Search results for: levels language

Authors: Xiao-Yan Li, Takashi Hashimoto, Guanhong Li, Shuo Yang

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In Japanese, onomatopoeia is an important element in the lively expression of feelings and experiences. It is very difficult for students of Japanese to acquire onomatopoeia, especially, its nuances. In this paper, based on traditional L2 learning theories, we propose a new method to improve the efficiency of teaching the nuances – both explicit and tacit - to non-native speakers of Japanese. The method for teaching the tacit nuances of onomatopoeia consists of three elements. First is to teach the formal rules representing the explicit nuances of onomatopoeic words. Second is to have the students create new onomatopoeic words by utilizing those formal rules. The last element is to provide feedback by evaluating the onomatopoeias created. Our previous study used five-grade relative estimation. However students were confused about the five-grade system, because they could not understand the evaluation criteria only based on a figure. In this new system, then, we built an evaluation database through native speakers’ narrative interpretation. We asked Japanese native speakers to describe their awareness of the nuances of onomatopoeia in writing. Then they voted on site and defined priorities for showing to learners on the system. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and the learning system, we conducted a preliminary experiment involving two groups of subjects. While Group A got feedback about the appropriateness of their onomatopoeic constructions from the native speakers’ narrative interpretation, Group B got feedback just in the form of the five-grade relative estimation. A questionnaire survey administered to all of the learners clarified our learning system availability and also identified areas that should be improved. Repetitive learning of word-formation rules, creating new onomatopoeias and gaining new awareness from narrative interpretation is the total process used to teach the explicit and tacit nuances of onomatopoeia.

Keywords: onomatopoeia, tacit nuance, narrative interpretation, e-learning system, second language teaching

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Authors: Francesca Risplendi, Li-Chiang Lin, Jeffrey C. Grossman, Giancarlo Cicero

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Desalination is one of the most employed approaches to supply water in the context of a rapidly growing global water shortage. However, the most popular water filtration method available is the reverse osmosis (RO) technique, still suffers from important drawbacks, such as a large energy demands and high process costs. In addition some serious limitations have been recently discovered, among them, the boron problem seems to have a critical meaning. Boron has been found to have a dual effect on the living systems on Earth and the difference between boron deficiency and boron toxicity levels is quite small. The aim of this project is to develop a new generation of RO membranes based on porous graphene or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) able to remove salts from seawater and to reduce boron concentrations in the permeate to the level that meets the drinking or process water requirements, by means of a theoretical approach based on density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics. Computer simulations have been employed to investigate the relationship between the atomic structure of nanoporous graphene or rGO monolayer and its membrane properties in RO applications (i.e. water permeability and resilience at RO pressures). In addition, an emphasis has been given to multilayer nanoporous rGO and rGO flakes based membranes. By means of non-equilibrium MD simulations, we investigated the water transport mechanism permeating through such multilayer membrane focusing on the effect of slit widths and sheet geometries. These simulations allowed us to establish the implications of these graphene based materials as promising membrane properties for desalination plants and as boron filtration.

Keywords: boron filtration, desalination, graphene membrane, reduced graphene oxide membrane

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Authors: Sima Modirkhameneh, Mohammad Mohammadpanah

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In the process of EFL teachers’ development, self-led reflection (SLR) is thought to have an imperative role because it may help teachers analyze, evaluate, and contemplate what is happening in their classes. Such contemplations can not only enhance the quality of their instruction and provide better learning environments for learners but also improve the quality of their classroom management (CM). Accordingly, understanding the effect of teachers’ SLR practices may help us gain valuable insights into what possible modifications SLR may bring about in all aspects of EFL teachers' practitioners, especially their CM. The main purpose of this case study was, thus, to investigate the impact of SLR practices of 12 Iranian EFL teachers on their CM based on the universal classroom management checklist (UCMC). In addition, another objective of the current study was to have a clear image of EFL teachers’ perceptions of their own SLR practices and their possible outcomes. By conducting repeated reflective interviews, observations, and feedback of the participants over five teaching sessions, the researcher analyzed the outcomes qualitatively through the process of meaning categorization and data interpretation based on the principles of Grounded Theory. The results demonstrated that EFL teachers utilized SLR practices to improve different aspects of their language teaching skills and CM in different contexts. Almost all participants had positive comments and reactions about the effect of SLR on their CM procedures in different aspects (expectations and routines, behavior-specific praise, error corrections, prompts and precorrections, opportunity to respond, strengths and weaknesses of CM, teachers’ perception, CM ability, and learning process). Otherwise stated, results implied that familiarity with the UCMC criteria and reflective practices contributes to modifying teacher participants’ perceptions about their CM procedure and utilizing the reflective practices in their teaching styles. The results are thought to be valuably beneficial for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers, who are recommended to pay special attention to the contributions as well as the complexity of reflective teaching. The study concludes with more detailed results and implications and useful directions for future research.

Keywords: classroom management, EFL teachers, reflective practices, self-led reflection

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Authors: Shailendra Kumar Mishra

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In this paper, we focus on how contextual factors like the physical presence of other perceivers and then developed induced emotional empathy towards a person with disabilities may reduce the automatic negative stereotypes and then response towards that person. We demonstrated in study 1 that negative attitude based on negative stereotypes assessed on ATDP-test questionnaires on five points Linkert-scale are significantly less negative when participants were tested with a group of perceivers and then tested alone separately by applying 3 (positive, indifferent, and negative attitude levels) X 2 (physical presence condition and alone) factorial design of ANOVA test. In the second study, we demonstrate, by applying regression analysis, in the presence of other perceivers, whether in a small group, participants showed more induced emotional empathy through stronger prosociality towards a high distress target like a person with disabilities in comparison of that of other stigmatized persons such as racial biased or gender-biased people. Thus results show that automatic affective response in the form of induced emotional empathy in perceiver and contextual factors like the presence of other perceivers automatically activate stronger prosocial norms and egalitarian goals towards physically challenged persons in comparison to other stigmatized persons like racial or gender-biased people. This leads to less negative attitudes and behaviour towards a person with disabilities.

