help them develop new skills intuitively and boost logically structured thinking. The collaborative aspect of working in groups will help the students develop communication skills as well as structural and computational thinking. Students are not just listeners as in traditional classroom settings, but play an active part in creating content together by compiling a Handbook of Knowledge (called “open book”) with examples and solutions. Before students start calculating, they have to write down all their ideas and working steps in full sentences so other students can easily follow their train of thought. Therefore, students will learn to formulate goals, solve problems, and create a ready-to use product with the help of “reverse engineering”, cross-referencing and creative thinking. The work on drones gives the students the opportunity to create a real-life application with a practical purpose, while going through all stages of product development.

Keywords: flipped classroom, co-creational education, coding, making, drones, co-education, ARCS-model, problem-based learning

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Authors: Branislav Kovačević, Andrej Pilipović, Zoran Novčić, Marina Milović, Lazar Kesić, Milan Drekić, Saša Pekeč, Leopold Poljaković Pajnik, Saša Orlović

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Poplars present one of the most important tree species used for phytoremediation in the northern hemisphere. They can be used either as direct “cleaners” of the contaminated soils or as buffer zones preventing the contaminant plume to the surrounding environment. In order to produce appropriate planting material for this purpose, there is a long process of the breeding of the most favorable candidates. Although the development of the poplar propagation technology has been evolving for decades, white poplar nursery production, as well as the establishment of short-rotation coppice plantations, still considerably depends on the success of hardwood cuttings’ survival. This is why easy rooting is among the most desirable properties in white poplar breeding. On the other hand, there are many opportunities for the optimization of the technological procedures in order to meet the demands of particular genotype (clonal technology). In this study the effect of the term of hardwood cuttings’ preparation of four white poplar clones on their survival and further growth of rooted cuttings in nursery conditions were tested. There were three terms of cuttings’ preparation: the beginning of February (2nd Feb 2023), the beginning of March (3rd Mar 2023) and the end of March (21nd Mar 2023), which is regarded as the standard term. The cuttings were stored in cool chamber at 2±2°C. All cuttings were planted on the same date (11th Apr 2023), in soil prepared with rotary tillage, and then cultivated by usual nursey procedures. According to the results obtained after the bud set (29th Sept 2023) there were significant differences in the survival and growth of rooted cuttings between examined terms of cutting preparation. Also, there were significant differences in the reaction of examined clones on terms of cutting preparation. In total, the best results provided cuttings prepared at the first term (2nd Feb 2023) (survival rate of 39.4%), while performance after two later preparation terms was significantly poorer (20.5% after second and 16.5% after third term). These results stress the significance of dormancy preservation in cuttings of examined white poplar clones for their survival, which could be especially important in context of climate change. Differences in clones’ reaction to term of cutting preparation suggest necessity of adjustment of the technology to the needs of particular clone i.e. design of clone specific technology.

Keywords: rooting, Populus alba, nursery, clonal technology

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Authors: Irma Nool, Katriin Saueauk, Ebe Siimson, Vlada Žukova, Elise Gertrud Vellet

