Search results for: physical evidence

Authors: Ladda Her, Juntip Kanjanasilp, Ratree Sawangjit, Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk

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Cough is the common symptom of the respiratory tract infections or non-infections; the duration of cough indicates a classification and severity of disease. Herbal medicines can be used as the alternative to drugs for relief of cough symptoms from acute and chronic disease. Eucalyptus was used for reducing cough with evidences suggesting it has an active role in reduction of airway inflammation. The present study aims to evaluate efficacy and safety of eucalyptus for relief of cough symptom in respiratory disease. Method: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, CINAHL, Springer, Science direct, ProQuest, and THAILIS databases. From its inception until 01/02/2019 for randomized control trials. We follow for the efficacy and safety of eucalyptus for reducing cough. Methodological quality was evaluated by using the Cochrane risk of bias tool; two reviewers in our team screened eligibility and extracted data. Result: Six studies were included for the review and five studies were included in the meta-analysis, there were 1.911 persons including children (n: 1) and adult (n: 5) studies; for study in children and adult were between 1 and 80 years old, respectively. Eucalyptus was used as mono herb (n: 2) and in combination with other herbs form (n: 4). All of the studies with eucalyptus were compared for efficacy and safety with placebo or standard treatment, Eucalyptus dosage form in studies included capsules, spray, and syrup. Heterogeneity was 32.44 used random effect model (I² = 1.2%, χ² = 1.01; P-value = 0.314). The efficacy of eucalyptus was showed a reduced cough symptom statistically significant (n = 402, RR: 1.40, 95%CI [1.19, 1.65], P-value < 0.0001) when compared with placebo. Adverse events (AEs) were reported mild to moderate intensity with mostly gastrointestinal symptom. The methodological quality of the included trials was overall poor. Conclusion: Eucalyptus appears to be beneficial and safe for relieving in respiratory diseases focus on cough frequency. The evidence was inconclusive due to limited quality trial. Well-designed trials for evaluating the effectiveness in humans, the effectiveness for reducing cough symptom in human is needed. Eucalyptus had safety as monotherapy or in combination with other herbs.

Keywords: cough, eucalyptus, cineole, herbal medicine, systematic review, meta-analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 148

Authors: Teng Zhang, Shenshi Huang, Gang Xu, Xuelin Zhang, Shouxiang Lu

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With the acceleration of urbanization and the increasing of the population in the city, the evacuation of pedestrians suffering from disaster environments such as fire in a room or other limited space becomes a vital issue in modern society. Mice have been used in experimental crowd evacuation in recent years for its good similarities to human in physical structure and stress reaction. In this study, the effect of experience or memory on the collective behavior of mice was explored. To help mice familiarize themselves with the design of the space and the stimulus caused by smoke, we trained them repeatedly for 2 days so that they can escape from the emergency conditions as soon as possible. The escape pattern, trajectories, walking speed, turning angle and mean individual escape time of mice in each training trail were analyzed. We found that mice can build memory quickly after the first trial on the first day. On the second day, the evacuation of mice was maintained in a stable and efficient state. Meanwhile, the group with size of 30 (G30) had a shorter mean individual escape time compared with G12. Furthermore, we tested the experience of evacuation skill of mice after several days. The results showed that the mice can hold the experience or memory over 3 weeks. We proposed the importance of experience of evacuation skill and the research of training methods in experimental evacuation of mice. The results can deepen our understanding of collective behavior of mice and conduce to the establishment of animal models in the study of pedestrian crowd dynamics in emergency conditions.

Keywords: experience, evacuation, mice, group size, behavior

Procedia PDF Downloads 264

Authors: M. Hussaina, K. Mahboobb, S. Z. Ilyasa, S. Shaheena

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Plume dispersion modeling is a computational procedure to establish a relationship between emissions, meteorology, atmospheric concentrations, deposition and other factors. The emission characteristics (stack height, stack diameter, release velocity, heat contents, chemical and physical properties of the gases/particle released etc.), terrain (surface roughness, local topography, nearby buildings) and meteorology (wind speed, stability, mixing height, etc.) are required for the modeling of the plume dispersion and estimation of ground and air concentration. During the early phase of Fukushima accident, plume dispersion modeling and decisions were taken for the implementation of protective measures. A difference in estimated results and decisions made by different countries for taking protective actions created a concern in local and international community regarding the exact identification of the safe zone. The current study is focused to highlight the importance of accurate and exact weather data availability, scientific approach for decision making for taking urgent protective actions, compatible and harmonized approach for plume dispersion modeling during a nuclear emergency. As a case study, the influence of meteorological data on plume dispersion modeling and decision-making process has been performed.

Keywords: decision making process, radiation doses, nuclear emergency, meteorological implications

Procedia PDF Downloads 176

Authors: Rafik Balti, Nourhene Zayoud, Mohamed Ben Mansour, Abdellah Arhaliass, Anthony Masse

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Application of edible films and coatings with natural active compounds for enhancing storage stability of food products is a promising active packaging approach. Shrimp are generally known as valuable seafood products around the world because of their delicacy and good nutritional. However, shrimp is highly vulnerable to quality deterioration associated with biochemical, microbiological or physical changes during postmortem storage, which results in the limited shelf life of the product. Chitosan is considered as a functional packaging component for maintaining the quality and increasing the shelf life of perishable foods. The present study was conducted to evaluate edible coating of crab chitosan containing variable levels of ethanolic extract of Spirulina on microbiological (mesophilic aerobic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid bacteria, and enterobacteriacea), chemical (pH, TVB-N, TMA-N, PV, TBARS) and sensory (odor, color, texture, taste, and overall acceptance) properties of shrimp during refrigerated storage. Also, textural and color characteristics of coated shrimp were performed. According to the obtained results, crab chitosan in combination with Spirulina extract was very effective in order to extend the shelf life of shrimp during storage in refrigerated condition.

