Search results for: standard dimension

Authors: Yan Li, Qingxiang Meng, Bo Zhou, Zhenming Zhou

Abstract:

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of ensiled mulberry leaves (EML), and sun-dried mulberry fruit pomace (SMFP) on fecal bacterial communities in Simmental crossbred finishing steers fed the following 3 diets: a standard TMR diet, standard diet containing EML and standard diet containing SMFP, and the diets had similar protein and energy levels. Bacterial communities in the fecal content were analyzed using Illumina Miseq sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene amplification. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the selected bacterial species in the feces. Most of the sequences were assigned to phyla Firmicutes (56.67%) and Bacteroidetes(35.90%), followed by Proteobacteria(1.86%), Verrucomicrobia(1.80%) and Tenericutes(1.37%). And the predominant genera included the 5-7N15 (5.91%), CF231 (2.49%), Oscillospira (2.33%), Paludibacter (1.23%) and Akkermansia(1.11%). As for the treatments, no significant differences were observed in Firmicutes (p = 0.28), Bacteroidetes (p = 0.63), Proteobacteria (p = 0.46), Verrucomicrobia (p = 0.17) and Tenericutes (p = 0.75). On the genus level, classified genera with high abundance (more than 0.1%) mainly came from two phyla: Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Also no differences were observed in most genera level, 5-7N15 (p = 0.21), CF231 (p = 0.62), Oscillospira (p = 0.9), Paludibacter (p = 0.33) and Akkermansia (p = 0.37), except that rc4-4 were lower in the CON and SMFP groups compared to the EML animals (p = 0.02). Additionally, there were no differences in richness estimate and diversity indices (p > 0.16), and treatments had no significant effect on most selected bacterial species in the fecal (p > 0.06), except that Ruminococcus albus were higher in the EML group (p < 0.01) and Streptococcus bovis were lower in the CON group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, diets supplemented with EML and SMFP have little influence on fecal bacterial community composition in finishing steers.

Keywords: fecal bacteria community composition, sequencing, ensiled mulberry leaves (EML), sun-dried mulberry fruit pomace (SMFP)

Procedia PDF Downloads 322

Authors: Chidiebere C. Agoha, Chukwuebuka N. Onwubuariri, Collins U.amasike, Tochukwu I. Mgbeojedo, Joy O. Njoku, Lawson J. Osaki, Ifeyinwa J. Ofoh, Francis B. Akiang, Dominic N. Anuforo

Abstract:

In order to interpret the airborne magnetic data and evaluate the approximate location, depth, and geometry of the magnetic sources within Obudu area using the standard Euler deconvolution method, very high-resolution aeromagnetic data over the area was acquired, processed digitally and analyzed using Oasis Montaj 8.5 software. Data analysis and enhancement techniques, including reduction to the equator, horizontal derivative, first and second vertical derivatives, upward continuation and regional-residual separation, were carried out for the purpose of detailed data Interpretation. Standard Euler deconvolution for structural indices of 0, 1, 2, and 3 was also carried out and respective maps were obtained using the Euler deconvolution algorithm. Results show that the total magnetic intensity ranges from -122.9nT to 147.0nT, regional intensity varies between -106.9nT to 137.0nT, while residual intensity ranges between -51.5nT to 44.9nT clearly indicating the masking effect of deep-seated structures over surface and shallow subsurface magnetic materials. Results also indicated that the positive residual anomalies have an NE-SW orientation, which coincides with the trend of major geologic structures in the area. Euler deconvolution for all the considered structural indices has depth to magnetic sources ranging from the surface to more than 2000m. Interpretation of the various structural indices revealed the locations and depths of the source bodies and the existence of geologic models, including sills, dykes, pipes, and spherical structures. This area is characterized by intrusive and very shallow basement materials and represents an excellent prospect for solid mineral exploration and development.

Keywords: Euler deconvolution, horizontal derivative, Obudu, structural indices

Procedia PDF Downloads 81

Authors: Ormal Lishi

Abstract:

This research presents a computationally efficient probabilistic method to assess the performance of compartmentation walls with similar Fire Resistance Levels (FRL) but varying complexity. Specifically, a masonry brick wall and a light-steel framed (LSF) wall with comparable insulation performance are analyzed. A Monte Carlo technique, employing Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS), is utilized to quantify uncertainties and determine the probability of failure for both walls exposed to standard and parametric fires, following ISO 834 and Eurocodes guidelines. Results show that the probability of failure for the brick masonry wall under standard fire exposure is estimated at 4.8%, while the LSF wall is 7.6%. These probabilities decrease to 0.4% and 4.8%, respectively, when subjected to parametric fires. Notably, the complex LSF wall exhibits higher variability in predicting time to failure for specific criteria compared to the less complex brick wall, especially at higher temperatures. The proposed approach highlights the need for Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) to accurately evaluate the reliability and safety levels of complex designs.