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Background: Asthma is one of themostcommonchronicdiseases in children, whichcansignificantlyaffectchildren, and challengetheirfamilies. The unpredictability, frequency, and control of asthma attacks have a profound effect on the daily lives of familieswithasthmaticchildren. Thereis a growing body of researchshowingthatthequality of life of parents and childrenislinkedtothedevelopment of asthma. Theoretical and clinicalstudiesprovethat a positive and well-functioningfamilysystemhelpstocopebetterwiththediagnosis of the chronic disease. The aim of theresearchwastodescribethecopingstrategies of parents of a childwithasthmaconcerningthechild'sillness. Method: Theresearchwasanempirical, quantitative, descriptive study. Thesamplewastheparents of a child with asthma at the Tallinn Children'sHospital, whose child was in inpatienttreatmentbetween 07.04.2021 and 12.09.2021. This is a convenient sample. 59 parentsrepliedtothequestionnaire. The questionnaire “CopingInventoryforStressfulSituations” wasusedtocollectthedata, whichwastranslatedinto Estonian and Russian using a back-and-forthtranslationtechnique. Thequestionnairewasanswered on a 5-point Likert scale. Dataanalysiswasperformedusing SPSS 26.0, descriptive statistics, with mean values and standard deviation. The Mann-Whitney U test wasusedtocomparefathers and motherscopingstrategies. PermissiontoconductresearchhasbeenobtainedfromtheEthicsCommitteeforHuman Research of theInstituteforHealthDevelopment. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 40 ± 6.2 years (median 40), withtheyoungestbeing 27 yearsold and the oldest being 57 yearsold. Of the respondents, 51 (86.4%) were mothers, and 8 (13.6%) werefathers. Parentsusedthemosttask-orientedcopingstrategies (mean 3.35 ± 0.602) and theleastemotion-orientedcopingstrategies (mean 1.97 ± 0.526). Mothersusedmoretask-orientedcopingstrategies (p = 0.001) than fathers. Fathersusedemotion-orientedcopingstrategiesless (p = 0.024) than mothers. mothersplantheirtimebetter (p = 0.043), focus on the problem and look at how to solve it (p = 0.007), and makeanefforttogetthingsdone (p = 0.045). mothersblamethemselvesmorefornotknowingwhattodo (p = 0.045) and worryaboutwhattheyshoulddo (p = 0.027). mothers look more at the goods displayed in the shop windows (p = 0.018) and go for a walk (p = 0.007) compared to fathers. Conclusions: The results of theresearchshowedthatproblem-orientedcopingstrategiesare used the most and there are differences in the behavior of fathers and mothers. Thisshouldbetakenintoaccountwhenprovidingfamily-centered nursing care.

Keywords: asthma, coping strategies, parents, family

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Authors: Josiane N. Muller, Allan K. R. Galardo, Tatiane A. Barbosa, Evan P. Ferro, Wellington M. Dos Santos, Ana Paula S. A. Correa, Edinaldo C. Rego, Jose B. P. Lima

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The susceptibility status of an insect population to any larvicide depends on several factors such includes genetic constitution, environmental conditions and others. The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of three important viral diseases, Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya. The frequent outbreaks of those diseases in different parts of Brazil demonstrate the importance of testing the susceptibility of vectors in different environments. Since the control of this mosquito leads to the control of disease, alternatives for vector control that value the different Brazilian environmental conditions are needed for effective actions. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new commercial formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis israelenses (DengueTech: Brazilian innovative technology) in the Brazilian Legal Amazon considering the climate conditions. Semi-field tests were conducted in the Institute of Scientific and Technological Research of the State of Amapa in two different environments, one in a shaded area and the other exposed to sunlight. The mosquito larvae were exposed to larvicide concentration and a control; each group was tested in three containers of 40 liters each. To assess persistence 50 third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti laboratory lineages (Rockefeller) and 50 larvae of Aedes aegypti collected in the municipality of Macapa, Brazil’s Amapa state, were added weekly and after 24 hours the mortality was assessed. In total 16 tests were performed, where 12 were done with replacement of water (1/5 of the volume, three times per week). The effectiveness of the product was determined through mortality of ≥ 80%, as recommend by the World Health Organization. The results demonstrated that high-water temperatures (26-35 °C) on the containers influenced the residual time of the product, where the maximum effect achieved was 21 days in the shaded area; and no effectiveness of 60 days was found in any of the tests, as expected according to the larvicide company. The test with and without water replacement did not present significant differences in the mortality rate. Considering the different environments and climate, these results stimulate the need to test larvicide and its effectiveness in specific environmental settings in order to identify the parameters required for better results. Thus, we see the importance of semi-field researches considering the local climate conditions for a successful control of Aedes aegypti.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti, bioassay, larvicida, vector control

