Search results for: urban environmental quality

Authors: Olumuyiwa I. Ojo, Kola Amao, Josiah A. Adeyemo, Fred A. O. Otieno

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A study was carried out to assess the environmental impact of Kampe (Omi) irrigation scheme with respect to public health hazards, the rising water table, salinity and alkalinity problems on the project site. A structured questionnaire was used as the main tool to gather information on the effect of the irrigation project on the various communities around the project site. The different sections of the questionnaire enabled the gathering of information ranging from general to more specific information. The results obtained from the study showed that the two effects are obvious: the 'positive effects' which include increasing the socioeconomic development of the entire communities, resulting in an increase in employment opportunities and better lifestyle and the 'negative effects' in which malaria (100% occurrence) and schistosomiasis (66.7%) were found to be active diseases caused by irrigation activities. Increase in height of water table and salinity is eminent in the irrigation site unless adequate drainage is provided. The collection and experimental analyses of representation soil and water samples from each scheme were used to assess the current status of each receptor. Results obtained indicate the absence of soil with sodium adsorption ration (SAR) values ranging from 3.0 to 3.89, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) ranged from 3.8% to 5.5% while pH values ranged from 6.60 to 7.00. Drainage facilities of the project site are inadequate, therefore making it difficult to leach the soil and flood history is occasional.

Keywords: irrigation, impact, soil analysis, Nigeria

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Authors: Elisavet Arsenaki

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Paracetamol overdose is associated with significant and possibly permanent consequences including hepatotoxicity, acute and chronic liver failure, and death. This quality improvement project explores the prevalence of accidental iatrogenic paracetamol overdose in hospital patients with a low body weight, defined as <50kg and assesses the impact of educational posters in trying to reduce it. The study included all adult inpatients on the admissions ward, a short stay ward for patients requiring 12-72 hour treatment, and consisted of three cycles. Each cycle consisted of 3 days of data collection in a given month (data collection for cycle 1 occurred in January 2022, February 2022 for cycle 2 and March 2022 for cycle 3). All patients given paracetamol had their prescribed dose checked against their charted weight to identify the percentage of adult inpatients <50kg who were prescribed 1g of paracetamol instead of 500mg. In the first cycle of the audit, data were collected from 83 patients who were prescribed paracetamol on the admissions ward. Subsequently, four A4 educational posters were displayed across the ward, on two separate occasions and with a one-month interval in between each poster display. The aim of this was to remind prescribing doctors of their responsibility to check patient body weight prior to prescribing paracetamol. Data were collected again one week after each round of poster display, from 72 and 70 patients respectively. Over the 3 cycles with a cumulative 225 patients, 15 weighed <50kg (6.67%) and of those, 5 were incorrectly prescribed 1g of paracetamol, yielding a 33.3% prevalence of accidental iatrogenic paracetamol overdose in adult inpatients. In cycle 1 of the project, 3 out of 6 adult patients weighing <50kg were overdosed on paracetamol, meaning that 50% of low weight patients were prescribed the wrong dose of paracetamol for their weight. In the second data collection cycle, 1 out of 5 <50kg patients were overdosed (20%) and in the third cycle, 1 out of 4 (25%). The use of educational posters resulted in a lower prevalence of accidental iatrogenic paracetamol overdose in low body weight adult inpatients. However, the differences observed were statistically insignificant (p value 0.993 and 0.995 respectively). Educational posters did not induce a significant decrease in the prevalence of accidental iatrogenic paracetamol overdose. More robust strategies need to be employed to further decrease paracetamol overdose in patients weighing <50kg.

Keywords: iatrogenic, overdose, paracetamol, patient, safety

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Authors: Alexander Rincón Ruiz

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This article is based on an exhaustive review and interdisciplinary effort spanning three years. It involved interviews, dialogues, discussion panels, and collective work on various visions of bio-economy in Colombia. The dialogue included government institutions, universities, local communities, activist groups, research institutes, the productive sector, and politicians, integrating perspectives such as Latin American environmental thought, complexity theory, modern visions, local worldviews (Afro-Colombian, indigenous, peasant), decoloniality, political ecology, ecological economics, and environmental economies. This work highlighted the need to redefine the traditional bio-economy concept, typically focused on markets and biotechnology, and to revisit the original idea of a bio-economy as an ‘economy for life’. In a country as diverse as Colombia—both biophysically and in its varied relationships with the territory—this redefinition is crucial. It emphasizes alternative logics of well-being related to resilience, care, and cooperation, reflecting Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and peasant worldviews. This article is significant for proposing, for the first time, a viable approach to diverse and alternative economies for life tailored to the Colombian context. It represents not only academic work but also a political commitment to inclusion and plurality, aligning with the Colombian context and potentially extendable to other regions.

Keywords: ecological economics, decoloniality, complexity, Biodiversity

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Authors: Ravinder Singh, Pratima Syal