Keywords: design complexity, probability of failure, monte carlo analysis, compartmentation walls, insulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 64

Authors: Francesco Venuti, Simona Alfiero

Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to develop an empirical research on the nature and consequences of corporate governance on Eurozone Insurance Industry risk taking attitude. More particularly, we analyzed the effect of public ownership on risk taking with respect to privately held Insurance Companies. We also analyzed the effects on risk taking attitude of different degrees of ownership concentration, directors compensation, and the dimension/diversity of the Board of Directors. Our results provide quite strong evidence that, coherently with the Agency Theory, publicly traded insurance companies with more concentrated ownership are less risky than the corresponding privately held.

Keywords: agency theory, corporate governance, insurance companies, risk taking

Procedia PDF Downloads 428

Authors: Sabah Mohammed, Jinan Fiaidhi, Darien Sawyer

Abstract:

Describing clinical cases according to a clinical charting standard that enforces interoperability and enables connected care services can save lives in the event of a medical emergency or provide efficient and effective interventions for the benefit of the patients through the integration of bedside and bench side clinical research. This article presented a multi-tenant extension to the problem-oriented medical record that we have prototyped previously upon using the GraphQL Application Programming Interface to represent the notion of a problem list. Our implemented extension enables physicians and patients to collaboratively describe the patient case via using multi chatbots to collaboratively describe the patient case using the SOAP charting standard. Our extension also connects the described SOAP patient case with the HL7 FHIR (Health Interoperability Resources) medical record for connecting the patient case to the bench data.

Keywords: problem-oriented medical record, graphQL, chatbots, SOAP

Procedia PDF Downloads 91

Authors: Surajo Ladan

Abstract:

English has been in existence in Nigeria since colonial period. The advent of English in Nigeria has caused a lot of linguistic changes in Nigerian languages especially among the educated elites and to some extent, even the ordinary people were not spared from this phenomenon. This scenario has generated a linguistic situation which culminated into the creation of Nigerian Pidgin that are conglomeration of English and other Nigerian languages. English has infiltrated the Nigerian languages to a point that a typical Nigerian can hardly talk without code-switching or using one English word or the other. The existence of English loanwords in Nigerian languages has taken another dimension in this scientific and technological age. Most of scientific and technological inventions are products of English language which are virtually adopted into the languages with phonological, morphological, and sometimes semantic variations. This paper is of the view that there should be a re-think and agitation from Nigerians to protect their languages from the linguistic genocide of English which are invariably facing extinction.

Keywords: linguistic change, loanword, phenomenon, pidgin

Procedia PDF Downloads 862

Authors: J. Carlos Kuri, Varun Vij, Raymond J. Turner, Orly Yadid-Pecht

Abstract:

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune system disorder that is triggered by ingesting gluten. As a gluten-free (GF) diet has become a concern of many people for health reasons, a gold standard had to be nominated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has taken the seat of this role. However, multiple limitations were discovered, and with that, the desire for an alternative method now exists. Nucleic acid-based aptamers have become of great interest due to their selectivity, specificity, simplicity, and rapid-testing advantages. However, fluorescence-based aptasensors have been tagged as unstable, but lifespan details are rarely stated. In this work, the lifespan stability of a fluorescence-based aptasensor is shown over an 8-week-long study displaying the accuracy of the sensor and false negatives. This study follows 22 different samples, including GF and gluten-rich (GR) and soy sauce products, off-the-shelf products, and reference material from laboratories, giving a total of 836 tests. The analysis shows an accuracy of correctly classifying GF and GR products of 96.30% and 100%, respectively when the protocol is augmented with molecular sieves. The overall accuracy remains around 94% within the first four weeks and then decays to 63%.

Keywords: aptasensor, PEG, rGO, FAM, RM, ELISA

Procedia PDF Downloads 124

Authors: M. B. Mshelia, J. K Balogun, J. Auta, N. O. Bankole

Abstract:

The current status and abundance of the genus Citharinus was carried out in Jebba Lake, Niger State, Nigeria from January to December, 2011. The aim was to determine the extent of exploitation of the genus Citharinus in Jebba Lake so as to advice the government of Nigeria on how to overcome difficulties in terms of the sustainability of the said fish in the Lake. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. A total of 2,389 of the genus Citharinus were caught during the sampling period. Only two species of the genus Citharinus were caught with 1,220 in number and 430.68kg total weight of Citharinus citharus and 1,169 in number and 418.56kg total weight of Citharinus latus). The current total yield estimated for the genus Citharinus in Jebba Lake in the six (6) sampling sites was calculated and pooled together to be 849.24kg. A day’s catch was calculated to be 35.38kg. The monthly and annual yields of the genus Citharinus were calculated to 1061.55 equivalents to 1 ton and 12 metric tonnes respectively. For the fecundity, June, July and August were discovered as the spawning period for the genus Citharinus and out of total experimental gillnet catch of 2, 389, only 244 (10.21%)of Citharinus citharus and 231 (9.67%) of Citharinus latus were in sexually mature stage. Out of these numbers, 113 (46.31%) were males and 121 (53.69%) were females of Citharinus citharus and 112 (48.48) were males and 119 (51.52) were females of Citharinus latus. The youngest mature males in either of the two had a standard length of 31.5 with a weight of 800.5gWhilethe youngest spawning females were having the standard length of 29.5 cm with a weight of 1,3oo.5g.It was also discovered that females started maturing earlier than the males at the standard length for females and males to be 18.0cm and 19.5cm respectively. Their fecundity ranged from 15,000 to 16, 500 eggs. The sex ratio of 1172 that were males and 1217 that were females was 1 male to 1.0383 females which was equivalent to 1:1 sex ratio of male to female. It was concluded that Jebba Lake had suffered seriously over exploitation of the genus Citharinus and proper management have to be enforced on the lake otherwise the threat of fish being extent may arise.