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Authors: D. Chronopoulos, I. Antoniadis, V. Spitas, D. Koulocheris, V. Polenta

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A concept of a simple linear oscillator, incorporating a negative stiffness element is demonstrated to exhibit extraordinary damping properties. This oscillator shares the same overall (static) stiffness, the same mass and the same damping element with a reference classical linear SDOF oscillator. However, it differs from the original SDOF oscillator by appropriately redistributing the component spring stiffness elements and by re-allocating the damping element. Despite the fact that the proposed oscillator incorporates a negative stiffness element, it is designed to be both statically and dynamically stable. Once such an oscillator is optimally designed, it is shown to exhibit an extraordinary apparent damping ratio, which is even several orders of magnitude higher than that of the original SDOF system, especially in cases where the original damping of the SDOF system is low. This damping behavior is not a result of a novel additional extraordinary energy dissipation mechanism, but a result of the phase difference between the positive and the negative stiffness elastic forces, which is in turn a consequence of the proper re-distribution of the stiffness and the damper elements. This fact ensures that an adequate level of elastic forces exists throughout the entire frequency range, able to counteract the inertial and the excitation forces. Next, Acoustic or Phononic Meta-materials are considered, in which one atom is replaced by the concept of the above simple linear oscillator. The results indicate that not only the damping of the meta-material verifies and exceeds the one expected from the so-called "meta-damping" behavior, but also that the band gap of the meta-material can be significantly increased.

Keywords: wave propagation, periodic structures, wave damping, mechanical engineering

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Authors: Lito M. Amit, Venecio U. Ultra, Young Woong Song

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The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence and types of work-related health and safety problems among Filipino migrant workers and the link between their migration status and occupational health and safety (OHS) problems. We conducted a survey among 116 Filipino migrant workers who were both legal and undocumented. To assess the various forms of occupational health problems, we utilized the Korean occupational stress scale (KOSS), Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) and a validated health and safety questionnaire. A focus group discussion (FGD) was also conducted to record relevant information that was limited by the questionnaires. Descriptive data were presented in frequency with percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the degree of association between variables (p < 0.05). Among the eight subscales of KOSS, inadequate social support (2.48), organizational injustice (2.57), and lack of reward (2.52) were experienced by workers. There was a 44.83% prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders with arm/elbow having the highest rate, followed by shoulder and low back regions. Inadequate social support and discomfort in organizational climate and overall MSDs prevalence showed significant relationships with migration status (p < 0.05). There was a positive association between migration status and seven items under language and communication. A positive association was seen between migration status and some of the OHS problems of Filipino migrant workers in Korea. Undocumented workers in this study were seen to be more vulnerable to those stressors compared to those employed legally.

Keywords: Filipino workers, migration status, occupational health and safety, undocumented workers

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Authors: Yibeltal Chanie Manie, Zebider Asire Munyelet

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5G and 6G technology offers enhanced quality of service with high data transmission rates, which necessitates the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) in 5G/6G architecture. In this paper, we proposed the integration of free space optical communication (FSO) with fiber sensor networks for IoT applications. Recently, free-space optical communications (FSO) are gaining popularity as an effective alternative technology to the limited availability of radio frequency (RF) spectrum. FSO is gaining popularity due to flexibility, high achievable optical bandwidth, and low power consumption in several applications of communications, such as disaster recovery, last-mile connectivity, drones, surveillance, backhaul, and satellite communications. Hence, high-speed FSO is an optimal choice for wireless networks to satisfy the full potential of 5G/6G technology, offering 100 Gbit/s or more speed in IoT applications. Moreover, machine learning must be integrated into the design, planning, and optimization of future optical wireless communication networks in order to actualize this vision of intelligent processing and operation. In addition, fiber sensors are important to achieve real-time, accurate, and smart monitoring in IoT applications. Moreover, we proposed deep learning techniques to estimate the strain changes and peak wavelength of multiple Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors using only the spectrum of FBGs obtained from the real experiment.

