Search results for: urban public spaces

Authors: Eriberto R. Astorga Jr., Herbert D. Vertucio, Evelyn M. Polison

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This study was conducted in order to determine the analysis with regards to the Characterization of Self-Esteem of EARIST Students according to their origin of self-esteem and low self-esteem as well as its causes. The respondents of this study are three thousand three hundred twenty three (3,323) randomly selected students from eight colleges of EARIST such as Arts and Sciences, Education, Public Administration and Criminology, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Architecture and Fine Arts, Engineering, and Industrial Technology. A survey was conducted by using a validated questionnaire for information gathering about respondents profile and different factors relating to self-esteem of students such as self-origin, familial and social relationship, financial situation and education. Frequency, percentage, ranking and standards deviation, standard t-test and ANOVA were applied to investigate the differences of the answers of the respondents to the origin of their self-esteem and the reasons for low self-esteem. The results revealed that there are no significant differences in the origin of their self-esteem and the reasons of low esteem as to the eight group of respondent’s. Moreover, most causes of low esteem are caused by hearing a comment or experiencing an incident that has a negative impact student mentally and emotionally, poor health, being bullied, lack of support from family, friends, and job loss, experiencing verbal and sexual abuse and are in a violent relationship, feelings of isolation, divorce, dysfunctional family, death and lack of achievement at work and at school, trying to conform to stereotypes and prove our independence from our parents.

Keywords: characterization, plan of action, profile, self-esteem

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Authors: Achim Kampker, Christoph Deutskens, Heiner Hans Heimes, Mathias Ordung, Felix Optehostert

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In the past years electric mobility became part of a public discussion. The trend to fully electrified vehicles instead of vehicles fueled with fossil energy has notably gained momentum. Today nearly every big car manufacturer produces and sells fully electrified vehicles, but electrified vehicles are still not as competitive as conventional powered vehicles. As the traction battery states the largest cost driver, lowering its price is a crucial objective. In addition to improvements in product and production processes a non-negligible, but widely underestimated cost driver of production can be found in logistics, since the production technology is not continuous yet and neither are the logistics systems. This paper presents an approach to evaluate cost factors on different designs of load carrier systems. Due to numerous interdependencies, the combination of costs factors for a particular scenario is not transparent. This is effecting actions for cost reduction negatively, but still cost reduction is one of the major goals for simultaneous engineering processes. Therefore a concurrent and phase appropriate cost valuation method is necessary to serve cost transparency. In this paper the four phases of this cost valuation method are defined and explained, which based upon a new approach integrating the logistics development process in to the integrated product and process development.

Keywords: research and development, technology and innovation, lithium-ion-battery production, load carrier development process, cost valuation method

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Authors: Magdalena Musiał-Karg

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The expansion of telecommunication and progress of electronic media constitute important elements of our times. The recent worldwide convergence of information and communication technologies (ICT) and dynamic development of the mass media is leading to noticeable changes in the functioning of contemporary states and societies. Currently, modern technologies play more and more important roles and filter down to almost every field of contemporary human life. It results in the growth of online interactions that can be observed by the inconceivable increase in the number of people with home PCs and Internet access. The proof of it is undoubtedly the emergence and use of concepts such as e-society, e-banking, e-services, e-government, e-government, e-participation and e-democracy. The newly coined word e-democracy evidences that modern technologies have also been widely used in politics. Without any doubt in most countries all actors of political market (politicians, political parties, servants in political/public sector, media) use modern forms of communication with the society. Most of these modern technologies progress the processes of getting and sending information to the citizens, communication with the electorate, and also – which seems to be the biggest advantage – electoral procedures. Thanks to implementation of ICT the interaction between politicians and electorate are improved. The main goal of this text is to analyze electronic voting (e-voting) as one of the important forms of electronic democracy in terms of security aspects. The author of this paper aimed at answering the questions of security of electronic voting as an additional form of participation in elections and referenda.

Keywords: electronic democracy, electronic voting, security of e-voting, information and communication technology (ICT)

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Authors: M. Ottenbrite, G. Yilmaz, J. Devenish, M. Kang, H. Dan, M. Lin, C. Lau, C. Carrillo, K. Bessonov, J. Nash, E. Topp, J. Guan

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Consumption of food contaminated by antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria may lead to the transmission of AR genes in the gut microbiota and cause AR bacterial infection, a significant public health concern. However, information is limited on if and how background microbes from the food matrix (food microbes) may influence resistance transmission. Thus, we assessed the colonization of a β-lactam resistant Salmonella Heidelberg strain (donor) and a β-lactam susceptible S. Typhimurium strain (recipient) and the transfer of the resistance genes in the mouse gut in the presence or absence of food microbes that were derived from washing freshly-harvested carrots. Mice were pre-treated with streptomycin and then inoculated with both donor and recipient bacteria or recipient only. Fecal shedding of the donor, recipient, and transconjugant bacteria was enumerated using selective culture techniques. Transfer of AR genes was confirmed by whole genome sequencing. Gut microbial composition was determined by 16s rRNA amplicon sequencing. Significantly lower numbers of donors and recipients were shed from mice that were inoculated with food microbes compared to those without food microbe inoculation. S. Typhimurium transconjugants were only recovered from mice without inoculation of food microbes. A significantly higher survival rate was in mice with vs. without inoculation of food microbes. The results suggest that the food microbes may compete with both the donor and recipient Salmonella, limit their growth and reduce transmission of the β-lactam resistance gene in the mouse gut.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance, gene transfer, gut microbiota, Salmonella infection

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Authors: Atefeh Esmailnejad, Mohammad Abbaszadeh Hasiri

