Search results for: project integrated knowledge sharing

Authors: Busayo Fashoto, Abdulhakeem Shaibu, Justice Agbadu, Samuel Aiyeoribe

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Data has gone from just rows and columns to being an infrastructure itself. The traditional medium of data infrastructure has been managed by individuals in different industries and saved on personal work tools; one of such is the laptop. This hinders data sharing and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 for infrastructure sustainability across all countries and regions. However, there has been a constant demand for data across different agencies and ministries by investors and decision-makers. The rapid development and adoption of open-source technologies that promote the collection and processing of data in new ways and in ever-increasing volumes are creating new data infrastructure in sectors such as lands and health, among others. This paper examines the process of developing data infrastructure and, by extension, a data portal to provide baseline data for sustainable development and decision making in Nigeria. This paper employs the FAIR principle (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) of data management using open-source technology tools to develop data portals for public use. eHealth Africa, an organization that uses technology to drive public health interventions in Nigeria, developed a data portal which is a typical data infrastructure that serves as a repository for various datasets on administrative boundaries, points of interest, settlements, social infrastructure, amenities, and others. This portal makes it possible for users to have access to datasets of interest at any point in time at no cost. A skeletal infrastructure of this data portal encompasses the use of open-source technology such as Postgres database, GeoServer, GeoNetwork, and CKan. These tools made the infrastructure sustainable, thus promoting the achievement of SDG 9 (Industries, Innovation, and Infrastructure). As of 6th August 2021, a wider cross-section of 8192 users had been created, 2262 datasets had been downloaded, and 817 maps had been created from the platform. This paper shows the use of rapid development and adoption of technologies that facilitates data collection, processing, and publishing in new ways and in ever-increasing volumes. In addition, the paper is explicit on new data infrastructure in sectors such as health, social amenities, and agriculture. Furthermore, this paper reveals the importance of cross-sectional data infrastructures for planning and decision making, which in turn can form a central data repository for sustainable development across developing countries.

Keywords: data portal, data infrastructure, open source, sustainability

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Authors: I. McAndrew, K. L. Witcher, E. Navarro

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This paper presents the theory and application of low-speed flight for unmanned aerial vehicles when subjected to surface environmental conditions such as ice on the leading edge and upper surface. A model was developed and tested in a wind tunnel to see how theory compares with practice at various speed including take-off, landing and operational applications where head winds substantially alter parameters. Furthermore, a comparison is drawn with maned operations and how that this subject is currently under-supported with accurate theory or knowledge for designers or operators to make informed decision or accommodate individual applications. The effects of ice formation for lift and drag are determined for a range of different angles of attacks.

Keywords: aerodynamics, environmental influences, glide path ratio, unmanned vehicles

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Authors: Szu-Hua Wang

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Urban ecosystems, as complex coupled human-environment systems, contain abundant natural resources for breeding natural assets and, at the same time, attract urban assets and consume natural resources, triggered by urban development. Land use change illustrates the interaction between human activities and environments factually. However, IPCC (2014) announces that land use change and urbanization due to human activities are the major cause of climate change, leading to serious impacts on urban ecosystem resilience and risk. For this reason, risk assessment and resilience analysis are the keys for responding to climate change on urban ecosystems. Urban spatial planning can guide urban development by land use planning, transportation planning, and environmental planning and affect land use allocation and human activities by building major constructions and protecting important national land resources simultaneously. Urban spatial planning can aggravate climate change and, on the other hand, mitigate and adapt climate change. Research on effects of spatial planning on land use change and climate change is one of intense issues currently. Therefore, this research focuses on developing frameworks for risk assessment and resilience analysis from the aspect of ecosystem based on typhoon precipitation in Taipei area. The integrated method of risk assessment and resilience analysis will be also addressed for applying spatial planning practice and sustainable development.

Keywords: ecosystem, land use change, risk analysis, resilience

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Authors: Dimple Juneja, Aarti Singh, Renu Hooda

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Knowledge Query Manipulation Language (KQML) and FIPA ACL are two prime communication languages existing in multi agent systems (MAS). Both languages are more or less similar in terms of semantics (based on speech act theory) and offer cutting edge competition while establishing agent communication across Internet. In contrast to the fact that software agents operating on the internet are required to be more safeguarded from their counter-peer, both protocols lack security performatives. The paper proposes a three tier security interface with few novel security related performatives enhancing the basic architecture of KQML. The three levels are attestation, certification and trust establishment which enforces a tight security and hence reduces the security breeches.