Keywords: optical sensor, artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, free-space optics

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Authors: D. Osborn, L. Easthope

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The increasing threat of ‘marauding terror,' utilising improvised explosive devices and firearms, has focused the attention of policy makers and emergency responders once again on the treatment of the critically injured patient in a highly volatile scenario. Whilst there have been significant improvements made in the response and lessons learned from recent disasters in the international disaster community there still remain areas of uncertainty and a lack of clarity in the care of the critically injured. This innovative, longitudinal study has at its heart the aim of using ethnographic methods to ‘slow down’ the journey such patients will take and make visible the ethical complexities that 2017 technologies, expectations and over a decade of improved combat medicine techniques have brought. The primary researcher, previously employed in the hospital emergency management environment, has closely followed responders as they managed casualties with life-threatening injuries. Ethnographic observation of Exercise Unified Response in March 2016, exposed the ethical and legal 'vacuums' within a mass casualty and fatality setting, specifically the extrication, treatment and care of critically injured patients from crushed and overturned train carriages. This article highlights a gap in the debate, evaluation, planning and response to an incident of this nature specifically the incapacitated, unidentified patients and the ethics of submitting them to the invasive ‘Disaster Victim Identification’ process. Using a qualitative ethnographic analysis, triangulating observation, interviews and documentation, this analysis explores the gaps and highlights the next stages in the researcher’s pathway as she continues to explore with emergency practitioners some of this century’s most difficult questions in relation to the medico-legal and ethical challenges faced by emergency services in the wake of new and emerging threats and medical treatment expectations.

Keywords: ethics, disaster, Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), legality, unidentified

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Authors: Cheeze Janito, Crisly Dawang

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It is important to determine the personality traits that exist in the workplace and the contribution of these personality traits in the staff’s daily work routines; a sedentary lifestyle is harmful to one’s health. This study reports the personality traits of the University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan, Philippines, non-teaching staff, the physical activity involvement of the non-teaching staff, and the big five personality traits that shape the relationship of university non-teaching staff in engaging physical activities. A quantitative method approach, which comprised a three-part questionnaire, was used to collect the data. The fifty non-teaching staff complete the survey. The results revealed that among the big five personality traits, the university non-teaching staff scored higher in agreeableness as revealed, that there was a commonality among the respondents’ traits of consideration to the feelings of the co-workers in observance to not being rude and vividly display of respect to co-workers and workplace and scored least in the personality trait of neuroticism. The study also reported that the university non-teaching staff's main physical activity was house chores as a prime physical exercise in which respondents reported a physical activity frequency of once to twice a week; thus, this study reported that the respondents are less engaged in doing physical activities. Further, the relationship of personality traits and the physical activity of the non-teaching staff gained a p-value of .596 that indicates there is no significant relationship between the two variables, the personality trait and physical activities. This study recommends the tight promotion of staff in engaging in physical activity of at least one hundred fifty minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week. Added to this, the use of different platforms containing physical exercise literacy and the benefits of physical exercise for the holistic development of the university community.

Keywords: university staff, physical fitness, personality traits, physical activity

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Authors: Alberto Jiménez-Vargas, Manuel de Jesús Palacios-Gallegos, Miguel Ángel Hernández-López, Rafael Campos-Amezcua, Julio Cesar Solís-Sanchez

