Search results for: training effectiveness

Authors: Ouassila Bekkal Brikci Benhabib, Zahia Boucherit Otmani, Kebir Boucherit, A. Seghir

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The establishment of intravenous catheters in hospitalized patient is an act common in many clinical situations. These therapeutic tools, from their insertion in the body, represent gateways including fungal germs prone. The latter can generate the growth of biofilms, which can be the cause of fungal infection. Faced with this problem, we conducted a study at the University Hospital of Tlemcen in the neurosurgery unit and aims to isolate and identify Candida yeasts from intravenous catheters. Then test their ability to form biofilms. Materials and methods: 256 patient hospitalized in surgery of the hospital in west Algeria were submitted to this study. All samples were taken from peripheral venous catheters implanted for 72 hours or more days. A total of 31 isolates of Candida species were isolated. MIC and SMIC are determined at 80% inhibition by the test XTT tetrazolium measured at 490 nm. The final concentrations of antifungal agent being between 0.03 and 16 mg / ml for amphotericin B and from 0.015 to 8 mg / mL caspofungin. Results: 31 Candida species isolates from catheters including 14 Candida albicans and 17 Candida non albicans . 21 strains of all the isolates were able to form biofilms. In their form of Planktonic cells, all isolates are 100% susceptible to antifungal agents tested. However, in their state of biofilms, more isolates have become tolerant to the tested antifungals. Conclusion: Candida yeasts isolated from intravascular catheters are considered an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of infections. Their involvement in catheter-related infections can be disastrous for their potential to generate biofilms. They survive high concentrations of antifungal where treatment failure. Pending the development of a therapeutic approach antibiofilm related to catheters, their mastery is going through: -The risk of infection prevention based on the training and awareness of medical staff, -Strict hygiene and maximum asepsis, and -The choice of material limiting microbial colonization.

Keywords: candida, biofilm, hospital, infection, amphotericin B, caspofungin

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Authors: S. P. Rana

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Objectives: For the manufacture of a very thin strip or a strip with a high-quality finish, the stainless steel sheet that is called billet is re-rolled in re-rolling mill to make stainless steel sheet of 18 gauges. The rolls of re-rolling mill exert tremendous pressure over the sheet and there is likely chance of breaking of stainless steel strip from the sheet. The objective of the study was to minimise the number of accidents in steel re-rolling mills due to ejection of stainless steel strip and to minimize the pollution caused by the pickling process used in these units. Methods: Looking into the high rate of frequency and severity of accidents as well as pollution hazard in re-rolling and pickling mills, it becomes essential to make necessary arrangements for prevention of accidents in such type of industry. The author carried out survey/inspections of a large number of re-rolling and pickling mills and allied units. During the course of inspection, the working of these steel re-rolling and pickling mills was closely studied and monitored. A number of accidents involving re-rolling mills were investigated and subsequently remedial measures to prevent the occurrence of such accidents were suggested. Assessment of occupational safety and health system of these units was carried out and compliance level of the statutory requirements was checked. The workers were medically examined and monitored to ascertain their health conditions. Results: Proper use of safety gadgets by workers, machine guarding and regular training brought down the risk to an acceptable level and discharged effluent pollution was brought down to permissible limits. The fatal accidents have been reduced by 83%. Conclusions: Effective enforcement and implementation of the directions/suggestions given to the managements of such units brought down the no. of accidents to a rational level. The number of fatal accidents has reduced by 83% during the study period. The effective implementation of pollution control device curtailed the pollution level to an acceptable level.

Keywords: re-rolling mill, hazard, accident, health hazards

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Authors: Shashank. S. Bagane, H. N. Rajendra Prasad

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Building Information Modeling (BIM) has currently developed into a potent solution. The consistent development of BIM technology in the sphere of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has enhanced the effectiveness of construction and decision making. However, aggrandized global warming and energy crisis has impacted on building energy analysis. It is now becoming an important factor to be considered in the AEC industry. Amalgamating energy analysis in the planning and design phase of a structure has become a necessity. In the current construction industry, estimating energy usage and reducing its footprint is of high priority. The construction industry is giving more prominence to sustainability alongside energy efficiency. This demand is compelling the designers, planners, and engineers to inspect the sustainable performance throughout the building's life cycle. The current study primarily focuses on energy consumption, space arrangement, and spatial geometry of a residential building. Most commonly residential structures in India are constructed considering Vastu Shastra. Vastu designs are intended to integrate architecture with nature and utilizing geometric patterns, symmetry, and directional alignments. In the current study, a residential brick masonry structure is considered for BIM analysis, Architectural model of the structure will be created using Revit software, later the orientation and spatial arrangement will be finalized based on Vastu principles. Furthermore, the structure will be investigated for the impact of building orientation and spatial arrangements on energy using Green Building Studio software. Based on the BIM analysis of the structure, energy consumption of subsequent building orientations will be understood. A well-orientated building having good spatial arrangement can save a considerable amount of energy throughout its life cycle and reduces the need for heating and lighting which will prove to diminish energy usage and improve the energy efficiency of the residential building.

Keywords: building information modeling, energy impact, spatial geometry, vastu

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Authors: Yi Shan Cheng, Ya Hui Yeh, Hsiao Wen Hsu

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Delirium is an acute state of confusion, which is mainly the result of the interaction of many factors, including: age>65 years, comorbidity, cognitive function and visual/auditory impairment, dehydration, pain, sleep disorder, pipeline retention, general anesthesia and major surgery… etc. Researches show the prevalence of delirium in hospitalized elderly patients over 50%. If it doesn't improve in time, may cause cognitive decline or impairment, not only prolong the length of hospital stay but also increase mortality. Some studies have shown that multiple nonpharmacological interventions are the most effective and common strategies, which are reorientation, early mobility, promoting sleep and nutritional support (including water intake), could improve or prevent delirium in the hospitalized elderly. In Taiwan, only one research to compare the delirium incidence of the older patients who have received orthopedic surgery between multi-nonpharmacological interventions and general routine care. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address the prevention or improvement of delirium incidence density in medical hospitalized elderly, provide clinical nurses as a reference for clinical implementation, and develop follow-up related research. This study is a quasi-experimental design using purposive sampling. Samples are from two wards: the geriatric ward and the general medicine ward at a medical center in central Taiwan. The sample size estimated at least 100, and then the data will be collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire, including: demographic and professional evaluation items. Case recruiting from 5/13/2023. The research results will be analyzed by SPSS for Windows 22.0 software, including descriptive statistics and inferential statistics: logistic regression、Generalized Estimating Equation(GEE)、multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA).