Keywords: contextual factors, high distress target, induced emotional empathy, stronger prosociality

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Authors: Muzamil Mahmood, Afshan Naseem, Muhammad Zeeshan Mirza, Yasir Ahmad, Masood Raza

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The purpose of this research is to analyze how aviation maintenance workers’ characteristics and work demand affect their development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Guided by literature on task characteristics, work demand, and WMSDs, data is collected from 128 aviation maintenance workers of private and public airlines. Data is then analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. It is found that task characteristics have a significant positive effect on WMSDs and an increase in tasks performed by aviation maintenance workers leads to increase in WMSDs. Work demand did not have a significant effect on WMSDs. The task characteristics of aviation maintenance workers moderates the relationship between their work demand and WMSDs. This reveals that task characteristics of aviation maintenance workers enhance the effect of work demand on WMSDs. The task characteristics of aviation maintenance workers are challenging and unpredictable. Subsequently, WMSDs are prevalent among aviation maintenance workers. The work demand of aviation maintenance workers does not influence their development of WMSDs. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority should minimize the intensity of tasks assigned to aviation maintenance workers by introducing work dynamisms such as task sharing, job rotation, and probably teleworking to enhance flexibility. Human Resource and Recruitment Department need to consider the ability and fitness levels of potential aviation maintenance workers during recruitment. In addition, regular physical activities and ergonomic policies should be put in place by the management of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to reduce the incidences of WMSDs.

Keywords: work related musculoskeletal disorders, ergonomics, occupational health and safety, human factors

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Authors: Barari Alireza, Seyed Hossein Alavi, Ghasemi Mohamad

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Objectives: VEGF and PDGF play central role in the processes of angiogenesis and vascular changes in most body tissues. The aim of the present study to determine effect of endurance training with ginseng on VEGF and PDGF levels is untrained female. Methods: Statistic society of this study was untraining male students of Azad University of Sari Branch in year of 2012-2013. Forty young untrained female (age 21.3 ± 0.90 year, height162.08±8.07cm , body weight 65.45± 7.6 kg and body mass index [BMI] 23.23 ± 2.64 kg/m2) were randomly divided into four groups: control(C), endurance(E), ginseng (G), endurance and ginseng (EG). Participants in training groups performed endurance training for 6 weeks and three sessions per week with 60-80% HRmax. Subjects perform endurance training and consumed ginseng for six weeks. Blood samples from the subjects before and after the test was performed. One wey ANOVA were used to test for differences between group and pair T-test were used for differences within groups. In all cases, P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: A higher and significant Vo2 max was found in E and EG groups, while no change in other groups. BMI and Fat% were significantly decreased in EG group. No significant difference was found between and within groups in VEGF level. A higher and significant PDGF was only in endurance group, while there was significant reduction observed in G and EG groups. One-way ANOVA for PDGF showed significant difference between groups. Conclusion: The finding of the current study indicated that ginseng likely could through reducing of angiogenesis factors Such as VEGF and PDGF and reduced activity of tumor necrosis factor and inhibited inflammatory process.

Keywords: endurance, ginseng, VEGF, PDGF, untrained female

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Authors: Prathyusha Samvedam, Hiranmaya Nanda

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Doping refers to the practice of using drugs or practices that enhance an athlete's performance. This is a problem that occurs on a worldwide scale and compromises the fairness of athletic tournaments. There are rules that have been created on both the national and international levels in order to prevent doping. However, these rules sometimes contradict one another, and it is possible that they don't do a very good job of prohibiting people from using PEDs. This study will contend that India's inability to comply with specific Code criteria, as well as its failure to satisfy "best practice" standards established by other countries, demonstrates a lack of uniformity in the implementation of anti-doping regulations and processes among nations. Such challenges have the potential to undermine the validity of the anti-doping system, particularly in developing nations like India. This article on the legislative framework in India governing doping in sports is very important. To begin, doping in sports is a significant problem that affects the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship. Moreover, it has the potential to jeopardize the integrity of the sport itself. In addition, the research has the potential to educate policymakers, sports organizations, and other stakeholders about the current legal framework and how well it discourages doping in athletic competitions. This article is divided into four distinct sections. The first section offers an explanation of what doping is and provides some context about its development throughout time. Followed the role of anti-doping authorities and the responsibilities they perform are investigated. Case studies and the research technique that will be employed for the study are in the third section; finally, the results are presented in the last section. In conclusion, doping is a severe problem that endangers the honest competition that exists within sports.