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Background: The rising prevalence and incidence of Acute Pancreatitis (AP) and its associated metabolic variables known as metabolic syndrome (MetS) are common medical conditions with catastrophic consequences and substantial treatment costs. The correlation between MetS and AP, as well as their impact on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is uncertain, and because there are so few published studies, further research is needed. As a result, we planned this study to determine the relationship between MetS components impact on HRQoL in AP patients. Patients and Methods: A prospective, observational study involving the recruitment of patients with AP with and without MetS was carried out in tertiary care hospital of North India. Patients were classified with AP if they were diagnosed with two or more components of the following criteria, abdominal pain, serum amylase and lipase levels two or more times normal, imaging trans-abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance. The National Cholesterol Education Program–Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criterion was used to diagnose the MetS. The various socio-demographic variables were also taken into consideration for the calculation of statistical significance (P≤.05) in AP patients. Finally, the correlation between AP and MetS, along with their impact on HRQoL was assessed using Student's t test, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, and Short Form-36 (SF-36). Results: AP with MetS (n = 100) and AP without MetS (n = 100) patients were divided into two groups. Gender, Age, Educational Status, Tobacco use, Body Mass Index (B.M.I), and Waist Hip Ratio (W.H.R) were the socio-demographic parameters found to be statistically significant (P≤.05) in AP patients with MetS. Also, all the metabolic variables were also found to statistically significant (P≤.05) and found to be increased in patients with AP with MetS as compared to AP without MetS except HDL levels. Using the SF-36 form, a greater significant decline was observed in physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) in patients with AP with MetS as compared to patients without MetS (P≤.05). Furthermore, a negative association between all metabolic variables with the exception of HDL, and AP was found to be producing deterioration in PCS and MCS. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that patients with AP with MetS had a worse overall HRQOL than patients with AP without MetS due to number of socio-demographic and metabolic variables having direct correlation impacting physical and mental health of patients.

Keywords: metabolic disorers, QOL, cost effectiveness, pancreatitis

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Authors: Nora Arbaoui, Rachid Tadili

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The experiment adopted a natural technique of heating and cooling an agricultural greenhouse to reduce the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions based on the heating of a transfer fluid that circulates inside the greenhouse through a solar copper coil positioned at the roof of the greenhouse. This experimental study is devoted to the performance evaluation of a solar heating system to improve the microclimate of a greenhouse during the cold period, especially in the Mediterranean climate. This integrated solar system for heating has a positive impact on the quality and quantity of the products under the study greenhouse.

Keywords: solar system, agricultural greenhouse, heating, storage

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Authors: Kelvin Tang

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As the world is approaching global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, more atrocious consequences of climate change are projected to occur in the future. Consequently, it is today’s adolescents who will encounter the grand consequences of climate change. Therefore, nurturing adolescents that are well-informed, emotionally engaged, and motivated to take actions for combating climate change may be pivotal. Climate change education has a role in not only raising awareness, but also promoting behaviour change for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, what kind of climate change education is suitable for whom? Requiring a learner-centred approach, tailoring climate change education requires a comprehensive understanding of the audience and their preconditions. In Japan, where climate change education has yet to be recognised as a field of environmental education, understanding climate change conceptions possessed by early adolescents is critical for a better design and more impactful implementation of climate change education. This exploratory study aims to investigate climate change conceptions among Japanese early adolescents from the perspective of cognition, affective, and conative dimensions. Questionnaire surveys were conducted targeting 423 students aged 12–14 in three public junior high schools located in Kashiwa City and Oita City. Findings suggest that the majority of Japanese early adolescents belong to groups that exhibit lower levels of cognition, affect, and conation in relation to climate change. The relationships among those dimensions were found to be positive and bidirectional. Moreover, several misconceptions about climate change and the effectiveness of its solutions were identified among the sample.

Keywords: climate change conceptions, climate change education, environmental education, adolescents, three learning dimensions, Japan

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Authors: S. Alemayehu, F. A. Abera, K. M. Ayimut, R. Mahroof, J. Harvey, B. Subramanyam

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The occurrence of mycotoxins in sesame seeds poses a significant threat to food safety and the economy in Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the levels and occurrence of mycotoxins in on-farm stored sesame seeds in major-growing districts of Ethiopia. A total of 470 sesame seed samples were collected from randomly selected farmers' storage structures in five major-growing districts using purposive sampling techniques. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze the collected samples for the presence of four mycotoxins: total aflatoxins (AFT), ochratoxin A (OTA), total fumonisins (FUM), and deoxynivalenol (DON). The study found that all samples contained varying levels of mycotoxins, with AFT and DON being the most prevalent. AFT concentrations in detected samples ranged from 2.5 to 27.8 parts per billion (ppb), with a mean concentration of 13.8 ppb. OTA levels ranged from 5.0 ppb to 9.7 ppb, with a mean level of 7.1 ppb. Total fumonisin concentrations ranged from 300 to 1300 ppb in all samples, with a mean of 800 ppb. DON concentrations ranged from 560 to 700 ppb in the analyzed samples. The majority (96.8%) of the samples were safe from AFT, FUM, and DON mean levels when compared to the Federal Drug Administration maximum limit. AFT-OTA, DON-OTA, AFT-FUM, FUM-DON, and FUM-OTA, respectively, had co-occurrence rates of 44.0, 38.3, 33.8, 30.2, 29.8 and 26.0% for mycotoxins. On average, 37.2% of the sesame samples had fungal infection, and seed germination rates ranged from 66.8% to 91.1%. The Limmu district had higher levels of total aflatoxins, kernel infection, and lower germination rates than other districts. The Wollega variety of sesame had higher kernel infection, total aflatoxins concentration, and lower germination rates than other varieties. Grain age had a statistically significant (p<0.05) effect on both kernel infection and germination. The storage methods used for sesame in major-growing districts of Ethiopia favor mycotoxin-producing fungi. As the levels of mycotoxins in sesame are of public health significance, stakeholders should come together to identify secure and suitable storage technologies to maintain the quantity and quality of sesame at the level of smallholder farmers. This study suggests the need for suitable storage technologies to maintain the quality of sesame and reduce the risk of mycotoxin contamination.