Keywords: Jebba Lake, Niger State, Nigeria, Citharinus citharus, Citharinus latus, fecundity, sex ratio

Procedia PDF Downloads 261

Authors: Mohamed Shalaby, Yasser Kamal, Negm Shawky

Abstract:

Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) have an important role in the field of quantum computation and information. A complete set of these bases can be constructed when the system dimension is the power of the prime. Constructing such complete set in composite dimensions is still an open problem. Recently, the concept of weak mutually unbiased bases (WMUBs) in composite dimensions was introduced. A complete set of such bases can be constructed by combining the MUBs in each subsystem. In this paper, we present a comparative study between MUBs and WMUBs in the context of complex projective t-design. Explicit proofs are presented.

Keywords: complex projective t-design, finite quantum systems, mutually unbiased bases, weak mutually unbiased bases

Procedia PDF Downloads 448

Authors: S. G. Vasantharaju, Viswanath Guptha, Raghavendra Shetty

Abstract:

Introduction: Aminophylline is a methylxanthine derivative belonging to the class bronchodilator. From the literature survey, reported methods reveals the solid phase extraction and liquid liquid extraction which is highly variable, time consuming, costly and laborious analysis. Present work aims to develop a simple, highly sensitive, precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography method for the quantification of Aminophylline in rat plasma samples which can be utilized for preclinical studies. Method: Reverse Phase high-performance liquid chromatography method. Results: Selectivity: Aminophylline and the internal standard were well separated from the co-eluted components and there was no interference from the endogenous material at the retention time of analyte and the internal standard. The LLOQ measurable with acceptable accuracy and precision for the analyte was 0.5 µg/mL. Linearity: The developed and validated method is linear over the range of 0.5-40.0 µg/mL. The coefficient of determination was found to be greater than 0.9967, indicating the linearity of this method. Accuracy and precision: The accuracy and precision values for intra and inter day studies at low, medium and high quality control samples concentrations of aminophylline in the plasma were within the acceptable limits Extraction recovery: The method produced consistent extraction recovery at all 3 QC levels. The mean extraction recovery of aminophylline was 93.57 ± 1.28% while that of internal standard was 90.70 ± 1.30%. Stability: The results show that aminophylline is stable in rat plasma under the studied stability conditions and that it is also stable for about 30 days when stored at -80˚C. Pharmacokinetic studies: The method was successfully applied to the quantitative estimation of aminophylline rat plasma following its oral administration to rats. Discussion: Preclinical studies require a rapid and sensitive method for estimating the drug concentration in the rat plasma. The method described in our article includes a simple protein precipitation extraction technique with ultraviolet detection for quantification. The present method is simple and robust for fast high-throughput sample analysis with less analysis cost for analyzing aminophylline in biological samples. In this proposed method, no interfering peaks were observed at the elution times of aminophylline and the internal standard. The method also had sufficient selectivity, specificity, precision and accuracy over the concentration range of 0.5 - 40.0 µg/mL. An isocratic separation technique was used underlining the simplicity of the presented method.

Keywords: Aminophyllin, preclinical pharmacokinetics, rat plasma, RPHPLC

Procedia PDF Downloads 222

Authors: Roberta Martino, Viviana Ventre

Abstract:

