Search results for: Pearson residual

Authors: Amir Ikram, Faisal Ijaz, Qin Su

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The empirical study was undertaken to explore the determinants of non-performing loans (NPLs) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector held by the commercial banks. Primary data was collected through well-structured survey questionnaire from credit analysts/bankers of 42 branches of 9 commercial banks, operating in the district of Lahore (Pakistan), for 2014-2015. Selective descriptive analysis and Pearson chi-square technique were used to illustrate and evaluate the significance of different variables affecting NPLs. Branch age, duration of the loan, and credit policy were found to be significant determinants of NPLs. The study proposes that bank-specific and SME-specific microeconomic variables directly influence NPLs, while macroeconomic factors act as intermediary variables. Framework exhibiting causal nexus of NPLs was also drawn on the basis of empirical findings. The results elaborate various origins of NPLs and suggest that they are primarily instigated by the loan sanctioning procedure of the financial institution. The paper also underlines the risk management practices adopted by the bank at branch level to averse the risk of loan default. Empirical investigation of bank-specific microeconomic factors of NPLs with respect to Pakistan’s economy is the novelty of the study. Broader strategic policy implications are provided for credit analysts and entrepreneurs.

Keywords: commercial banks, microeconomic factors, non-performing loans, small and medium enterprises

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Authors: Tshilenge Kabongo, John Kabuba

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The distillery wastewater has become major issues in sanitation sectors. One of the solutions to overcome this sewage is to install the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Economic analysis is fundamentally required for its viability. Integrated anaerobic digestion and advanced oxidation (AD-AOP) in the treatment of distillery wastewater (DWW), anaerobic digestion achieved sufficient biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals of 95% and 75%, respectively, and methane production of 0.292 L/g COD removed at an organic loading rate of 15 kg COD/m3/d. However, a considerable amount of biorecalcitrant compounds still existed in the anaerobically treated effluent, contributing to a residual COD of 4.5 g/L and an intense dark brown color. To remove the biorecalcitrant color and COD, ozonation, which is an AOP, was introduced as a post-treatment method to AD. Ozonation is a highly competitive treatment technique that can be easily applied to remove the biorecalcitrant compounds, including color, and turbidity. In the ozonation process carried out for an hour, more than 80% of the color was removed at an ozone dose of 45 mg O3/L/min (corresponding to 1.8 g O3/g COD). Thus, integrating AD with the AOP can be effective for organic load and color reductions during the treatment of DWW. The deliverable established the best configuration of the AD-AOP system, where DWW is first subjected to AD followed by AOP post-treatment. However, for establishing the feasibility of the industrial application of the integrated system, it is necessary to carry out the economic analysis. This may help the starting point of the wastewater treatment plant construction and its operation and maintenance costs.

Keywords: distillery wastewater, economic analysis, integrated anaerobic digestion, ozonolysis, treatment

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Authors: Mehdi Destani, Asghar Heydari

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Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the association between pathological personality dimensions and emotion dysregulation through the mediating role of Cyberchondria behaviors among users of virtual networks. Materials and methods: A descriptive–correlational research method was used in this study, and the statistical population consisted of all people active on social network sites in 2020. The sample size was 300 people who were selected through Convenience Sampling. Data collection was carried out in a survey method using online questionnaires, including the "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale" (DERS), Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form (PID-5-BF), and Cyberchondria Severity Scale Brief Form (CSS-12). Data analysis was conducted using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings: Findings suggested that pathological personality dimensions and Cyberchondria behaviors have a positive and significant association with emotion dysregulation (p<0.001). The presented model had a good fit with the data. The variable “pathological personality dimensions” with an overall effect (p<0.001, β=0.658), a direct effect (p<0.001, β=0.528), and an indirect mediating effect through Cyberchondria Behaviors (p<.001), β=0.130), accounted for emotion dysregulation among virtual network users. Conclusion: The research findings showed a necessity to pay attention to the pathological personality dimensions as a determining variable and Cyberchondria behaviors as a mediator in the vulnerability of users of social network sites to emotion dysregulation.