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Coxiella burnetii is a gram-negative obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes Q fever, a significant zoonotic disease. Sheep, cattle, and goats are the most commonly reported reservoirs for the bacteria, but infected cats and dogs have also been implicated in the transmission of the disease to human. The aim of present study was to investigate the presence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii among companion dogs in Fars province, South of Iran. A total of 181 blood samples were collected from asymptomatic dogs, mostly referred to Veterinary Hospital of Shiraz University for regular vaccination. The IgG antibody detection against Coxiella burnetii was made by indirect Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), employing phase I and II Coxiella burnetii antigens. A logistic regression model was developed to analyze multiple risk factors associated with seropositivity. An overall seropositivity of 7.7% (n=14) was observed. Prevalence was significantly higher in adult dogs above five years (18.18 %) compared with dogs between 1 and five years (7.86 %) and less than one year (6.17%) (P=0.043). Prevalence was also higher in male dogs (11.21 %) than in female (2.7 %) (P=0.035). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of positive cases and breed, type of housing, type of food and exposure to other farm animals (P>0.05). The results of this study showed the presence of Coxiella burnetii infection among the companion dogs population in Fars province. To our knowledge, this is the first study regarding Q fever in dogs carried out in Iran. In areas like Iran, where human cases of Q fever are not common or remain unreported, the public health implications of Q fever seroprevalence in dogs are quite significant.

Keywords: Coxiella burnetii, dog, Iran, Q fever

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Authors: Euphrasia Susy Suhendra, Lies Handrijaningsih

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The banking sector as an intermediary party or intermediaries occupies a very important position in bridging the needs of working capital investment in the real sector with funds owner. This will certainly make money more effectively to improve the economic value added. As an intermediary, Islamic banks raise funds from the public and then distribute in the form of financing. In practice, the distribution of funding that is run by Islamic Banking is not as easy as, in theory, because, in fact, there are many financing problems; some are caused by lacking the assessment and supervision of banks to customers. This study aims to analyze the influence of the Third Party Funds, Return on Assets (ROA), Non Performing Financing (NPF), and Financing Deposit Ratio (FDR) to Total Financing provided to the Community by Islamic Banks in Indonesia. The data used is monthly data released by Bank of Indonesia in Islamic Banking Statistics in the time period of January 2009 - December 2013. This study uses cointegration test to see the long-term relationship, and use error correction models to examine the relationship of short-term. The results of this study indicate that the Third Party Fund has a short-term effect on total funding, Return on Assets has a long term effect on the total financing, Non Performing Financing has long-term effects of total financing, and Financing deposit ratio has the effect of short-term and long-term of the total financing provided by Islamic Banks in Indonesia.

Keywords: Islamic banking, third party fund, return on asset, non-performing financing, financing deposit ratio

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Authors: Victor Milanes, Martha Hubertz

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In the wake of COVID-19, all aspects of life have been estranged, and humanity has been forced to shift toward a more technologically integrated mode of operation. Essential work such as Healthcare, business, and public policy are a few notable industries that were initially dependent upon face-to-face modality but have completely reimagined their operation style. Unique to these fields, education was particularly strained because academics, teachers, and professors alike were obligated to shift their curriculums online over the course of a few weeks while also maintaining the expectation that they were educating their students to a similar level accomplished pre-pandemic. This was notable as research indicates two key concepts: Students prefer face-to-face modality, and due to the disruption in academic continuity/style, there was a negative impact on student's overall education and performance. With these two principles in mind, this study aims to inquire what online strategies could be best employed by teachers to educate their students, as well as what strategies could be adopted in a multimodal setting if deemed necessary by the instructor or outside convoluting factors (Such as the case of COVID-19, or a personal matter that demands the teacher's attention away from the classroom). Strategies and methods will be cross-analyzed via a ranking system derived from various recognized teaching assessments, in which engagement, retention, flexibility, interest, and performance are specifically accounted for. We expect to see an emphasis on positive social pressure as a dominant factor in the improved propensity for education, as well as a preference for visual aids across platforms, as research indicates most individuals are visual learners.

Keywords: technological integration, multimodal teaching, education, student engagement

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Authors: Iddrisu Ibrahim, Joseph Atia Ayariga, Junhuan Xu, Daniel Abugri, Boakai Robertson, Olufemi S. Ajayi

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The emergence of multidrug resistance poses a huge risk to public health globally. Yet these recalcitrant pathogens continue to rise in incidence rate, with resistance rates significantly outpacing the speed of antibiotic development. This, therefore, presents an aura of related health issues such as untreatable nosocomial infections arising from organ transplants and surgeries, as well as community-acquired infections that are related to people with compromised immunity, e.g., diabetic and HIV patients, etc. There is a global effort to fight multidrug-resistant pathogens spearheaded by the World Health Organization, thus calling for research into novel antimicrobial agents to fight multiple drug resistance. Previously, our laboratory demonstrated that Cannabidiol (CBD) was an effective antimicrobial against Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium). However, we observed resistance development over time. To understand the mechanisms S. typhimurium uses to develop resistance to Cannabidiol (CBD), we studied the abundance of bacteria lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and membrane sterols of both susceptible and resistant S. typhimurium. Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), we also analyzed the expression of selected genes known for aiding resistance development in S. typhimurium. We discovered that there was a significantly higher expression of blaTEM, fimA, fimZ, and integrons in the CBD-resistant bacteria, and these were also accompanied by a shift in abundance in cell surface molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and sterols.