Keywords: multiagent systems, KQML, FIPA ACL, performatives

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Authors: Laila Jeebodh Desai

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Storytelling as a therapeutic intervention entails the narrating of events by externalising emotions, thoughts and responses to life-changing events such as loss and grief. This creates the opportunity for clients to engage with psychologists by projecting various beliefs and challenges, such as grief, through a range of therapeutic modalities. This study conducts an inquiry into the ways in which storytelling can be utilised by educational psychologists with adolescent clients to address behavioural challenges relating to grief. This qualitative study therefore aims to facilitate an understanding of the use and benefits of storytelling as a therapeutic intervention. This has been achieved by examining interviews with four educational psychologists who have utilised storytelling as a therapeutic intervention with adolescent clients to overcome challenges with grief. The participants (educational psychologists) discussed case studies during interviews, which provided evidence of their practical administration of storytelling as a therapeutic intervention incorporating integrated theoretical approaches through the use of blended therapeutic techniques. Behavioural challenges relating to grief were also predominant in the case study information provided by the participants. The participants further confirmed that the term ‘grief’ included different types of loss that were experienced among adolescent clients. The implications and recommendations of the findings encouraged the utilisation of storytelling as a therapeutic intervention with adolescent clients in addressing behavioural challenges related to grief, based on the outcome of the case studies discussed by the participants.

Keywords: storytelling, therapeutic intervention, adolescents, grief

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Authors: Berhanu Keno Terfa

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To realize the consequences of urbanization, accurate, and up-to-date representation of the urban landscape patterns is critical for urban planners and policymakers. Thus, the study quantitatively characterized the spatiotemporal composition and configuration of the urban landscape and urban expansion process in Dire Dawa City, Ethiopia, form the year 2006 to 2018. The integrated approaches of various sensors satellite data, Spot (2006) and Sentinel 2 (2018) combined with landscape metrics analysis was employed to explore the pattern, process, and overall growth status in the city. The result showed that the built-up area had increased by 62% between 2006 and 2018, at an average annual increment of 3.6%, while the other land covers were lost significantly due to urban expansion. The highest urban expansion has occurred in the northwest direction, whereas the most fragmented landscape pattern was recorded in the west direction. Overall, the analysis showed that Dire Dawa City experienced accelerated urban expansion with a fragmented and complicated spatiotemporal urban landscape patterns, suggesting a strong tendency towards sprawl over the past 12 years. The findings in the study could help planners and policy developers to insight the historical dynamics of the urban region for sustainable development.

Keywords: zonal metrics, multi-temporal, multi-resolution, urban growth, remote sensing data

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Authors: Mohammad Khamoushi, Reza Mirmahdi

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The aim of this research was the effect of sensory integration in reduction of stereotype behaviors in autistic children. The statistical population included 55 children with the age range 2/8 – 14 in Esfahan Ordibehesht autistic center. Purposive sampling was used for selecting the sample group and 20 children with random assignment were designated in two group; experimental and control . Research project was quasi-experimental two-group with pretest and posttest. Data collection tools included repetitive behavior scale-revised with six sub-scales: stereotype behavior, self-injurious behavior, compulsive behavior, ritualistic behavior, sameness behavior, restricted behavior. Analysis of covariance was used for analyzing hypotheses. Result show that sensory integration procedure was effective in reduction of stereotype behavior, compulsive behavior and self-injurious behavior in autistic children. According to the findings, it is suggested that effect sensory integration procedure in stereotype behavior of autism children should be studied and used for treatment of other disabilities of this children.

Keywords: autism, sensory integration procedure, stereotype behavior, compulsive behavior

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Authors: Binay Pattanayak

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More than 9 out of every 10 children in Jharkhand struggle to understand the texts and teachers in public schools. The medium of learning in the schools is Hindi, which is very different in structure and vocabulary than those in children’s home languages. Hence around 3 out of 10 children enrolled in early grades drop out in these schools. The state realized the cause of children’s high dropout in 2013-14 when the M-TALL, the language research shared the findings of a state-wide socio-linguistic study. The study findings suggested that there was a great need for initiating a mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) programme for the state in early grades starting from pre-school level. Accordingly, M-TALL in partnership with department of education designed two learning packages: Bhasha Puliya pre-school education programme for 3-6-year-old children for their school readiness with bilingual picture dictionaries in 9 tribal and regional languages. This was followed by a plan for MTB-MLE programme for early primary grades. For this textbooks in five tribal and two regional languages were developed under the guidance of the author. These books were printed and circulated in the 1000 schools of the state for each child. Teachers and community members were trained for facilitating culturally sensitive mother-tongue based learning activities in and around the schools. The mother-tongue based approach of learning has worked very effectively in enabling them to acquire the basic literacy and numeracy skills in own mother-tongues. Using this basic early grade reading skills, these children are able to learn Hindi and English systematically. Community resource groups were constituted in each school for promoting storytelling, singing, painting, dancing, acting, riddles, humor, sanitation, health, nutrition, protection, etc. and were trained. School academic calendar was designed in each school to enable the community resource persons to visit the school as per the learning plan to assist children and teacher in facilitating rich cultural activities in mother-tongue. This enables children to take part in plethora of learning activities and acquire desired knowledge, skills and interest in mother-tongues. Also in this process, it is attempted to promote 21st Century learning skills by enabling children to apply their new knowledge and skills to look at their local issues and address those in a collective manner through team work, innovations and leadership.