Keywords: cyberchondria, emotion dysregulation, pathological personality dimensions, social networks

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Authors: Ayesha S. Rahman, Khaled Haddad, Ataur Rahman

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At-site flood frequency analysis is used to estimate flood quantiles when at-site record length is reasonably long. In Australia, FLIKE software has been introduced for at-site flood frequency analysis. The advantage of FLIKE is that, for a given application, the user can compare a number of most commonly adopted probability distributions and parameter estimation methods relatively quickly using a windows interface. The new version of FLIKE has been incorporated with the multiple Grubbs and Beck test which can identify multiple numbers of potentially influential low flows. This paper presents a case study considering six catchments in eastern Australia which compares two outlier identification tests (original Grubbs and Beck test and multiple Grubbs and Beck test) and two commonly applied probability distributions (Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and Log Pearson type 3 (LP3)) using FLIKE software. It has been found that the multiple Grubbs and Beck test when used with LP3 distribution provides more accurate flood quantile estimates than when LP3 distribution is used with the original Grubbs and Beck test. Between these two methods, the differences in flood quantile estimates have been found to be up to 61% for the six study catchments. It has also been found that GEV distribution (with L moments) and LP3 distribution with the multiple Grubbs and Beck test provide quite similar results in most of the cases; however, a difference up to 38% has been noted for flood quantiles for annual exceedance probability (AEP) of 1 in 100 for one catchment. These findings need to be confirmed with a greater number of stations across other Australian states.

Keywords: floods, FLIKE, probability distributions, flood frequency, outlier

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Authors: Stephanie Guerra-Arias, Stephani Nevarez, Calvin Stewart, Rachel Grodsky, Denis Eichorst

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The objective of this study is to describe the framework for optimizing the heat treatment of alkali silicate glasses, to enhance the performance of hermetic seals in extreme environments. When connectors are exposed to elevated temperatures, residual stresses develop due to the mismatch of thermal expansions between the glass, metal pin, and metal shell. Excessive thermal expansion mismatch compromises the reliability of hermetic seals. In this study, a series of heat treatment schedules will be performed on two commercial sealing glasses (one conventional sealing glass and one crystallizable sealing glass) using a design of experiments (DOE) approach. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) will be measured pre- and post-heat treatment using thermomechanical analysis (TMA). Afterwards, the flexural strength of the specimen will be measured using a four-point bend fixture mounted in a static universal testing machine. The measured material properties will be statistically analyzed using MiniTab software to determine which factors of the heat treatment process have a strong correlation to the coefficient of thermal expansion and/or flexural strength. Finally, a heat-treatment will be designed and tested to ensure the optimal performance of the hermetic seals in connectors.

Keywords: glass-ceramics, design of experiment, hermetic connectors, material characterization

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Authors: B. G. Abiona, A. A. Onaseso, T. D. Odetayo, J. Yila, O. E. Fapojuwo, K. G. Adeosun

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This study determines the perceived effects of work-family balance on employees’ job satisfaction among Extension Agents in the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in southwest Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 256 respondents for the study. Data on personal characteristics, work-family balance domain, and job satisfaction were collected. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), multiple linear regression, and Student T-test. Results revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 40 years; the majority (59.3%) of the respondents were male, and slightly above half (51.6%) of the respondents had MSc as their highest academic qualification. Findings revealed that turnover intention (x ̅ = 3.20) and work-role conflict (x ̅ = 3.06) were the major perceived work-family balance domain in the studied areas. Further, the result showed that the respondents have a high (79%) level of job satisfaction. Multiple linear regression revealed that job involvement (ß=0.167, p<0.01) and work-role conflict (ß= -0.221, p<0.05) contributed significantly to employees’ level of job satisfaction. The results of the Student T-test revealed a significant difference in the perceived work-family balance domain (t = 0.43, p<0.05) between the two studied areas. The study concluded that work-role conflict among employees causes work-family imbalance and, therefore, negatively affects employees’ job satisfaction. The definition of job design among the respondents that will create a balance between work and family is highly recommended.

Keywords: work-life, conflict, job satisfaction, extension agent

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Authors: Dhara Shah, Chandrakant Shah

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As everyone knows, fly ash is a residual material we get upon energy production using coal. It has found numerous advantages for use in the concrete industry like improved workability, increased ultimate strength, reduced bleeding, reduced permeability, better finish and reduced heat of hydration. Types of fly ash depend on the type of coal and the coal combustion process. It is a pozzolanic material and has mainly two classes, F and C, based on the chemical composition. The fly ash used for this experimental work contains significant amount of lime and would be categorized as type F fly ash. Generally all types of fly ash have particle size less than 0.075mm. The fineness and lime content of fly ash are very important as they will affect the air content and water demand of the concrete, thereby affecting the durability and strength of the concrete. The present work has been done to optimize the use of fly ash to produce concrete with improved results and added benefits. A series of tests are carried out, analyzed and compared with concrete manufactured using only Portland cement as a binder. The present study is carried out for concrete mix with replacement of cement with different proportions of fly ash. Two concrete mixes M25 and M30 were studied with six replacements of cement with fly ash i.e. 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60% and 65% for 7-day, 14-day, 28-day, 56-day and 90-day. Study focused on compressive strength, split tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture of concrete. Study clearly revealed that cement replacement by any proportion of fly ash failed to achieve early strength. Replacement of 40% and 45% succeeded in achieving required flexural strength for M25 and M30 grade of concrete.