Keywords: multiple nonpharmacological interventions, hospitalized elderly, delirium incidence, delirium

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Authors: Randa M. Ali, Naguiba F. Loutfy, Osama M. Awad

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Background: Leishmaniasis is a worldwide disease, affecting 88 countries, it is estimated that about 350 million people are at risk of leishmaniasis. Overall prevalence is 12 million people with annual mortality of about 60,000. Annual incidence is 1,500,000 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) worldwide and half million cases of visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess primary health care physicians knowledge (PHP) and attitude about leishmaniasis and to assess awareness of local inhabitants about the disease and its vector in four areas in west Alexandria, Egypt. Methods: This study was a cross sectional survey that was conducted in four PHC units in west Alexandria. All physicians currently working in these units during the study period were invited to participate in the study, only 20 PHP completed the questionnaire. 60 local inhabitant were selected randomly from the four areas of the study, 15 from each area; Data was collected through two different specially designed questionnaires. Results: 11(55%) percent of the physicians had satisfactory knowledge, they answered more than 9 (60%) questions out of a total 14 questions about leishmaniasis and sandfly. The second part of the questionnaire is concerned with attitude of the primary health care physicians about leishmaniasis, 17 (85%) had good attitude and 3 (15%) had poor attitude. The second questionnaire showed that the awareness of local inhabitants about leishmaniasis and sandly as a vector of the disease is poor and needs to be corrected. Most of the respondents (90%) had not heard about leishmaniasis, Only 3 (5%) of the interviewed inhabitants said they know sandfly and its role in transmission of leishmaniasis. Conclusions: knowledge and attitudes of physicians are acceptable. However, there is, room for improvement and could be done through formal training courses and distribution of guidelines. In addition to raising the awareness of primary health care physicians about the importance of early detection and notification of cases of lesihmaniasis. Moreover, health education for raising awareness of the public regarding the vector and the disease is necessary because related studies have demonstrated that if the inhabitants do not perceive mosquitoes to be responsible for diseases such as malaria they do not take enough measures to protect themselves against the vector.

Keywords: leishmaniasis, PHP, knowledge, attitude, local inhabitants

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Authors: Hakim Herbane

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Efforts to achieve sustainability in architecture must prove their effectiveness despite various methods attempted. Biomimicry, which looks to successful natural models to promote sustainability and innovation, faces obstacles in implementing sustainability despite its restorative approach to the relationship between humans and nature. In Nunavik, Inuit communities are exploring a sustainable production system that aligns with their aspirations and meets their demands of human, technological, technical, economic, and ecological factors. Biomimicry holds promise in line with Inuit philosophy, but its failure to implement sustainability requires further investigations to remedy its deficiencies. Our literature review underscores the importance of involving the community in defining sustainability and determining the best methods for its implementation. Additionally, vernacular architecture shows valuable orientations for achieving sustainability. Moreover, reintegrating Inuit communities and their traditional architectural practices, which have successfully balanced their built environment's diverse needs and constraints, could pave the way for a sustainable Inuit-built environment in Nunavik and advance architectural biomimicry principles simultaneously. This research aims at establishing a sustainability monitoring tool for Nordic architectural process by analyzing Inuit vernacular and biomimetic architecture, in addition to the input of stakeholders involved in Inuit architecture production in Nunavik, especially Inuit. The goal is to create a practical tool (an index) to aid in designing sustainable architecture, taking into account environmental, social, and economic perspectives. Furthermore, the study seeks to authenticate strong, sustainable design principles of vernacular and biomimetic architectures. The literature review uncovered challenges and identified new opportunities. The forthcoming discourse will focus on the careful and considerate incorporation of Inuit communities’ perceptions and indigenous building practices into our methodology and the latest findings of our research.

Keywords: sustainability, biomimicry, vernacular architecture, community involvement

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Authors: Maximo Cozzetti

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The aim is to evaluate the capability of the 'Siberian Husky' (FCI-Standard Nº 270) breed of the common dog (Canis lupus familiaris) to detect terminally-ill human patients undergoing palliative care. A total of 49 such patients that fulfill the 'National Scientific and Technical Research Council–Ethical Principles for the Behavior of the Scientific and Technical Investigator' policy, (mainly affected with Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma or Stage IV Carcinoma, though various other terminal diseases were present) and 49 controls were enrolled. A total of 13 specimens of Siberian Huskies (Canis lupus familiaris FCI – Standard Nº 270) were selected. After a conditioning training regime in which the canines were rewarded when identifying terminally ill patients and excluding the control subjects, a double-blind experiment was conducted in which the canines were presented with a previously unknown patient through an olfactory-proof plexiglass window for 2-minute intervals. The test subjects correctly identified 89.80% of the humans as either ‘ill’ or ‘healthy’. It is important to note that both groups of humans were selected considering and preventing confounding and self-identifying factors such as age, ethnicity, clothing, posture, skin color, alopecia (chemotherapy-induced or otherwise), etc. The olfactory-proofing of the test area rules out the use of the sense of smell to detect distinctive drugs or bodily odors that may be associated with terminal diseases. Thus, the Siberian Husky breed of the common dog shows the visual capability to detect and identify terminally ill patients undergoing palliative care regardless of age, posture, and quantity of hair. Though the capability of the breed of dog to detect terminally-ill patients was observed thoroughly during the course of the experiments, the exact process by which the canines identify the test subjects remains unknown and further research is encouraged.