Keywords: community resource groups, learning, MTB-MLE, multilingual, socio-linguistic survey

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Authors: Doga Erisik, Ahmet Karaman, Gulfem Alptekin, Ozlem Durmaz Incel

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Augmented reality (AR) is a type of virtual reality aiming to duplicate real world’s environment on a computer’s video feed. The mobile application, which is built for this project (called SARAS), enables annotating real world point of interests (POIs) that are located near mobile user. In this paper, we aim at introducing a robust and simple algorithm for placing labels in an augmented reality system. The system places labels of the POIs on the mobile device screen whose GPS coordinates are given. The proposed algorithm is compared to an existing one in terms of energy consumption and accuracy. The results show that the proposed algorithm gives better results in energy consumption and accuracy while standing still, and acceptably accurate results when driving. The technique provides benefits to AR browsers with its open access algorithm. Going forward, the algorithm will be improved to more rapidly react to position changes while driving.

Keywords: accurate tagging algorithm, augmented reality, localization, location-based AR

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Authors: Chargui Ridha, Agrebi Sameh

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The integration of phase change materials (PCM) for the storage of thermal energy during the period of sunshine before being released during the night is a complement of free energy to improve the system formed by a solar collector, tank storage, and a heat exchanger. This paper is dedicated to the design of a thermal storage tank based on a PCM-based heat exchanger. The work is divided into two parts: an experimental part using paraffin as PCM was carried out within the Laboratory of Thermal Processes of Borj Cedria in order to improve the performance of the system formed by the coupling of a flat solar collector and a thermal storage tank and to subsequently determine the influence of PCM on the whole system. This phase is based on the measurement instrumentation, namely, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and the thermal analyzer (hot disk: HOT DISK) in order to determine the physical properties of the paraffin (PCM), which has been chosen. The second phase involves the detailed design of the PCM heat exchanger, which is incorporated into a thermal storage tank and coupled with a solar air collector installed at the Research and Technology Centre of Energy (CRTEn). A numerical part based on the TRANSYS and Fluent software, as well as the finite volume method, was carried out for the storage reservoir systems in order to determine the temperature distribution in each chosen system.

Keywords: phase change materials, storage tank, heat exchanger, flat plate collector

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Authors: Mohsin Javed

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School Education department is usually criticized for utilizing quite low or fewer academic days due to many reasons like extreme weather conditions, sudden holidays, summer vocations, pandemics and, terrorism etc. The purpose of the experimental study was to determine the efficacy of online cooperative learning (OCL) integrated in the rotation model of blended learning. The effects on academic achievement of students and students' attitude about OCL embedded learning were assessed. By using a posttest only control group design, sixty-two first-year students were randomly allocated to either the experimental (30) or control (32) group. The control group received face to face classes for six sessions per week, while the experimental group had three OCL and three formal sessions per week under rotation model. Students' perceptions of OCL were evaluated using a survey questionnaire. Data was analyzed by independent sample t test and one sample t test. According to findings, the intervention greatly improved the state of the dependent variables. The results demonstrate that OCL can be successfully implemented in formal education using a blended learning rotation approach. Higher secondary institutions are advised to use this model in situations like Covid 19, smog, unexpected holidays, instructor absence from class due to increased responsibilities, and summer vacations.

Keywords: blended learning, online cooperative learning, rotation model of blended learning, supplementing

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Authors: Gondu Vykunta Rao, Madhuri Bayya, Aruna Bharathi M., Paramesw Chidamparam, B. Murali

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The increase in software content in today’s electric vehicles is increasing attention to having vast, unique topographies from low emission to high efficiency, whereas the chemical batteries have huge short comes, such as limited cycle life, power density, and cost. As for understanding and visualization, the companies are turning toward the virtual vehicle to test their design in software which is known as a simulation in the loop (SIL). In this project, in addition to the electric vehicle (EV) technology, we are adding a dynamo with the vehicle for regenerative braking. Traditionally the principle of dynamos is used in lighting the purpose of the bicycle. Here by using the same mechanism, we are running the vehicle as well as charging the vehicle from system-level simulation to the model in the loop and then to the Hardware in Loop (HIL) by using model-based development.