Keywords: sports law, doping, NADA, WADA, performance enhancing drugs, anti-doping bill 2022

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Authors: Maria I. Nuñez-Hernández, Maria L. Riesco

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Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) up to 6 months old infant have been considered one of the most important factors in the overall development of children. Nevertheless, as resources are scarce, it is essential to identify the most vulnerable groups that have major risk of EBF abandonment, in order to deliver the best strategies. Children of adolescent mothers are within these groups. Aims: To determine the EBF abandonment rate among adolescent mothers and to analyze the associated factors. Methods: Prospective cohort study of adolescent mothers in the southern area of Santiago, Chile, conducted in primary care services of public health system. The cohort was established from 2014 to 2015, with a sample of 105 adolescent mothers and their children at 2 months of life. The inclusion criteria were: adolescent mother from 14 to 19 years old; not twin babies; mother and baby leaving the hospital together after birthchild; correct attachment of the baby to the breast; no difficulty understanding the Spanish language or communicating. Follow-up was performed at 4 and 6 months old infant. Data were collected by interviews, considering EBF as breastfeeding only, without adding other milk, tea, juice, water or other product that not breast milk, except drugs. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics, by Kaplan-Meier estimator and Log-Rank test, admitting the probability of occurrence of type I error of 5% (p-value = 0.05). Results: The cumulative EBF abandonment rate at 2, 4 and 6 months was 33.3%, 52.2% and 63.8%, respectively. Factors associated with EBF abandonment were maternal perception of the quality of milk as poor (p < 0.001), maternal perception that the child was not satisfied after breastfeeding (p < 0.001), use of pacifier (p < 0.001), maternal consumption of illicit drugs after delivery (p < 0.001), mother return to school (p = 0.040) and presence of nipple trauma (p = 0.045). Conclusion: EBF abandonment rate was higher in the first 4 months of life and is superior to the population of women who breastfeed. Among the EBF abandonment factors, one of them is related to the adolescent condition, and two are related to the maternal subjective perception.

Keywords: adolescent, breastfeeding, midwifery, nursing

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Authors: Hanan Al-Khalaifah, Afaf Al-Nasser

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The egg shell quality and oviposition in laying hens are influenced by a range of factors including strain of birds, age, nutrition, water quality, general stress, heat stress, disease, and lighting program inside houses. A layer experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of split-phase lighting program on egg production efficiency. Four different feeds and average phosphorus (av. P) levels were tested. Diet A was a ration with an av. P level of 0.471%; Diet B was a ration with an av. P level of 0.510%; Diet C contained an av. P level of 0.293%; and Diet D contained an av. P level of 0.327%. The split-phase lighting program tested was one that inserted a 7-hour dark period from 9 am to 4 pm to reduce the heat produced by the feeding increment and physical activity of the hens. Diet B produced significantly more eggs than Diet C, or Diet D. Diet A was not significantly different from any of the other diets. Diet B also had the best feed efficiency with the other three diets in the same order and significance as for egg production. Diet D produced eggshells significantly thicker than either Diet A, or Diet B. Diet C produced thicker eggshells than Diet B, whose shells were significantly thinner than the other three diets. There were no differences in egg size. From these data, it is apparent that the minimal av. P level for the Lohmann strain of layer in Kuwait is above 0.327%. There was no difference in egg production or eggshell thickness between the split-phase light treatment and the standard light program. There was no difference in oviposition frequency. The split-phase light used 3.66% less feed, however, which was significant. The standard light produced eggs that were significantly heavier (66.30g vs. 65.73g). These results indicate that considerable savings in feed costs could be attained by using split-phase lighting, especially when cooling is not very efficient.

Keywords: egg, laying, nutrition, oviposition

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Authors: Moshmi Sangavarapu

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The US healthcare industry has undergone tremendous digital transformation in recent years, but critical care access to lower-income ethnicities is still in its nascency. This population has historically showcased substantial hesitation to seek any medical assistance. While the lack of sufficient financial resources plays a critical role, the existing cultural and knowledge barriers also contribute significantly to widening the access gap. It is imperative to break these barriers to ensure timely access to therapeutic procedures that can save important lives! Based on ongoing research, healthcare access barriers can be best addressed by tapping the untapped potential of caregiver communities first. They play a critical role in patients’ diagnoses, building healthcare knowledge and instilling confidence in required therapeutic procedures. Recent technological advancements have opened many avenues by developing smart ways of reaching the large caregiver community. A digitized go-to-market strategy featuring connected media coupled with smart IoT devices and geo-location targeting can be collectively leveraged to reach this key audience group. AI/ML algorithms can be thoroughly trained to identify relevant data signals from users' location and browsing behavior and determine useful marketing touchpoints. The web behavior can be further assimilated with natural language processing to identify contextually relevant interest topics and decipher potential caregivers on digital avenues to serve that brand message. In conclusion, grasping the true health access journey of any lower-income ethnic group is important to design beneficial touchpoints that can alleviate patients’ concerns and allow them to break their own access barriers and opt for timely and quality healthcare.

Keywords: healthcare access, market access, diversity barriers, patient journey

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Authors: Archana G. Lamdande, Shyam R. Garud, K. S. M. S. Raghavarao

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Coconut has two edible parts, that is, a white kernel (solid endosperm) and coconut water (liquid endosperm). The white kernel is generally used in fresh or dried form for culinary purposes. Coconut testa, is the brown skin, covering the coconut kernel. It is removed by paring of wet coconut and obtained as a by-product in coconut processing industries during the production of products such as desiccated coconut, coconut milk, whole coconut milk powder and virgin coconut oil. At present, it is used as animal feed component after drying and recovering the residual oil (by expelling). Experiments were carried out on expelling of coconut milk for shredded coconut with and without testa removal, in order to explore the possibility of increasing the milk yield and value addition in terms of increased polyphenol content. The color characteristics of coconut milk obtained from the grating without removal of testa were observed to be L* 82.79, a* 0.0125, b* 6.245, while that obtained from grating with removal of testa were L* 83.24, a* -0.7925, b* 3.1. A significant increase was observed in total phenol content of coconut milk obtained from the grating with testa (833.8 µl/ml) when compared to that from without testa (521.3 µl/ml). However, significant difference was not observed in protein content of coconut milk obtained from the grating with and without testa (4.9 and 5.0% w/w, respectively). Coconut milk obtained from grating without removal of testa showed higher milk yield (62% w/w) when compared to that obtained from grating with removal of testa (60% w/w). The fat content in coconut milk was observed to be 32% (w/w), and it is unstable due to such a high fat content. Therefore, several experiments were carried out for examining its stability by adjusting the fat content at different levels (32, 28, 24, and 20% w/w). It was found that the coconut milk was more stable with a fat content of 24 % (w/w). Homogenization and ultrasonication and their combinations were used for exploring the possibility of increasing the stability of coconut milk. The microscopic study was carried out for analyzing the size of fat globules and the degree of their uniform distribution.