Keywords: food packaging, chitosan, spirulina extract, white shrimp, shelf life

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Authors: Xue Wu

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Since the 1980s, a series of policies and practices have been implemented in China in response to the unprecedented rate of ageing population. The paper provides a detailed narrative of what later-life learning policy discourses have been advocated and gives a description on relevant practical issues during the past three decades. The research process based on the discourse approach with a systematic review of the government-issued documents. It finds that the main practices taken by central government at various levels were making University of the Aged (UA) available in all urban and rural regions to consolidate the newly student enrollments; focusing social-recreational, leisure and cultural activities on 55-75 age group; and utilizing various methods including voluntary works and tourism to improve older adults’ physical and mental wellness. Although there were greater achievements with 30 years of development, many problems still exist. Finding reveals that the curriculum should be modified to meet the needs of the local development, to promote older adults’ contact and contribution to the community, and to enhance technical competences of those in rural areas involving in agricultural production. Central government should also integrate resources from all sectors of the society for further developing later-life learning in China. The result of this paper highlights the value to promote community-based later-life learning for building a society for active ageing and ageing in place.

Keywords: ageing population, China, later-life learning, policy, University of the Aged

Procedia PDF Downloads 141

Authors: Dávid Kovács, Bálint Csanády, Dániel Boros, Iván Ivkovic, Lóránt Nagy, Dalma Tóth-Lakits, László Márkus, András Lukács

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The modeling practice of financial instruments has seen significant change over the last decade due to the recognition of time-dependent and stochastically changing correlations among the market prices or the prices and market characteristics. To represent this phenomenon, the Stochastic Correlation Process (SCP) has come to the fore in the joint modeling of prices, offering a more nuanced description of their interdependence. This approach has allowed for the attainment of realistic tail dependencies, highlighting that prices tend to synchronize more during intense or volatile trading periods, resulting in stronger correlations. Evidence in statistical literature suggests that, similarly to the volatility, the SCP of certain stock prices follows rough paths, which can be described using fractional differential equations. However, estimating parameters for these equations often involves complex and computation-intensive algorithms, creating a necessity for alternative solutions. In this regard, the Fractional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (fOU) process from the family of fractional processes offers a promising path. We can effectively describe the rough SCP by utilizing certain transformations of the fOU. We employed neural networks to understand the behavior of these processes. We had to develop a fast algorithm to generate a valid and suitably large sample from the appropriate process to train the network. With an extensive training set, the neural network can estimate the process parameters accurately and efficiently. Although the initial focus was the fOU, the resulting model displayed broader applicability, thus paving the way for further investigation of other processes in the realm of financial mathematics. The utility of SCP extends beyond its immediate application. It also serves as a springboard for a deeper exploration of fractional processes and for extending existing models that use ordinary Wiener processes to fractional scenarios. In essence, deploying both SCP and fractional processes in financial models provides new, more accurate ways to depict market dynamics.

Keywords: fractional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, fractional stochastic processes, Heston model, neural networks, stochastic correlation, stochastic differential equations, stochastic volatility

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Authors: Ngo Xuan Quang, Tran Thanh Thai, Ann Vanreusel

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The Ba Lai dam construction was created in 2000 in the Ba Lai estuarine river, Ben Tre province, Vietnam to prevent marine water infiltration, drainage and de-acidification, and to build a reservoir of freshwater for land reclamation in the Ba Lai tributary. However, this dam is considered as an environmental failure for the originally connected estuarine and river ecosystem, especially to bad effect to benthic fauna distribution. This research aims to study applying free living nematode communities’ distribution in disturbance of dam construction as bioindicator to detect environmental impact. Nematode samples were collected together measuring physical–chemical environmental parameters such as chlorophyll, CPE, coliform, nutrient, grain size, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, temperature in three stations within three replicates. Results showed that free living nematode communities at the dam construction was significantly low densities, low diversity (Hurlbert’s index, Hill diversity indices) and very low maturity index in comparison with two remaining stations. Strong correlation of nematode feeding types and communities’ structure was found in relation with sediment grain size and nutrient enrichment such nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and pigment concentration. Moreover, greatly negative link between nematode maturity index with nutrient parameters can serve as warning organic pollution of the Ba Lai river due to dam construction.

Keywords: Ba Lai, dam impact, nematode, environment

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Authors: Chao Hsing Yeh, Wei Chun Lin

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Background: Current management of aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia (AIA) in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (PBCS) has limited effect. Method: In this prospective randomized clinical trial (RCT), a 4-week APA treatment was used to manage AIA. Twenty PBCS participated. After baseline data was collected, participants were waited for a month before they receive APA at a convenient time once a week for 4 weeks. Blood samples from participants in both groups were collected at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. The primary outcomes included: pain intensity, pain interference, stiffness, and physical function. Results: After the 4-week APA treatment, the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines display a trend of mean percentage reduction (i.e., -22% in IL-1α, -4% in IL-1β, -1% in IL-2, -3% in IL-6, -19% in IL-12, -9% in Eotaxin, and -2% in MCP-1). The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and IL-13 (i.e., 5% in IL-10 and 29% in IL-13) increased from pre- to post-APA treatment. Significant positive correlation of percentage mean change was observed between symptom severity and eotaxin (ρ = 0.56; p < 0.01) & MCP-1 (ρ = 0.65; p < 0.01). Interference and chemokines (eotaxin & MIP-1) also shows positive correlation (ρ = 0.48; p < 0.01 & ρ = 0.39; p < 0.05). Another positive correlation was found between worst pain and chemokines (eotaxin, ρ = 0.48; p < 0.01 & MIP-1, ρ = 0.39; p < 0.05). Additionally, interference also shows positive correlation among IL-1α (ρ = 0.36; p < 0.05) and IL-β (ρ = 0.33; p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that APA intervention may inhibit inflammation of AIA patients and chemokine could be one of the key factors of AIA symptom improvement.