Keywords: electric vehicle, simulation in the loop (SIL), model in loop (MIL), hardware in loop (HIL), dynamos, model-based development (MBD), permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), current control (CC), field-oriented control (FOC), regenerative braking

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Authors: Muhammad Jawad Saleem, Faisal Hafeez, Muhammad Arshad, Afifa Naeem, Ayesha Iftekhar

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Bacillus thuringiensis is a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium that belongs to the Bacillus cereus group of Bacilli and it produces ICP (insecticidal crystal protein) Cry toxins or Cysts toxins. Spores are produced as parasporal crystalline inclusions bodies (also known as endotoxins) at the onset of sporulation during the stationary growth phase. During vegetative growth that does not form crystals and is called vegetative insecticidal proteins (VIP) and secreted an insecticidal protein (SIP). Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is important for pest management either in the form of insecticides or through incorporated in the gene of the crop. Bioassays were conducted on the F2 generation of 1st instar larvae of H. armigera by the diet incorporation method to determine the susceptibility to Bt Cry toxins (Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, Cry2A). The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, Cry2A ranged from 0.11 to 1.06 µg/ml and moult inhibitory concentration (MIC₅₀) of Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, Cry2A ranged from 0.05 to 0.25 µg/ml. Cry1Ac was found most toxic to 1st instar larvae of H. armigera as compared to other Bt Cry toxins (Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, Cry2A). The experimental results are important to policy-makers and technology providers to develop strategies for the exploitation of transgenic Bt cotton varieties as a component of integrated pest management.

Keywords: Bt toxin, Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, Cry2A, susceptibility, Helicoverpa armigera

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Authors: Thomas Geninatti, Bruno Giacomo, Alessandro Grattoni

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Nanofluidic devices have been investigated for over a decade as promising platforms for the controlled release of therapeutics. The nanochannel drug delivery system (nDS), a membrane fabricated with high precision silicon techniques, capable of zero-order release of drugs by exploiting diffusion transport at the nanoscale originated from the interactions between molecules with nanochannel surfaces, showed the flexibility of the sustained release in vitro and in vivo, over periods of time ranging from weeks to months. To improve the implantable bio nanotechnology, in order to create a system that possesses the key features for achieve the suitable release of therapeutics, the next generation of nDS has been created. Platinum electrodes are integrated by e-beam deposition onto both surfaces of the membrane allowing low voltage (<2 V) and active temporal control of drug release through modulation of electrostatic potentials at the inlet and outlet of the membrane’s fluidic channels. Hence, a tunable administration of drugs is ensured from the nanochannel drug delivery system. The membrane will be incorporated into a peek implantable capsule, which will include drug reservoir, control hardware and RF system to allow suitable therapeutic regimens in real-time. Therefore, this new nanotechnology offers tremendous potential solutions to manage chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, circadian dysfunction, pain and stress.

Keywords: nanochannel membrane, drug delivery, tunable release, personalized administration, nanoscale transport, biomems

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Authors: Adinarayana Badveeti, Mohammad Shafi Mir

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In Srinagar city, in India, road safety is an important aspect that creates ecological balance and social well being. A road accident creates a situation that leaves behind distress, sorrow, and sufferings. Therefore identification of causes of road accidents becomes highly essential for adopting necessary preventive measures against a critical event. The damage created by road accidents to large extent is unrepairable and therefore needs attention to eradicate this continuously increasing trend of awful 'epidemic'. Road accident in India is among the highest in the world, with at least approximately 142.000 people killed each year on the road. Kashmir region is an ecologically sensitive place but lacks necessary facilities and infrastructure regarding road transportation, ultimately resulting in the critical event-road accidents creating a major problem for common people in the region. The objective of this project is to study the safety aspect of Srinagar City and also model the accidents with different aspect that causes accidents and also to suggest the possible remedies for lessening/eliminating the road accidents.

Keywords: road safety, road accident, road infrastructure, accident modeling

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Authors: Chokri Slim

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The relative failure of simultaneous equation models in the seventies has led researchers to turn to other approaches that take into account the dynamics of economic and financial systems. In this paper, we use an approach based on vector autoregressive model that is widely used in recent years. Their popularity is due to their flexible nature and ease of use to produce models with useful descriptive characteristics. It is also easy to use them to test economic hypotheses. The standard econometric techniques assume that the series studied are stable over time (stationary hypothesis). Most economic series do not verify this hypothesis, which assumes, when one wishes to study the relationships that bind them to implement specific techniques. This is cointegration which characterizes non-stationary series (integrated) with a linear combination is stationary, will also be presented in this paper. Since the work of Johansen, this approach is generally presented as part of a multivariate analysis and to specify long-term stable relationships while at the same time analyzing the short-term dynamics of the variables considered. In the empirical part, we have applied these concepts to study the dynamics of of the exchange rate in Tunisia, which is one of the most important economic policy of a country open to the outside. According to the results of the empirical study by the cointegration method, there is a cointegration relationship between the exchange rate and its determinants. This relationship shows that the variables have a significant influence in determining the exchange rate in Tunisia.