Keywords: antimicrobials, resistance, cannabidiol, gram-negative bacteria, integrons, blaTEM, Fim, LPS, ergosterols

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Authors: Asuman Tezcan Mirer

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This proposed paper discusses nationalist socialist and communist propaganda struggles in the Turkish press during World War II. The paper aspires to analyze how government agencies directed and organized the Turkish press to prevent the "5th column" from influencing public opinion. During the Second World War, one of the most emphasized issues was propaganda and how Turkish citizens would be protected from the effects of disinformation. Istanbul became a significant headquarters for belligerent countries' intelligence services, and these services were involved in gathering intelligence and disseminating propaganda. The main motive of national socialist propaganda was "anti-communism" in Turkey. Subsidizing certain magazines, controlling German companies' advertisements and paper trade, spreading rumors, printing propaganda brochures, and showing German propaganda films are some tactics that the nationalist socialists applied before and during the Second World War. On the other hand, the communists targeted Turkish racist/ultra-nationalist groups and their publications, which were influenced by the Nazi regime. They were also involved in distributing Marxist publications, printing brochures, and broadcasting radio programs. This study composes of three parts. The first part describes the nationalist socialist and communist propaganda activities in Turkey during the Second World War. The second part addresses the debates over propaganda among selected newspapers representing different ideologies. Finally, the last part analyzes the Turkish government's press policy. It explains why the government allowed ideological debates in the press despite its authoritarian press policy and "active neutrality" stance in the international arena.

Keywords: propaganda, press, 5th column, World War II, Turkey

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Authors: Ayesha Siddiqua

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Background: Hypertension is a silent killer disease and a common risk factor for considerable morbidity and mortality. Its effects can be seen on the organs like Heart; Brain; Kidneys. In Saudi Arabia, hypertension affects a sizeable enough proportion of the population, with a prevalence of 27.9% in urban and 22.4 in rural population. Despite these features, the magnitude and epidemiological characteristics of this disease have been rarely studied in Saudi Arabia. To fill this gap, we conducted a survey in Abha to study the KAP of hypertension. KAP study shows what people know about certain things, their feelings and behavior towards the disease management. An improvement in the Knowledge and Attitudes towards disease management can reform the kinds of practices which are followed. Objectives: To assess the level of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of patients who suffer from Hypertension. To improve the Quality of life of patients. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample size of 130 Hypertensive patients of both the genders enrolled by simple random sampling technique admitted in the Aseer Central Hospital of Abha during the period from October 2016 to December 2016. Results: Altogether 130 hypertensive patients were enrolled in this study with equal no. of Males and Females. Most of the respondents were aged between 18-40 years (45%). On assessing the KAP of the patients, we found that the Knowledge and Attitude score was good but the Practice scores were moderate in both the genders. Conclusion: Our study concludes that a significant proportion of hypertensive patients show less Practice towards the disease management which can lead to severe complications in time being and also result in damage of other vital organs. So there is a need of intense educational intervention for the patients which can be done by Patient counselling by the clinical pharmacist. Strategies to modify lifestyle which help in control of hypertension can include providing leaflets as well as direct educational programs.

Keywords: Attitude, hypertension, Knowledge, practices

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Authors: Shuchi Bharti

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This article intends to analyse the transforming nature of state and corporate sector relationship in the light of evolving regulatory and institutional aspects pertaining to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India. The focus is on evaluating the accounts of law and decentred discourses, relevant within the changing regulatory and institutional paradigm that substantially goes ahead of formal legal control of state towards corporate actors. At this vantage point, it is important to understand the state’s posture towards a changing scenario particularly as the tone is set by regulatory parameters pertaining to CSR to drive process of engagement with the stakeholders. The tripartite framework of the article intends to focus on finding on the vital interconnected aspects of the CSR provisions (Section 135) of The Companies Act 2013 (The Act), rise of new institutions and the emergence of the decentred regulatory space. Thus is earmarked in a neo-liberal paradigm; state is witnessed to perform a responsive function in engendering enhanced public role for the corporate sector. In this overarching framework the aim is to undertake a causal, exploratory and relational analysis of aspects pertaining law, regulation and institutional transformations. Firstly, focus is drawn on to investigate the relational facets of the advent of law and regulatory framework of CSR. Secondly, in the light of the historical evolution, a causal connection is attempted between globalization, emergence of international soft law framework and the Indian case of CSR. Finally, I look into how the new Companies Act mandates CSR expenditure vis- a -vis multiple parameters and guidelines.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, stakeholders, soft law, decentred regulation

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Authors: Seyyed Farzad Motevalli-Haghi, Javad Rafinejad, Mahboobeh Hosseni, Jamshid Yazdani-Charati, Behzad Parsi

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Background and purpose: Pediculosis is a worldwide public health concern. This descriptive study was performed on primary-school-aged children to determine the prevalence of pediculosis and its risk factors in Mazandaran Province, Iran, on basis of geographic information system (GIS). Materials and methods: A random sampling method was used to select 45237 school-aged children from Sari to Ramsar cities during September 2012 to June 2013. Data were collected from the selected schools by five trained nursing inspectors. A detailed questionnaire was filled for each child prior to hair examination following which examination was carried out to detect head lice as well as eggs/nits. Data were analyzed chi-square test. Finally, the GIS map was obtained in province informational chart. Results: 823 primary-school children (of 45237) were infected with lice in Mazandaran Province. The mean infection prevalence was 1.4% in cities 5.64% in rural area from Sari to Ramsar. There were significant relationships between pediculosis and some factors (P<0.05). GIS map revealed that the contamination was less in west than in east and central regions. Conclusion: Increasing awareness and training of teachers and parents, as well as improving standards of personal health can significantly reduce the prevalence of pediculosis.