From a theoretical point of view, the relationship between the risk associated with an investment and the expected value are directly proportional, in the sense that the market allows a greater result to those who are willing to take a greater risk. However, empirical evidence proves that this relationship is distorted in the minds of investors and is perceived exactly the opposite. To deepen and understand the discrepancy between the actual actions of the investor and the theoretical predictions, this paper analyzes the essential parameters used for the valuation of financial assets with greater attention to two elements: probability and the passage of time. Although these may seem at first glance to be two distinct elements, they are closely related. In particular, the error in the theoretical description of the relationship between risk and return lies in the failure to consider the impatience that is generated in the decision-maker when events that have not yet happened occur in the decision-making context. In this context, probability loses its objective meaning and in relation to the psychological aspects of the investor, it can only be understood as the degree of confidence that the investor has in the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event. Moreover, the concept of objective probability does not consider the inter-temporality that characterizes financial activities and does not consider the condition of limited cognitive capacity of the decision maker. Cognitive psychology has made it possible to understand that the mind acts with a compromise between quality and effort when faced with very complex choices. To evaluate an event that has not yet happened, it is necessary to imagine that it happens in your head. This projection into the future requires a cognitive effort and is what differentiates choices under conditions of risk and choices under conditions of uncertainty. In fact, since the receipt of the outcome in choices under risk conditions is imminent, the mechanism of self-projection into the future is not necessary to imagine the consequence of the choice and the decision makers dwell on the objective analysis of possibilities. Financial activities, on the other hand, develop over time and the objective probability is too static to consider the anticipatory emotions that the self-projection mechanism generates in the investor. Assuming that uncertainty is inherent in valuations of events that have not yet occurred, the focus must shift from risk management to uncertainty management. Only in this way the intertemporal dimension of the decision-making environment and the haste generated by the financial market can be cautioned and considered. The work considers an extension of the prospectus theory with the temporal component with the aim of providing a description of the attitude towards risk with respect to the passage of time.

Keywords: impatience, risk aversion, subjective probability, uncertainty

Procedia PDF Downloads 107

Authors: A. Barratt, M. H. Granat, S. Buttress, B. Roy

Abstract:

Introduction: Physiotherapy is an essential part of the treatment of patients with shoulder problems. The focus of treatment is usually centred on addressing specific physiotherapy goals, ultimately resulting in the improvement in pain and function. This study investigates if computerised physiotherapy using gamification principles are as effective as standard physiotherapy. Methods: Physiotherapy exergames were created using a combination of commercially available hardware, the Microsoft Kinect, and bespoke software. The exergames used were validated by mapping physiotherapy goals of physiotherapy which included; strength, range of movement, control, speed, and activation of the kinetic chain. A multicenter, randomised prospective controlled trial investigated the use of exergames on patients with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome who had undergone Arthroscopic Subacromial Decompression surgery. The intervention group was provided with the automated sensor-based technology, allowing them to perform exergames and track their rehabilitation progress. The control group was treated with standard physiotherapy protocols. Outcomes from different domains were used to compare the groups. An important metric was the assessment of shoulder range of movement pre- and post-operatively. The range of movement data included abduction, forward flexion and external rotation which were measured by the software, pre-operatively, 6 weeks and 12 weeks post-operatively. Results: Both groups show significant improvement from pre-operative to 12 weeks in elevation in forward flexion and abduction planes. Results for abduction showed an improvement for the interventional group (p < 0.015) as well as the test group (p < 0.003). Forward flexion improvement was interventional group (p < 0.0201) with the control group (p < 0.004). There was however no significant difference between the groups at 12 weeks for abduction (p < 0.118067) , forward flexion (p < 0.189755) or external rotation (p < 0.346967). Conclusion: Exergames may be used as an alternative to standard physiotherapy regimes; however, further analysis is required focusing on patient engagement.

Keywords: shoulder, physiotherapy, exergames, gamification

Procedia PDF Downloads 194

Authors: Michael Zimba

Abstract:

A novel set of features for copy-move image forgery, CMIF, detection method is proposed. The proposed set presents a new approach which relies on electrostatic field theory, EFT. Solely for the purpose of reducing the dimension of a suspicious image, firstly performs discrete wavelet transform, DWT, of the suspicious image and extracts only the approximation subband. The extracted subband is then bijectively mapped onto a virtual electrostatic field where concepts of EFT are utilised to extract robust features. The extracted features are shown to be invariant to additive noise, JPEG compression, and affine transformation. The proposed features can also be used in general object matching.

Keywords: virtual electrostatic field, features, affine transformation, copy-move image forgery

Procedia PDF Downloads 543

Authors: Saman Ghaffarian, Ilgin Gökaşar

Abstract:

This paper presents a new automatic vehicle detection method from very high resolution aerial images to measure traffic density. The proposed method starts by extracting road regions from image using road vector data. Then, the road image is divided into equal sections considering resolution of the images. Gradient vectors of the road image are computed from edge map of the corresponding image. Gradient vectors on the each boundary of the sections are divided where the gradient vectors significantly change their directions. Finally, number of vehicles in each section is carried out by calculating the standard deviation of the gradient vectors in each group and accepting the group as vehicle that has standard deviation above predefined threshold value. The proposed method was tested in four very high resolution aerial images acquired from Istanbul, Turkey which illustrate roads and vehicles with diverse characteristics. The results show the reliability of the proposed method in detecting vehicles by producing 86% overall F1 accuracy value.