Keywords: stationarity, cointegration, dynamic models, causality, VECM models

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Authors: Claire Goode

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This paper reports on a doctoral research project using narrative inquiry to investigate the stories of twelve national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award winners in New Zealand. Preliminary findings highlight awardees’ views on their identity, their professional practice, and on what they consider to be excellence in tertiary teaching. The research also reports on common themes in the personal qualities that awardees describe, and on what these nationally recognised educators would like to see in place around Tertiary Teacher Development. Educators, mentors, trainers, and curriculum designers can gain a deeper understanding of what teaching excellence looks like, and of how teachers perceive their own practice and their impact on others. This may enable different interventions to develop best practice from staff, and to raise standards. It is hoped too that, by reflecting on the stories of teachers who have been recognised for ‘excellence’, educators will relate to and recognise elements of their own practice, and will feel motivated and inspired to share these with their peers and the wider academic community.

Keywords: academic identity, narrative inquiry, teacher development, teaching excellence

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Authors: Parisa Moghaddam

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The significance of this study lies in its comprehensive exploration of renewable energy integration in poultry farming, a highly energy-intensive sector, to address pressing global food and energy crisis. As population growth amplifies these issues, innovative solutions are crucial for sustainable food production and energy security. This research investigated the potential of renewable energy sources, particularly anaerobic digestion and solar photovoltaics, to reduce energy consumption, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, promote circular economy principles in agriculture, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. By examining case studies from various countries and analyzing the economic and environmental benefits of these technologies, the study aimed to provide practical insights for farmers, stakeholders, and policymakers. Ultimately, this research developed a conceptual tool and framework to facilitate the transition towards more sustainable and circular agricultural practices, addressing critical gaps in renewable energy integration within agricultural systems, and aiming to attract potential investors and gain traction for sustainable practices. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses to provide a comprehensive evaluation framework for renewable energy integration in agriculture. Key components included a case study analysis utilizing data from a poultry operation in Armenia, an anaerobic digestion plant in Pakistan, and a solar photovoltaic project in Lebanon. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to understand the current state of renewable energy adoption, challenges, and opportunities in poultry farming. For quantitative analysis, the study used Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) to assign monetary values to costs and benefits of renewable energy investment projects, including economic valuation, financial budgeting, and cash flow considerations to compare two modes of renewable energy sources. The qualitative approach utilized Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to evaluate and prioritize alternatives based on multiple criteria, incorporating both objective and subjective factors beyond economic viability. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was conducted for more accurate modeling. Key findings revealed that on-farm anaerobic digester plants focusing on biogas and digestate production, rather than electricity generation, demonstrated economic viability with a Net Present Value of $621,386.3 and an Internal Rate of Return of 149%. Solar PV implementation showed moderate economic potential. The Multi-Criteria Decision-Making analysis, incorporating economic, technical, environmental, and social criteria, ranked anaerobic digesters (0.91) higher than solar PV (0.64) for agricultural applications. The findings suggest that small-scale anaerobic digesters offer the most promising pathway for agricultural waste valorization and renewable energy generation. However, successful implementation requires addressing limitations such as financial uncertainties, lack of accurate data, industry collaboration, and policy support. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on circular economy implementation in agriculture, offering practical insights for sustainable development in similar economic contexts.

Keywords: circular economy, renewable energy integration, sustainable poultry farming, anaerobic digestion, solar photovoltaics, sustainability, cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria decision making, economic modeling

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Authors: Jiajia Yao, Guanlin Wu, Fang Liu, Junshuai Xue, Yue Hao

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This study reports on the epitaxial growth of a GaN-based resonant tunneling diode (RTD) structure with stable and repeatable double negative differential resistance (NDR) characteristics at room temperature on a c-plane GaN-on-sapphire template using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) technology. In this structure, two independent AlN/GaN RTDs are epitaxially connected in series in the vertical growth direction through a silicon-doped GaN layer. As the collector electrode bias voltage increases, the two RTDs respectively align the ground state energy level in the quantum well with the 2DEG energy level in the emitter accumulation well to achieve quantum resonant tunneling and then reach the negative differential resistance (NDR) region. The two NDR regions exhibit similar peak current densities and peak-to-valley current ratios, which are 230 kA/cm² and 249 kA/cm², 1.33 and 1.38, respectively, for a device with a collector electrode mesa diameter of 1 µm. The consistency of the NDR is much higher than the results of on-chip discrete RTD device interconnection, resulting from the smaller chip area, fewer interconnect parasitic parameters, and less process complexity. The methods and results presented in this paper show the brilliant prospects of GaN RTDs in the development of multi-value logic digital circuits.