Keywords: Canis lupus familiaris, Siberian Husky, visual identification of terminall illness, FCI-Standard Nº270

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Authors: Jeongil Kim

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The present study examined the effects of arts-mediated mother-child dyads mindfulness-based intervention for Korean children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their mothers, on behaviors in children and subjective psychological states in mothers. Four elementary school boys with ADHD and their mothers participated in the study. Using a multiple baseline design across four mother-child dyads, data were collected on the target behaviors (disruptive behavior, on-task behavior, and compliance in class) in children using a 10-second partial interval recording system and on the subjective psychological states in mothers using four questionnaires (on perceived stress, burnout, mindfulness, and satisfaction with life). The intervention consisted of a) mindfulness training, b) mindfulness practice, and c) mindful management of body and feeling. The arts activities, making a coiled clay pot and Korean traditional music performance, were utilized to facilitate the environment to help each participant to understand the content and progress of the intervention program. The results showed that all four dyads showed improvement in adaptive behaviors in the children (increase in on-task behavior; decrease in disruptive behavior) and positive change in subjective psychological states in the mothers (increase in scores of mindfulness and satisfaction with life; decrease in scores of perceived stress and burnout). The changes in the children’s behaviors and in the mothers’ subjective psychological states were maintained when the intervention was drawn and generalized in novel settings. The results suggest that arts-mediated mother-child dyads mindfulness-based intervention would be a mutual benefiting strategy to support both children with ADHD and their mothers who experience diverse challenges in behavioral and psychological aspects.

Keywords: mindfulness, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), arts-mediated, behavior, psychological well-being, child-mother

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Authors: Weaam Aldeeban, Majd Aljamali, Lama A. Youssef

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Background & Objective: Warfarin is considered a problematic drug due to its narrow therapeutic window and wide inter-individual response variations, which are attributed to demographic, environmental, and genetic factors, particularly single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in the genes encoding VKORC1 and CYP2C9 involved in warfarin's mechanism of action and metabolism, respectively. CYP2C9*2rs1799853 and CYP2C9*3rs1057910 alleles are linked to reduced enzyme activity, as carriers of either or both alleles are classified as moderate or slow metabolizers, and therefore exhibit higher sensitivity of warfarin compared with wild type (CYP2C9*1*1). Our study aimed to assess the frequency of *1, *2, and *3 alleles in the CYP2C9 gene in a cohort of Syrian patients receiving a maintenance dose of warfarin for different indications, the impact of genotypes on warfarin dosing, and the frequency of adverse effects (i.e., bleedings). Subjects & Methods: This retrospective cohort study encompassed 94 patients treated with warfarin. Patients’ genotypes were identified by sequencing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific products of the gene encoding CYP2C9, and the effects on warfarin therapeutic outcomes were investigated. Results: Sequencing revealed that 43.6% of the study population has the *2 and/or *3 SNPs. The mean weekly maintenance dose of warfarin was 37.42 ± 15.5 mg for patients with the wild-type allele (CYP2C9*1*1), whereas patients with one or both variants (*2 and/or *3) demanded a significantly lower dose (28.59 ±11.58 mg) of warfarin, (P= 0.015). A higher percentage (40.7%) of patients with allele *2 and/or *3 experienced hemorrhagic accidents compared with only 17.9% of patients with the wild type *1*1, (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Our study proves an association between *2 and *3 genotypes and higher sensitivity to warfarin and a tendency to bleed, which necessitates lowering the dose. These findings emphasize the significance of CYP2C9 genotyping prior to commencing warfarin therapy in order to achieve optimal and faster dose control and to ensure effectiveness and safety.

Keywords: warfarin, CYP2C9, polymorphisms, Syrian, hemorrhage

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Authors: Mikhail Panes, Sergei Pozniak, Nikolai Pozniak

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Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of intrastromal donor limbal segments implantation for treatment of progressive keratoconus considering on main characteristics of corneal endothelial cells. Setting: Outpatient ophthalmic clinic. Methods: Twenty patients (20 eyes) with progressive keratoconus II-III of Amsler classification were recruited. The worst eye was treated with the transplantation of donor limbal segments in the recipient corneal stroma, while the fellow eye was left untreated as a control of functional and morphological changes. Furthermore, twenty patients (20 eyes) without progressive keratoconus was used as a control of corneal endothelial cells changes. All patients underwent a complete ocular examination including uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA, CDVA), slit lamp examination fundus examination, corneal topography and pachymetry, auto-keratometry, Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography and Corneal Endothelial Specular Microscopy. Results: After two years, statistically significant improvement in the UDVA and CDVA (on the average on two lines for UDVA and three-four lines for CDVA) were noted. Besides corneal astigmatism decreased from 5.82 ± 2.64 to 1.92 ± 1.4 D. Moreover there were no statistically significant differences in the changes of mean spherical equivalent, keratometry and pachymetry indicators. It should be noted that after two years there were no significant differences in the changes of the number and form of corneal endothelial cells. It can be regarded as a process stabilization. In untreated control eyes, there was a general trend towards worsening of UDVA, CDVA and corneal thickness, while corneal astigmatism was increased. Conclusion: Intrastromal donor segments implantation is a safe technique for keratoconus treatment. Intrastromal donor segments implantation is an efficient procedure to stabilize and improve progressive keratoconus.

Keywords: corneal endothelial cells, intrastromal donor limbal segments, progressive keratoconus, surgical treatment of keratoconus

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Authors: Kayum Fokoue Carole

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This paper aims at verifying the effectiveness of reaching target populations while paying attention to their cultural background when communicating new knowledge, ideas or technology in a multicultural world. Our case study is an experiment on the communication of knowledge on breast cancer in three sub-Saharan countries (Ghana, Tchad, and Cameroon health). The methodology consisted of submitting a semi-structured questionnaire to local populations in some localities in these target countries in order to determine the cultural barriers hindering the effective communication of knowledge on breast cancer. Once this done, sensitization documents on breast cancer were translated into Ewe (Ghana), Mbaye (Tchad), Ghomala’, Ewondo, and Fufulde (Cameroon). In each locality, a sensitization programme was organised for two groups. For one group, the cultural barriers discovered were taken into consideration while communicating during the programme whereas in the other group, they were not. Another questionnaire was disseminated after three months to verify the level of appropriation of those who attended the campaign based on Chumbow’s appropriation theory. This paper, therefore, discusses some spiritual beliefs, representations and practices in the target African communities hindering effective communication of issues on breast cancer in the target localities. Findings reveal that only 38% of respondents in the group of those for whom cultural barriers were not taken into account during the programme had a high level of appropriation while for the other group, 86% had a high level of appropriation. This is evidence that the communication of issues on breast cancer can be more effective by reaching different populations in a language they best master while paying attention to their culture. Therefore, international communication of new knowledge should be culturally contextualised. Suggestions at the end of the paper are directed towards the achievement of these goals. The present work promotes international partnership in addressing and resolving global health preoccupations since research findings from one community/country can be mutualized in partnership with other communities and countries.