Keywords: districts, seed germination, kernel infection, moisture content, relative humidity, temperature

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Authors: David Calderon Villegas, Thomas Kaltizky

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Run-of-river (RoR) hydropower projects represent a viable, clean, and cost-effective alternative to dam-based plants and provide decentralized power production. However, RoR schemes cost-effectiveness depends on the proper selection of site and design flow, which is a challenging task because it requires multivariate analysis. In this respect, this study presents the development of an investment decision support tool for assessing the optimal size of an RoR scheme considering the technical, environmental, and cost constraints. The net present value (NPV) from a project perspective is used as an objective function for supporting the investment decision. The tool has been tested by applying it to an actual RoR project recently proposed in Colombia. The obtained results show that the optimum point in financial terms does not match the flow that maximizes energy generation from exploiting the river's available flow. For the case study, the flow that maximizes energy corresponds to a value of 5.1 m3/s. In comparison, an amount of 2.1 m3/s maximizes the investors NPV. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the NPV as a function of the debt rate changes and the electricity prices and the CapEx. Even for the worst-case scenario, the optimal size represents a positive business case with an NPV of 2.2 USD million and an IRR 1.5 times higher than the discount rate.

Keywords: small hydropower, renewable energy, RoR schemes, optimal sizing, objective function

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Authors: Raha Bahreini

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This paper discusses the roll-back of women’s sexual and reproductive rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has come in the wake of a striking shift in the country’s official population policies. Since the late 1980s, Iran has won worldwide praise for its sexual and reproductive health and services, which have contributed to a steady decline in the country’s fertility rate–from 7.0 births per women in 1980 to 5.5 in 1988, 2.8 in 1996 and 1.85 in 2014. This is owed to a significant increase in the voluntary use of modern contraception in both rural and urban areas. In 1976, only 37 per cent of women were using at least one method of contraception; by 2014 this figure had reportedly risen to a high of nearly 79 per cent for married girls and women living in urban areas and 73.78 per cent for those living in rural areas. Such progress may soon be halted. In July 2012, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei denounced Iran’s family planning policies as an imitation of Western lifestyle. He exhorted the authorities to increase Iran’s population to 150 to 200 million (from around 78.5 million), including by cutting subsidies for contraceptive methods and dismantling the state’s Family and Population Planning Programme. Shortly thereafter, Iran’s Minister of Health and Medical Education announced the scrapping of the budget for the state-funded Family and Population Planning Programme. Iran’s Parliament subsequently introduced two bills; the Comprehensive Population and Exaltation of Family Bill (Bill 315), and the Bill to Increase Fertility Rates and Prevent Population Decline (Bill 446). Bill 446 outlaws voluntary tubectomies, which are believed to be the second most common method of modern contraception in Iran, and blocks access to information about contraception, denying women the opportunity to make informed decisions about the number and spacing of their children. Coupled with the elimination of state funding for Iran’s Family and Population Programme, the move would undoubtedly result in greater numbers of unwanted pregnancies, forcing more women to seek illegal and unsafe abortions. Bill 315 proposes various discriminatory measures in the areas of employment, divorce, and protection from domestic violence in order to promote a culture wherein wifedom and child-bearing is seen as women’s primary duty. The Bill, for example, instructs private and public entities to prioritize, in sequence, men with children, married men without children and married women with children when hiring for certain jobs. It also bans the recruitment of single individuals as family law lawyers, public and private school teachers and members of the academic boards of universities and higher education institutes. The paper discusses the consequences of these initiatives which would, if continued, set the human rights of women and girls in Iran back by decades, leaving them with a future shaped by increased inequality, discrimination, poor health, limited choices and restricted freedoms, in breach of Iran’s international human rights obligations.

Keywords: family planning and reproductive health, gender equality and empowerment of women, human rights, population growth

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Authors: Jayshree P. Zend, Ashatai B. Pawar

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The study was carried out in Parbhani district of Maharashtra state, India with the objectives to study environmental problems faced by flour mill workers, prevalence of work-related health hazards and the physiological cost of workers while performing work in flour mill in traditional method as well as improved method. The use of flour presser, dust controlling bag and noise and dust controlling mask developed by AICRP College of Home Science, VNMKV, Parbhani was considered as an improved method. This investigation consisted survey and experiment which was conducted in the respective locations of flour mills. Healthy, non-smoking 30 flour mill workers ranged between the age group of 20-50 yrs comprising 16 female and 14 male working at flour mill for 4-8 hrs/ day and 6 days/ week and had minimum five years experience of work in flour mill were selected for the study. Pulmonary function test of flour mill workers was carried out by trained technician at Dr. ShankarraoChavan Government Medical College, Nanded by using Electronic Spirometer. The data regarding heart rate (resting, working and recovery), energy expenditure, musculoskeletal problems and occupational health hazards and accidents were recorded by using pretested questionnaire. Scientific equipment used in the experiment were polar sport test heart rate monitor, Hygrometer, Goniometer, Dialed Thermometer, Sound Level Meter, Lux Meter, Ambient Air Sampler and Air Quality Monitor. The collected data were subjected to appropriate statistical analysis such as 't' test and correlation coefficient test. Results indicated that improved method i.e. use of noise and dust controlling mask, flour presser and dust controlling bag were effective in reducing physiological cost of work of flour mill workers. Lung function test of flour mill workers showed decreased values of all parameters, hence the results of present study support paying attention to use of personal protective noise and dust controlling mask by flour mill workers and also to the working conditions in flour mill especially ventilation and illumination level needs to be enhanced in flour mill. The study also emphasizes the need to develop some mechanism for lifting load of grains and unloading in the hopper. It is also suggested that the flour mill workers should use flour presser suitable to their height to avoid frequent bending and should use dust controlling bag to flour outlet of machine to reduce inhalable flour dust level in the flour mill.