Keywords: pediculosis capitis, primary school children, epidemiology, geographic information system (GIS), Mazandaran, Iran

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Authors: Claudeny Simone Alves Santana, Alexandre Simas De Medeiros, Marcelino Aurélio Vieira Da Silva

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The aim of the study was to assess the performance of pavements over time, considering the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the ability to withstand vehicle loads and associated environmental impacts. Within the study boundary, pavement design was conducted using the Mechanistic-Empirical Method, adopting criteria based on pavement cracking and wheel path rutting while also considering factors such as soil characteristics, material thickness, and the distribution of forces exerted by vehicles. The Ecoinvent® 3.6 database and SimaPro® software were employed to calculate emissions, and SICRO 3 information was used to estimate costs. Consequently, the study sought to identify the service that had the greatest impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The results were compared for design life periods of 10 and 30 years, considering structural performance and load-bearing capacity. Additionally, environmental impacts in terms of CO2 emissions per standard axle and construction costs in dollars per standard axle were analyzed. Based on the conducted analyses, it was possible to determine which pavement exhibited superior performance over time, considering technical, environmental, and economic criteria. One of the findings indicated that the mechanical characteristics of the soils used in the pavement layer directly influence the thickness of the pavement and the quantity of greenhouse gases, with a difference of approximately 7000 Kg CO2 Eq. The transportation service was identified as having the most significant negative impact. Other notable observations are that the study can contribute to future project guidelines and assist in decision-making regarding the selection of the most suitable pavement in terms of durability, load-bearing capacity, and sustainability.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, greenhouse gases, urban paving, service cost

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Authors: J. Lamilla-Monje, C. Solano-Puerto, L. Franco-Lara

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Trees play an essential role in cities due to their ability to provide multiple ecosystem goods and services. Bogota trees are threatened by factors such as pests, pathogens, contamination, among others. Among the pathogens, phytoplasmas are a potential risk for urban trees, generating symptoms that affect the ecosystem services that these trees provide in Bogota, an example of this is the affectation of Q. humboldtii by phytoplasmas, these bacteria are transmitted for insects of the order Hemiptera, this is why the objective of this work was to know if the climatic variables (humidity, precipitation, and temperature) and environmental variables (PM10 and PM2.5) could be related to the distribution of the Oak Quercus entomofauna and specifically with the phytoplasma vector insects in Bogota. For this study, the sampling points were distributed in areas of the city with contrasting variables in two types of locations: parks and streets. A total of 68 trees were sampled in which the associated insects were collected using two methodologies: jameo and agitation traps. The results show that insects of the order Hemiptera were the most abundant, including a total of 1682 individuals represented by 29 morphotypes, within this order individuals from eight families were collected (Aphidae, Aradidae, Berytidae, Cicadellidae, Issidae, Membracidae, Miridae, and Psyllidae), finding as possible vectors the families Cicadellidae, Membracidae, and Psyllidae with 959, 8 and 14 individuals respectively. Within the Cicadellidae family, 21 morphotypes were found, being reported as vectors in the literature: Amplicephalus, Exitianus atratus, Haldorus sp., Xestocephalus desertorum, Idiocerinae sp., Scaphytopius sp., the Membracidae family was represented by two morphotypes and the Psyllidae by one. Results that suggest that there is no correlation between climatic and environmental variables with the diversity of insects associated with oak. Knowing the vector insects of phytoplasmas in oak trees will complete the pathosystem and generate effective vector control.

Keywords: vector insects, diversity, phytoplasmas, Cicadellidae

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Authors: Birhanu Betela Warssamo

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Background: There is limited evidence on the prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among waste handlers in the Sidama region, Ethiopia; however, this knowledge is necessary for the effective prevention of HCV infection in the region. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected waste collectors from October 2021 to 30 July 2022 in different public hospitals in the Sidama region of Ethiopia. Serum samples were collected from participants and screened for anti-HCV using a rapid immunochromatography assay. Socio-demographic and risk factor information of waste handlers was gathered by pretested and well-structured questionnaires. The generalized linear model (GLM) was conducted using R software, and P-value < 0.05 was declared statistically significant. Results: From a total of 282 participating waste handlers, 16 (5.7%) (95% CI, 4.2 – 8.7) were infected with the hepatitis C virus. The educational status of waste handlers was the significant demographic variable that was associated with the hepatitis C virus (AOR = 0.055; 95% CI = 0.012 – 0.248; P = 0.000). More married waste handlers, 12 (75%), were HCV positive than unmarried, 4 (25%) and married waste handlers were 2.051 times (OR = 2.051, 95%CI = 0.644 –6.527, P = 0.295) more prone to HCV infection, compared to unmarried, which was statistically insignificant. The GLM showed that exposure to blood (OR = 8.26; 95% CI = 1.878–10.925; P = 0.037), multiple sexual partners (AOR = 3.63; 95% CI = 2.751–5.808; P = 0.001), sharp injury (AOR = 2.77; 95% CI = 2.327–3.173; P = 0.036), not using PPE (AOR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.032–0.937; P = 0.001), contact with jaundiced patient (AOR = 3.65; 95% CI = 1.093–4.368; P = 0 .0048) and unprotected sex (AOR = 11.91; 95% CI = 5.847–16.854; P = 0.001) remained statistically significantly associated with HCV positivity. Conclusions: The study revealed that there was a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers in the Sidama region, Ethiopia. This demonstrated that there is an urgent need to increase preventative efforts and strategic policy orientations to control the spread of the hepatitis C virus.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus, risk factors, waste handlers, prevalence, Sidama Ethiopia

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Authors: Jiayi Pan, Le Qin, Shichan Zhang