Keywords: acupressure, cytokine, pain management, breast cancer survivors

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Authors: Rhea Khosla, Victoria Tzortziou-Brown

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Introduction: Adolescent SRH has been neglected since the start of the millennium. Adolescents comprise 16% of the global population, with the largest proportion living in Asia (650 million). By late adolescence, individuals in these regions are likely to become sexually active, and thus they must understand their SRH rights. Many lack knowledge of SRH, using unreliable sources for such information. Sex education is necessary to standardize and inform sexual knowledge, which empowers adolescents to make informed SRH decisions. School is an appropriate environment for this, however, SRH education requires effective policy to enforce. Nonetheless, this issue remains of low political priority in Asia and Africa. Current literature on sex education policy in schools in these regions is scarce and tends to have broad aims. Thus, a scoping review was necessary. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in February 2023 using six databases, including grey literature databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Global Index Medicus), returning a total of 1537 unique articles. After screening titles, abstracts and full text, 17 articles remained. References of included articles were additionally searched, producing a further 7 articles, which then underwent thematic analysis Results: Most countries in Africa and Asia did not have studies on this topic. Studies derived data from interviews with key stakeholders and quantitative methods quantified questionnaire responses. Barriers were: policy/curriculum issues, societal opinions, teaching discomfort, and lack of educator training. Limitations were insufficient timing, inconsistent implementation, insufficient hours dedicated to teaching, education received late into schooling, and discrepancies between teachers, schools, and students about whether policies were being implemented. Discussion: Based on the existing limited evidence, a cultural shift to reduce stigma seems necessary, alongside teacher and student involvement in policy formulation with effective implementation monitoring and educator training.

Keywords: adolescent, Africa, Asia, education, sexual and reproductive health, policy

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Authors: Elham Falatoonitoosi, Vikki Schaffer, Don Kerr

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Over-development for tourism and its consequences on residents’ well-being turn into a critical issue in tourism destinations. Learning about undesirable impacts of tourism has led many people to seek more sustainable and responsible tourism. The main objective of this research is to understand how and to what extent sustainable tourism development enhances locals’ well-being regarding stakeholder perception. The research was conducted in a coastal-hinterland tourism region through two sequential phases. At the first phase, a unique set of 19 sustainable tourism indicators resulted from a triplex model was used to examine the sustainability effects on the main factors of residents’ well-being including equity and living condition, life satisfaction, health condition, and education quality. The triplex model including i) systematic literature search, ii) convergent interviewing, and iii) DEMATEL aimed to develop sustainability indicators, specify them for a particular destination, and identify the dominant sustainability issues acting as key predictors in sustainable development. At the second phase, a hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the relationship between sustainable development and local residents’ well-being. A number of 167 participants from five different groups of stakeholders perceived the importance level of each sustainability indicators regarding well-being factors on 5-point Likert scale. Results from the first phase indicated that sustainability training, government support, tourism sociocultural effects, tourism revenue, and climate change are the top dominant sustainability issues in the regional sustainable development. Results from the second phase showed that sustainable development considerably improves the overall residents’ well-being and has positive relationships with all well-being factors except life satisfaction. It explains that it was difficult for stakeholders to recognize a link between sustainable development and their overall life satisfaction and happiness. Among well-being’s factors, health condition was influenced the most by sustainability indicators that indicate stakeholders believed sustainability development can promote public health, health sector performance, quality of drinking water, and sanitation. For the future research, it is highly recommended to analysis the effects of sustainable tourism development on the other features of a tourism destination’s well-being including residents sociocultural empowerment, local economic growth, and attractiveness of the destination.

Keywords: residents' well-being, stakeholder perception, sustainability indicators, sustainable tourism

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Authors: Hina Verma, Karine Le Guen, Renaud Dalaunay, Iyas Ismail, Vita Ilakovac, Jean Pascal Rueff, Yunlin Jacques Zheng, Philippe Jonnard

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To the extent of our knowledge, X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) has been applied in the soft x-ray region (photon energy ≤ 2 keV) to study the buried layers and interfaces of stacks of nanometer-thin films. Now we extend the methodology to study the buried interfaces in the hard X-ray region (i.e., ≥ five keV). The emission spectra allow us to study the interactions between elements in the buried layers from the analysis of their valence states, thereby providing sensitive information about the physical-chemical environment of the emitting element in multilayers. We exploit the chemical sensitivity of XES to study the interfaces between Fe and Si layers in the Fe/Si multilayer from the Fe Kβ₂,₅ emission spectra (7108 eV). The Fe Kβ₅ emission line results from the electronic transition from occupied 3d to 1s levels (i.e., valence to core transition) and is hence sensitive to the chemical state of emitting Fe atoms. The comparison of emission spectra recorded for Fe/Si multilayer with Fe and FeSi₂ references reveal the formation of FeSi₂ at the Fe-Si interfaces inside the multilayer stack. The interfacial thickness was calculated to be 1.4 ± 0.2 nm by taking into consideration the intensity of Fe atoms emitted from the interface and the Fe layer. The formation of FeSi₂ at the interface was further confirmed by the X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy done on the Fe/Si multilayer. Hence, we can conclude that the XES in the hard X-ray range could be used to study multilayers and their interfaces and obtain information both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Keywords: buried interfaces, hard X-ray emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

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Authors: Allyson Dale, Max Hlywa