Keywords: coconut milk, homogenization, stability, testa, ultrasonication

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Authors: Avi Shrivastava

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Title 42, an emergency health decree, has forced the federal authorities to turn away asylum seekers and all other border crossers since last year. When Title 42 was first deployed in immigration detention centers, where many migrants are held when they arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Trump administration embraced it as a strategy. Expulsions Policy and New Border Challenges will be examined in regard to Title 42 concerns. Humanitarian measures for refugees arriving at the US-Mexico border are the focus of this article. To a large extent, this article addresses the implications of the United States' use of Title 42 in expelling refugees and the possible ramifications of doing away with it. A secondary data collecting strategy was used to gather the information for this study, allowing researchers to examine a large number of previously collected data sets. Information about Title 42 may be found in a variety of places, such as scholarly publications, newspapers, books, and the internet. The inquiry employed qualitative and explanatory research approaches. The claim that 1.7 million individuals were forced to leave the country as a result of it was withdrawn. Since CBP and ICE were limited in their ability to process deportees, it employed a very random patchwork technique in selecting the expelled individuals. As a consequence, repeat offenders, particularly those who were single, got a reduced punishment. The government will be compelled to focus on long-overdue but vital border enhancements if expulsions are halted. Title 42 provisions may help expedite the processing of asylum and other types of humanitarian relief. The government is prepared for an increase in arrivals, but ending the program would lead to a return to arrival levels seen during the Title 42 period.

Keywords: migrants, refugees, title 42, medical, trump administration

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Authors: Clara Oliver, Oibar Martinez

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This paper is intended to reveal the severity of electrostatic discharge (ESD) effects in electronic and optoelectronic devices by performing sensitivity tests based on Human Body Model (HBM) standard. We explain here the HBM standard in detail together with the typical failure modes associated with electrostatic discharges. In addition, a prototype of electrostatic charge generator has been designed, fabricated, and verified to stress electronic devices, which features a compact high voltage source. This prototype is inexpensive and enables one to do a battery of pre-compliance tests aimed at detecting unexpected weaknesses to static discharges at the component level. Some tests with different devices were performed to illustrate the behavior of the proposed generator. A set of discharges was applied according to the HBM standard to commercially available bipolar transistors, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors and light emitting diodes. It is observed that high current and voltage ratings in electronic devices not necessarily provide a guarantee that the device will withstand high levels of electrostatic discharges. We have also compared the result obtained by performing the sensitivity tests based on HBM with a real discharge generated by a human. For this purpose, the charge accumulated in the person is monitored, and a direct discharge against the devices is generated by touching them. Every test has been performed under controlled relative humidity conditions. It is believed that this paper can be of interest for research teams involved in the development of electronic and optoelectronic devices which need to verify the reliability of their devices in terms of robustness to electrostatic discharges.

Keywords: human body model, electrostatic discharge, sensitivity tests, static charge monitoring

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Authors: Katsumi Mera

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between strengths/weaknesses on studying and subjective well-being among Japanese working adults. We conducted an online questionnaire survey of Japanese working adults (aged 20-69) and obtained 1,063 valid responses. Subjective well-being was evaluated using the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale, the method used in the World Happiness Survey, in which the highest possible life is set at 10, and the lowest possible life is set at 0. The mean subjective well-being of all 1,063 respondents was 5.87, which is a very similar value that was obtained in the Japanese World Happiness Survey in 2023. First, we investigated the respondents' strengths/weaknesses in studying and their subjective well-being. The results showed that the subjective well-being of the group who answered that they were good at studying (6.62) was significantly higher than that of the group who answered that they were poor at studying (5.15). Next, we investigated the subjective well-being of students who answered that they were good at Japanese, Math, English, Social studies, and Science, the major subjects in Japan, and found that the subjective well-being of the group that answered that they were good at these subjects was higher than that of the group that answered that they were poor at these subjects. When the correlation between the score of "strengths/weaknesses on studying" and the score of "subjective well-being" was examined, those who answered that they were good at studying had higher subjective well-being (correlation coefficient r = 0.26, p < 0.001). The correlation between the subjective well-being score and the score of "strengths/weaknesses on studying each subject” was examined. Among the subjects, the subjective well-being score was the highest for those who answered that they were good at English (correlation coefficient r = 0.17, p < 0.001). These results indicate a relationship between strengths/weaknesses on studying and subjective well-being among workers in Japan. These findings may provide an important basis for considering what kind of education should be focused on in order to nurture working adults with high levels of well-being.