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Following the worldwide growing interest in the sharing economy, especially in China, innovations within the field are rapidly emerging. It is, therefore, appropriate to address the under-investigated sustainability issues related to the development of shared mobility. In 2019, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) introduced one of the first on-campus Time-sharing Electric Cars (TEC) that counts now about 4000 users. The increasing popularity of this original initiative highlights the necessity to assess its sustainability and find ways to extend the performance and availability of this new transport option. This study used an online questionnaire survey on TEC usage and experience to collect answers among students and university staff. The study also conducted interviews with TEC’s team in order to better understand its motivations and operating model. Data analysis underscores that TEC’s usage frequency is positively associated with a lower carbon footprint, showing that this scheme contributes to improving the environmental sustainability of transportation on campus. This study also demonstrates that TEC provides a convenient solution to those not owning a car in situations where soft mobility cannot satisfy their needs, this contributing to a globally positive assessment of TEC in the social domains of sustainability. As SJTU’s TEC project belongs to the non-profit sector and aims at serving current research, its economical sustainability is not among the main preoccupations, and TEC, along with similar projects, could greatly benefit from this study’s findings to better evaluate the overall benefits and develop operation on a larger scale. This study suggests various ways to further improve the TEC users’ experience and enhance its promotion. This research believably provides meaningful insights on the position of shared transportation within transport mode choice and how to assess the overall sustainability of such innovations.

Keywords: shared mobility, sharing economy, sustainability assessment, sustainable transportation, urban electric transportation

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Authors: Stephanie Cheng, Benjamin Poh, Vivyan Tay, Sachin Mathur

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Aim: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a worldwide pandemic affecting 500 million people. It is known to be associated with increased susceptibility to soft tissue infections (STI). Despite being a major public health burden, the literature relating the effects of DM and the presentation, severity and healing of STIs in general surgical patients remain limited. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients admitted with STI in a tertiary teaching hospital over a 12-month period. Patient demographics and surgical outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results: During the study period, 1059 patients were admitted for STIs, of which 936 (88%) required surgical intervention. Diabetic patients were presented with a higher body-mass index (BMI) (28 vs 26), larger abscess size (24 vs 14 cm²) and a longer length of stay (LOS)(4.4 days vs 2.9 days). They also underwent a higher proportion of wide debridement as well as application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) (42% vs 35%). More diabetic patients underwent subsequent re-operation within the same sitting (8 vs 4). There were no differences in re-admission rates within 30 days nor subsequent abscess formation in those followed for 6 months. Conclusion: The incidence of STIs among DM patients represents a significant disease burden; surgeons should consider intensive patient counseling and partnering with primary care providers in order to help reduce the incidence of future STI admissions based on lifestyle modification and glucose control.

Keywords: general surgery, emergency general surgery, acute care surgery, soft tissue infections, diabetes mellitus

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Authors: Adeyemi Adeyinka, Yemisi Ilesanmi

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This study investigated parental involvement and motivation as predictors of students’ learning outcomes in value concepts in Yoruba language in Ibadan, Nigeria. Value concepts in Yoruba language aimed at teaching moral lessons and transmitting Yoruba culture. However, feelers from schools and the society reported students’ poor achievement in examinations and negative attitude to the subject. Previous interventions focused on teaching strategies with little consideration for student-related factors. The study was anchored on psychosocial learning theory. The respondents were senior secondary II students with mean age of 15.50 ± 2.25 from 20 public schools in Ibadan, Oyo-State. In all, 1000 students were selected (486 males and 514 females) through proportionate to sample size technique. Instruments used were Students’ Motivation (r=0.79), Parental Involvement (r=0.87), and Attitude to Yoruba Value Concepts (r=0.94) scales and Yoruba Value Concepts Achievement Test (r=0.86). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation and Multiple regressions at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a significant relationship between parental involvement (r=0.54) and students’ achievement in and attitude to (r=0.229) value concepts in Yoruba. The composite contribution of parental involvement and motivation to students’ achievement and attitude was significant, contributing 20.3% and 5.1% respectively. The relative contributions of parental involvement to students’ achievement (β = 0.073; t = 1.551) and attitude (β = 0.228; t = 7.313) to value concepts in Yoruba were significant. Parental involvement was the independent variable that strongly predicts students’ achievement in and attitude to Yoruba value concepts. Parents should inculcate indigenous knowledge in their children and support its learning at school.

Keywords: parental involvement, motivation, predictors, learning outcomes, value concepts in Yoruba

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Authors: Lucia Perez, Maria Gaton y Santa Palella

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Starting from the etymology of the word culture, the Latin term ‘colere’, whose meaning is to cultivate, we understand that the society that cultivates its knowledge is laying the foundations for new possibilities. In this sense, art and fashion contain the same attributes: concept, aesthetic principles, and refined techniques. Both play a crucial role, communication, and this implies a sense of community, relationship with tradition, and innovation. This is the mirror in which to contemplate, but also the space that helps to grow. This is the framework where our object of study opens up: the anthropological management or the mission management model applied to fashion exhibitions in museums and cultural institutions. For this purpose, a bibliographic review has been carried out with its subsequent analysis, a case study of three successful exhibitions: ‘Christian Dior: designer of dreams’, ‘Balenciaga and the Spanish painting’, and ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’. The methodology has been completed with interviews focused on the curators. Amongst the results obtained, it is worth highlighting the fundamental role of transcendent leadership, which, in addition to being results-oriented, must align the motivations of the collaborators with the mission. The anthropological management model conceives management as a service, and it is oriented to the interests of the staff and the public, in short, of the person; this is what enables the objectives of effectiveness, efficiency, and social value to be achieved; dimensions, all necessary for the proper development of the mission of the exhibitions. Fashion, understood as art, is at the service of culture, and therefore of the human being, which defines a transcendent mission. We conclude that the profile of an anthropological management model applied to fashion exhibitions in museums is the ideal one to achieve the purpose of these institutions.