Keywords: processed fly ash, engineering properties of concrete, pozzolanic, lime content

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Authors: Titap Yazicioglu

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To examine the results of two different surgery in patients with severe ptosis and poor levator function. The records of 10 bilateral congenital ptosis patients, who underwent Whitnall’s sling surgery on one eyelid and frontalis sling surgery on the other were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had severe congenital ptosis(>4mm) and poor levator function (LF<4mm). Data regarding eyelid position, cosmetic outcomes, and postoperative complications were evaluated. All patients were assessed for a minimum of one year with regard to the amount of correction, residual ptosis and lagophthalmos. The study consisted of 10 patients, with an average age of 9.2±2.4 years. Preoperative diagnosis for all patients was noted as, the average LF was 3.4±0.51mm, vertical lid height was 3.5±0.52 mm and margin reflex distance-1 (MRD-1) was 0.4±0.51mm. The mean vertical lid height was measured as 7.1±0.73 mm in the frontalis sling group and 7.2±0.63 mm in the Whitnall’s sling group at the postoperative 1st month control. However, in patients with Whitnall’s sling, revision was performed with frontalis sling surgery due to failure in vertical lid height in the late postoperative period, and an average of 7.5±0.52 mm was achieved. Satisfactory results were obtained in all patients. Although postoperative lagophthalmitis developed in the frontalis sling group, none of them developed exposure keratitis. Granuloma was observed as sling infection in 2(20%) of the patients. Although Whitnall’s sling technique provides a natural look appearance without interfering with the functional result, we did not find it as successful as frontalis sling surgery in severe ptosis.

Keywords: congenital ptosis, frontalis suspension, Whitnall ligament, complications

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Authors: Samson T. Obafemi, Seraphin D. Eyono-Obono

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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are pervasive nowadays, including in education where they are expected to improve the performance of learners. However, the hope placed in ICTs to find viable solutions to the problem of poor academic performance in schools in the developing world has not yet yielded the expected benefits. This problem serves as a motivation to this study whose aim is to examine the perceptions of educators on the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. This aim will be subdivided into two types of research objectives. Objectives on the identification and design of theories and models will be achieved using content analysis and literature review. However, the objective on the empirical testing of such theories and models will be achieved through the survey of educators from different schools in the Pinetown District of the South African Kwazulu-Natal province. SPSS is used to quantitatively analyse the data collected by the questionnaire of this survey using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations after assessing the validity and the reliability of the data. The main hypothesis driving this study is that there is a relationship between the demographics of educators’ and their adherence to learning theories on one side, and their perceptions on the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning on the other side, as argued by existing research; but this research views these learning theories under three perspectives: educators’ adherence to self-regulated learning, to constructivism, and to progressivism. This hypothesis was fully confirmed by the empirical study except for the demographic factor where teachers’ level of education was found to be the only demographic factor affecting the perceptions of educators on the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning.

Keywords: academic performance, e-learning, learning theories, teaching and learning

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Authors: Mohammad Zainie Bin Hassan

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Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a complication commonly seen among men with diabetes which can be assessed based upon International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire. Creatinine level is a blood test that indicates kidney functionality. Object: To evaluate the association between ED, determined by the IIEF-5scores and Creatinine level in diabetic men attending Temerloh Health Clinic, Pahang, Malaysia.Hence, to identify raising Creatinine level related with ED or not. Methods: All married diabetic patients will be investigated face to face after consented for answering the IIEF-5 questionnaire. Creatinine level will be taken by using standard method.Patients with no sexual partner, refuse to answer the questionnaire, cancer, stroke, heart disease and language barrier will be excluded.Data obtained from IIEF-5 score and Creatinine level will be analyzed by using Pearson correlation. All statistical value determined by p=0.05. ED will be categorized accordingly to IIEF-5 scores: no ED (22-25), mild (17-21), moderate (12-16), severe (8-11) and very severe (1-7). Results: A total of 450 patients were investigated with 385 patients were included (85.6% respondant rate) and 65 patients were excluded in this study with age range from 29 to 85 years old. 7% had no ED, 28% mild ED, 34% moderate ED, 16% severe ED and 15% had very severe ED. There was a significant negative correlation between Creatinine level and IIEF-5 scores (r=-0.218, p <0.001). This result implicated that poor kidney function which indicated by high Creatinine level associated significantly with erectile dysfunction. 93% had ED with a different range of severity which triggers for appropriate aggressive ED management among diabetics. Conclusion: The high level of Creatinine is associated with erectile dysfunction among diabetics in Temerloh Health Clinic.