Keywords: physiological cost, energy expenditure, musculoskeletal problems

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Authors: Tsung Chin Wu, Yu Chen Tsai, Rhay Hung Weng, Weir Sen Lin

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In recent years, nursing staff’s lower job satisfaction has led to higher turnover rates, and high turnover rates not only cause medical institution costs to increase but also the quality of medical care to decrease. From the perspective of internal marketing, institution staffs are internal customers, and institutions should focus and meet the needs of staff, so that staff will strive to meet the needs of external customers and provide them with the required care. However, few previous studies have investigated the impact of internal staff satisfaction on external customers. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct job satisfaction surveys on internal staff to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and quality of medical care through statistical analysis of the study results. The related study results may serve as a reference for healthcare managers. This study was conducted using a questionnaire and the subjects were nursing staff from four hospitals. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed and 577 valid questionnaires were returned with a response rate of 96.1%. After collecting the data, the reliability and validity of the study variables were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The impact of internal marketing and job satisfaction on turnover intention of nursing staff was analyzed using descriptive analysis, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The study results showed that there was a significant difference between nursing staff’s job title and ‘professional participation’ and ‘shifts’. There was a significant difference between salary and ‘shifts’ and ‘turnover intention’, as well as between marriage and ‘remuneration’ and ‘turnover intention’. A significant difference was found between professional advancement and ‘professional growth’ and ‘type of leave’, as well as between division of service and ‘shifts’ and ‘turnover intention’. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between turnover intention and ‘internal marketing’, ‘interaction’, ‘professional participation’, ‘grasp of environment’, ‘remuneration’ and ‘shifts’, meaning that the higher the satisfaction, the lower the turnover intention. It is recommended that hospitals establish a comprehensive internal marketing mechanism to enhance staff satisfaction and in turn, reduce intention to resign, and the key to increasing job satisfaction is by establishing effective methods of internal communication.

Keywords: internal marketing, job satisfaction, turnover intention, nursing staff

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Authors: Hani Malik

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Background: Clinician burnout is a growing phenomenon in current health systems worldwide. Increasing emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment threaten the effective delivery of healthcare. This can potentially be mitigated by mindfulness practice, which has shown promising results in reducing burnout, restoring compassion, and preventing moral injury in clinicians. Objectives: To conduct a scoping review and identify high-quality studies on mindfulness practice in clinician burnout, synthesize themes that emerge from these studies, and discuss the implications of the results to healthcare leadership and innovation. Methodology: A focused scoping review was carried out to investigate the effects of mindfulness practice on clinician burnout. High-ranking journals were targeted to analyse high-quality studies and synthesize common themes in the literature. Studies conducted on current, practicing physicians were included. Mindfulness practice of varying forms was the main intervention studied. Grey literature and studies conducted only on allied health personnel were excluded from this review. Analysis:31 studies were included in this scoping review. Mindfulness practice was found to decrease emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation while improving mood, responses to stress, and vigour. Self-awareness, compassion, and empathy were also increased in study participants. From this review, four themes emerged which include: innovations in mindfulness practice, mindfulness and positive psychology, the impact of mindfulness on work and patient care, and barriers and facilitators to clinician mindfulness practice. Conclusion: Mindfulness had widely been reported to benefit mental health and well-being, but the studies reviewed seemed to adopt a mono focus and omitted key considerations to healthcare leadership, systems-level culture, and practices. Mindfulness practice is a quintessential component of positive psychology and is inherently linked to effective leadership. A mindful and compassionate clinician leader will play a crucial role in addressing gaps in current practice, prioritise staff mental health, and provide a supportive platform for innovation.

Keywords: mindfulness practice, clinician burnout, healthcare leadership, COVID-19

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Authors: Jorge Sandoval Lezama, Arturo Ivan Sandoval Rodriguez, Jose Arturo Correa Arredondo

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This work aims to share innovative educational experiences at IPN Mexico, that involve collaborative learning at institutional and global level through course competition and global collaboration projects. Students from universities in China, USA, South Korea, Canada and Mexico collaborate to design electric vehicles to solve global urban mobility problems. The participation of IPN students in the 2015-2016 global competition (São Paolo, Brazil and Cincinnati, USA) Reconfigurable Shared-Use Mobility Systems allowed to apply pedagogical strategies of groups of collaboration and of learning based on projects where they shared activities, commitments and goals, demonstrating that students were motivated to develop / self-generate their knowledge with greater meaning and understanding. One of the most evident achievements is that the students are self-managed, so the most advanced students train the students who join the project with CAD, CAE, CAM tools. Likewise, the motivation achieved is evident since in 2014 there were 12 students involved in the project, and there are currently more than 70 students.

Keywords: collaboration projects, global competency, course competition, active learning

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Authors: Ran Etgar

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The process of rounding off measurements in continuous variables is commonly encountered. Although it usually has minor effects, sometimes it can lead to poor outcomes in statistical process control using X ̅-chart. The traditional control limits can cause incorrect conclusions if applied carelessly. This study looks into the limitations of classical control limits, particularly the impact of asymmetry. An approach to determining the distribution function of the measured parameter (Y ̅) is presented, resulting in a more precise method to establish the upper and lower control limits. The proposed method, while slightly more complex than Shewhart's original idea, is still user-friendly and accurate and only requires the use of two straightforward tables.