Keywords: art, culture, fashion, anthropological model, fashion exhibitions

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Authors: Dina Tamazin, Nicoleta Tipi, Sahar Validi

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The oil refining industry plays vital role in the world economy. Oil refining companies operate in a more complex and dynamic environment than ever before. In addition, oil refining companies and the public are becoming more conscious of crude oil scarcity and climate changes. Hence, sustainability in the oil refining industry is becoming increasingly critical to the industry's long-term viability and to the environmental sustainability. Mainly, it is relevant to the measurement and evaluation of the company's sustainable performance to support the company in understanding their performance and its implication more objectively and establishing sustainability development plans. Consequently, the oil refining companies attempt to re-engineer their supply chain to meet the sustainable goals and standards. On the other hand, this research realized that previous research in oil refining sustainable supply chain performance measurements reveals that there is a lack of studies that consider the integration of sustainability in the supply chain performance measurement practices in the oil refining industry. Therefore, there is a need for research that provides performance guidance, which can be used to measure sustainability and assist in setting sustainable goals for oil refining supply chains. Accordingly, this paper aims to present a comprehensive oil refining sustainable supply chain performance measurement theoretical framework. In development of this theoretical framework, the main characteristics of oil refining industry have been identified. For this purpose, a thorough review of relevant literature on performance measurement models and sustainable supply chain performance measurement models has been conducted. The comprehensive oil refining sustainable supply chain performance measurement theoretical framework introduced in this paper aims to assist oil refining companies in measuring and evaluating their performance from a sustainability aspect to achieve sustainable operational excellence.

Keywords: oil refining industry, oil refining sustainable supply chain, performance measurement, sustainability

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Authors: Fernanda F. Zimmermann, Beverley Burrell, Jennifer Jordan

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Introduction: Supportive care for people affected by cancer is recognised as a priority for research but yet there is little solid evidence of the effectiveness of psychological treatments for those with advanced cancer. The literature suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may be acceptable and beneficial for this population. This study aims to develop a mindfulness intervention to provide emotional support for advanced cancer population. The treatment package includes mindfulness meditation, developing an acceptance attitude and reflections on meaning in life. Methods: This study design is a one-group pre-post test with a mixed methods approach. Participants are recruited through public and private hospitals in Christchurch, NZ. Quantitative measures are the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Mindful Coping Scale and, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Qualitative semi-structured interviews enquire about emotional support before and after the diagnosis, participants’ thoughts about meaning in life, expectations and reflections on the mindfulness training. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis. Treatment consists of one to one 30 minutes session weekly for 4 weeks using a pre-recorded CD/podcast of the mindfulness training. This research is part of the presenter’s PhD study. Findings: This project is currently underway. The presenter will provide preliminary data on the acceptability of the mindfulness training package being delivered to participants along with the recruitment strategies. We anticipate that this novel treatment used as a self-management tool will reduce psychological distress and enable better coping for patients with advanced cancer.

Keywords: acceptance, cancer, meaning in life, mindfulness

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Authors: Christopher Benedikt Jakob

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Human beings are intrigued by luxury watches for decades. It is fascinating that customers pay an enormous amount of money for specific wristwatch models. It is fascinating that customers of the luxury watch industry accept a yearly price increase. This behavior increases their desirability even more. Luxury watches are perceived as status symbols, but they are additionally accepted as a currency without the disadvantage of currency fluctuations. It is obvious that the symbolic value is more important as the functional value with reference to the buying-reasons as regards luxury watches. Nowadays human beings do not need a wristwatch to read the time. Tablets, notebooks, smartphones, the watch in the car and watches on public places are used to inform people about the current time. This is one of the reasons why there is a trend that people do not wear wristwatches anymore. Due to these facts, this study has the intention to give answers to the question why people invest an enormous amount of money on the consumption of luxury watches and why those watches are seen as a status symbol. The study examines why the luxury watch industry records significant growth rates. The self-expression model is used as an appropriate methodology to find reasons why human beings purchase specific luxury watches. This evaluative approach further discusses if human beings are aware of their current self and their ideal self and how they express them. Furthermore, the research critically evaluates the people’s social self and their ideal social self. One of the goals is to identify if customers know why they like specific luxury watches and dislike others although they have the same quality and cost comparable prices.

Keywords: luxury watch, brand awareness, buying-behaviour, consumer, self-expression

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Authors: Dilshad Ali Mohammed, Ziyad Nayef Shamsulddin Aldoski, Millet Salim Mohammed

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The increase in levels of traffic congestion along urban signalized arterials needs efficient traffic management. The application of traffic signal coordination can improve the traffic operation and safety for a series of signalized intersection along the arterials. The objective of this study is to evaluate the benefits achievable through actuated traffic signal coordination and make a comparison in control delay against the same signalized intersection in case of being isolated. To accomplish this purpose, a series of eight signalized intersections located on two major arterials in Duhok City was chosen for conducting the study. Traffic data (traffic volumes, link and approach speeds, and passenger car equivalent) were collected at peak hours. Various methods had been used for collecting data such as video recording technique, moving vehicle method and manual methods. Geometric and signalization data were also collected for the purpose of the study. The coupling index had been calculated to check the coordination attainability, and then time space diagrams were constructed representing one-way coordination for the intersections on Barzani and Zakho Streets, and others represented two-way coordination for the intersections on Zakho Street with accepted progression bandwidth efficiency. The results of this study show great progression bandwidth of 54 seconds for east direction coordination and 17 seconds for west direction coordination on Barzani Street under suggested controlled speed of 60 kph agreeable with the present data. For Zakho Street, the progression bandwidth is 19 seconds for east direction coordination and 18 seconds for west direction coordination under suggested controlled speed of 40 kph. The results show that traffic signal coordination had led to high reduction in intersection control delays on both arterials.