Keywords: aerial images, intelligent transportation systems, traffic density measurement, vehicle detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 379

Authors: X. Wang, T. J. Craft, H. Iacovides

Abstract:

When handling the near-wall regions of turbulent flows, it is necessary to account for the viscous effects which are important over the thin near-wall layers. Low-Reynolds- number turbulence models do this by including explicit viscous and also damping terms which become active in the near-wall regions, and using very fine near-wall grids to properly resolve the steep gradients present. In order to overcome the cost associated with the low-Re turbulence models, a more advanced wall function approach has been implemented within OpenFoam and tested together with a standard log-law based wall function in the prediction of flows which involve 2-D shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions (SWTBLIs). On the whole, from the calculation of the impinging shock interaction, the three turbulence modelling strategies, the Lauder-Sharma k-ε model with Yap correction (LS), the high-Re k-ε model with standard wall function (SWF) and analytical wall function (AWF), display good predictions of wall-pressure. However, the SWF approach tends to underestimate the tendency of the flow to separate as a result of the SWTBLI. The analytical wall function, on the other hand, is able to reproduce the shock-induced flow separation and returns predictions similar to those of the low-Re model, using a much coarser mesh.

Keywords: SWTBLIs, skin-friction, turbulence modeling, wall function

Procedia PDF Downloads 346

Authors: Georgi I. Petkov, Ivan I. Vankov, Yolina A. Petrova

Abstract:

A structure-based model of category learning and categorization at different levels of abstraction is presented. The model compares different structures and expresses their similarity implicitly in the forms of mappings. Based on this similarity, the model can categorize different targets either as members of categories that it already has or creates new categories. The model is novel using two threshold parameters to evaluate the structural correspondence. If the similarity between two structures exceeds the higher threshold, a new sub-ordinate category is created. Vice versa, if the similarity does not exceed the higher threshold but does the lower one, the model creates a new category on higher level of abstraction.

Keywords: analogy-making, categorization, learning of categories, abstraction, hierarchical structure

Procedia PDF Downloads 190

Authors: A. Ibovi Mouondayi, S. Zaher, R. Assadi, K. Erraoui, S. Sboul, J. Daoudim, S. Bousselham, K. Nassar, S. Janani

Abstract:

Introduction: Neuropathic pain (NP) is chronic pain; it can be observed in a large number of clinical situations. This pain results from a lesion of the peripheral or central nervous system. It is a frequent reason for consultations in rheumatology. This pain being chronic, can become disabling for the patient, thereby altering his quality of life. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of neuropathic pain on the quality of life of patients followed-up for chronic neuropathic pain. Material and Method: This is a monocentric, cross-sectional, descriptive, retrospective study conducted in our department over a period of 19 months from October 2020 to April 2022. The missing parameters were collected during phone calls of the patients concerned. The diagnostic tool adopted was the DN4 questionnaire in the dialectal Arabic version. The impact of NP was assessed by the visual analog scale (VAS) on pain, sleep, and function. The impact of PN on mood was assessed by the hospital anxiety, and depression scale (HAD) score in the validated Arabic version. The exclusion criteria were patients followed up for depression and other psychiatric pathologies. Results: A total of 1528 patient data were collected; the average age of the patients was 57 years (standard deviation: 13 years) with extremes ranging from 17 years to 94 years, 91% were women and 9% men with a sex ratio man/woman equal to 0.10. 67% of our patients were married, and 63% of our patients were housewives. 43% of patients were followed-up for degenerative pathology. The NP was cervical radiculopathy in 26%, lumbosacral radiculopathy in 51%, and carpal tunnel syndrome in 20%. 23% of our patients had poor sleep quality, and 54% had average sleep quality. The pain was very intense in 5% of patients; 33% had severe pain, and 58% had moderate pain. The function was limited in 55% of patients. The average HAD score for anxiety and depression was 4.39 (standard deviation: 2.77) and 3.21 (standard deviation: 2.89), respectively. Conclusion: Our data clearly illustrate that neuropathic pain has a negative impact on the quality of sleep and function, as well as the mood of patients, thus influencing their quality of life.

Keywords: neuropathic pain, sleep, quality of life, chronic pain

Procedia PDF Downloads 131

Authors: Tamas Madl

Abstract:

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) constitutes a large proportion of cardiovascular mortalities, provides little advance warning, and the risk is difficult to recognize based on ubiquitous, low cost medical equipment such as the standard, 12-lead, ten second ECG. Autonomic abnormalities have been shown to be strongly predictive of SCD risk; yet current methods are not trivially applicable to the brevity and low temporal and electrical resolution of standard ECGs. Here, we build horizontal visibility graph representations of very short inter-beat interval time series, and perform unsuper- vised representation learning in order to convert these variable size objects into fixed-length vectors preserving similarity rela- tions. We show that such representations facilitate classification into healthy vs. at-risk patients on two different datasets, the Mul- tiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II and the PhysioNet Sudden Cardiac Death Holter Database. Our results suggest that graph representation learning of heartbeat interval time series facilitates robust classification even in sequences as short as ten seconds.