Keywords: subject well-being, strengths/weaknesses, studying, Japanese working adults

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Authors: Tanya Keni

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Efforts to link culture and self, have been the focus, initially of Anthropology and later of Psychology in the first half of the 20th century. In doing so, cross-cultural researchers have endeavored to identify factors valuable for classifying cultures. One such central classification is that of individualism and collectivism which remains prominent. However, it overlooks certain other cultural dimensions that can be of interest and need attention. The current paper tries to move beyond this classic distinction, to cultures that are termed to be honor and dignity oriented. Both honor and dignity, refer to the worth of a person but bear different connotations and psychological consequences. While dignity is an independent concept of self-worth whose locus lies deep within the individual, honor is an interdependent concept that needs both personal as well as societal acknowledgment. This research takes an exploratory and qualitative approach to draw the individual, structural and contextual understanding of personal honor and dignity in broad cultures that are conceptualized as honor and dignity aimed. The aim is to understand the cultural influence on an individual’s self-worth, considering gender. 12 Focus group discussions were conducted across North India and Germany with four participants each. The research process was inspired by the approaches of social constructivism and critical realism. These discussions were transcribed and further analyzed using thematic analysis and the results have revealed differential themes for the concepts of honor and dignity. Certain dimensional similarities were also observed for both the cultural groups, however with differential usage of language. In particular, the North Indian group was seen using phrases that were oriented towards safeguarding against loss of honor or dignity. While the phrases of the German group were aligned towards worth-enhancement. The research also gives an illustration of how honor and dignity translate into behavioral practice that can exert an influence on important life decisions, especially about self and family for both males and females. In addition to these, the study also contributes to the literature on self-worth by developing the concept of ‘dignity’ for which there exists a dearth of research.

Keywords: culture, dignity, honor, self, self-worth

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Authors: Yasser Aboel-Magd

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This research addresses the critical issue of accessibility for individuals with special needs and the broader implications of disability on one's ability to lead an independent and integrated life within society. It highlights the consequences of injury, illness, or disability not only on the physical level but also on psychological, social, educational, economic, and functional aspects of life. The study emphasizes the importance of inclusive design in urban spaces, reflecting on how a society's treatment of individuals with disabilities serves as a measure of its progress. The research delves into the challenges faced by people with special needs in the Kingdom, where, despite advancements in various sectors, there is a noticeable lack of accommodating public opportunities for this significant demographic. It argues for the necessity of a Saudi building code that considers the needs of a diverse population during the design phase. The paper discusses the role of urban space as a fundamental element in urban formation and its impact on the societal integration of individuals with special needs. The study explores a variety of inclusive design principles, ranging from physical features like ramps and tactile paving to digital and cognitive accessibility measures such as screen readers, closed captions, plain language, and visual aids. It also considers the impact of wayfinding and appropriate lighting design on the orientation and assistance of individuals within urban spaces at the lowest cost. The researchers connect inclusive design with sustainable practices, advocating for environments that are not only environmentally friendly but also adaptable and lasting. The paper concludes with the assertion that the integration of accessibility, universal design, and sustainability signifies a society's commitment to inclusivity and the empowerment of all individuals, paving the way for a future where everyone can participate fully and independently in society.

Keywords: accessibility, inclusive design, Saudi building code, disability inclusion, socioeconomic progress

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Authors: A. Abdullah, N. Faghih Mirzaei, S. Hany Haron

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Neighbourhood environment walkability on reported physical activity (PA) levels of students of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Malaysia. Compared with previous generations, today’s young people spend less time playing outdoors and have lower participation rates in PA. Research suggests that negative perceptions of neighbourhood walkability may be a potential barrier to adolescents’ PA. The sample consisted of 200 USM students (to 24 years old) who live outside of the main campus and engage in PA in sport halls and sport fields of USM. The data were analysed using the t-test, binary logistic regression, and discriminant analysis techniques. The present study found that youth PA was affected by neighbourhood environment walkability factors, including neighbourhood infrastructures, neighbourhood safety (crime), and recreation facilities, as well as street characteristics and neighbourhood design variables such as facades of sidewalks, roadside trees, green spaces, and aesthetics. The finding also illustrated that active students were influenced by street connectivity, neighbourhood infrastructures, recreation facilities, facades of sidewalks, and aesthetics, whereas students in the less active group were affected by access to destinations, neighbourhood safety (crime), and roadside trees and green spaces for their PAs. These results report which factors of built environments have more effect on youth PA and they message to the public to create more awareness about the benefits of PA on youth health.

Keywords: fear of crime, neighbourhood built environment, physical activities, street characteristics design

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Authors: Gerard Bray, Derek Mao, Arya Bahadori, Sachinka Ranasinghe

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The EAU currently recommends partial nephrectomy as the preferred management for localised cT1 renal tumours, irrespective of surgical approach. With the advent of robotic assisted partial nephrectomy, there is growing evidence that warm ischaemia time may be reduced compared to the traditional laparoscopic approach. There is still no clear differences between the two approaches with regards to other peri-operative and oncological outcomes. Current limitations in the field denote the lack of single surgeon series to compare the two approaches as other studies often include multiple operators of different experience levels. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first single surgeon series comparing peri-operative outcomes of robotic assisted and laparoscopic PN. The current study aims to reduce intra-operator bias while maintaining an adequate sample size to assess the differences in outcomes between the two approaches. We retrospectively compared patient demographics, peri-operative outcomes, and renal function derangements of all partial nephrectomies undertaken by a single surgeon with experience in both laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Warm ischaemia time, length of stay, and acute renal function deterioration were all significantly reduced with robotic partial nephrectomy, compared to laparoscopic nephrectomy. This study highlights the benefits of robotic partial nephrectomy. Further prospective studies with larger sample sizes would be valuable additions to the current literature.