Keywords: cultural barriers, communication, health, breast cancer

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Authors: Saule Shazhanbayeva, Denise van der Merwe

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Study hypothesis: Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Kyzylorda’s Biology teachers can use STEM-integrated learning to improve students' problem-solving ability and responsibility as global citizens. The significance of this study is to indicate how the use of STEM integrative learning during Biology lessons could contribute to forming globally-minded students who are responsible community members. For the purposes of this study, worldview is defined as a view that is broader than the country of Kazakhstan, allowing students to see the significance of their scientific contributions to the world as global citizens. The context of worldview specifically indicates that most students have never traveled outside of their city or region within Kazakhstan. In order to broaden student understanding, it is imperative that students are exposed to different world views and contrasting ideas within the educational setting of Biology as the science being used for the research. This exposure promulgates students understanding of the significance they have as global citizens alongside the obligations which would rest on them as scientifically minded global citizens. Integrative learning should be Biological Science - with Technology and engineering in the form of problem-solving, and Mathematics to allow improved problem-solving skills to develop within the students of Nazarbayev Intellectual School (NIS) of Kyzylorda. The school's vision is to allow students to realise their role as global citizens and become responsible community members. STEM allows integrations by combining four subject skills to solve topical problems designed by educators. The methods used are based on qualitative analysis: for students’ performance during a problem-solution scenario; and Biology teacher interviews to ascertain their understanding of STEM implementation and willingness to integrate it into current lessons. The research indicated that NIS is ready for a shift into STEM lessons to promote globally responsible students. The only additional need is for proper STEM integrative lesson method training for teachers.

Keywords: global citizen, STEM, Biology, high-school

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Authors: Diksha Sapkota, Kathleen Baird, Amornrat Saito, Debra Anderson

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Background: Violence during pregnancy is global public health problem incurring huge amount of social, economic and human costs. It is of particular concern as it affects health of mother, neonates and also disrupt family functioning. Mental illness is one of its commonest consequences affecting both mother and baby and likely to be chronic if left unattended. Past decade has seen advances in knowledge about different forms of violence, its health impacts and intervention/s helping to confront the violence. However, limited range and lack of consistency in measurable outcomes undermine overall effect of interventions, and available evidence are largely slanted towards high-income countries. Despite recognition of integrating screening and counselling for abused pregnant women in health settings, there is a dearth of evidence on its effectiveness from developing countries limiting its applicability and feasibility. This study intends to summarise the high-quality evidence on intimate partner violence interventions in reducing violence and improving mental health and implement the promising intervention in our context. Methods: Quantitative systematic review will be done using PRISMA statement and based on its finding; randomised controlled intervention will be carried out. The study will be conducted among women attending ANC clinic of Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal. Being the pilot study, samples just adequate to draw the inferences i.e. not less than 30 in each arm will be taken. Phenomological approach will be used to explore the strengths and weaknesses of tested intervention and recommendations for better planning in future. Conclusion: This study intends to provide concrete evidence on what works best in our context and will assist policymakers, programme planners, donors in informed decision making.

Keywords: intimate partner violence/prevention and control, mental health, Nepal, pregnant

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Authors: Xiao Wen Xu

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There exists a challenge of accommodating/integrating people at risk and those from various backgrounds in urban areas. The success of interdependence as a tool for survival largely rests on the mutually beneficial relationships amongst individuals within a given society. One approach to meeting this challenge has been written by Ivan Illich in his book, Tools for Conviviality, where he defines 'conviviality' as interactions that help individuals. With the goal of helping the community and applying conviviality as a principle to actors in both natural and social realms of Moss Park in Toronto, the proposal involves redesigning the park and buildings as a series of different health care, extended learning, employment support, armoury, and recreation facilities that integrate the exterior landscape as treatment, teaching, military, and recreation areas; in other words, the proposal links services with access to park space. While buildings are traditionally known to physically provide shelter, parks embody shelter and act as service, as people often find comfort and relief from being in nature, and Moss Park, in particular, is home to many people at risk. This landscape is not only an important space for the homeless community but also the rest of the neighborhood. The thesis proposes that the federal government rebuilds the current armoury, as it is an obsolete building while acknowledging the extensive future developments proposed by developers and its impact on public space. The neighbourhood is an underserved area, and the new design develops not just a new armoury, but also a complex of interrelated services, which are completely integrated into the park. The armoury is redesigned as an integral component of the community that not only serves as training facilities for reservists but also serves as an emergency shelter in sub-zero temperatures for the homeless community. This paper proposes a new design for Moss Park through examining how 'park buildings', interconnected buildings and parks, can foster empowering relationships that create a supportive public realm.

Keywords: conviviality, natural, social, Ivan Illich

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Authors: Misganaw Ayele Gelaw

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This abstract presents an overview of agricultural investment in Ethiopia, with a focus on the Oromia Region. Ethiopia is a developing country that heavily relies on agriculture as a major contributor to its economic growth and employment. The Oromia Region, located in the central part of the country, is the largest region in Ethiopia and plays a significant role in the agricultural sector. The study aims to explore the current state of agricultural investment in the Oromia Region, focusing on the opportunities, challenges, and potential benefits that arise from such investments. It also highlights the key agricultural investment strategies and policies implemented by the Ethiopian government to attract domestic and foreign investors. To achieve these objectives, a comprehensive literature review and analysis of relevant reports, publications, and government policies will be conducted. The study will also incorporate qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, such as interviews, surveys, and statistical analysis, to provide a well-rounded understanding of agricultural investment dynamics in the Oromia Region. The findings of this study are expected to shed light on the impact of agricultural investments on local farmers, rural development, food security, income generation, and overall economic growth in the Oromia Region. It will also identify the key risk factors and potential mitigations associated with agricultural investment, offering recommendations to policymakers, investors, and stakeholders to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of investment efforts in the region. This abstract highlights the importance of agricultural investment in the Oromia Region and Ethiopia as a whole, as it strives to enhance productivity, increase farmers' income, and contribute to the country's long-term development goals. By understanding the challenges and opportunities associated with agricultural investment, policymakers and investors can develop targeted strategies to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth in the agricultural sector, leading to improved livelihoods and economic prosperity in the Oromia Region.