Keywords: MBE, AlN/GaN, RTDs, double NDR

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Authors: Marijana M. Ačanski, Kristian A. Pastor, Djura N. Vujić

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The identification of lipid and soluble sugar components in flour samples of different cultivars belonging to common oat species (Avena sativa L.) was performed: spring oat, winter oat and hulless oat. Fatty acids were extracted from flour samples with n-hexane, and derivatized into volatile methyl esters, using TMSH (trimethylsulfonium hydroxide in methanol). Soluble sugars were then extracted from defatted and dried samples of oat flour with 96% ethanol, and further derivatized into corresponding TMS-oximes, using hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution and BSTFA (N,O-bis-(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide). The hexane and ethanol extracts of each oat cultivar were analyzed using GC-MS system. Lipid and simple sugar compositions are very similar in all samples of investigated cultivars. Chemometric tool was applied to numeric values of automatically integrated surface areas of detected lipid and simple sugar components in their corresponding derivatized forms. Hierarchical cluster analysis shows a very high similarity between the investigated flour samples of oat cultivars, according to the fatty acid content (0.9955). Moderate similarity was observed according to the content of soluble sugars (0.50). These preliminary results support the idea of establishing methods for oat flour authentication, and provide the means for distinguishing oat flour samples, regardless of the variety, from flour samples made of other cereal species, just by lipid and simple sugar profile analysis.

Keywords: oat cultivars, lipid composition, soluble sugar composition, GC-MS, chemometrics, authentication

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Authors: Yosia Mulumba, Klaus Schmidt

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Financial Inclusion is considered a key pillar for development in most countries around the world. Access to affordable financial services in a country’s economy can be a driver to overcome poverty and reduce income inequalities, and thus increase economic growth. Nevertheless, the number of financially excluded populations in developing countries continues to be very high. This paper explores the role of Financial Technology (Fintech) as a key driver for achieving financial inclusion in developing countries post the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on four East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. The research paper is inspired by the positive disruption caused by the pandemic, which has compelled societies in East Africa to adapt and embrace the use of financial technology innovations, specifically Mobile Money Services (MMS), to access financial services. MMS has been further migrated and integrated with other financial technology innovations such as Mobile Banking, Micro Savings, and Loans, and Insurance, to mention but a few. These innovations have been adopted across key sectors such as commerce, health care, or agriculture. The research paper will highlight the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) that are behind MMS, along with numerous innovative products and services being offered to the customers. It will also highlight the regulatory framework under which these innovations are being governed to ensure the safety of the customers' funds.

Keywords: financial inclusion, financial technology, regulatory framework, mobile money services

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Authors: Subramanyam Devarakonda Hanumantharao, Udayendu Prakash Sharma, Mahesh Garg

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Introduction: Gomabai Netralaya a reputed eye hospital is located in Neemuch a small city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The hospital is established in 1992 by Late. G.D Agrawal a renowned educationist, freedom fighter and philanthropist. The eye hospital was established to serve all sections of the society in affordable manner. To provide comprehensive eye care services to the rural poor the hospital started organizing outreach camps since 1994. Purpose: To study the cost effectiveness of outreach eye camps for addressing the sustainability issues of the outreach program. Methods: One year statistics of outreach eye camps were collected from Hospital Management Information System software to analyze the productivity of camps. Income and expenses report was collected from outreach department records to analyze per camp expenses and per patient expenses against the income generated. All current year records were analyzed to have accuracy of information and results. Information was collected in two ways: 1)Actual camp performance records and expenses from book of accounts. 2)Cross verification was done through one to one discussion with outreach staff. Results: Total 17534 outpatients were examined through 52 outreach eye camps. Total 6042 (34% of total outpatients) patients were advised with cataracts and 4651 (77% of advice) operations were performed. The average OPD per camp was 337 and per camp 116 patients was advised for cataract surgery and 89 surgeries were performed per camp. Total 18200 US$ incurred on organizing 52 outreach camps in the radius of 100 k.ms. Considering the total outpatients screened through camps the screening cost per patient was 1.00 US$ and considering the surgical output the per surgery expenses was 4.00 US$. The cost recovery of the total expenses was through Government grant of US$ 16.00 per surgery (that includes surgical grant). All logistics cost of camps and patients transportation cost was taken care by local donors. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that with people’s participation, successful high volume outreach eye camps can be organized. The cost effectiveness of the outreach camps is totally depended on volume of outpatient’s turn-up at camp site and per camp surgical output. The only solution to sustainability of outreach eye camps is sharing of cost with local donors and increasing productivity.