Keywords: quality control, process control, round-off, measurement, rounding error

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Authors: I. T. Asowata, A. S. Akinwumiju

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The enrichment of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in stream sediments (SS) and floodplain soils (FS) poses great environmental hazards to water bodies and other parts of the ecosystem. The aim of this research was to assess the distribution pattern of selected PHEs (Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Mn, As, Cd, V, Cr, Ni, Th, Sr, and La) in SS of selected rivers that drain Ile-Ife area and their adjacent FS, to ascertain the pollution status of these elements in the study area. 60 samples (40 SS and 20 FS) were purposely collected for this study; the samples were air-dried at room temperature, disaggregated, sieved with > 63 µm and digested with modified aqua reqia (1:1:1 HCl:HNO₃:H₂O) and were analysed with ultra-trace inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method (ICP-ES). The geochemical results showed decreasing trend of average contents of PHEs studied Mn > Zn > V > Cr > Pb > La > Sr > Cu > Ni > Co > Th > As > Cd for both SS and FS. Floodplain topsoil in ppm, Cu range from 10.0-180.0; mean, 71.1, Pb, 17.1-255.0; 93.5 and Zn, 83.0-3122.2; 826.0. Also, floodplain sub-soils, Cu range from 30.0-203.1; mean of 76.6, Pb, 16.0-214.0; 77.9 and Zn, 59.1-2351.0; 622.3. Similarly, SS results for Cu, 22.1-257.0; 70.3, Pb, 15.0-172.0; 67.3 and Zn, 65.0-1285.0; 357.8, among other PHEs, suggesting significant level of PHEs enrichment in the studied geo media. Elemental association showed positive and/or negative correlation among the PHEs and also showed different sources of metal enrichment to be largely anthropogenic with some geogenic. Geoaccumulation and metal ratio indexes indicated that FS and SS studied have received significant PHEs of between moderately to strongly polluted, which implies significant environmental implications in the study area.

Keywords: aqua regia, enrichment, GIS, Ile-Ife, potentially harmful elements

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Authors: Teris Cheung, Joyce Yuen Ting Lam, Kwan Hin Fong, Calvin Pak-Wing Cheng, Julie Sittlington, Yu-Tao Xiang, Tim Man Ho Li

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Insomnia is one of the most common health problems in the general population. Insomnia can be acute, intermittent, and become chronic, often due to comorbidity with other physical and mental health conditions. Although there are conventional pharmaceutical and psychotherapeutic treatments to treat symptoms of insomnia, however; there is no robust and novel randomized controlled trial (RCT) using transdermal neurostimulation on individuals with insomnia symptoms. This gives us the impetus to execute the first nationwide RCT. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Electrical Vestibular Stimulation (VeNS) on individuals with insomnia in Hong Kong. Design: This study was a two-armed, double blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Sampling: 60 community-dwelling adults aged 18 and 60 years with moderate insomnia symptoms or above (Insomnia Severity Index > 14) were recruited. All subjects were computerized randomized into either the active VeNS group or the sham VeNS group on a 1:1 ratio. Intervention: All participants received a home-use VeNS device and used 30-min VeNS sessions during five consecutive days across a 4-week period (total treatment hours: 10). Baseline measurements and post-VeNS evaluation of the psychological outcomes, including 1) insomnia severity, 2) sleep quality, and 3) quality of life were investigated. The short-and long-term sustainability of the VeNS intervention was assessed immediately after poststim and at a 1-month and 3-month follow-up period. Data analysis: A mixed GEE model was used to analyze the repeated measures data. Missing data were managed by multiple imputations. The level of significance was set to p < 0.05. Significance of the study: This is the first trial to examine the efficacy and safety of VeNS among adults with insomnia symptoms in Hong Kong. Findings that emerged were used to determine whether this VeNS device can be considered a self-help technological device to reduce the severity of insomnia in the community setting and to reduce the global disease burden. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04452981.

Keywords: adults, insomnia, neuromodulation, rct, vestibular stimulation

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Authors: B. Adebayo, A. A. Adebayo

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Adequate power generation and supply are enormous challenges confronting Nigeria state today. This is a powerful mechanism that drives industrial development and socio-economy of any nation. The present level of power generation and supply have become national embarrassment to both government and the citizens of Nigeria, where over 60% of the population have no access to electricity. This paper is set to review the abundant clean energy alternative sources available in abundance that are capable of boosting power generation. The clean energy sources waiting to be exploited include: nuclear, solar and wind energy. The environmental benefits of these sources of power generation are identified. Nuclear energy is a powerful clean energy source. However, Africa accounted for 20% of known recoverable reserve and uranium produces heat of 500,000 MJ/kg. Moreover, Nigeria receives average daily solar radiation of over 5.249 kWh/m2/day. Researchers have shown that wind speed and power flux densities varied from 1.5 – 4.1 m/s and 5.7 – 22.5 W/m2 respectively. It is a fact that the cost of doing business in Nigeria is very high, leading to winding up of the multi-national companies and then led to increase unemployment level. More importantly, readily available vast quantity of energy will reduce cost of running industries. Hence, more industries will come on board, goods, services, and more job creation will be achieved. This clean source of power generation is devoid of production of green house gases, elimination of environmental pollution, and reduced waste disposal. Then Nigerians will live in harmony with the environment.

Keywords: power, generation, energy, mix, clean, industrial

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Authors: T. O. Adeoye

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In Nigeria prior to the arrival of the colonial masters, there used to be good family relationship, things were done through cooperation and community effort, even training and upbringing of a child was the responsibility of every member of the community. The advent of western education and civilization brought about movement of youths from rural to urban areas. Hence the tie that binds the village life is broken, community as a whole is no more responsible for the upbringing or home training of her children any more. The study investigates adoption of home nursing as a remedy for child labour in Nigeria, considered challenges like poverty, broken homes and illiteracy among others. For the purpose of verification, a survey in form of an opinion poll was conducted by means of interview using questionnaires for about 3000 respondents. However, out of the respondents that were interviewed as regard parental poverty and its resultant effect on a child only 14.2% of the respondent strongly disagreed that children work on the street because their parents are poor. The study shows that possible solutions of effective ways of controlling child labour is home nursing and also promoting and advocating for the policies against child labour in Nigeria.