Keywords: correlation, creatinine level, erectile dysfunction, ED, diabetes

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Authors: Hisham A. Hashem, Sameh Galal, Bassem M. Moeshed

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A 36 years old male patient presented to our unit with a history of motor-car accident from 7 months complaining of disfigurement and double vision. On examination and investigations, there was an orbital floor fracture in the left eye with inferior rectus muscle entrapment causing diplopia, dystopia and enophthalmos. Under general anesthesia, a sub-ciliary incision was performed, and the orbital floor fracture was repaired with a double layer Medpor sheet (30x50x15) with removing and freeing fibrosis that was present and freeing of the inferior rectus muscle. Remarkable improvement of the dystopia was noticed, however, there was a residual diplopia in upgaze and enophthalmos. He was then referred to a strabismologist, which upon examination found left hypotropia of 8 ΔD corrected by 8 ΔD base up prism and positive forced duction test on elevation and pseudoptosis. Under local anesthesia, a limbal incision approach with hangback 4mm recession of inferior rectus muscle was performed after identifying an inferior rectus muscle structure. Improvement was noted shortly postoperative with correction of both diplopia and pseudoptosis. Follow up after 1, 4 and 8 months was done showing a stable condition. Delayed surgery in cases of orbital floor fracture may still hold good results provided proper assessment of the case with management of each sign separately.

Keywords: diplopia, dystopia, late surgery, orbital floor fracture

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Authors: Sara Muhammad Elqudah, Vigh László Gergely

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Catastrophic events, such as earthquakes, are sudden, short, and devastating, threatening lives, demolishing futures, and causing huge economic losses. Current seismic analyses and design standards are based on life safety levels where only some residual strength and stiffness are left in the structure leaving it beyond economical repair. Consequently, it has become necessary to introduce and implement the concept of resilient design. Resilient design is about designing for ductility over time by resisting, absorbing, and recovering from the effects of a hazard in an appropriate and efficient time manner while maintaining the functionality of the structure in the aftermath of the incident. Resilient analysis is mainly based on the fragility, vulnerability, and functionality curves where eventually a resilience index is generated from these curves, and the higher this index is, the better is the performance of the structure. In this paper, seismic performances of a simple two story reinforced concrete building, located in a moderate seismic region, has been evaluated using the conventional seismic analyses methods, which are the linear static analysis, the response spectrum analysis, and the pushover analysis, and the generated results of these analyses methods are compared to those of the resilient analysis. Results highlight that the resilience analysis was the most convenient method in generating a more ductile and functional structure from a socio-economic perspective, in comparison to the standard seismic analysis methods.

Keywords: conventional analysis methods, functionality, resilient analysis, seismic performance

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Authors: Yi-Chuan Cheng, Li-Chi Huang, Yu-Shan Chang

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Introduction: The main purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the learning number, care knowledge, care skills and maternal confidence in preterm infant care in Taiwan. Background: Preterm infants care has been stressful for mother caring at home. Many programs have been applied for improving the infant care maternal confident. But less to know the learning behavior in mothers of preterm infant. Methods: The sample consisted of 55 mothers with preterm infants were recruited in a neonatal intermediate unit at a medical center in central Taiwan. The self-reported questionnaires including knowledge and skills of preterm infant care scales and maternal confidence scale were used to evaluation, which were conducted during hospitalization, before hospital discharge, and one month after discharge. We performed by using Pearson correlation of the collected data using SPSS 18. Results: The study showed that the learning number and knowledge in preterm infant care was a significant positive correlation (r = .40), and the skills and confidence preterm infant care was positively correlated (r = .89). Conclusions: Study results showed the mother had more learning number in preterm infant care will be stronger knowledge, and the skills and confidence in preterm infant care were also positively correlated. Thus, we found the learning behavior change significant care knowledge. And the maternal confidence change significant with skill on preterm infant’s care. But bondage still needs further study and develop the participation in hospital-based instructional programs, which could lead to greater long-term retention of learning.