Keywords: bandwidth, congestion, coordination, traffic, signals, streets

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Authors: Somayeh Lotfi, Manuel Eggimann, Eckhard Wagner, Radosław Mróz, Jan Deja

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One of the main environmental challenges in the construction industry is a strong social force to decrease the bulk transport of the building materials in urban environments. Considering this fact, applying more in-situ recycling technologies for Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) is an urgent need. The European C2CA project develops a novel concrete recycling technology that can be performed purely mechanically and in situ. The technology consists of a combination of smart demolition, gentle grinding of the crushed concrete in an autogenous mill, and a novel dry classification technology called ADR to remove the fines. The feasibility of this recycling process was examined in demonstration projects involving in total 20,000 tons of End of Life (EOL) concrete from two office towers in Groningen, The Netherlands. This paper concentrates on the second demonstration project of C2CA, where EOL concrete was recycled on an industrial site. After recycling, the properties of the produced Recycled Aggregate (RA) were investigated, and results are presented. An experimental study was carried out on mechanical and durability properties of produced Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC) compared to those of the Natural Aggregate Concrete (NAC). The aim was to understand the importance of RA substitution, w/c ratio and type of cement to the properties of RAC. In this regard, two series of reference concrete with strength classes of C25/30 and C45/55 were produced using natural coarse aggregates (rounded and crushed) and natural sand. The RAC series were created by replacing parts of the natural aggregate, resulting in series of concrete with 0%, 20%, 50% and 100% of RA. Results show that the concrete mix design and type of cement have a decisive effect on the properties of RAC. On the other hand, the substitution of RA even at a high percentage replacement level has a minor and manageable impact on the performance of RAC. This result is a good indication towards the feasibility of using RA in structural concrete by modifying the mix design and using a proper type of cement.

Keywords: C2CA, ADR, concrete recycling, recycled aggregate, durability

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Authors: Michael Udey Udam

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Background: This study investigated the impact of cloud resources, a component of cloud computing, on science teachers’ effectiveness in secondary schools in Cross River State. Three (3) research questions and three (3) alternative hypotheses guided the study. Method: The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 1209 science teachers in public secondary schools of Cross River state. Sample: A sample of 487 teachers was drawn from the population using a stratified random sampling technique. The researcher-made structured questionnaire with 18 was used for data collection for the study. Research question one was answered using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation, while research question two and the hypotheses were answered using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistics in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) at a 0.05 level of significance. Results: The results of the study revealed that there is a positive correlation between the utilization of cloud resources in teaching and teaching effectiveness among science teachers in secondary schools in Cross River state; there is a negative correlation between gender and utilization of cloud resources among science teachers in secondary schools in Cross River state; and that there is a significant correlation between teaching experience and the utilization of cloud resources among science teachers in secondary schools in Cross River state. Conclusion: The study justifies the effectiveness of the Cross River state government policy of introducing cloud computing into the education sector. The study recommends that the policy should be sustained.

Keywords: cloud resources, science teachers, effectiveness, secondary school

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Authors: Abdulkader Helwan

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Iris cancer, so called intraocular melanoma is a cancer that starts in the iris; the colored part of the eye that surrounds the pupil. There is a need for an accurate and cost-effective iris cancer detection system since the available techniques used currently are still not efficient. The combination of the image processing and artificial neural networks has a great efficiency for the diagnosis and detection of the iris cancer. Image processing techniques improve the diagnosis of the cancer by enhancing the quality of the images, so the physicians diagnose properly. However, neural networks can help in making decision; whether the eye is cancerous or not. This paper aims to develop an intelligent system that stimulates a human visual detection of the intraocular melanoma, so called iris cancer. The suggested system combines both image processing techniques and neural networks. The images are first converted to grayscale, filtered, and then segmented using prewitt edge detection algorithm to detect the iris, sclera circles and the cancer. The principal component analysis is used to reduce the image size and for extracting features. Those features are considered then as inputs for a neural network which is capable of deciding if the eye is cancerous or not, throughout its experience adopted by many training iterations of different normal and abnormal eye images during the training phase. Normal images are obtained from a public database available on the internet, “Mile Research”, while the abnormal ones are obtained from another database which is the “eyecancer”. The experimental results for the proposed system show high accuracy 100% for detecting cancer and making the right decision.

Keywords: iris cancer, intraocular melanoma, cancerous, prewitt edge detection algorithm, sclera

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Authors: Ali Kassem, Mohamed Alsenbasy, Ahmed Nagaah

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Background: Diabetic foot is one of the often neglected complications of diabetes mellitus It was reported that patients of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) have considerable morbidity and mortality. Due to arterial abnormalities, diabetic neuropathy, as well as the tendency to delayed wound healing, foot infection and or gangrene is relatively common in diabetic patients. Foot related problems are responsible for up to 50% of diabetic related hospital admissions. Aim of work: The aim of the present study is to assess the risk factors for DFU in diabetic patients attending Sohag University Hospitals (Upper Egypt) Material and methods: The present study includes 100 diabetic foot patients attending the diabetic outpatient clinic of Sohag University Hospitals. For all of the studied patients the following were done: Full medical history and clinical examination; thorough foot examination; Laboratory tests including: Blood glucose level, HBA1c, serum lipids and renal function tests, ECG and Echocardiography, Doppler study on the lower limbs. Results: Sixty eight percent of the affected patients were males versus 32 % female patients. All male patients and none of the female were smoker. Seventy nine percent of patients were living in rural areas versus 14 % in urban areas. Duration of diabetes was more than 12 years in 74%, less than 12 years in 26% of patients. Fifty percent of patients have associated hypertension, 46% have dyslipidemia, 18% have ischemic heart disease or old myocardial infarction and 8% have impaired renal function. History of previous foot ulcers was reported in 11 % and foot amputation in 2% of patients. Conclusion: Male gender, low socioeconomic status, smoking, long duration of diabetes, other cardiovascular risk factors particularly hypertension and previous history of foot ulceration are the major risk factors for diabetic foot in our locality.