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An optimal wind turbine blade design must be able of capturing as much energy as possible from the wind source available at the area of interest. Many times, an optimal design means the use of large quantities of material and complicated processes that make the wind turbine more expensive, and therefore, less cost-effective. For the construction and installation of a wind turbine, the blades may cost up to 20% of the outline pricing, and become more important due to they are part of the rotor system that is in charge of transmitting the energy from the wind to the power train, and where the static and dynamic design loads for the whole wind turbine are produced. The aim of this work is the develop of a blade fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation that allows the identification of the major damage zones during the normal production situation, and thus better decisions for design and optimization can be taken. The simulation is a dynamic case, since we have a time-history wind velocity as inlet condition instead of a constant wind velocity. The process begins with the free-use software NuMAD (NREL), to model the blade and assign material properties to the blade, then the 3D model is exported to ANSYS Workbench platform where before setting the FSI system, a modal analysis is made for identification of natural frequencies and modal shapes. FSI analysis is carried out with the two-way technic which begins with a CFD simulation to obtain the pressure distribution on the blade surface, then these results are used as boundary condition for the FEA simulation to obtain the deformation levels for the first time-step. For the second time-step, CFD simulation is reconfigured automatically with the next time-step inlet wind velocity and the deformation results from the previous time-step. The analysis continues the iterative cycle solving time-step by time-step until the entire load case is completed. This work is part of a set of projects that are managed by a national consortium called “CEMIE-Eólico” (Mexican Center in Wind Energy Research), created for strengthen technological and scientific capacities, the promotion of creation of specialized human resources, and to link the academic with private sector in national territory. The analysis belongs to the design of a rotor system for a 5 kW wind turbine design thought to be installed at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Keywords: blade, dynamic, fsi, wind turbine

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Authors: Dušan Bojović, Wei Huang, Zdravko Stojanović, Jovan Ilić

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In an era of ever-growing electricity generation from renewable energy sources, namely wind and solar, a need for reliable energy storage and intensive balancing of the electric power system gains significance. For decades, pump storage hydroelectric power plants have proven to be an important asset regarding the storage of generated electricity. However, with the increasing overall share of wind and solar in electric systems at large, the importance of electric grid stability keeps growing. A large pump storage project, the Bistrica Pump Storage Plant (PSP), is currently under development in Serbia. The Bistrica PSP will be designed as a 600+ MW power plant, which is envisaged as a significant contributor to the Serbian power grid stability as more and more renewable energy sources are implemented over time. PSP Bistrica is seen as a strategically important project on the green agenda path of the Electric Power Industry of Serbia as a necessary pre-condition for the safe implementation of other renewable energy sources. The importance of such a plant would also play an important role in reducing the electricity production from coal, i.e., thermoelectric power plants. During the project’s development, various techniques and technologies are evaluated for the purpose of determining the optimum (the most profitable) solution. Over the course of this paper, these technologies – such as frequency-regulated pump turbines and ternary sets will be presented, with a detailed explanation of their possible application within the Bistrica PSP project and their relative advantages/disadvantages in this particular case.

Keywords: hydraulic turbines, pumped storage, renewable energy, competing technologies

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Authors: Adriane Orenha-Ottaiano

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Collocations are conventionalized, recurrent and arbitrary lexical combinations. Due to the fact that they are highly specific for a particular language and may be contextually restricted, collocations pose a problem to EFL/ESL learners with regard to production or encoding. Taking that into account, the compilation of monolingual and bilingual collocations dictionaries for the referred audience is highly crucial and significant. Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss the importance of the compilation of an Online Corpus-based Bilingual Collocations Dictionary, in the English-Portuguese and Portuguese-English directions. On a first phase, with the use of WordSmith Tools, the collocations were extracted from a Translation Learner Corpus (TLC), a parallel corpus made up of university students’ translations in the Portuguese-English direction, with approximately 100,000 words. In a second stage, based on the keywords analyzed from the TLC, more collocational patterns were extracted using the Sketch Engine. In order to include more collocations as well as to ensure dictionary users will have access to more frequent and recurrent collocations, we also use the frequency list from The Corpus of Contemporary American English, with the purpose of extracting more patterns. The dictionary focuses on all types of collocations (verbal, noun, adjectival and adverbial collocations), in order to help the referred audience use them more accurately and productively – so far the dictionary has more than 330 entries, and more than 3,500 collocations extracted. The idea of having the proposed dictionary in online format may allow to incorporate more qualitatively and quantitatively collocational information. Besides, more examples may be included, different from conventional printed collocations dictionaries. Being the first bilingual collocations dictionary in the aforementioned directions, it is hoped to achieve the challenge of meeting learners’ collocational needs as the collocations have been selected according to learners’ difficulties regarding the use of collocations.