Keywords: learning behavior, care knowledge, care skills, maternal confidence

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Authors: Hacer Unver, Rukuye Aylaz

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Aim: This study was conducted in order to determine the effects of exercising on quality of life in pregnancy. Material and Method: The population of the study was formed by 580 pregnants who were registered to 10 Family Health Center located in the city center of Malatya. The sample of the study, on the other hand, was formed by 230 pregnants who had minimal sample size according to known population sample size calculation. The data of this descriptive study was collected between October 2013 and September 2014 from the Family Health Centers located in the city center of Malatya. The data were collected using pregnant introductory form, exercise benefit and barrier scale, quality of life scale. Percentage distributions, t-test, Variance Analysis (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Pearson Correlation tests were used in the analysis of the data. Result: It was determined that 69.1% of the pregnants participating to the study did not know the benefits of exercising and 89.6% did not exercise. Quality of life mental health scores of those who exercised were determined to be higher and statistically significant (p<0.05). A positive correlation was determined between the exercise benefit scala and physical quality of life scores of the pregnants in this study (0.268, p=0.001). It was also detected that the more exercise performed led to higher total quality of life scores. Conclusion: In consequence, exercising was determined to positively affect the quality of life in pregnants. Therefore, it is recommended that nurses should give education regarding the importance and benefits of exercise during pregnancy in order to increase the quality of life.

Keywords: exercise, midwife, pregnant woman, quality of life

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Authors: Sonia Arradaza-Pajaron

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College students are expected to engage in an on-the-job training or internship for completion of a course requirement prior to graduation. In this scenario, they are exposed to the real world of work outside their training institution. To find out their readiness both emotionally and academically, this study has been conducted. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed and random sampling technique method was utilized among 265 randomly selected third year college students of PIT, SY 2014-15. A questionnaire on Emotional Intelligence (bearing the four components namely; emotional literacy, emotional quotient competence, values and beliefs and emotional quotient outcomes) was fielded to the respondents and GWA was extracted from the school automate. Data collected were statistically treated using percentage, weighted mean and Pearson-r for correlation. Results revealed that respondents’ emotional intelligence level is moderately high while their academic performance is good. A high significant relationship was found between the EI component; Emotional Literacy and their academic performance while only significant relationship was found between Emotional Quotient Outcomes and their academic performance. Therefore, if EI influences academic performance significantly when correlated, a possibility that their OJT performance can also be affected either positively or negatively. Thus, EI can be considered predictor of their academic and academic-related performance. Based on the result, it is then recommended that the institution would try to look deeply into the consideration of embedding emotional intelligence as part of the (especially on Emotional Literacy and Emotional Quotient Outcomes of the students) college curriculum. It can be done if the school shall have an effective Emotional Intelligence framework or program manned by qualified and competent teachers, guidance counselors in different colleges in its implementation.

Keywords: academic performance, emotional intelligence, college students, academic success

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Authors: Zihan Geng, Yifan Hou

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Background: Loneliness is the feeling of being isolated, which is becoming increasingly common among adolescents. A cross-sectional study was performed to determine the association between loneliness and different demographics. Methods: To identify the presence of loneliness, the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) was employed. The "Questionnaire Star" in Chinese version, as the online survey on the official website, was used to distribute the self-rating questionnaires to the students in Beijing from Grade 7 to Grade 12. The questionnaire includes sociodemographic items and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Results: Almost all of the participants exhibited “caseness” for loneliness, as defined by UCLA. Out of 266 questionnaires, 2.6% (7 in 266) students fulfilled the presence criteria for a low degree of loneliness. 29.7% (79 in 266) of adolescents met the criteria for a moderate degree of loneliness. Moreover, 62.8% (167 in 266) and 4.9% (13 in 266) of students fulfilled the presence criteria for a moderately high and high degree of loneliness, respectively. In the Pearson χ2 test, there were significant associations between loneliness and some demographic factors, including grade (P<0.001), the number of adults in the family (P=0.001), the evaluation of appearance (P=0.034), the evaluation of self-satisfaction (P<0.001), the love in family (P<0.001), academic performance (P=0.001) and emotional support from friends (P<0.001). In the multivariate logistic analysis, the number of adults (2 vs.≤1, OR=0.319, P=0.015), time spent on social media (≥4h vs. ≤1h, OR=4.862, P=0.029), emotional support of friends (more satisfied vs. dissatisfied, OR=0.363, P=0.027) were associated with loneliness. Conclusions: Our results suggest the relationship between loneliness and some sociodemographic factors, which raise the possibility to reduce the loneliness among adolescents. Therefore, the companionship of family, the encouragement from friends and regulating the time spent on social media may decrease the loneliness in adolescents.