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The Canadian public expects the highest moral standards from Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and Department of National Defence (DND) employees. The Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC) stood up in April 2021 with the mission of ensuring that the defence culture and members’ conduct are aligned with the ethical principles and values that the organization aspires towards. The Defence Ethics Program (DEP), which stood up in 1997, is a values-based ethics program for individuals and organizations within the DND/CAF and now falls under CPCC. The DEP is divided into five key functional areas, including policy, communications, collaboration, training and education, and advice and guidance. The main focus of the DEP is to foster an ethical culture within defence so that members and organizations perform to the highest ethical standards. The measurement of organizational ethics is often complex and challenging. In order to monitor whether the DEP is achieving its intended outcomes, a performance measurement framework (PMF) was developed using the Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis (DGMPRA) PMF development process. This evidence-based process is based on subject-matter expertise from the defence team. The goal of this presentation is to describe each stage of the DGMPRA PMF development process and to present and discuss the products of the DEP PMF (e.g., logic model). Specifically, first, a strategic framework was developed to provide a high-level overview of the strategic objectives, mission, and vision of the DEP. Next, Key Performance Questions were created based on the objectives in the strategic framework. A logic model detailing the activities, outputs (what is produced by the program activities), and intended outcomes of the program were developed to demonstrate how the program works. Finally, Key Performance Indicators were developed based on both the intended outcomes in the logic model and the Key Performance Questions in order to monitor program effectiveness. The Key Performance Indicators measure aspects of organizational ethics such as ethical conduct and decision-making, DEP collaborations, and knowledge and awareness of the Defence Ethics Code while leveraging ethics-related items from multiple DGMPRA surveys where appropriate.

Keywords: defence ethics, ethical culture, organizational performance, performance measurement framework

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Authors: Odigie Veronica

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The paper focused on the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in effective service delivery in view of the ongoing COVID-19 experience. It adopted the exploratory research method with three research objectives captured. Consequently, the objectives were to ascertain the meaning of online education, understand the concept of COVID-19 and to determine the relevance of online education in effective service delivery in institutions of learning. It is evident from the findings that through ICT, online mode of learning can be adopted in schools which helps greatly in promoting continual education. Online mode of education is practiced online; it brings both the teacher and learners from different places together, without any physical boundary/contact (at least 75%); and has helped greatly in human development in countries where it has been practiced. It is also a welcome development owing to its many benefits such as exposure to digital learning, having access to works of great teachers and educationists such as Socrates, Plato, Dewey, R.S. Peters, J. J. Rosseau, Nnamdi Azikwe, Carol Gilligan, J. I. Omoregbe, Jane Roland Martin, Jean Piaget, among others; and the facilitation of uninterrupted learning for class promotion and graduation of students. Developing the learners all round is part of human development which helps in developing a nation. These and many more are some benefits online education offers which make ICT very relevant in our contemporary society

Keywords: online education, COVID-19 pandemic, effective service delivery, human development

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Authors: Wann-Yun Shieh, Hsin-Yi Kathy Cheng, Yan-Ying Ju, Yu-Chun Yu, Ya-Cheng Shieh

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Adolescents who have intellectual disabilities often demonstrate maladaptive behaviors in their daily activities due to either physical abnormalities or neurological disorders. These adolescents commonly struggle with their cognition and movement coordination when it comes to executing tasks such as throwing or catching objects smoothly, quickly, and gracefully, in contrast to their typically developing peers. Simply measuring movement time and distance doesn't provide a comprehensive view of their performance challenges. In this study, a ball-playing approach was proposed to assess the cognition and movement coordination of adolescents with intellectual disabilities using a smart ball equipped with an embedded inertial sensor. Four distinct ball games were specifically designed for this smart ball: two focusing on lower limb activities (dribbling along a straight line and navigating a zigzag path) and two centered around upper limb tasks (picking up and throwing and catching the ball). The cognition and movement coordination of 25 adolescents with intellectual disabilities (average age 18.36 ± 2.46 years) with that of 25 typically developing adolescents (average age 18.36 ± 0.49 years) were compared in these four tests. The results clearly revealed significant differences in the cognition and movement coordination between the adolescents with intellectual disabilities and the typically developing adolescents. These differences encompassed aspects such as movement speed, hand-eye coordination, and control over objects across all the tests conducted.

Keywords: cognition, intellectual disabilities, movement coordination, smart ball

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Authors: Min Pan, An-Hsu Chen

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Burnout has been proved to be one of the factors that hinder the development and sport performances of athletes while moral disengagement is the psychological mechanism used by athletes to elevate the guilt caused by conducting the anti-social behaviors to gain competitive advantages and in sports which have both been discussed extensively. The sports devaluation in burnout may undermine the sportsmanship of athletes therefore may serve as one of factors of moral disengagement in sports. Nonetheless, the connection between athlete burnout and moral disengagement in sports is yet established. Hence, the study aims to investigate whether there is the correlation between athlete burnout and moral disengagement in sports. Participants of this study are 120 collegiate athletes who specialize in seven different sports (e.g., fence, boxing, taekwondo, and etc.) with average training hours of 3.7 per day and 4.5 days per week. Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and Moral Disengagement in Sports – Short were administrated as the research instruments. Data collected were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and step-wise regression. The results show, participants demonstrate mild to moderate burnout and moral disengagement in their perspective sports disciplines. Moreover, athletes specialize in different sports experience distinct burnout situations while there is no significant variation of moral disengagement in different sports. It is also found, moral disengagement in sports has significant and positive correlations with emotional and physical exhaustion as well as sports devaluation in athlete burnout. Furthermore, athlete burnout can positively predict moral disengagement in sports while sports devaluation plays an important role within. It can be concluded that, athlete burnout may contribute to their tendency of moral disengagement in sport. By relieving the burnout level may help improve their moral disengagement inclination in sports. The finding may contribute to the current literature regarding athlete burnout and moral disengagement in sports.