Keywords: child abuse, child labour, psychological problem, Street children

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Authors: Mona Lisa M. Oliveira, Nara A. Policarpo, Ana Luiza B. P. Barros, Carla A. Silva

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Selective catalytic reduction systems for nitrogen oxides reduction by ammonia has been the chosen technology by most of diesel vehicle (i.e. bus and truck) manufacturers in Brazil, as also in Europe. Furthermore, at some conditions, over-stoichiometric ammonia availability is also needed that increases the NH₃ slips even more. Ammonia (NH₃) by this vehicle exhaust aftertreatment system provides a maximum efficiency of NOx removal if a significant amount of NH₃ is stored on its catalyst surface. In the other words, the practice shows that slightly less than 100% of the NOx conversion is usually targeted, so that the aqueous urea solution hydrolyzes to NH₃ via other species formation, under relatively low temperatures. This paper presents a model based on neural networks integrated with a road vehicle simulator that allows to estimate NH₃-slip emission factors for different driving conditions and patterns. The proposed model generates high NH₃slips which are not also limited in Brazil, but more efforts needed to be made to elucidate the contribution of vehicle-emitted NH₃ to the urban atmosphere.

Keywords: ammonia slip, neural-network, vehicles emissions, SCR-NOx

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Authors: Ahmad Masduki Bin Selamat

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Malaysia is becoming a developed country by the year 2020, the problem is that little is known about the perceptions and curricular values of Malaysian high school students who have taken Living Skills as a subject in the regular public school. How these students perceive technology in their daily lives, in the country’s development and in global context, is not known. The study involved form 4 students from four public schools in Petaling District. The study found that the Petaling District students’ knowledge of technology were good, where 76.6 % of them scored 50% marks and above during the achievement test. In addition, it was also found that only excellent and squatter students perceived technology education as important as a school subject, compared to those students from the urban area. It was found that students preferred business and entrepreneurship topics rather than the other Living Skills curriculum. The study suggests that students should be exposed to technology education from the early years of schooling (preschool to secondary). In addition, the acquisition of skills, the evaluation, revision and modification of the instruction as well as the curriculum should be enforced.

Keywords: technology education, living skills, curricular values, public schools

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Authors: Obinna Afamefuna Echi

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Background: The global increase in the elderly population is anticipated to reach significant levels by 2050, presenting extensive economic, social, and healthcare challenges. Age-related cognitive decline, alterations in brain anatomy, and systemic inflammation are profound concerns that diminish the quality of life and increase susceptibility to diseases like Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. Resistance training is presently studied for its potential neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory benefits in older adults. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effects of different resistance training modalities on neurotrophic factors, inflammatory markers, and cognitive functions in the elderly. Methods: A controlled trial was conducted with 60 male participants aged 60-75, assigned to either 12 weeks of high-intensity blood flow restriction training (BFRT), muscle damaging resistance training (MDRT), or a non-exercising control group. Cognitive function, neurotrophic factors such as BDNF, and inflammatory markers including IL-6 and TNF were measured before and after the intervention period. Setting: Participants were recruited from Kaunas, Lithuania, with sessions facilitated at the Lithuanian Sports University and health assessments conducted at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Results: Preliminary data suggested did not show significant improvements in BDNF levels and cognitive functions in the BFRT and MDRT groups compared to controls. However, there was a notable reduction in inflammatory markers, indicating potential health benefits beyond cognitive enhancement. Conclusion: The incorporation of resistance training can be a strategic intervention to mitigate age-associated cognitive decline and systemic inflammation, thereby enhancing overall health and quality of life in older adults. The results advocate for wider adoption and further study of resistance training as a preventive measure in ageing populations. Funding: The Lithuanian Sports University, the Research Council of Lithuania and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.

Keywords: ageing, resistance training, BDNF, cognitive function

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Authors: Ruixin Zhang, Joel Carboni, Songchenchen Gong

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Since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) officially became the 17 development goals set by the United Nations in 2015, it has become an inevitable trend in project management development globally. Since Sustainability and glob-alization are the main focus and trends in the 21st century, project management contains system-based optimization, and or-ganizational humanities, environmental protection, and economic development. As a populous country globally, with the advanced development of economy and technology, China becomes one of the biggest markets in the wine industry. However, the develop-ment of society also brings specific environmental issues. Climate changes have already brought severe impacts on the Chinese wine market, including consumer behavior, wine production activities, and organizational humanities. Therefore, the implementation of sustainable project management in Chinese wine market is essential. Surveys based analysis is the primary method to interpret how the climate variation effect the Chinese wine market and the importance of sustainable project management implementation for green market growth in China. This paper proposes the CWW Conceptual model that can be used in the wine industry, the new 7 Drivers Model, and SPM Framework to interpret the main drivers that impact project management implementation in the wine industry and to offer the directions to wine companies in China which would help them to achieve the green growth.

Keywords: project management, sustainability, green growth, climate changes, Chinese wine market

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Authors: Connor Dunlop, Bassim Abbassi, Richard G. Zytner