Keywords: Corpus-Based Collocations Dictionary, Collocations , Bilingual Collocations Dictionary, Collocational Patterns

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Authors: W. Nootcharin, S. Sujittra, K. Mayuso, K. Kornphimol, M. Rawiwan

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Silver has distinct antibacterial properties and has been used as a component of commercial products with many applications. An increasing number of commercial products cause risks of silver effects for human and environment such as the symptoms of Argyria and the release of silver to the environment. Therefore, the detection of silver in the aquatic environment is important. The colorimetric chemosensor is designed by the basic of ligand interactions with a metal ion, leading to the change of signals for the naked-eyes which are very useful method to this application. Dithizone ligand is considered as one of the effective chelating reagents for metal ions due to its high selectivity and sensitivity of a photochromic reaction for silver as well as the linear backbone of dithizone affords the rotation of various isomeric forms. The present study is focused on the conformation and interaction of silver ion and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with dithizone using density functional theory (DFT). The interaction parameters were determined in term of binding energy of complexes and the geometry optimization, frequency of the structures and calculation of binding energies using density functional approaches B3LYP and the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Moreover, the interaction of silver–dithizone complexes was supported by UV–Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectrum that was simulated by using B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and 1H NMR spectra calculation using B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) method compared with the experimental data. The results showed the ion exchange interaction between hydrogen of dithizone and silver atom, with minimized binding energies of silver–dithizone interaction. However, the result of AgNPs in the form of complexes with dithizone. Moreover, the AgNPs-dithizone complexes were confirmed by using transmission electron microscope (TEM). Therefore, the results can be the useful information for determination of complex interaction using the analysis of computer simulations.

Keywords: silver nanoparticles, dithizone, DFT, NMR

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Authors: Sarah Alshehri, Messedah Alqahtani

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Reading instruction in EFL classes is still challenging for teachers, and many students are still behind their expected level. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a shift in teaching English from face-to face to online classes. This paper will discover how the digital shift during and post pandemic has influenced English literacy instruction and what methods seem to be effective or challenging. Specifically, this paper will examine English language teachers' perspectives on the workable approaches and challenges that encountered them when teaching reading using E-Learning platform in Saudi Arabian Secondary and intermediate schools. The study explores public secondary school EFL teachers’ instructional practices and the challenges encountered when teaching reading online. Quantitative data will be collected through a 28 -item Likert type survey that will be administered to Saudi English teachers who work in public secondary and intermediate schools. The quantitative data will be analyzed using SPSS by conducting frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, reliability tests, and one-way ANOVA tests. The potential outcomes of this study will contribute to better understanding of digital literacy and technology integration in language teaching. Findings of this study can provide directions for professionals and policy makers to improve the quality of English teaching and learning. Limitations and results will be discussed, and suggestions for future directions will be offered.

Keywords: EFL reading, E-learning- EFL literacy, EFL workable approaches, EFL reading instruction

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Authors: Atefe Malekkhani, Lee Beattie, Mohsen Mohammadzadeh