Keywords: sudden cardiac death, heart rate variability, ECG analysis, time series classification

Procedia PDF Downloads 234

Authors: Mohamad Chour

Abstract:

Nowadays, a record number of households are headed by single fathers in most of the European societies. Our research aims to explore how French single fathers experience the domestic sphere, a traditionally feminized field while accomplishing their role of fathers. We adopt a gender role and a parenting role construction theoretical perspectives. Indeed, the interior domestic sphere has been traditionally considered as related to the role of the mother. Moreover, according to the masculine domination theory of Bourdieu, men avoid caregiving and domestic practices that are economically and culturally undervalued. Hence, mothers are considered as more likely to handle the expressive dimension of duties whereas fathers’ role is represented as instrumental, functional and independent. Long interviews have been conducted with twenty French single fathers in order to investigate how the absence of the mother affects the practices of fatherhood. We combined the long interviews with projective techniques method in order to better understand their conception of the family and their family values. Seeking a qualitative diversity, our respondents are from various ages (between 30 and 60); they are coming from different regions in France; living in rural, semi-rural and urban areas. Based on the analysis of 427 pages of data, we identify three main categories of single fathers depending on their strategies to copy and/or delegate the role of the mother. 1) Nurturing fathers completely assume the role of the absent mother as well as her functions. Their discourse is characterized by abnegation and sacrifices reflecting a nurturing role. 2) Juggling fathers are those who take charge of a part of the household duties and delegate the other part to the market or to 'feminine resources' for lacking skills or time. 3) Resistant fathers are the very few respondents who refuse to assume any activities related to the domestic sphere that they perceive as feminine. For lacking competences and even for ideological reasons, they have tendency to delegate all the tasks that were assumed by their ex-spouses. Generally, the majority of fathers seem to experience the domestic sphere differently, and their domestic involvement has been underestimated and even misunderstood. Household duties such as cooking and housekeeping in addition to the nurturing role are experienced by many of the respondents as constructing elements of their fatherhood. Our respondents do not seem to accomplish house holding duties in a functional way. The domestic sphere is managed by those fathers with a strong dimension of abnegation. Thus, our research contributes to illustrating the evolution of gender roles and shows how being simultaneously 'a father and a mother' seems to be an emerging social norm in a French and European cultural context.

Keywords: fathering, gender roles, gender studies, identity construction, single fathers

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Suraini Mohd Rhouse, Noor Lela Ahmad, Nek Kamal Yeop Yunus, Rosfizah Md Taib

Abstract:

This article aims to explore the importance of trust to women entrepreneurs. In particular, the research uses a social constructionist lens to examine ways in which women entrepreneurs construct trust in relation to their various stakeholders. A semi-structured interview was used to gather the data. The findings suggest women highlight the importance of trust in order to establish customer satisfaction that can further develop customer loyalty. In addition, aspect of trust with the employees is seen as vital for building organizational commitment to the business organization. Women also see the trust dimension in terms of their relationships with financial providers in order to gain approval for financial resources. This article contributes to the literature on the value of trust to women’s business environments.

Keywords: qualitative, social constructionist, trust, women entrepreneurship

Procedia PDF Downloads 560

Authors: Rajkamal Ajmeri, Leena Mehta

Abstract:

Growing magnitude of human trafficking is the indicatory symptom of ill society. Despite of many treaties, legislation and protocols control over human trafficking require additional attention. However, many Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTU) are working throughout India but it is a fact that incidence pertaining to illegal human trade is not fully under control. Social work as discipline and practice base profession has a lot of concern about situation and the trafficked victims. United state put Indian in tier II watch list because they are not fully complying with the minimum standard of Trafficking Victims Protection laws but they are making a significant effort to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. In order to solve the issue, scientific research of experiences and opinions of government / non government machineries can play an effective role in raising the standard legislation for trafficked victims. Proper study can enhance understanding on various problems faced by government machineries. The study can help in developing the scientific model, which can effectively solve the problem in human trafficking field.

Keywords: human trafficking, legislations, victims, social work, government machinery

Procedia PDF Downloads 298

Authors: Giacomo Rossi, Bernardo Favini, Eugenio Giacomazzi, Franca Rita Picchia, Nunzio Maria Salvatore Arcidiacono

Abstract:

A numerical technique for mesh refinement in the HeaRT (Heat Release and Transfer) numerical code is presented. In the CFD framework, Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach is gaining in importance as a tool for simulating turbulent combustion processes, also if this approach has an high computational cost due to the complexity of the turbulent modeling and the high number of grid points necessary to obtain a good numerical solution. In particular, when a numerical simulation of a big domain is performed with a structured grid, the number of grid points can increase so much that the simulation becomes impossible: this problem can be overcame with a mesh refinement technique. Mesh refinement technique developed for HeaRT numerical code (a staggered finite difference code) is based on an high order reconstruction of the variables at the grid interfaces by means of a least square quasi-ENO interpolation: numerical code is written in modern Fortran (2003 standard of newer) and is parallelized using domain decomposition and message passing interface (MPI) standard.