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Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that can be used to assess the environmental impacts of a product or process from cradle to grave. Many studies utilize the LCA methodology within the site remediation field to compare various decontamination methods, including bioremediation, soil vapor extraction or excavation, and off-site disposal. However, with the authors' best knowledge, limited information is available in the literature on a sustainability tool that could be used to help with the selection of the optimal remediation technology. This tool, based on the LCA methodology, would consider site conditions like environmental, economic, and social impacts. Accordingly, this project was undertaken to develop a tool to assist with the selection of optimal sustainable technology. Developing a proper tool requires a large amount of data. As such, data was collected from previous LCA studies looking at site remediation technologies. This step identified knowledge gaps or limitations within project data. Next, utilizing the data obtained from the literature review and other organizations, an extensive LCA study is being completed following the ISO 14040 requirements. Initial technologies being compared include bioremediation, excavation with off-site disposal, and a no-remediation option for a generic gasoline-contaminated site. To complete the LCA study, the modelling software SimaPro is being utilized. A sensitivity analysis of the LCA results will also be incorporated to evaluate the impact on the overall results. Finally, the economic and social impacts associated with each option will then be reviewed to understand how they fluctuate at different sites. All the results will then be summarized, and an interactive tool using Excel will be developed to help select the best sustainable site remediation technology. Preliminary LCA results show improved sustainability for the decontamination of a gasoline-contaminated site for each technology compared to the no-remediation option. Sensitivity analyses are now being completed on on-site parameters to determine how the environmental impacts fluctuate at other contaminated gasoline locations as the parameters vary, including soil type and transportation distances. Additionally, the social improvements and overall economic costs associated with each technology are being reviewed. Utilizing these results, the sustainability tool created to assist in the selection of the overall best option will be refined.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, site remediation, sustainability tool, contaminated sites

Procedia PDF Downloads 43

Authors: Yun-Pang Flötteröd, Jakob Erdmann

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The human behaviors during evacuations are quite complex. One of the critical behaviors which affect the efficiency of evacuation is route choice. Therefore, the respective simulation modeling work needs to function properly. In this paper, Simulation of Urban Mobility’s (SUMO) current dynamic route modeling during evacuation, i.e. the rerouting functions, is examined with a real case study. The result consistency of the simulation and the reality is checked as well. Four influence factors (1) time to get information, (2) probability to cancel a trip, (3) probability to use navigation equipment, and (4) rerouting and information updating period are considered to analyze possible traffic impacts during the evacuation and to examine the rerouting functions in SUMO. Furthermore, some behavioral characters of the case study are analyzed with use of the corresponding detector data and applied in the simulation. The experiment results show that the dynamic route modeling in SUMO can deal with the proposed scenarios properly. Some issues and function needs related to route choice are discussed and further improvements are suggested.

Keywords: evacuation, microscopic traffic simulation, rerouting, SUMO

Procedia PDF Downloads 178

Authors: Ssekamanya, Mastura Badzis, Khamsiah Ismail, Dayang Shuzaidah Bt Abduludin

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With rising incidents of school violence worldwide, educators and researchers are trying to understand and find ways to enhance the safety of children at school. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the demographic variables of gender, age, length of service, position, academic qualification, and school location predicted teachers’ awareness about school safety practices in Malaysian primary schools. A stratified random sample of 380 teachers was selected in the central Malaysian states of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Multiple regression analysis revealed that none of the factors was a good predictor of awareness about school safety training, delivery methods of school safety information, and available school safety programs. Awareness about school safety activities was significantly predicted by school location (whether the school was located in a rural or urban area). While these results may reflect a general lack of awareness about school safety among primary school teachers in the selected locations, a national study needs to be conducted for the whole country.

Keywords: school safety awareness, predictors of school safety, multiple regression analysis, malaysian primary schools

Procedia PDF Downloads 440

Authors: Viviane P. Romani, Bradley D. Olsen, Vilásia G. Martins

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Biodegradable films for food packaging have gained growing attention due to environmental pollution caused by synthetic films and the interest in the better use of resources from nature. Important research advances were made in the development of materials from proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids. However, the commercial use of these new generation of sustainable materials for food packaging is still limited due to their low mechanical and barrier properties that could compromise the food quality and safety. Thus, strategies to improve the performance of these materials have been tested, such as chemical modifications, incorporation of reinforcing structures and others. Cold plasma is a versatile, fast and environmentally friendly technology. It consists of a partially ionized gas containing free electrons, ions, and radicals and neutral particles able to react with polymers and start different reactions, leading to the polymer degradation, functionalization, etching and/or cross-linking. In the present study, biodegradable films from fish protein prepared through the casting technique were plasma treated using an AC glow discharge equipment. The reactor was preliminary evacuated to ~7 Pa and the films were exposed to air plasma for 2, 5 and 8 min. The films were evaluated by their mechanical and water vapor permeability (WVP) properties and changes in the protein structure were observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Potential cross-links and elimination of surface defects by etching might be the reason for the increase in tensile strength and decrease in the elongation at break observed. Among the times of plasma application tested, no differences were observed when higher times of exposure were used. The X-ray pattern showed a broad peak at 2θ = 19.51º that corresponds to the distance of 4.6Å by applying the Bragg’s law. This distance corresponds to the average backbone distance within the α-helix. Thus, the changes observed in the films might indicate that the helical configuration of fish protein was disturbed by plasma treatment. SEM images showed surface damage in the films with 5 and 8 min of plasma treatment, indicating that 2 min was the most adequate time of treatment. It was verified that plasma removes water from the films once weight loss of 4.45% was registered for films treated during 2 min. However, after 24 h in 50% of relative humidity, the water lost was recovered. WVP increased from 0.53 to 0.65 g.mm/h.m².kPa after plasma treatment during 2 min, that is desired for some foods applications which require water passage through the packaging. In general, the plasma technology affects the properties and structure of fish protein films. Since this technology changes the surface of polymers, these films might be used to develop multilayer materials, as well as to incorporate active substances in the surface to obtain active packaging.