Keywords: athlete burnout, dehumanization, moral disengagement, reduced sense of accomplishment

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Authors: Shivani Kolarkar

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Splendid growth in Indian IT has generated women employment on a large scale in India and continues to do it. Indian IT industry has achieved this in spite of total masculine dominance in other Indian engineering industries, where the ratio of women employment is almost negligible as compared to men. Indian IT today proudly enjoys a strong pool of technically educated, intellectual, and skillful women employees. IT industry has encouraged technical education for women in India, to a great extent. The software industry has definitely contributed to developing a positive and dignified role and status of women employees in Indian IT industry. It has promoted women’s social and economic role and status. In spite of all, gender discrimination still persists in Indian IT, also, which is low as compared to other industries, but it is a matter of concern. An Indian woman is bound to carry dual roles which are equally over-stressed for IT women employees. Long working hours, night shifts, work pressures and insufficient safety majors and necessary facilities for women contributes to making her physical-mental life, family and married life troublesome. Which forces her either to cluster at low-end jobs in IT/elsewhere or to sacrifice her career. Nature, role and status of HRM needs to be broadened, deepened and shaped into research-oriented multidimensional perspective in the context of really enhancing role and status of Indian IT women with high appreciation of women employees’ dignity and entity.

Keywords: attrition, gender discrimination, HRM, Indian IT, software industry, job satisfaction, safety, technical education, women employment

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Authors: Li-Ting Kung, Hui-Zhu Chen, Hsin-Tzu Lee, Wan-Yin Hsu

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Patients with spinal cord injury combined with diabetic nephropathy may under a lot of painful conditions due to complications related to the illness itself or treatments, such as recurrent pressure ulcers, autonomic and peripheral neuropathy, as well as dialysis, for long term. This case report illustrated the nursing experience of transferring a spine cord injure patient who received hemodialysis due to adverse lifestyle-induced diabetic nephropathy to the hospice ward. Nursing care was provided in this patient from July 25th to August 30th, 2015. The tool of 'Gordon’s 11-item functional health assessment' and clinical observation, interviews as well as physical examination were used as data collections. Based on results of health assessment as above, the patient’s health problems were identified as the following: impaired skin integrity, chronic pain, and hopeless. Besides to relieve the symptom of pain due to disease or the treatment of hemodialysis and provide wound care, the first author also played a role to assist the patient to achieve his goal of receiving the hospice palliative care. Finally, with much effort of nurses to communicate with medical teams between the surgical and hospice wards, the patient was transferred to the hospice ward to have fulfilled his last wish of having a good death. We hope this nursing experience can be applied to other similar cases in the future.

Keywords: diabetic nephropathy, hospice care, palliative care, spinal cord injury

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Authors: Pavel Damborsky, Martina Zamorova, Jaroslav Katrlik

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Prostate cancer is annually the most common newly diagnosed cancer among men. An extensive number of evidence suggests that traditional serum Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay still suffers from a lack of sufficient specificity and sensitivity resulting in vast over-diagnosis and overtreatment. Thus, the early-stage detection of prostate cancer (PCa) plays undisputedly a critical role for successful treatment and improved quality of life. Over the last decade, particular altered glycans have been described that are associated with a range of chronic diseases, including cancer and inflammation. These glycans differences enable a distinction to be made between physiological and pathological state and suggest a valuable biosensing tool for diagnosis and follow-up purposes. Aberrant glycosylation is one of the major characteristics of disease progression. Consequently, the aim of this study was to develop a more reliable tool for early-stage PCa diagnosis employing lectins as glyco-recognition elements. Biosensor and biochip technology putting to use lectin-based glyco-profiling is one of the most promising strategies aimed at providing fast and efficient analysis of glycoproteins. The proof-of-concept experiments based on sandwich assay employing anti-PSA antibody and an aptamer as a capture molecules followed by lectin glycoprofiling were performed. We present a lectin-based biosensing assay for glycoprofiling of serum biomarker PSA using different biosensor and biochip platforms such as label-free surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and microarray with fluorescent label. The results suggest significant differences in interaction of particular lectins with PSA. The antibody-based assay is frequently associated with the sensitivity, reproducibility, and cross-reactivity issues. Aptamers provide remarkable advantages over antibodies due to the nucleic acid origin, stability and no glycosylation. All these data are further step for construction of highly selective, sensitive and reliable sensors for early-stage diagnosis. The experimental set-up also holds promise for the development of comparable assays with other glycosylated disease biomarkers.

Keywords: biomarker, glycosylation, lectin, prostate cancer

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Authors: Branka Milicic Stanic, Romana Mijovic

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In primary hyperparathyroidism, an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease may exist due to increased activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). In adenomatous altered tissue of parathyroid gland, compared to normal tissue, there are two to fourfold increase in the expression of type 1 angiotensin II receptors. As there is a clear evidence of the independent role of aldosterone on the cardiovascular system, the aim of this study was to evaluate the existence of an association between aldosterone secretion and parathyroid hormone in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. This study included 48 patients with elevated parathyroid hormone who had come to the Departement of Nuclear Medicine, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, for Parathyroid Scintigraphy. The control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects who matched age and gender to the study group. All the results were statistically processed by statistical package STATISTICA 14 (Statsoft Inc,Tulsa, OK, USA). The survey was conducted between February 2017 and April 2018 at the Departement of Nuclear Medicine and at the Departement for Endocinology Diagnoistics, in Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad. Compared to the control group, the study group had statistically significantly higher values of aldosterone (p=0.028), total calcium (p=0.01), ionized calcium (p=0.003) and parathyroid hormone (N-TACT PTH) (p=0.00), while statistically a significant lower levels in the study group were for phosphorus (p=0.003) and vitamin D (p=0.04). A linear correlation analysis in the study group revealed a statistically significant degree of positive correlation between renin and N-TACT PTH (r=0.688, p<0.05); renin and calcium (r=0.673, p<0.05) and renin and ionized calcium (r=0.641, p<0.05). Serum aldosterone and parathyroid hormone levels (N-TACT) were correlated positively in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (r=0.509, p<0.05). According to the linear correlation analysis in the control group, aldosterone showed no positive correlation with N-TACT PTH (r=-0.285, p>0.05), as well as total and ionized calcium (r=-0.200, p>0.05; r=-0.313, p>0.05). In multivariate regression analysis of the study group, the strongest predictive variable of aldosterone secretion was N-TACT PTH (p=0.011). Aldosterone correlated positively to PTH levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, and the fact is that in these patients aldosterone might be a key mediator of cardiovascular symptoms. All this knowledge should help to find new treatments to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Keywords: aldosterone, hyperparathyroidism, parathyroid hormone, parathyroid gland