Keywords: agriculture, investment, agriculture policy, economy

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Authors: S. Archsana, Vajira Balasuriya

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In Trincomalee of Sri Lanka, a post-conflict area, resettlement projects and policy initiatives are taking place to improve the wealth of the rural communities through promoting economic activities by way of encouraging the rural women to opt to commence and operate Micro and Small Scale (MSS) businesses. This study attempts to identify the manner in which the institutional environment could facilitate these MSS businesses owned and operated by women in the rural environment. The respondents of this study are the beneficiaries of the Divi Neguma Development Training Program (DNDTP); a project designed to aid women owned MSS businesses, in Trincomalee district. 96 women business operators, who had obtained financing facilities from the DNDTP, are taken as the sample based on fixed interval random sampling method. The study reveals that primary challenges encountered by 82% of the women business operators are lack of initial capital followed by 71% initial market finding and 35% access to technology. The low level of education and language barriers are the constraints in accessing support agencies/service providers. Institutional support; specifically management and marketing services, have a significant relationship with wealth augmentation. Institutional support at the setting-up stage of businesses are thin whereas terms and conditions of the finance facilities are perceived as ‘too challenging’. Although diversification enhances wealth of the rural women business operators, assistance from the institutional framework to prepare financial reports that are required for business expansion is skinny. The study further reveals that institutional support is very much weak in terms of providing access to new technology and identifying new market networks. A mechanism that could facilitate the institutional framework to support the rural women business operators to access new technology and untapped market segments, and assistance in preparation of legal and financial documentation is recommended.

Keywords: business facilitation, institutional support, rural women business operators, wealth augmentation

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Authors: Donna Erika E. De Jesus

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Introduction: Cardiac arrest occurs when abrupt cessation of cardiac function results in loss of effective circulation and complete cardiovascular collapse. For every minute of cardiac arrest without early intervention (cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], defibrillation), chances of survival drop by 7-10%. It is crucial that CPR be initiated within 4-6 minutes to avoid brain death. Most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur in a residential setting where access to trained personnel and equipment is not readily available, resulting in poor victim outcomes. Methods: This is a descriptive study done from August to November 2021 using a prospective cohort design. Participants of the study include adult patients aged 18 years and above brought to the emergency room who suffered from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Out of the total 102 cases of OHCA, 63 participants were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Results: 43 were male patients, comprising the majority at 73.02%. Hypertension was identified as the top co-morbidity, followed by diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Medical causes of arrest were identified in 96.83% of the cases. 90.48% of cardiac arrests occurred at home. Only 26 patients (41.27%) received pre-hospital intervention prior to ER arrival, which comprised only hands-only CPR. Twenty-three of which were performed by individuals with background knowledge of CPR. 60.32% were brought via self-conduction, the remainder by ambulances, which were noted to have no available equipment necessary to provide proper resuscitation. The average travel time from dispatch to ER arrival is 20 minutes. Conclusion: Overall survival of OHCA in our local setting remains dismal, as a return of spontaneous circulation was not achieved in any of the patients. The small number of patients having pre-hospital CPR indicates the need for emphasis on training and community education.

Keywords: out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, basic life support, emergency medical services

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Authors: Sheikh Omar Sillah

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Introduction: Monitoring is an important means of ensuring the smooth implementation and quality of clinical trials. For many years, traditional site monitoring approaches have been critical in detecting data errors but not optimal in identifying fabricated and implanted data as well as non-random data distributions that may significantly invalidate study results. The objective of this paper was to provide recommendations based on best statistical monitoring practices for detecting data-integrity issues suggestive of fabrication and implantation early in the study conduct to allow implementation of meaningful corrective and preventive actions. Methodology: Electronic bibliographic databases (Medline, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were used for the literature search, and both qualitative and quantitative studies were sought. Search results were uploaded into Eppi-Reviewer Software, and only publications written in the English language from 2012 were included in the review. Gray literature not considered to present reproducible methods was excluded. Results: A total of 18 peer-reviewed publications were included in the review. The publications demonstrated that traditional site monitoring techniques are not efficient in detecting data anomalies. By specifying project-specific parameters such as laboratory reference range values, visit schedules, etc., with appropriate interactive data monitoring, statistical monitoring can offer early signals of data anomalies to study teams. The review further revealed that statistical monitoring is useful to identify unusual data patterns that might be revealing issues that could impact data integrity or may potentially impact study participants' safety. However, subjective measures may not be good candidates for statistical monitoring. Conclusion: The statistical monitoring approach requires a combination of education, training, and experience sufficient to implement its principles in detecting data anomalies for the statistical aspects of a clinical trial.

Keywords: statistical monitoring, data anomalies, clinical trials, traditional monitoring

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Authors: Qin Zhu

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Under the background of accelerating the construction of Beautiful and Livable Park City in Chengdu, the Tianfu greenway system, as an important support system for the construction of parks in the whole region, its accessibility is one of the key indicators to measure the effectiveness of the greenway construction. In recent years, cycling has become an important transportation mode for residents to go to the greenways because of its low-carbon, healthy and convenient characteristics, and the study of greenway accessibility under cycling mode can provide reference suggestions for the optimization and improvement of greenways. Taking Jincheng Greenway in Chengdu City as an example, the Baidu Map Application Programming Interface (API) and questionnaire survey was used to improve the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method from the three dimensions of search threshold, supply side and demand side, to calculate the cycling accessibility of the greenway and to explore the spatial matching relationship with the population density, the number of entrances and the comprehensive attractiveness. The results show that: 1) the distribution of greenway accessibility in Jincheng shows a pattern of "high in the south and low in the north, high in the west and low in the east", 2) the spatial match between greenway accessibility and population density of the residential area is imbalanced, and there is a significant positive correlation between accessibility and the number of selectable greenway access points in residential areas, as well as the overall attractiveness of greenways, with a high degree of match. On this basis, it is proposed to give priority to the mismatch area to alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand, optimize the greenway access points to improve the traffic connection, enhance the comprehensive quality of the greenway and strengthen the service capacity, to further improve the cycling accessibility of the Jincheng Greenway and improve the spatial allocation of greenway resources.