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Unprecedented growth of megacities and urban areas all around the world have resulted in numerous risks, concerns, and problems across various aspects of urban life, including environmental, social, and economic domains like climate change, spatial and social inequalities. In this situation, ever-increasing progress of technology has created a hope for urban authorities that the negative effects of various socio-economic and environmental crises can potentially be mitigated with the use of information and communication technologies. The concept of 'smart city' represents an emerging solution to urban challenges arising from increased urbanization using ICTs. However, smart cities are often perceived primarily as technological initiatives and are implemented without considering the social and cultural contexts of cities and the needs of their residents. The implementation of smart city projects and initiatives has the potential to (un)intentionally exacerbate pre-existing social, spatial, and cultural segregation. Investigating the impact of smart city on social capital of people who are users of smart city systems and with governance as policymakers is worth exploring. The importance of inhabitants to the existence and development of smart cities cannot be overlooked. This concept has gained different perspectives in the smart city studies. Reviewing the literature about social capital and smart city show that social capital play three different roles in smart city development. Some research indicates that social capital is a component of a smart city and has embedded in its dimensions, definitions, or strategies, while other ones see it as a social outcome of smart city development and point out that the move to smart cities improves social capital; however, in most cases, it remains an unproven hypothesis. Other studies show that social capital can enhance the functions of smart cities, and the consideration of social capital in planning smart cities should be promoted. Despite the existing theoretical and practical knowledge, there is a significant research gap reviewing the knowledge domain of smart city studies through the lens of social capital. To shed light on this issue, this study aims to explore the domain of existing research in the field of smart city through the lens of social capital. This research will use the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses' (PRISMA) method to review relevant literature, focusing on the key concepts of 'Smart City' and 'Social Capital'. The studies will be selected Web of Science Core Collection, using a selection process that involves identifying literature sources, screening and filtering studies based on titles, abstracts, and full-text reading.

Keywords: smart city, urban digitalisation, ICT, social capital

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Authors: Aisultan Shoiynbek, Darkhan Kuanyshbay, Paulo Menezes, Akbayan Bekarystankyzy, Assylbek Mukhametzhanov, Temirlan Shoiynbek

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Speech emotion recognition (SER) has received increasing research interest in recent years. It is a common practice to utilize emotional speech collected under controlled conditions recorded by actors imitating and artificially producing emotions in front of a microphone. There are four issues related to that approach: emotions are not natural, meaning that machines are learning to recognize fake emotions; emotions are very limited in quantity and poor in variety of speaking; there is some language dependency in SER; consequently, each time researchers want to start work with SER, they need to find a good emotional database in their language. This paper proposes an approach to create an automatic tool for speech emotion extraction based on facial emotion recognition and describes the sequence of actions involved in the proposed approach. One of the first objectives in the sequence of actions is the speech detection issue. The paper provides a detailed description of the speech detection model based on a fully connected deep neural network for Kazakh and Russian. Despite the high results in speech detection for Kazakh and Russian, the described process is suitable for any language. To investigate the working capacity of the developed model, an analysis of speech detection and extraction from real tasks has been performed.

Keywords: deep neural networks, speech detection, speech emotion recognition, Mel-frequency cepstrum coefficients, collecting speech emotion corpus, collecting speech emotion dataset, Kazakh speech dataset

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Authors: Reza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie, Sevda Givtaj

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Automation and control of biological samples and solutions at the microscale is a major advantage for biochemistry analysis and biological diagnostics. Despite the known potential of miniaturization in biochemistry and biomedical applications, comparatively little is known about fluid automation and control at the microscale. Here, we study the electric field effect inside a fluidic channel and proper electrode structures with different patterns proposed to form forward, reversal, and rotational flows inside the channel. The simulation results confirmed that the ac electro-thermal flow is efficient for the control and automation of high-conductive solutions. In this research, the fluid pumping and mixing effects were numerically studied by solving physic-coupled electric, temperature, hydrodynamic, and concentration fields inside a microchannel. From an experimental point of view, the electrode structures are deposited on a silicon substrate and bonded to a PDMS microchannel to form a microfluidic chip. The motions of fluorescent particles in pumping and mixing modes were captured by using a CCD camera. By measuring the frequency response of the fluid and exciting the electrodes with the proper voltage, the fluid motions (including pumping and mixing effects) are observed inside the channel through the CCD camera. Based on the results, there is good agreement between the experimental and simulation studies.

Keywords: microfluidic, nano/micro actuator, AC electrothermal, Reynolds number, micropump, micromixer, microfabrication, mass transfer, biomedical applications

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