Keywords: fish protein films, food packaging, improvement of properties, plasma treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Ozcan Yavas, Berrak Erol Nalbur, Sermin Gunarslan

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A materiality matrix is a tool that organizations use to prioritize their activities and adapt to the increasing sustainability requirements in recent years. For the materiality index to move from business models to the sustainability business model stage, it must be done with all partners in the raw material, supply, production, product, and end-of-life product stages. Within the scope of this study, the Materiality Matrix was used to transform the business model into a sustainability business model and to create a sustainability roadmap in a factory producing electric buses. This matrix determines the necessary roadmap for all stakeholders to participate in the process, especially in sectors that produce sustainable products, such as the electric vehicle sector, and to act together with the cradle-to-cradle approach of sustainability roadmaps. Global Reporting Initiative analysis was used in the study conducted with 1150 stakeholders within the scope of the study, and 43 questions were asked to the stakeholders under the main headings of 'Legal Compliance Level,' 'Environmental Strategies,' 'Risk Management Activities,' 'Impact of Sustainability Activities on Products and Services,' 'Corporate Culture,' 'Responsible and Profitable Business Model Practices' and 'Achievements in Leading the Sector' and Economic, Governance, Environment, Social and Other. The results of the study aimed to include five 1st priority issues and four 2nd priority issues in the sustainability strategies of the organization in the short and medium term. When the studies carried out in the short term are evaluated in terms of Sustainability and Environmental Risk Management, it is seen that the studies are still limited to the level of legal legislation (60%) and individual studies in line with the strategies (20%). At the same time, the stakeholders expect the company to integrate sustainability activities into its business model within five years (35%) and to carry out projects to become the first company that comes to mind with its success leading the sector (20%). Another result obtained within the study's scope is identifying barriers to implementation. It is seen that the most critical obstacles identified by stakeholders with climate change and environmental impacts are financial deficiency and lack of infrastructure in the dissemination of sustainable products. These studies are critical for transitioning to sustainable business models for the electric vehicle sector to achieve the EU Green Deal and CBAM targets.

Keywords: sustainability business model, materiality matrix, electricity bus, carbon neutrality, sustainability management

Procedia PDF Downloads 35

Authors: Moujib Bahri, Rahim Kallel, Ouafa Sakka

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Corruption is a phenomenon that increases uncertainty and risk of SMEs as it undermines the quality of the business environment and the easy access to public services. Our research builds on existing research on corruption's effects on economic growth at the firm level. Several papers have analyzed the effect of firms’ payments of bribes on their performance; however, only limited research has investigated the link between corruption, innovation, and exports. Drawing on principal-agent theory, we explore how corruption weakens the institutional context and makes the business environment unsound and not conducive to innovation and exports. This study employs data from The Enterprise Surveys conducted in Tunisia between March 2013 and July 2014 by the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The main objective of this survey was to gain a better understanding of Tunisian firms’ perception of the environment in which they operate. Since 2011, the country's political situation has become fragile and unstable, and public services are perceived as inefficient and corrupt. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 537 Tunisian manufacturing SMEs using structural equation modeling and path analysis. We find that political instability leads to higher level of corruption, and that excessive business licensing regulations create a fertile ground for bribery. Our findings do not support the greasing hypothesis suggesting that corruption can reduce the negative effect of bureaucratic delays and the hard access of companies to public services related to innovation and exports. Instead, our results support the sanding hypothesis according to which corruption hinders innovation activities and exports. Furthermore, corruption is found to, negatively and significantly, impact firms’ ownership of quality certificates. Our results suggest that, in an environment with a high level of corruption, governments and policymakers interested in assisting SMEs with their innovation and export activities should have a better control on corruption to allow them developing those activities without being forced to bribe government officers.

Keywords: corruption, innovation, exports, SMEs

Procedia PDF Downloads 167

Authors: Xuran Zhang, Huiru Chen

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In recent years, China has made great efforts to cultivate and develop the housing rental market, especially the rental-type public housing, which has been paid attention to by all sectors of the society. This paper takes Hangzhou rental-type public housing as the research object, and divides it into three development stages according to the different supply modes of rental-type public housing. Through data collection and field research, the paper summarizes the spatial characteristics of rental-type public housing from the five perspectives of spatial planning, spatial layout, spatial integration, spatial organization and spatial configuration. On this basis, the paper proposes the optimization of the spatial layout. The study concludes that the spatial layout of rental-type public housing should be coordinated with the development of urban planning. When planning and constructing, it is necessary to select more mixed construction modes, to be properly centralized, and to improve the surrounding transportation service facilities.  It is hoped that the recommendations in this paper will provide a reference for the further development of rental-type public housing in Hangzhou.

Keywords: Hangzhou, rental-type public housing, spatial distribution, spatial optimization

Procedia PDF Downloads 308

Authors: S. R. Shamili, C. Natarajan, J. Karthikeyan

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Rapid growth of world population and widespread urbanization has remarkably increased the development of the construction industry which caused a huge demand for sand and gravels. Environmental problems occur when the rate of extraction of sand, gravels, and other materials exceeds the rate of generation of natural resources; therefore, an alternative source is essential to replace the materials used in concrete. Now-a-days, electronic products have become an integral part of daily life which provides more comfort, security, and ease of exchange of information. These electronic waste (E-Waste) materials have serious human health concerns and require extreme care in its disposal to avoid any adverse impacts. Disposal or dumping of these E-Wastes also causes major issues because it is highly complex to handle and often contains highly toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, brominates flame retardants (BFRs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and phosphorus compounds. Hence, E-Waste can be incorporated in concrete to make a sustainable environment. This paper deals with the composition, preparation, properties, classification of E-Waste. All these processes avoid dumping to landfills whilst conserving natural aggregate resources, and providing a better environmental option. This paper also provides a detailed literature review on the behaviour of concrete with incorporation of E-Wastes. Many research shows the strong possibility of using E-Waste as a substitute of aggregates eventually it reduces the use of natural aggregates in concrete.

Keywords: dumping, electronic waste, landfill, toxic chemicals

Procedia PDF Downloads 159