Keywords: camps, outreach, productivity, sustainable

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Authors: Ana Verde

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Higher education is now a source of new paradigms, advanced research in various fields of knowledge and an essential element in providing solutions to the major problems it faces today. In the education sector, more and more attention is being paid to the importance of entrepreneurship and the need for students to acquire skills in the classroom in order to be successful in their future careers. In the field of education, the term "teacherpreneur" has been coined in recent years to describe a teacher who is committed to educational change, passionate about his or her work, charismatic, self-confident, flexible, responsible, able to dare to break the established rules and take risks, and whose work is student-centred and action oriented. This research analyses the characteristics of the entrepreneurial professor and educational leader, and how their practice can be directed towards educational improvement.

Keywords: higher education, entrepreneurial, skills, leadership

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Authors: May George

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Inference plays an important role in the learning process and it can lead to a rapid acquisition of a second language. When learning a non-native language, i.e., a critical language like Arabic, the students depend on the teacher’s support most of the time to learn new concepts. The students focus on memorizing the new vocabulary and stress on learning all the grammatical rules. Hence, the students became mechanical and cannot produce the language easily. As a result, they are unable to predict the meaning of words in the context by relying heavily on the teacher, in that they cannot link their prior knowledge or even identify the meaning of the words without the support of the teacher. This study explores how the teacher guides students learning during the inference process and what are the processes of learning that can direct student’s inference.

Keywords: inference, reading, Arabic, language acquisition

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Authors: Elmahdi Khalil, Saad Enniari, Mostapha Zbakh

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Cloud computing promises to increase innovation and the velocity with witch applications are deployed, all while helping any enterprise meet most IT service needs at a lower total cost of ownership and higher return investment. As the march of cloud continues, it brings both new opportunities and new security challenges. To take advantages of those opportunities while minimizing risks, we think that Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) integrated in the cloud is one of the best existing solutions nowadays in the field. The concept of intrusion detection was known since past and was first proposed by a well-known researcher named Anderson in 1980's. Since that time IDS's are evolving. Although, several efforts has been made in the area of Intrusion Detection systems for cloud computing environment, many attacks still prevail. Therefore, the work presented in this paper proposes a multi criteria analysis and a comparative study between several IDS architectures designated to work in a cloud computing environments. To achieve this objective, in the first place we will search in the state of the art of several consistent IDS architectures designed to work in a cloud environment. Whereas, in a second step we will establish the criteria that will be useful for the evaluation of architectures. Later, using the approach of multi criteria decision analysis Mac Beth (Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique we will evaluate the criteria and assign to each one the appropriate weight according to their importance in the field of IDS architectures in cloud computing. The last step is to evaluate architectures against the criteria and collecting results of the model constructed in the previous steps.

Keywords: cloud computing, cloud security, intrusion detection/prevention system, multi-criteria decision analysis

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Authors: Anuoluwapo O. Adewole

Abstract:

Fermentation is the conversion of monomeric sugars into ethanol and carbondioxide in the presence of microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. In line with the aim and objective of this research project, which is to investigate into the variables affecting the use of charcoal to delay fermentation in wet beans slurry, some physical and chemical analysis were carried out on the wet beans slurry using a PH meter in which a thermometer is incorporated in it, and a measuring cylinder was used for the foam level test. About 250 grams of the ground beans slurry was divided into two portions for testing. The sample with charcoal was labeled sample 'A' while the second sample without charcoal was labeled sample 'B' subsequently. The experiment lasted for a period of 41.15 hours (i.e., forty-one hours and nine minutes). During the fourth process, both samples could not be tested as the laboratory had been saturated with foul odor and both samples were packed and sealed in polythene bag for disposal in the trash can. It was generally observed that the sample with the charcoal lasted for a longer time before that without charcoal before total spoilage occurred.

Keywords: fermentation, monomeric sugars, beans slurry, charcoal, anaerobic conditions

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Authors: Nihad Chakri, Btissam El Amrani, Faouzi Berrada, Halima Jounaid, Fouad Amraoui

Abstract:

Public baths or hammams play an essential role in the Moroccan urban and peri-urban fabric, constituting part of the cultural heritage. Urbanization in Morocco has led to a significant increase in the number of these traditional hammams: between 6,000 and 15,000 units (to be updated) operate with a traditional heating system. Numerous studies on energy consumption indicate that a hammam consumes between 60 and 120m3 of water and one to two tons of wood per day. On average, one ton of wood costs 650 Moroccan dirhams (approximately 60 Euros), resulting in a daily fuel cost of around 1300 Moroccan dirhams (about 120 Euros). These high consumptions result in significant environmental nuisances generated by: Wastewater: in the case of hammams located on the outskirts of Casablanca, such as our study area, the Municipality of Dar Bouazza, most of these waters are directly discharged into the receiving environment without prior treatment because they are not connected to the sanitation network. Emissions of black smoke and ashes produced by the often incomplete combustion of wood. Reducing the liquid and gas emissions generated by these hammams thus poses an environmental and sustainable development challenge that needs to be addressed. In this context, we initiated the Eco-hammam project with the objective of implementing innovative and locally adapted solutions to limit the negative impacts of hammams on the environment and reduce water and wood energy consumption. This involves treating and reusing wastewater through a compact system with heat recovery and using alternative energy sources to increase and enhance the energy efficiency of these traditional hammams. To achieve this, on-site surveys of hammams in the Dar Bouazza Municipality and the application of statistical approaches to the results of the physico-chemical and bacteriological characterization of incoming and outgoing water from these units were conducted. This allowed us to establish an environmental diagnosis of these entities. In conclusion, the analysis of well water used by Dar Bouazza's hammams revealed the presence of certain parameters that could be hazardous to public health, such as total germs, total coliforms, sulfite-reducing spores, chromium, nickel, and nitrates. Therefore, this work primarily focuses on prospecting upstream of our study area to verify if other sources of pollution influence the quality of well water.