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Authors: Uhde Serenay Sunay, Alev Yalçınkaya

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Emotional abuse is one of the most challenging forms of violence to define, and many individuals often unknowingly experience emotional abuse. Existing literature has found that individuals who have experienced psychological abuse tend to suffer from depression, low self-esteem, a decreased sense of autonomy, fear, and an increased risk of suicide. Current research indicates that physical abuse in romantic relationships is often accompanied by emotional abuse, supporting the idea that identifying emotional abuse is an essential factor in romantic relationships. On the other hand, studies on emotional abuse between partners in romantic relationships are limited. This study investigated attitudes towards emotional abuse among Turkish university students. Gender differences were investigated.Additionally, the study examined whether the degree of emotional abuse was related to attitudes towards emotional abuse. A total of 243 university students participated in the research, with 156 female and 87 male participants. Participants' attitudes toward emotional abuse were measured using the Turkish adaptation of Follingstad Psychological Aggression Scale and hypothetical scenarios created by the researchers. The results revealed that attitudes of women and men vary significantly in attack looks/sexuality, fidelity, gender roles, and jealousy subscales of Follingstad Psychological Aggression Scale. Furthermore, attitudes towards moderate-level and severe-level emotional abuse exhibit statistically significant variability by gender, while attitudes towards mild-level emotional abuse do not.

Keywords: emotional abuse, gender differences, Turkish culture, university students

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Authors: Evridiki Papachristou, Nikolaos Bilalis

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Imagine an apparel industry where fashion design does not begin with a paper-and-pen drawing which is then translated into pattern and later to a 3D model where the designer tries out different fabrics, colours and contrasts. Instead, imagine a fashion designer in the future who produces that initial fashion drawing in a three-dimensional space and won’t leave that environment until the product is done, communicating his/her ideas with the entire development team in true to life 3D. Three-dimensional (3D) technology - while well established in many other industrial sectors like automotive, aerospace, architecture and industrial design, has only just started to open up a whole range of new opportunities for apparel designers. The paper will discuss the process of 3D simulation technology enhanced by high quality visualization of data and its capability to ensure a massive competitiveness in the market. Secondly, it will underline the most frequent problems & challenges that occur in the process chain when various partners in the production of textiles and apparel are working together. Finally, it will offer a perspective of how the Virtual Prototyping Technology will make the global textile and apparel industry change to a level where designs will be visualized on a computer and various scenarios modeled without even having to produce a physical prototype. This state-of-the-art 3D technology has been described as transformative and“disruptive”comparing to the process of the way apparel companies develop their fashion products today. It provides the benefit of virtual sampling not only for quick testing of design ideas, but also reducing process steps and having more visibility.A so called“digital asset” that can be used for other purposes such as merchandising or marketing.

Keywords: 3D visualization, apparel, virtual prototyping, prototyping technology

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Authors: Mohamed Ahmed Madkour, Haitham Magdy Hamad

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This research aims to study of the surgery science and imaging in ancient Egypt, and how to diagnose the surgical cases, whether due to injuries or disease that requires surgical intervention, Medical diagnosis and how to treat it. The ancient Egyptian physician tried to change over from magic and theological thinking to become a stand-alone experimental science, they were able to distinguish between diseases and they divide them into internal and external diseases even this division exists to date in modern medicine. There is no evidence to recognize the amount of human knowledge in the prehistoric knowledge of medicine and surgery except skeleton. It is not far from the human being in those times familiar with some means of treatment, Surgery in the Stone age was rudimentary, Flint stone was used after trimming in a certain way as a lancet to slit and open the skin. Wooden tree branches were used to make splints to treat bone fractures. Surgery developed further when copper was discovered, it led to the advancement of Egyptian civilization, then modern and advanced tools appeared in the operating theater like a knife or a scalpel. The climate and environmental conditions have preserved medical papyri and human remains that have confirmed their knowledge of surgical methods including sedation. The ancient Egyptians reached a great importance in surgery, evidenced by the scenes that depict the pathological image and the surgical process, but the image alone is not sufficient to prove the pathology, its presence in ancient Egypt and its treatment method. As there are a number of medical papyri, especially Edwin Smith and Ebris, which prove the ancient Egyptian surgeon's knowledge of the pathological condition that It requires a surgical intervention, otherwise its diagnosis and the method of treatment will not be described with such accuracy through these texts. Some surgeries are described in the department of surgery at Ebris papyrus. The level of surgery in ancient Egypt was high, and they performed surgery such as hernias and Aneurysm, however we have not received a lengthy explanation of the various surgeries and the surgeon has usually only said “treated surgically”. It is evident in the Ebris papyrus that they used sharp surgical tools and cautery in operations where bleeding is expected, such as hernias, arterial sacs and tumors.