Keywords: partial nephrectomy, robotic assisted partial nephrectomy, warm ischaemia time, peri-operative outcomes

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Authors: George Abu-Aqil, Leah Tsror, Elad Shufan, Shaul Mordechai, Mahmoud Huleihel, Ahmad Salman

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Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp which negatively affect a wide range of crops are the main causes of the aggressive diseases of agricultural crops. These aggressive diseases are responsible for a huge economic loss in agriculture including a severe decrease in the quality of the stored vegetables and fruits. Therefore, it is important to detect these pathogenic bacteria at their early stages of infection to control their spread and consequently reduce the economic losses. In addition, early detection is vital for producing non-infected propagative material for future generations. The currently used molecular techniques for the identification of these bacteria at the strain level are expensive and laborious. Other techniques require a long time of ~48 h for detection. Thus, there is a clear need for rapid, non-expensive, accurate and reliable techniques for early detection of these bacteria. In this study, infrared spectroscopy, which is a well-known technique with all its features, was used for rapid detection of Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp. at the strain level. The bacteria were isolated from potato plants and tubers with soft rot symptoms and measured by infrared spectroscopy. The obtained spectra were analyzed using different machine learning algorithms. The performances of our approach for taxonomic classification among the bacterial samples were evaluated in terms of success rates. The success rates for the correct classification of the genus, species and strain levels were ~100%, 95.2% and 92.6% respectively.

Keywords: soft rot enterobacteriaceae (SRE), pectobacterium, dickeya, plant infections, potato, solanum tuberosum, infrared spectroscopy, machine learning

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Authors: Bhavatharani S., Boopathy V., Kavin S., Naveethkumar R.

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Context: Resistance training with blood flow restriction (BFR) has increased in clinical rehabilitation due to the substantial benefits observed in augmenting muscle mass and strength using low loads. However, there is a great variability of training pressures for clinical populations as well as methods to estimate it. The aim of this study was to estimate the percentage of maximal BFR that could result by applying different methodologies based on arbitrary or individual occlusion levels using a cuff width between 9 and 13 cm. Design: A secondary analysis was performed on the combined databases of 2 previous larger studies using BFR training. Methods: To estimate these percentages, the occlusion values needed to reach complete BFR (100% limb occlusion pressure [LOP]) were estimated by Doppler ultrasound. Seventy-five participants (age 24.32 [4.86] y; weight: 78.51 [14.74] kg; height: 1.77 [0.09] m) were enrolled in the laboratory study for measuring LOP in the thigh, arm, or calf. Results: When arbitrary values of restriction are applied, a supra-occlusive LOP between 120% and 190% LOP may result. Furthermore, the application of 130% resting brachial systolic blood pressure creates a similar occlusive stimulus as 100% LOP. Conclusions: Methods using 100 mm Hg and the resting brachial systolic blood pressure could represent the safest application prescriptions as they resulted in applied pressures between 60% and 80% LOP. One hundred thirty percent of the resting brachial systolic blood pressure could be used to indirectly estimate 100% LOP at cuff widths between 9 and 13 cm. Finally, methodologies that use standard values of 200 and, 300 mm Hg far exceed LOP and may carry additional risk during BFR exercise.

Keywords: lower limb rehabilitation, ESP32, pneumatics for medical, programmed rehabilitation

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Authors: Prashansa Singh, Rohit Bajaj, Manjot Kaur

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In the modern agricultural landscape, precision farming has emerged as a pivotal strategy for enhancing crop yield and optimizing resource utilization. This paper introduces an innovative Crop Recommendation System (CRS) that leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol to collect critical environmental and soil data via sensors deployed across agricultural fields. The system is designed to address the challenges of real-time data acquisition, efficient data transmission, and dynamic crop recommendation through the application of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models. The CRS architecture encompasses a network of sensors that continuously monitor environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and nutrient levels. This sensor data is then transmitted to a central MQTT server, ensuring reliable and low-latency communication even in bandwidth-constrained scenarios typical of rural agricultural settings. Upon reaching the server, the data is processed and analyzed by AI/ML models trained to correlate specific environmental conditions with optimal crop choices and cultivation practices. These models consider historical crop performance data, current agricultural research, and real-time field conditions to generate tailored crop recommendations. This implementation gets 99% accuracy.

Keywords: Iot, MQTT protocol, machine learning, sensor, publish, subscriber, agriculture, humidity

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Authors: Vishwambhar Prasad Sati

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India’s economy is agriculture dominated. About 70% of the total population depends on practicing agriculture. Out of an estimated 140.3 million ha net cultivated area, 79.44 million ha (57%) is rain-fed, contributing 44% of the total food grain production. Meanwhile, India ranks second and shares 11.3% of the arable land of the world. It means that India has a high potential to harness agricultural resources for present and future food security. However, about 21.9% of people are living below the poverty line, and similarly, a large number of people are deprived or insecure about food. This situation is most critical in rural areas, where about 70% population lives. The study examines the present status, future trends, and challenges of food and agriculture in India. Time series data of the last three decades was gathered from secondary sources on area, production, and yield of crops; irrigated area; production of major crops; area, production, and yield of crops in the major food-producing states of India; food storage and poverty. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation methods, and a regression model. State-level data on area, production, and yield of crops and irrigation facilities were indexed into levels, and the potentials of food production in the major food-producing states were observed. It was noted that the progressive growth rate of food production is higher than the population, which means that food is enough to feed the population; however, it is not accessible to all optimally because of wastage, leakage, lack of food storage, and proper distribution of food. If food is stored and distributed properly, there would not be any food shortage in India, the study revealed.