Keywords: LES, multi-resolution, ENO, fortran

Procedia PDF Downloads 366

Authors: Yuan Zhang

Abstract:

Along with large population and great demands for urban development, Hong Kong serves as a typical high-density city with multiple altitudes, advanced three-dimensional traffic system, rich city open space, etc. This paper contributes to analyzing its complex urban form and evolution mechanism from three aspects of view, separately as time, space and buildings. Taking both horizontal and vertical dimension into consideration, this paper provides a perspective to explore the fascinating process of growing and space folding in the urban form of high-density city, also as a research reference for related high-density urban design.

Keywords: evolution mechanism, high-density city, Hong Kong, urban form

Procedia PDF Downloads 403

Authors: Demosthenes Panagiotakos

Abstract:

The aim of the present work was to evaluate dietary habits’ inflammatory potential with various components of arterial blood pressure (hypertension, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP)) in a sample of older Mediterranean people without known cardiovascular disease. During 2005-2011, 2,813 older (aged 65-100 years) individuals from 21 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) were voluntarily enrolled. Standard procedures were used to determine arterial blood pressure, as well as PP and MAP, and for the evaluation of dietary habits, lifestyle, anthropometric and clinical characteristics of the participants. A dietary inflammatory index (DII) was assessed based on the participants specific dietary habits, and its calculation was based on a standard procedure. It was reported that the higher the DII level of a diet (adherence to a more pro-inflammatory diet) the greater was the likelihood of having an older adult hypertension [OR=3.82 (95% CI): 1.24 to 11.71]. Moreover, the higher the level of DII (more pro-inflammatory dietary habits) the greater were the levels of MAP [b-coefficient (95% CI): 7.23 (+1.86 to +12.59)] and PP, [b-coefficient (95% CI): 10.86 (+2.70 to +19.01)]. Diet’s inflammatory potential is related with various components of arterial pressure. Adherence to a more pro-inflammatory diet seems to be associated with increased arterial peripheral resistance and arterial stiffness.

Keywords: dietary inflammatory index, hypertension, mean arterial pressure, elderly

Procedia PDF Downloads 278

Authors: Nebojša Janićijević

Abstract:

At the end of 1970s, Dutch researcher Geert Hofstede, had conducted an enormous empirical research on the differences between national cultures. In his huge research, he had identified four dimensions of national culture according to which national cultures differ and determined the index for every dimension of national culture for each country that took part in his research. The index showed a country’s position on the continuum between the two extreme poles of the cultural dimensions. Since more than 40 years have passed since Hofstede's research, there is a doubt that, due to the changes in national cultures during that period, they are no longer a good basis for research. The aim of this research is to check the validity of Hofstee's indices of national culture The empirical study conducted in the branches of a multinational company in Serbia, France, the Netherlands and Denmark aimed to determine whether Hofstede’s measures of national culture dimensions are still valid. The sample consisted of 155 employees of one multinational company, where 40 employees came from three countries and 35 employees were from Serbia. The questionnaire that analyzed the positions of national cultures according to the Hofstede’s four dimensions was formulated on the basis of the initial Hofstede’s questionnaire, but it was much shorter and significantly simplified comparing to the original questionnaire. Such instrument had already been used in earlier researches. A statistical analysis of the obtained questionnaire results was done by a simple calculation of the frequency of the provided answers. Due to the limitations in methodology, sample size, instrument, and applied statistical methods, the aim of the study was not to explicitly test the accuracy Hofstede’s indexes but to enlighten the general position of the four observed countries in national culture dimensions and their mutual relations. The study results have indicated that the position of the four observed national cultures (Serbia, France, the Netherlands and Denmark) is precisely the same in three out of four dimensions as Hofstede had described in his research. Furthermore, the differences between national cultures and the relative relations between their positions in three dimensions of national culture correspond to Hofstede’s results. The only deviation from Hofstede’s results is concentrated around the masculinity–femininity dimension. In addition, the study revealed that the degree of power distance is a determinant when choosing leadership style. It has been found that national cultures with high power distance, like Serbia and France, favor one of the two authoritative leadership styles. On the other hand, countries with low power distance, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, prefer one of the forms of democratic leadership styles. This confirms Hofstede’s premises about the impact of power distance on leadership style. The key contribution of the study is that Hofstede’s national culture indexes are still a reliable tool for measuring the positions of countries in national culture dimensions, and they can be applied in the cross-cultural research in management. That was at least the case with four observed countries: Serbia, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

Keywords: national culture, leadership styles, power distance, collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: Waleed Afzal Naveed, Muhammd Dildar Gogi, Mubashir Iqbal, Muhammad Junaid Nisar, Muhammad Hamza Khaliq, Faisal Munir

Abstract:

Experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of highly effective Slow-Released Formulations (SRF) of Methyl eugenol with Lanolin wax, Candellila wax, Bee-wax, Carnauba wax and paraffin wax in the orchard of University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan against fruit flies. The waxes were mixed with methyl eugenol in 1:9 ratio. The results revealed that SRF of Candellila, Paraffin, Bees and Carnauba wax attracted 13.77, 11, 8.15 and 7.23 flies/day/trap which was 2.6, 2, 1.5 and 1.4 times higher than standard respectively and exhibited 41.42%, 32.05%, 20.98% and 12.87% attractive index respectively, proved moderately attractive slow-released formulation to B. zonata and was catagorized as Class-II slow-released formulation (AI = 11-50%). However, SRF of Lanolin wax trapped 1.81 flies/day/trap which was 3 times less than standard and exhibited -61.86% attractive index proved little or non attractive slow-released formulation and was categorized as Class-I slow-released formulation for B. zonata (AI < 11%).