Keywords: ancient Egypt, archaeology, Egyptian history, ancient asurgical imaging, Egyptian civilization, civilization

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Authors: Hossein Rassi, Alaheh Gholami Roud-Majany, Zahra Razavi, Massoud Hoshmand

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Cervical cancer is multi step disease that is thought to result from an interaction between genetic background and environmental factors. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading risk factor for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)and cervical cancer. In other hand, some of hTERT and miRNA polymorphism may plays an important role in carcinogenesis. This study attempts to clarify the relation of hTERT genotypes and miR-146a genotypes in cervical cancer. Forty two archival samples with cervical lesion retired from Khatam hospital and 40 sample from healthy persons used as control group. A simple and rapid method was used to detect the simultaneous amplification of the HPV consensus L1 region and HPV-16,-18, -11, -31, 33 and -35 along with the b-globin gene as an internal control. We use Multiplex PCR for detection of hTERT and miR-146a rs2910164 genotypes in our lab. Finally, data analysis was performed using the 7 version of the Epi Info(TM) 2012 software and test chi-square(x2) for trend. Cervix lesions were collected from 42 patients with Squamous metaplasia, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and cervical carcinoma. Successful DNA extraction was assessed by PCR amplification of b-actin gene (99bp). According to the results, hTERT ( rs 2736098) GG genotype and miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of cervical cancer in the study population. In this study, we detected 13 HPV 18 from 42 cervical cancer. The connection between several SNP polymorphism and human virus papilloma in rare researches were seen. The reason of these differences in researches' findings can result in different kinds of races and geographic situations and also differences in life grooves in every region. The present study provided preliminary evidence that a p53 GG genotype and miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype may effect cervical cancer risk in the study population, interacting synergistically with HPV 18 genotype. Our results demonstrate that the testing of hTERT rs 2736098 genotypes and miR-146a rs2910164 genotypes in combination with HPV18 can serve as major risk factors in the early identification of cervical cancers. Furthermore, the results indicate the possibility of primary prevention of cervical cancer by vaccination against HPV18 in Iran.

Keywords: polymorphism of hTERT gene, miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism, cervical cancer, virus

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Authors: Sana Iqbal

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The female voice in Sufi poetry has been studied as a symbol of humility and devotion. Throughout the centuries, the Sufi shrines have also sheltered women and have served as a source of emotional strength in times of difficulty. Although women have been central to Sufi Islam, female-led rituals and performances (of veneration) are rarely studied as acts of empowerment and symbols of healing. This is especially true for rituals performed in informal spaces, which require going beyond the shrine practices. The rituals and meanings associated with Khizr Khwaja (or Sindhi Hindu god Jhelelal) among women in Punjab can serve as a useful case study to unpack some of these meanings. The paper aims to shed light on female-led rituals among women from Punjab associated with the folkloric traditions associated with Khizar Khwaja, Zinda Pir, Jhulelal or river god in the South Asian region to protect mariners from possible risks (since trade was primarily dependent on water channels) or for inducing timely rain date back to the 10th century in Sindh. However, these meanings and associations have evolved and the paper thus aims to establish a relationship between this figure and the women in Punjab by analysing the findings from an ethnographic study. It traces the historical meanings and significance attached to the divine figure and the wells (informal spaces) associated with him since the rituals performed by women is now infused solely with seeking fertility or to be blessed with a successful pregnancy, as opposed to him being celebrated for other reasons in older times. These associations beg the question of what women gain out of these rituals and making offerings to the mysterious figure of Khizr. Anecdotal evidence in the form of interviews conducted in Bhakar and Talwandi (Punjab) during the summer of 2015 helped to explore the stories related to this legend while also allowing us to witness some of the female-led ritual practices. It can be said that the symbols adopted in the ritual practices invoke liminality for women, which is a blend of opposites. The paper argues that this liminality/journey has been used as a vehicle to transcend all worldly structures of power and it symbolically emphasises the richness of feminine love/devotion and grants healing to female devotees.

Keywords: transgression, gender, liminality, ritual

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Authors: D. Baratian, A. Cavalli, D. van den Ende, F. Mugele

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The morphology of liquid bridges inside complex geometries is the subject of interest for many years. These efforts try to find stable liquid configuration considering the boundary condition and the physical properties of the system. On the other hand precise manipulation of droplets is highly significant in many microfluidic applications. The liquid configuration in a complex geometry can be switched by means of external stimuli. We show manipulation of droplets in a wedge structure. The profile and position of a drop in a wedge geometry has been calculated analytically assuming negligible contact angle hysteresis. The characteristic length of liquid bridge and its interfacial tension inside the surrounding medium along with the geometrical parameters of the system determine the morphology and equilibrium position of drop in the system. We use electrowetting to modify one the governing parameters to manipulate the droplet. Electrowetting provides the capability to have precise control on the drop position through tuning the voltage and consequently changing the contact angle. This technique is employed to tune drop displacement and control its position inside the wedge. Experiments demonstrate precise drop movement to its predefined position inside the wedge geometry. Experimental results show promising consistency as it is compared to our geometrical model predictions. For such a drop manipulation, appealing applications in microfluidics have been considered.

Keywords: liquid bridges, microfluidics, drop manipulation, wetting, electrowetting, capillarity

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Authors: Muhammad Asim, Mehvish Amjad

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Background: Less than half of women in South Asia (SA) use any modern contraceptive method which leads to a huge burden of unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, maternal deaths, and socioeconomic loss. Women empowerment plays a pivotal role in improving various health seeking behaviours, including contraceptive use. The objective of this study to explore the association between women's empowerment and modern contraceptive, among rich and poor segment of population in SA. Methods: We used the most recent, large-scale, demographic health survey data of five South Asian countries, namely Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The outcome variable was the current use of modern contraceptive methods. The main exposure variable was a combination (interaction) of socio-economic status (SES) and women’s level of empowerment (low, medium, and high), where SES was bifurcated into poor and rich; and women empowerment was divided into three categories: decision making, attitude to violence and social independence. Moreover, overall women empowerment indicator was also created by using three dimensions of women empowerment. We applied both descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression techniques for data analyses. Results: Most of the women possessed ‘medium’ level of empowerment across South Asian Countries. The lowest attitude to violence empowerment was found in Afghanistan, and the lowest social independence empowerment was observed in Bangladesh across SA. However, Pakistani women have the lowest decision-making empowerment in the region. The lowest modern contraceptive use (22.1%) was found in Afghanistan and the highest (53.2%) in Bangladesh. The multivariate results depict that the overall measure of women empowerment does not affect modern contraceptive use among poor and rich women in most of South Asian countries. However, the decision-making empowerment plays a significant role among both poor and rich women to use modern contraceptive methods across South Asian countries. Conclusions: The effect of women’s empowerment on modern contraceptive use is not consistent across countries, and among poor and rich segment of population. Of the three dimensions of women’s empowerment, the autonomy of decision making in household affairs emerged as a stronger determinant of mCPR as compared with social independence and attitude towards violence against women.