Keywords: agriculture, food production, population growth, poverty, future trends

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Authors: Dupe Olufunke Ogunbosoye, Thaofik Badmos Mustapha, Lanre Shaffihy Adeaga, R. O. Imam

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Efforts have been made to reduce ruminants' methane emissions while improving animal productivity. Hence, an experiment was conducted to investigate the in vitro fermentation pattern, methane production, and performance of West African dwarf (WAD) rams-fed diets at graded levels of ginger. Sixteen (16) rams were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments with four animals per treatment in a completely randomized design for 84 days. Ginger powder was added at 0.00%, 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% as T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. The results indicated that at the 24-hour diet incubation, gas production, methane, metabolizable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (OMD), and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations decreased with the increasing level of ginger. Conversely, the sheep-fed T4 recorded the highest daily weight gain (47.61g/day), while the least daily weight gain (17.86g/day) was recorded in ram-fed T1. The daily weight gain of the rams fed T3 and T4 was similar but significantly different from the daily weight gain in T1 (17.86g/day) and T2 (29.76g/day). Daily feed intake was not significantly different across the treatments. T4 recorded the best response regarding feed conversion ratio (18.59) compared with other treatments. Based on the results obtained, rams fed T4 perform best in terms of growth and methane production. It is therefore concluded that the addition of ginger powder into the diet of sheep up to 0.75% enhances the growth rate of WAD sheep and reduces enteric methane production to create a smart nutrition system in ruminant animal production.

Keywords: enteric methane, growth, in vitro, sheep, nutrition system

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Authors: A. Almubrad, R. Clouse, A. Aljlaoud

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Organizational culture (OC) is recognized to have an influence on the propensity of organizations to innovate. It is also presumed that it may impede the innovation process from thriving within the organization. Investigating the role organizational culture plays in enabling or inhibiting innovation merits exploration to investigate organizational cultural attributes necessary to reach innovation goals. This study aims to investigate a preliminary matching heuristic of OC attributes to the type of innovation that has the potential to thrive within those attributes. A mixed methods research approach was adopted to achieve the research aims. Accordingly, participants from a national telecom company in Saudi Arabia took the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). A further sample selected from the respondents’ pool holding the role of managing directors was interviewed in the qualitative phase. Our study findings reveal that the market culture type has a tendency to adopt radical innovations to disrupt the market and to preserve its market position. In contrast, we find that the adhocracy culture type tends to adopt the incremental innovation type and found this tends to be more convenient for employees due to its low levels of uncertainty. Our results are an encouraging indication that matching organizational culture attributes to the type of innovation aids in innovation management. This study carries limitations while drawing its findings from a limited sample of OC attributes that identify with the adhocracy and market culture types. An extended investigation is merited to explore other types of organizational cultures and their optimal innovation types.

Keywords: incremental innovation, radical innovation, organization culture, market culture, adhocracy culture, OACI

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Authors: Ahmad Ali Shahid, M Shakil Shaukat

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Agriculture is the backbone of economy of Pakistan and Cotton is the major agricultural export and supreme source of raw fiber for our textile industry. To combat against the developing resistance in the target insects and combating these challenges wholesomely, a novel combination of pyramided/stacked genes was conceptualized and later realized, through the means of biotechnology i.e., transformation of three genes namely, Cry1Ac, Cry2A, and EPSP synthase (glyphosate tolerant) genes in the locally cultivated cotton variety. The progenies of the transformed plants were successfully raised and screened under the tunnel conditions for two generations and the present study focused on the screening of plants which were confirmed for containing all of these three genes and their expressions. Initially, the screening was done through glyphosate spray assay and the plants which were healthy and showed no damage on leaves were selected after 07 days of spray. In the laboratory, the DNA of these plants were isolated and subjected to amplification of the three genes. Thus, seventeen out of twenty were confirmed positive for Cry1Ac gene and ten out of twenty were positive for Cry2A gene and all twenty were positive for presence of EPSP synthase gene. Then, the ten plant samples which were confirmed with presence of all three genes were subjected to expression analysis of these proteins through ELISA. The results showed that eight out of ten plants were actively expressing the three transgenes. Real-time PCR was also done to quantify the expression levels of the EPSP synthase gene. Finally, eight plants were confirmed for the presence and active expression of all three genes in T3 generation of the triple gene transformed cotton. These plants may be subjected to T4 generation to develop a new stable variety in due course of time.

Keywords: agriculture, cotton, transformation, cry genes, ELISA, PCR

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Authors: Syed Makhdoom Hussain, Muhammad Afzal, Farhat Jabeen, Arshad Javid, Tasneem Hameed

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A feeding trial was conducted with Cirrhinus mrigala fingerlings to study the effects of microbial phytase with graded levels (0, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 FTUkg-1) by sunflower meal based diet on growth performance and nutrient digestibility. The chromic oxide was added as an indigestible marker in the diets. Three replicate groups of 15 fish (Average wt 5.98 g fish-1) were fed once a day and feces were collected twice daily. The results of present study showed improved growth and feed performance of Cirrhinus mrigala fingerlings in response to phytase supplementation. Maximum growth performance was obtained by the fish fed on test diet-III having 1000 FTU kg-1 phytase level. Similarly, nutrient digestibility was also significantly increased (p<0.05) by phytase supplementation. Digestibility coefficients for sunflower meal based diet increased 15.76%, 17.70%, and 12.70% for crude protein, crude fat and apparent gross energy as compared to the reference diet, respectively at 1000 FTU kg-1 level. Again, maximum response of nutrient digestibility was recorded at the phytase level of 1000 FTU kg-1 diet. It was concluded that the phytase supplementation to sunflower meal based diet at 1000 FTU kg-1 level is optimum to release adequate chelated nutrients for maximum growth performance of C. mrigala fingerlings. Our results also suggested that phytase supplementation to sunflower meal based diet can help in the development of sustainable aquaculture by reducing the feed cost and nutrient discharge through feces in the aquatic ecosystem.