Keywords: biodegradable waxes, slow-released formulation, Bactrocera zonata, methyl euginol

Procedia PDF Downloads 259

Authors: Maximo Cozzetti

Abstract:

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

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

Procedia PDF Downloads 156

Authors: Dinesh Sivaguru, Kamal Thilakasiri

Abstract:

Preventing money laundering and terrorist financing is a major national and international problem today. Several attempts have been made to prevent money laundering by national and international dimension. These are often counteracted by the multi dynamic nature of the crimes. However, launders are often to use remittance systems to clean their ill-gotten money. This study presents the role of domestic financial institutions and the effective practices and actions should implement within domestic financial institutions to control and prevent financial crimes. This thesis highlights the progress that is required to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, further it is an original contribution to the knowledge in an under researched field in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: money laundering, terrorists financing, financial institutions, regulatory bodies

Procedia PDF Downloads 229

Authors: Genevieve Zingg

Abstract:

Since the onset of the 2015 ‘refugee crisis’ in the European Union (EU), migrant deaths have overwhelmingly occurred in the Mediterranean Sea. However, far less attention has been paid to the startling number of injuries, deaths, and allegations of systematic human rights violations occurring within European refugee camps. Most troubling is the assertion that injuries and deaths in EU refugee camps have occurred as a result of negligent management and poor access to healthcare, food, water and sanitation, and other elements that comprise an adequate standard of living under international human rights law. Using available evidence and documentation, this paper will conduct a thorough examination of the causes of death and injury in EU refugee camps, with a specific focus on Greece, in order to identify instances of negligence or conditions that amount to potential breaches of human rights law. Based on its analysis, this paper will subsequently explore potential legal avenues to achieving justice and accountability under international human rights law in order to effectively address and remedy inadequate standards of living causing wrongful death or injury in European refugee camps.

Keywords: European Union, Greece, human rights, international human rights law, migration, refugees

Procedia PDF Downloads 195

Authors: Junjun Chen, Yingxiu Li

Abstract:

The occupational well-being of school principals has played a vital role in the pursuit of individual and school wellness and success. However, principals’ well-being worldwide is under increasing threat because of the challenging and complex nature of their work and growing demands for school standardisation and accountability. Pressure is particularly acute in the post-pandemicfuture as principals attempt to deal with the impact of the pandemic on top of more regular demands. This is particularly true in Hong Kong, as school principals are increasingly wedged between unparalleled political, social, and academic responsibilities. Recognizing the semantic breadth of well-being, scholars have not determined a single, mutually agreeable definition but agreed that the concept of well-being has multiple dimensions across various disciplines. The multidimensional approach promises more precise assessments of the relationships between well-being and other concepts than the ‘affect-only’ approach or other single domains for capturing the essence of principal well-being. The multiple-dimension well-being concept is adopted in this project to understand principal well-being in this study. This study aimed to understand the situation of principal well-being and its influential drivers with a sample of 670 principals from Hong Kong and Mainland China. An online survey was sent to the participants after the breakout of COVID-19 by the researchers. All participants were well informed about the purposes and procedure of the project and the confidentiality of the data prior to filling in the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling performed with Mplus were employed to deal with the dataset. The data analysis procedure involved the following three steps. First, the descriptive statistics (e.g., mean and standard deviation) were calculated. Second, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to trim principal well-being measurement performed with maximum likelihood estimation. Third, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the influential factors of principal well-being. The results of this study indicated that the overall of principal well-being were above the average mean score. The highest ranking in this study given by the principals was to their psychological and social well-being (M = 5.21). This was followed by spiritual (M = 5.14; SD = .77), cognitive (M = 5.14; SD = .77), emotional (M = 4.96; SD = .79), and physical well-being (M = 3.15; SD = .73). Participants ranked their physical well-being the lowest. Moreover, professional autonomy, supervisor and collegial support, school physical conditions, professional networking, and social media have showed a significant impact on principal well-being. The findings of this study will potentially enhance not only principal well-being, but also the functioning of an individual principal and a school without sacrificing principal well-being for quality education in the process. This will eventually move one step forward for a new future - a wellness society advocated by OECD. Importantly, well-being is an inside job that begins with choosing to have wellness, whilst supports to become a wellness principal are also imperative.

Keywords: well-being, school principals, quantitative, influential factors

Procedia PDF Downloads 83