Keywords: women empowerment, modern contraceptive use, South Asia, socio economic status

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Authors: Yolanda Zografova, Ekaterina Dimitrova, Tsvetelina Panchelieva, Victoria Nedeva-Atanasova

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Aggression and violence amongst school-aged children are widely spread phenomenon, which is expanding both on a global level and in Bulgaria. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the overall range of different types and manifestations of school aggression in a specific age group (12 to 18 years old students) from the 5th to the 12th grade according to the Bulgarian education system. In addition, the research investigates the dynamics of aggressive behaviour in two parallel lines – a horizontal one (with students from the same age) and a vertical one (with students from different grade). In the current study based on the original authors’ inventory (School Aggression Questionnaire), the three main types of aggression are measured – physical, verbal and indirect. The sample consists of 300 students from schools in a big metropolitan city, a mid-sized town, and a small town. Results show that the predominant aggression type is the verbal one, but this is the predominant type for the girls in the sample, not for the boys. Another result is that the higher the school grade, the lower levels of overall aggression is shown by the students. The study of such a multi-dimensional phenomenon as the aggression will provide up-to-date scientific knowledge, important both for the development of science on these topics, and useful for public interests in relation to the balanced development of children and adolescents at school. The results provide an excellent base for the development of prevention and intervention programs in order to reduce school aggression.

Keywords: educational psychology, School aggression, interpersonal relations, school aggression questionnaire, types of aggression

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Authors: Abhinav Kumar Rajverma, Arun Kumar Misra, Abhijeet Chandra

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Family involvement in business is universal across countries, with varying characteristics. Firms of developed economies have diffused ownership structure; however, that of emerging markets have concentrated ownership structure, having resemblance with that of family firms. Optimization of dividend payout and leverage are very crucial for firm’s valuation. This paper studies dividend paying behavior of National Stock Exchange listed Indian firms from financial year 2007 to 2016. The final sample consists of 422 firms and of these more than 49% (207) are family firms. Results reveal that family firms pay lower dividend and are more leveraged compared to non-family firms. This unique data set helps to understand dividend behavior and capital structure of sample firms over a long-time period and across varying family ownership concentration. Using panel regression models, this paper examines factors affecting dividend payout and capital structure and establishes a link between the two using Two-stage Least Squares regression model. Profitability shows a positive impact on dividend and negative impact on leverage, confirming signaling and pecking order theory. Further, findings support bankruptcy theory as firm size has a positive relation with dividend and leverage and volatility shows a negative relation with both dividend and leverage. Findings are also consistent with agency theory, family ownership concentration has negative relation with both dividend payments and leverage. Further, the impact of family ownership control confirms the similar finding. The study further reveals that firms with high family ownership concentration (family control) do have an impact on determining the level of private benefits. Institutional ownership is not significant for dividend payments. However, it shows significant negative relation with leverage for both family and non-family firms. Dividend payout and leverage show mixed association with each other. This paper provides evidence of how varying level of family ownership concentration and ownership control influences the dividend policy and capital structure of firms in an emerging market like India and it can have significant contribution towards understanding and formulating corporate dividend policy decisions and capital structure for emerging economies, where majority of firms exhibit behavior of family firm.

Keywords: dividend, family firms, leverage, ownership structure

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Authors: Michael G. Pantelyat

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Fundamental basics of pure and applied research in the area of magneto-thermo-mechanical numerical analysis and design of innovative electromagnetic devices (modern induction heaters, novel thermoelastic actuators, rotating electrical machines, induction cookers, electrophysical devices) are elaborated. Thus, mathematical models of magneto-thermo-mechanical processes in electromagnetic devices taking into account main interactions of interrelated phenomena are developed. In addition, graphical representation of coupled (multiphysics) phenomena under consideration is proposed. Besides, numerical techniques for nonlinear problems solution are developed. On this base, effective numerical algorithms for solution of actual problems of practical interest are proposed, validated and implemented in applied 2D and 3D computer codes developed. Many applied problems of practical interest regarding modern electrical engineering devices are numerically solved. Investigations of the influences of various interrelated physical phenomena (temperature dependences of material properties, thermal radiation, conditions of convective heat transfer, contact phenomena, etc.) on the accuracy of the electromagnetic, thermal and structural analyses are conducted. Important practical recommendations on the choice of rational structures, materials and operation modes of electromagnetic devices under consideration are proposed and implemented in industry.

Keywords: electromagnetic devices, multiphysics, numerical analysis, simulation and design

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Authors: Muhammad Arsalan Mahmoo, Allah Rakha, Muhammad Sohail

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The supplementation of wheat flour with high lysine legume flours has positive effects on the nutritional value of bread. In present study, germinated and terminated soya flour blends were prepared and supplemented in bread in variable proportions (10 % and 20 % of each) to check its impact on quality and sensory attributes of bread. The results showed that there was a significant increase in protein, ash and crude fat contents due to increase in the level of germinated and ungerminated soya flour. However, the moisture and crude fiber contents of composite flours containing germinated and ungerminated soya flour decreased with increased level of supplementation. Mean values for physical analysis (loaf volume, specific volume, weight loss and force for texture) were significantly higher in breads prepared with germinated soya bean flour.The scores assigned to sensory parameters of breads like volume, color of crust, symmetry, color of crumb, texture, taste and aroma decreased significantly by increasing the level of germinated and ungerminated soya flour in wheat flour while color of crust and taste slightly improved. The scores given to overall acceptability of bread prepared from composite flour supplemented with 10 % germinated soya flour.

Keywords: composite bread, protein energy malnutrition, supplementation, amino acid profile, grain legumes

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