Keywords: sunflower meal, Cirrhinus mrigala, growth, nutrient digestibility, phytase

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Authors: S. van Schalkwyk

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On international levels and across disciplines gender scholars have argued that patriarchal scripts of masculinity and femininity are harmful as they negatively impact constructions of selfhood and relations between women and men. Patriarchal ideologies serve as a scaffolding for dominance and subordination and fuel violence against women. Toxic masculinity—social discourses of men as violent, unemotional, and sexually dominant—are embedded in South African culture and are rooted in the high rates of gender violence occurring in the country. Finding strategies that can open up space for the interrogation of toxic masculinity is crucial in order to disrupt the destructive consequences of patriarchy in educational and social contexts. The University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa in collaboration with the non-profit organization Gender Reconciliation International conducted a year-long series of workshops with male and female students. The aim of these workshops was to facilitate healing between men and women through collective dialogue processes. Drawing on a collective biography methodology outlined by feminist poststructuralists, this paper explores the impact of these workshops on gender relations. Findings show that the students experienced significant psychological connections with others during these dialogues, through which they began to interrogate their own gendered conditioning and harmful patriarchal assumptions and practices. This paper enhances insights into the possibilities for disrupting patriarchy in South African universities through feminist collective research efforts.

Keywords: collective biography methodology, South Africa, toxic masculinity, transforming gender oppression, violence against women

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Authors: Kara Gianina D. Rosas, Jade Emily L. Tong

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This study assesses the vulnerability of households to food price shocks. Using the Philippines as a case study, the researchers aim to understand how such shocks can cause food insecurity in different types of households. This paper measures the impact of actual food price changes during the food crisis of 2006-2009 on poverty in relation to their spatial location. Households are classified as rural or urban and agricultural or non-agricultural. By treating food prices and consumption patterns as heterogeneous, this study differs from conventional poverty analysis as actual prices are used. Merging the Family, Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) with the Consumer Price Index dataset (CPI), the researchers were able to determine the effects on poverty measures, specifically, headcount index, poverty gap, and poverty severity. The study finds that, without other interventions, food inflation would lead to a significant increase in the number of households that fall below the poverty threshold, except for households whose income is derived from agricultural activities. It also finds that much of the inflation during these years was fueled by the rise in staple food prices. Essentially, this paper aims to broaden the economic perspective of policymakers with regard to the heterogeneity of impacts of inflation through analyzing the deeper microeconomic levels of different subgroups. In hopes of finding a solution to lessen the inequality gap of poverty between the rural and urban poor, this paper aims to aid policymakers in creating projects targeted towards food insecurity.

Keywords: poverty, food inflation, agricultural households, non-agricultural households, net consumption ratio, urban poor, rural poor, head count index, poverty gap, poverty severity

Procedia PDF Downloads 239

Authors: Adel Ahmadi Hosseini, Fatemeh Tavanaei, Alessandro Navarra, Ferri Hassani

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Mining engineering, as a part of geoscience, must address modern concerns. Traditional mining methods incorporate drill and blast technologies, which are followed by different issues, including excessive noise, vibration, air pollution, and safety hazards. Over the past two decades, mining engineers have sought alternative solutions to move from drill and blast to continuous methods to prevent such issues and improve sustainability in mining. Among the suggested methods, microwave treatment has shown promising results by creating micro/macro cracks in the rock structure prior to the operations. This research utilizes an energy-based analysis methodology to evaluate the efficiency of the microwave treatment in improving mining operations. The data analysis shows that increasing the input microwave energy dosage intensifies the rock damage. However, this approach can decrease the energy efficiency of the method by more than 50% in some cases. In this study, rock samples were treated with three power levels (3 kW, 7 kW, and 12 kW) and two energy dosages (20 kWh/t and 50 kWh/t), resulting in six conditions. To evaluate the impact of microwave treatment on the geomechanical behavior of the rocks, Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests were conducted on the microwave-treated samples, yielding stress-strain curves. Using the stress-strain curves, the effect of the different powers and energy dosages of microwaves are discussed. This research shows the potential of using microwave treatment to lead the industry to more sustainable mining.

Keywords: microwave treatment, microwave energy dosage, sustainable mining, rock fragmentation

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Authors: Szymon Misiek

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The genderqueer (or gender non-binary, both terms referring to those individuals who are identified as neither men nor women) community has been gaining greater visibility over the last few years. This includes legal recognition, representation in popular media, and inclusion of non-binary perspectives in research on transgender issues. Another important aspect of visibility is language. Gender-neutrality, often associated with genderqueer people, is relatively easy to achieve in natural-gender languages such as English. This can be observed in the growing popularity of the 'singular they' pronoun (used specifically with reference to genderqueer individuals) or the gender-neutral title 'Mx.' (as an alternative to 'Ms./Mr.'). 'Singular they' seems to have become a certain standard in the genderqueer community. Grammatical-gender languages, such as Polish, provide for a greater challenge to genderqueer speakers. In Polish, every noun is inherently gendered, while verbs, adjectives, and pronouns inflect for gender. Those who do not wish to settle for using only either masculine or feminine forms (which some genderqueer Polish speakers do choose) have to somehow mix the two, attempt to avoid gendered forms altogether, or turn to non-standard forms, such as neuter (not used for people in standard Polish), plurals (vaguely akin to English 'singular they'), or neologisms (such as verb forms using the '-u-' affix). The following paper presents the results of a survey conducted among genderqueer speakers of Polish regarding their choice of linguistic strategies. As no definitive standard such as 'singular they' has (yet) emerged, it rather seeks to emphasize the diversity of chosen strategies and their relation to a person's specific identity as well as the context an exchange takes place. The findings of the study may offer an insight into how heavily gendered languages deal with non-normatively gendered experiences, and to what extent English influences this process (e.g., the majority of genderqueer poles choose English terms to label their identity), as well as help design good practices aimed at achieving gender-equality in speech.

Keywords: genderqueer, grammatical gender in Polish, non-binary, transgender

Procedia PDF Downloads 131