Keywords: accessibility, Baidu maps API, cycling, greenway, 2SFCA

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Authors: M. F. Wu, F. T. Cheng, C. S. Wu, M. C. Tan

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It is a critical time to upgrade technology and increase value added with manufacturing skills developing and management strategies that will highly satisfy the customers need in the precision machinery global market. In recent years, the supply side, each precision machinery manufacturers in each country are facing the pressures of price reducing from the demand side voices that pushes the high-end precision machinery manufacturers adopts low-cost and high-quality strategy to retrieve the market. Because of the trend of the global market, the manufacturers must take price reducing strategies and upgrade technology of low-end machinery for differentiations to consolidate the market. By using six key success factors (KSFs), customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, customer service, product design, product effectiveness and machine structure quality are causal conditions to explore the impact of competitive advantage of the enterprise, such as overall profitability and product pricing power. This research uses key success paths (KSPs) approach and f/s QCA software to explore various combinations of causal relationships, so as to fully understand the performance level of KSFs and business objectives in order to achieve competitive advantage. In this study, the combination of a causal relationships, are called Key Success Paths (KSPs). The key success paths guide the enterprise to achieve the specific outcomes of business. The findings of this study indicate that there are thirteen KSPs to achieve the overall profitability, sixteen KSPs to achieve the product pricing power and seventeen KSPs to achieve both overall profitability and pricing power of the enterprise. The KSPs provide the directions of resources integration and allocation, improve utilization efficiency of limited resources to realize the continuous vision of the enterprise.

Keywords: precision machinery industry, key success factors (KSFs), key success paths (KSPs), overall profitability, product pricing power, competitive advantages

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Authors: Nicodemus Tiendem, Arrey Mbayong Napoleon

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The heightening of competition and the quest for market share has left business persons and research communities re-examining and reinventing their competitive practices. A case in point is Porter’s generic strategy which has received a lot of criticism lately regarding its inability to maintain a company’s competitive power. This is because it focuses more on the organisation and ignores her external partners, who have a strong bearing on the company’s performance. This paper, therefore, sought to examine Porter’s generic strategies alongside supply chain quality management practices in terms of their effectiveness in building the competitive power of manufacturing companies in Cameroon. This was done with the use of primary data captured from a survey study across the supply chains of 20 manufacturing companies in Cameroon using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. For each company, four 1st tier suppliers and four 1st tier distributors were carefully chosen to participate in the study alongside the companies themselves. In each case, attention was directed to persons involved in the supply chains of the companies. This gave a total of 180 entities comprising the supply chains of the 20 manufacturing companies involved in the study, making a total of 900 participants. The data was analysed using three multiple regression models to assess the effect of Porter’s generic strategy and supply chain quality management on the marketing performance of the companies. The findings proved that in such a competitive atmosphere, supply chain quality management is a better tool for marketing performance over Porter’s generic strategies and hence building the competitive power of the companies at all levels of the study. Although the study made use of convenience sampling, where sample selectivity biases the results, the findings aligned with many other recent developments in line with building the competitive power of manufacturing companies and thereby made the findings suitable for generalisation.

Keywords: supply chain quality management, Porter’s generic strategies, competitive power, marketing performance, manufacturing companies, Cameroon

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Authors: Ebenezer O. Ige, Funmilayo H. Oyelami, Joshua Olutayo-Irheren, Joseph T. Okunlola

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Hyperthermia therapy is an adjuvant procedure during which perfused body tissues is subjected to elevated range of temperature in bid to achieve improved drug potency and efficacy of cancer treatment. While a selected class of hyperthermia techniques is shouldered on the thermal radiations derived from single-sourced electro-radiation measures, there are deliberations on conjugating dual radiation field sources in an attempt to improve the delivery of therapy procedure. This paper numerically explores the thermal effectiveness of combined infrared hyperemia having nanoparticle recirculation in the vicinity of imposed magnetic field on subcutaneous strata of a model lesion as ablation scheme. An elaborate Spectral relaxation method (SRM) was formulated to handle equation of coupled momentum and thermal equilibrium in the blood-perfused tissue domain of a spongy fibrous tissue. Thermal diffusion regimes in the presence of external magnetic field imposition were described leveraging on the renowned Roseland diffusion approximation to delineate the impact of radiative flux within the computational domain. The contribution of tissue sponginess was examined using mechanics of pore-scale porosity over a selected of clinical informed scenarios. Our observations showed for a substantial depth of spongy lesion, magnetic field architecture constitute the control regimes of hemodynamics in the blood-tissue interface while facilitating thermal transport across the depth of the model lesion. This parameter-indicator could be utilized to control the dispensing of hyperthermia treatment in intravenous perfused tissue.

Keywords: spectra relaxation scheme, thermal equilibrium, Roseland diffusion approximation, hyperthermia therapy

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Authors: Gholba Niranjan Dilip, Anil Kumar

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Conduct of accurate reliable mapping of oil palm plantations and census of individual palm trees is a huge challenge. This study addresses this challenge and developed an optimized solution implemented deep learning techniques on remote sensing data. The oil palm is a very important tropical crop. To improve its productivity and land management, it is imperative to have accurate census over large areas. Since, manual census is costly and prone to approximations, a methodology for automated census using panchromatic images from Cartosat-2, SkySat and World View-3 satellites is demonstrated. It is selected two different study sites in Indonesia. The customized set of training data and ground-truth data are created for this study from Cartosat-2 images. The pre-trained model of Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD) Lite MobileNet V2 Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) from the TensorFlow Object Detection API is subjected to transfer learning on this customized dataset. The SSD model is able to generate the bounding boxes for each oil palm and also do the counting of palms with good accuracy on the panchromatic images. The detection yielded an F-Score of 83.16 % on seven different images. The detections are buffered and dissolved to generate polygons demarcating the boundaries of the oil palm plantations. This provided the area under the plantations and also gave maps of their location, thereby completing the automated census, with a fairly high accuracy (≈100%). The trained CNN was found competent enough to detect oil palm crowns from images obtained from multiple satellite sensors and of varying temporal vintage. It helped to estimate the increase in oil palm plantations from 2014 to 2021 in the study area. The study proved that high-resolution panchromatic satellite image can successfully be used to undertake census of oil palm plantations using CNNs.