Keywords: public baths, hammams, cultural heritage, urbanization, water consumption, wood consumption, environmental nuisances, wastewater, environmental challenge, sustainable development, Eco-hammam project, innovative solutions, local adaptation, negative impacts, water conservation, wastewater treatment, heat recovery, alternative energy sources, on-site surveys, Dar Bouazza Municipality, statistical approaches, physico-chemical characterization, bacteriological characterization, environmental diagnosis, well water analysis, public health, pollution sources, well water quality

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Authors: Njeze Anthony

Abstract:

In the world economy, entrepreneurship is an outstanding venture. Failures in the businesses of over 70% of Entrepreneurs can be attributed to lack of proper planning. For an entrepreneur to succeed, there are some vital planning strategies that will come into play such as organizational, operational, financial and marketing plans. When an entrepreneur lacks the above mentioned, such an entrepreneur is bound to encounter a catastrophic failure. An entrepreneur with an adequate plan will examine his/her own goals, know why he is in business, look at the venture resource base, have a sound knowledge of his proposed venture and identify obstacles that will be surmounted to achieve the desired goals. This work is aimed at identifying the organizational, operational, financial and marketing impact of entrepreneurship in the world economy and as well the important issues in global entrepreneurship, possible obstacles, and solutions.

Keywords: economy, entrepreneurship, business, operation

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Authors: Farid Eltom A. E., Mustafa Abdul-Halim, Abdalla Markaz, Sami Atta, Mohamed Azhari, Ahmed Rashed

Abstract:

Smart environment sensors integrated with ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) technology can provide a new concept in tracking, sensing, and monitoring objects in the environment. The aim of the study is to evaluate the farm environmental monitoring system based on (IoT) and to realize the automated management of agriculture and the implementation of precision production. Until now, irrigation monitoring operations in Sudan have been carried out using traditional methods, which is a very costly and unreliable mechanism. However, by utilizing soil moisture sensors, irrigation can be conducted only when needed without fear of plant water stress. The result showed that software application allows farmers to display current and historical data on soil moisture and nutrients in the form of line charts. Design measurements of the soil factors: moisture, electrical, humidity, conductivity, temperature, pH, phosphorus, and potassium; these factors, together with a timestamp, are sent to the data server using the Lora WAN interface. It is considered scientifically agreed upon in the modern era that artificial intelligence works to arrange the necessary procedures to take care of the terrain, predict the quality and quantity of production through deep analysis of the various operations in agricultural fields, and also support monitoring of weather conditions.

Keywords: smart environment, monitoring systems, IoT, LoRa Gateway, center pivot

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Authors: Taghreed Alghamdi, Wendy Hall, David Millard

Abstract:

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have recently gained widespread interest in the academic world, starting a wide range of discussion of a number of issues. One of these issues, using MOOCs in teaching and learning in the higher education by integrating MOOCs’ contents with traditional face-to-face activities in blended learning format, is called blended MOOCs (bMOOCs) and is intended not to replace traditional learning but to enhance students learning. Most research on MOOCs has focused on students’ perception and institutional threats whereas there is a lack of published research on academics’ experiences and practices. Thus, the first aim of the study is to develop a classification of blended MOOCs models by conducting a systematic literature review, classifying 19 different case studies, and identifying the broad types of bMOOCs models namely: Supplementary Model and Integrated Model. Thus, the analyses phase will emphasize on these different types of bMOOCs models in terms of adopting MOOCs by lecturers. The second aim of the study is to improve the understanding of lecturers’ acceptance of bMOOCs by investigate the factors that influence academics’ acceptance of using MOOCs in traditional learning by distributing an online survey to lecturers who participate in MOOCs platforms. These factors can help institutions to encourage their lecturers to integrate MOOCs with their traditional courses in universities.

Keywords: acceptance, blended learning, blended MOOCs, higher education, lecturers, MOOCs, professors

Procedia PDF Downloads 134