Keywords: diabetic foot, diabetic neuropathy, foot gangrene, risk factors for diabetic complications

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Authors: Chibuzo Okoye Daniels, Gillian Glegg, Lynda Rodwell

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Marine debris from fishing nets to medical equipment to food packaging that play major roles in boosting the economy and protecting human health is now more than an environmental problem that can be solved by legislation, law enforcement and technical solutions. It has also been identified as a cultural problem that can only be addressed by identifying instruments that can be used to change human attitudes and behaviors. This may be through management approaches, education and involvement of all sectors/interests, including the public. To contribute to the sustainable development of coastal Nigeria, two case study areas (Ikoyi and Victoria Islands of Lagos State) were used to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of marine debris problem in coastal Nigeria. The following methods were used: (1) semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and businesses on beaches, waterfronts and waterways within the study areas and (2) observational study of beaches, waterfronts and waterways within the study areas. The results of the study have shown that marine debris is a cultural and multi-sectoral problem that poses great threat not only to the environmental sustainability of the study areas but also to the wellbeing of its citizens and the economy of coastal Nigeria. Current solid waste and marine debris management practices are inefficient due to inadequate knowledge of how to tackle the problem. To ensure environmental sustainability in coastal Nigeria and avoid waste of scarce financial resources, adequate, appropriate and cost effective solutions to the marine debris problem need to be identified and effectively transferred for implementation in the study areas.

Keywords: sustainability, coastal Nigeria, study areas, aquaculture

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Authors: Manal Kamel, Sara Maher, Hanan El Baz, Faten Salah, Omar Sayyouh, Zeinab Demerdash

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In the recent COVID 19 pandemic, experts of public health have emphasized testing, tracking infected people, and tracing their contacts as an effective strategy to reduce the spread of the virus. Development of rapid and sensitive diagnostic assays to replace reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is mandatory..Our innovative test strip relying on the application of nanoparticles conjugated to recombinant nanobodies for SARS-COV-2 spike protein (S1) & angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (that is responsible for the virus entry into host cells) for rapid detection of SARS-COV-2 spike protein (S1) in saliva or sputum specimens. Comparative tests with RT-PCR will be held to estimate the significant effect of using COVID 19 nanobodies for the first time in the development of lateral flow test strip. The SARS-CoV-2 S1 (3 ng of recombinant proteins) was detected by our developed LFIA in saliva specimen of COVID-19 Patients No cross-reaction was detected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) or SARS- CoV antigens..Our developed system revealed 96 % sensitivity and 100% specificity for saliva samples compared to 89 % and 100% sensitivity and specificity for nasopharyngeal swabs. providing a reliable alternative for the painful and uncomfortable nasopharyngeal swab process and the complexes, time consuming PCR test. An increase in testing compliances to be expected.

Keywords: COVID 19, diagnosis, LFIA, nanobodies, ACE2

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Authors: Andrea Scapolo, Zaya Rustamova, Arturo Matute Castro

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The “Voices in Dissent” initiative aims at collecting and making available in a digital format, testimonies, letters, and other narratives produced by victims of political oppression from different geographical spaces across the Atlantic. By recovering silenced voices behind the official narratives, this open-access online database will provide indispensable tools for rewriting the history of authoritarian regimes from the margins as memory debates continue to provoke controversy among academic and popular transnational circles. In providing an extensive database of non-hegemonic discourses in a variety of political and social contexts, the project will complement the existing European and Latin-American studies, and invite further interdisciplinary and trans-national research. This digital resource will be available to academic communities and the general audience and will be organized geographically and chronologically. “Voices in Dissent” will offer a first comprehensive study of these personal accounts of persecution and repression against determined historical backgrounds and their impact on collective memory formation in contemporary societies. The digitalization of these texts will allow to run metadata analyses and adopt comparatist approaches for a broad range of research endeavors. Most of the testimonies included in our archive are testimonies of trauma: the trauma of exile, imprisonment, torture, humiliation, censorship. The research on trauma has now reached critical mass and offers a broad spectrum of critical perspectives. By putting together testimonies from different geographical and historical contexts, our project will provide readers and scholars with an extraordinary opportunity to investigate how culture shapes individual and collective memories and provides or denies resources to make sense and cope with the trauma. For scholars dealing with the epistemological and rhetorical analysis of testimonies, an online open-access archive will prove particularly beneficial to test theories on truth status and the formation of belief as well as to study the articulation of discourse. An important aspect of this project is also its pedagogical applications since it will contribute to the creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) to support students and educators worldwide. Through collaborations with our Library System, the archive will form part of the Digital Commons database. The texts collected in this online archive will be made available in the original languages as well as in English translation. They will be accompanied by a critical apparatus that will contextualize them historically by providing relevant background information and bibliographical references. All these materials can serve as a springboard for a broad variety of educational projects and classroom activities. They can also be used to design specific content courses or modules. In conclusion, the desirable outcomes of the “Voices in Dissent” project are: 1. the collections and digitalization of political dissent testimonies; 2. the building of a network of scholars, educators, and learners involved in the design, development, and sustainability of the digital archive; 3. the integration of the content of the archive in both research and teaching endeavors, such as publication of scholarly articles, design of new upper-level courses, and integration of the materials in existing courses.

Keywords: digital archive, dissent, open educational resources, testimonies, transatlantic studies

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