Keywords: object detection, oil palm tree census, panchromatic images, single shot multibox detector

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Authors: Nancy Retzlaff, Sarah J. Berkemer, Trudie Strauss

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In the last couple of decades, the advent of digitalization of any kind of data was probably one of the major advances in all fields of study. This paves the way for also analysing these data even though they might come from disciplines where there was no initial computational necessity to do so. Especially in linguistics, one can find a rather manual tradition. Still when considering studies that involve the history of language families it is hard to overlook the striking similarities to bioinformatics (phylogenetic) approaches. Alignments of words are such a fairly well studied example of an application of bioinformatics methods to historical linguistics. In this paper we will not only consider alignments of strings, i.e., words in this case, but also alignments of syntax trees of selected Indo-European languages. Based on initial, crude alignments, a sophisticated scoring model is trained on both letters and syntactic features. The aim is to gain a better understanding on which features in two languages are related, i.e., most likely to have the same root. Initially, all words in two languages are pre-aligned with a basic scoring model that primarily selects consonants and adjusts them before fitting in the vowels. Mixture models are subsequently used to filter ‘good’ alignments depending on the alignment length and the number of inserted gaps. Using these selected word alignments it is possible to perform tree alignments of the given syntax trees and consequently find sentences that correspond rather well to each other across languages. The syntax alignments are then filtered for meaningful scores—’good’ scores contain evolutionary information and are therefore used to train the sophisticated scoring model. Further iterations of alignments and training steps are performed until the scoring model saturates, i.e., barely changes anymore. A better evaluation of the trained scoring model and its function in containing evolutionary meaningful information will be given. An assessment of sentence alignment compared to possible phrase structure will also be provided. The method described here may have its flaws because of limited prior information. This, however, may offer a good starting point to study languages where only little prior knowledge is available and a detailed, unbiased study is needed.

Keywords: alignments, bioinformatics, comparative linguistics, historical linguistics, statistical methods

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Authors: Sareh Rajabi, Taha Anjamrooz, Salwa Bheiry

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The continuous increase in the world population, resource shortage and the warning of climate change cause various environmental and social issues to the world. Thus, sustainability concept is much needed nowadays. Organizations are progressively falling under strong worldwide pressure to integrate sustainability practices into their project decision-making development. Construction projects in the industry are amongst the most significant, since it is one of the biggest divisions and of main significance for the national economy and hence has a massive effect on the environment and society. So, it is important to discover approaches to incorporate sustainability into the management of those projects. This study presents a combined sustainability index of projects with sustainable transportation which has been formed as per a comprehensive literature review and survey study. Transportation systems enable the movement of goods and services worldwide, and it is leading to economic growth and creating jobs while creating negative impacts on the environment and society. This research is study to quantify the sustainability indicators, through 1) identifying the importance of sustainable transportation indicators that are based on the sustainable practices used for the construction projects and 2) measure the effectiveness of practices through these indicators on the three sustainable pillars. A total 26 sustainability indicators have been selected and grouped under each related sustainability pillars. A survey was used to collect the opinion about the sustainability indicators by a scoring system. A combined sustainability index considering three sustainable pillars can be helpful in evaluating the transportation sustainable practices of a project and making decisions regarding project selection. In addition to focus on the issue of financial resource allocation in a project selection, the decision-maker could take into account the sustainability as an important key in addition to the project’s return and risk. The purpose of this study is to measure the performance of transportation sustainability which allow companies to assess multiple projects selection. This is useful to decision makers to rank and focus more on future sustainable projects.

Keywords: sustainable transportation, transportation performances, sustainable indicators, sustainable construction practice, sustainability

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Authors: Kok Hong Tan, Hing Wah Lee, Jhih-Wei Chen, Chang Fu Dee, Chung-Lin Wu, Siang-Piao Chai, Wei Sea Chang

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Semiconductor photocatalyst is known as one of the key roles in developing clean and sustainable energy. However, most of the semiconductor only possesses photoactivity within the UV light region, and hence, decreases the overall photocatalyst efficiency. Generally, the overall effectiveness of the photocatalyst activity is determined by three critical steps: (i) light absorption efficiency and photoexcitation electron-hole pair generation, (ii) separation and migration of charge carriers to the surface of the photocatalyst, and (iii) surface reaction of the carriers with its environment. Much effort has been invested on optimizing hierarchical nanostructures of semiconductors for efficient photoactivity due to the fact that the visible light absorption capability and occurrence of the chemical reactions mostly depend on the dimension of photocatalysts. In this work, we incorporated zero-dimensional (0D) gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and one dimensional (1D) Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) onto strontium titanate (STO) for efficient visible light absorption, charge transfer, and separation. We demonstrate that the electrical and optical properties of the photocatalyst can be tuned by controlling the dimensional structures of AuNPs and ZnO NRs. We found that smaller AuNPs sizes exhibited higher photoactivity because of Fermi level shifting toward the conductive band of STO, STO band gap narrowing and broadening of absorption spectrum to the visible light region. For ZnO NRs, it was found that the average ZnO NRs c-axis length must achieve of certain length to induce multiphoton absorption as a result of light reflection and trapping behavior in the free space between adjacent ZnO NRs hence broadening the absorption spectrum of ZnO from UV to visible light region. This work opens up a new way of broadening the absorption spectrum by incorporating controllable nanostructures of semiconductors, which is important in optimizing the solar water splitting process.

Keywords: gold nanoparticles, photoelectrochemical, PEC, semiconductor photocatalyst, zinc oxide nanorods

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Authors: Wang Chung-Kwei, Lo Kuo Ying

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This study is aimed to examine main and moderation effect of Chinese traditional social wisdom ‘Ren-qing Shi-kuo’ on the adjustment of insurance workers. Rationale: Ren-qing Shi-ku as a social wisdom has been emphasized and practiced by collective-oriented Chinese for thousand years. The concept of‘Ren-qing Shi-ku’includes values, beliefs and behavior rituals, which helps Chinese to cope with interpersonal conflicts in a sophisticated and closely tied collective society. Based on interview and literature review, we found out Chinese still emphasized the importance of ‘Ren-qing Shi-ku’. The concepts contains five factors, including ‘proper emotion display’, ‘social ritual abiding’, ‘ make empathetic concession’, ‘harmonious and proper behavior’ and ‘tolerance for the interest of the whole’. We developed an indigenous ‘Ren-qing Shi-ku’scale based on interview data and a survey on social worker students. Research methods: We conduct a dyad survey between 294 insurance worker and their supervisors. Insurance workers’ response on ‘Ren-qing Shi-ku,emotion labor, emotional exhaustion, work stress and load, work satisfaction and well-being were collected. We also ask their supervisors to rate these workers ‘empathy, social rule abiding, work performance, and Ren-qing Shi-ku performance. Results: Students’self-ratings on Ren-qing Shi-ku scale are positively correlated with rating from their supervisors on all above indexes. Workers who have higher Ren-qing Shi-ku score also have lower work stress and emotion exhaustion, higher work satisfaction and well-being, more emotion deep acting. They also have higher work performance, social rule abiding, and Ren-qing Shi-ku performance rating from their supervisor. The finding of this study suggested Ren-qing Shi-ku is an effective indicator on insurance workers ‘adjustment. Since Ren-qing Shi-ku is trainable, we suggested that Ren-qing Shi-ku training might be beneficial to service industry in a collective-oriented culture.

Keywords: work stress, Ren-qing Shi-ku, emotional exhaustion, work satisfaction, well-being

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Authors: Chamtouri I., Kechida M.

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Background: Evaluation has a prominent role in medical education and graduation. This evaluation has usually done in face-to-face, by written or oral questions. Simulation is increasingly taking a part as a method of evaluation. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted face-to-face evaluation, simulation using serious games (SG) is emerging in the field of training and assessment of medical students. The aim of our study is to compare the results of the evaluation of medical students by virtual simulation by online serious games versus clinical case-multiple choice questions (MCQ) and to assess the degree of satisfaction from these two evaluation methods. Methods: Medical students from the same study level were voluntarily participated in this study. Groupe 1 had an evaluation by SG dealing with “diagnosis and management of ST-segment elevationmyocardialinfarction (STEMI)alreadyprepared on the website www.Mediactiv.com. Groupe 2 were evaluated by clinical case-MCQ having thes same topic as SG. Results of the two groups were compared. Satisfaction questionnaire was filled by the two groups. Satisfaction degree was compared between the two groups. Results. In this study, 64 medical students (G1:31 and G2: 33) were enrolled. Obtaining complete notes in the "questioning" and "clinical examination" parts is significantly more important in-group 1 compared to group 2. No significant difference detected between the two groups in terms of “ECG interpretation” and “diagnosis of STEMI” parts. A greater number of students of group 1 obtained the full note compared to group 2 in “the initial treatment part” (54.8% vs. 39.4%; p = 0.04). Thirty learners (96.8%) in-group 1 obtained a total score ≥ 50% versus 69.7% in-group 2 (p = 0.004). The full score of 100% was obtained in three learners in-group1, while no student scored 100% in-group2 (p = 0.027). Medical evaluation using SG was reported as more innovative, fun, and realistic compared to evaluation by clinical case-MCQ. No significant difference detected between the two methods in terms of stress. Conclusion: Simulation by SG can be considered as an innovative and effective method in evaluating medical students with a higher degree of satisfaction.

Keywords: evaluation, serious games, medical students, satisfaction

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Authors: Juan-Pedro Rica-Peromingo

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Teachers constantly need to innovate and redefine materials for their lectures, especially in areas such as Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) and Translation Studies (TS). It is therefore essential for the lecturers to be technically skilled to handle the never-ending evolution in software and technology, which are necessary elements especially in certain courses at university level. This need becomes even more evident in Audiovisual Translation (AVT) Modules and Courses. AVT has undergone considerable growth in the area of teaching and learning of languages for academic purposes. We have witnessed the development of a considerable number of masters and postgraduate courses where AVT becomes a tool for L2 learning. The teaching and learning of different AVT modes are components of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Universities, in which AVT is offered as part of their teaching programme or training, make use of professional or free software programs. This paper presents an approach in AVT withina specific university context, in which technology is used by means of professional and nonprofessional software. Students take an AVT subject as part of their English Linguistics Master’s Degree at the Complutense University (UCM) in which they are using professional (Spot) and nonprofessional (Subtitle Workshop, Aegisub, Windows Movie Maker) software packages. The students are encouraged to develop their tasks and projects simulating authentic professional experiences and contexts in the different AVT modes: subtitling for hearing and deaf and hard of hearing population, audio description and dubbing. Selected scenes from TV series such as X-Files, Gossip girl, IT Crowd; extracts from movies: Finding Nemo, Good Will Hunting, School of Rock, Harry Potter, Up; and short movies (Vincent) were used. Hence, the complexity of the audiovisual materials used in class as well as the activities for their projects were graded. The assessment of the diverse tasks carried out by all the students are expected to provide some insights into the best way to improve their linguistic accuracy and oral and written productions with the use of different AVT modes in a very specific ESP university context.

Keywords: ESP, audiovisual translation, technology, university teaching, teaching

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Authors: Kashi Raj Pandey

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Transformative learning is a form of learning rooted in learners' life experiences and their inherent love for learning. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating students' everyday work through the use of learning diaries and reflective journals. It encourages learners to take a proactive role in their own improvement, fostering creativity and promoting informed discussions about the learning process. Reflecting on the personal experience with English language learning in a rural village in Nepal where rote memorization was the prevailing teaching method, this traditional approach hindered a deeper understanding of the language, prompting the author to recognize the need for more effective pedagogy. In this study, the author delved into the cultural contextualization of English language learning, taking into account learners' backgrounds. The study’s findings highlighted the importance of equity, inclusion, mutuality, and social justice in the classroom, emphasizing the significance of integrating students' lived experiences into the pedagogical approach. This, in turn, can encourage students to engage in profound and collaborative learning practices within the realm of English language education. Upon successfully implementing the research findings, including the eight key conditions of transformative learning, in multiple classrooms, the author collaborated with international educationists and government stakeholders in Nepal. The purpose was to disseminate the research findings, conduct teacher training workshops, and systematically enhance Nepali students’ English language learning. These methods have already demonstrated a significant improvement in student engagement within the same school where the author once learned English as a child. This study aims to explore teachers’ decision-making process regarding the transition from traditional teaching methods to interactive ones, which have gained national recognition within the ESL/EFL teaching community in Nepal. By sharing these experiences, it is expected that other teachers will also contemplate adopting transformative learning pedagogy in their own classrooms.

Keywords: reflection, student engagement, pedagogy, transformative learning

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