Keywords: loneliness, adolescents, demographic factors, UCLA loneliness scale

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Authors: Adeyemi Adeyinka, Yemisi Ilesanmi

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

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

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Authors: Maria Sana Amin, Anum Atiq, Haya Fatimah

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Secure attachment in childhood creates a healthy love attitude in the adulthood. Child secure attachment develops a positive relation attitude in their adulthood, similarly, anxiety-avoidant attachment develops negative attitude toward relations. The aim of this paper is twofold: 1) We investigate the relationship between Friendship Attitude and Attachment Styles; and 2) explore the impact of gender on Love Attitudes and Attachment styles. Data was collected by convincing sampling among the students of University of Management and Technology age group 18- 25. The sample consists 60 young adults (Male=36, Female =54). The Love Attitudes Scales subscale Storage was used to measure attitudes towards friendship love and The Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire was used to measure Adult Attachment Style. The result of Independent T-Test analysis shows that there was no significant difference in anxiety for female and male conditions; t (58) =-.768, p=.446 and avoidance for female and male conditions; t (58) =1.63, p=.108. Moreover, also there was no significant difference in friendship love for female (M=27.37, SD=6.371) and male (M=26.08, SD=5.709) conditions; t (58) =-.820, p=.416. Pearson correlation analysis shows significantly negative correlation between love attitude-friendship and attachment style- avoidance, (r=-.433, p=.008) among male and love attitude-friendship and attachment style- avoidance (r=-.438, p=.032) among female. There are no gender differences in attachment styles i.e. anxiety, avoidance and their relationship with friendship love attitude. People have avoidant attachment find it hard to fall in love and develop intimacy, and they tend to search for independence.

Keywords: avoidance attachment style, anxiety attachment style, friendship love attitude, gender difference/similarity

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Authors: Michael Udey Udam

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

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

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Authors: Omid Khaiyat, David Hawkes

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Introduction: There remains a lack of information on sophisticated coordination patterns across shoulder girdle muscles. Considering the stability of the shoulder being heavily dependent on coordinated muscle activity during its wide-ranging movements, it is important that key intermuscular relationships are well-defined for a better understanding of underlying pathology. This study investigated shoulder intermuscular coordination during different planes of shoulder elevation. Materials and Methods: EMG was recorded from 14 shoulder muscles in 20 healthy participants during shoulder flexion, scapula plane elevation, abduction, and extension. Cross-correlation by means of Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) was used to examine the coordination between different muscles and muscle groups. Results: Coordination between rotator cuff and deltoid muscle groups was significantly higher (p =0.020-0.035) during the initial (PCC) = 0.79) and final (PCC = 0.74) phases of elevation compared to the mid-range (PCC = 0.34). Furthermore, a high level of coordination (PCC = 0.89) was noted between the deltoid group and the adductor group (latissimus dorsi and teres major) during the initial stage of shoulder elevation. Conclusion: The destabilising force of the deltoid during the initial stage of shoulder elevation is balanced by coordinated activity of rotator cuff, latissimus dorsi, and teres major. This is also the case for the end-range of movement, where increased demand for stability again leads to higher coordination between the deltoid and rotator cuff muscle groups. Appreciation of the sophistication of normal shoulder function evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for conditions such as subacromial impingement syndrome or shoulder instability can be developed.

Keywords: shoulder, coordination, EMG, muscle activity, upper limb

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Authors: Ibrahim Auwal

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This study focuses on senior secondary education towards the development of younger generation in general terms, and specifically for the enhancement of senior secondary school principals. Investigation was made to correlate between principals’ application of basic principles of educational administration and principals’ productivity in senior secondary schools in Kano State. The instrument used to collect relevant data was self designed Observation Inventory for School Principals (OISP). The observation inventory items were scrutinized by experts from the School of Education Federal College of Education Kano to ascertain the contents validity, and the reliability coefficient was 0.83. Using purposive sampling technique, 30 schools were chosen from 85 senior secondary schools in Kano state and 30 principals were deliberately sampled due to their small number. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r) Coefficient was used to test the hypothesis generated for the study. The results of the analysis showed that principals’ application of basic principles of educational administration was significantly correlated with principals’ productivity and it promote the performance of the students. Based on the findings, it was recommended that, government should in as much as possible encourage school principals to obtain degrees in relevant and specialized areas in education specifically educational administration and planning so as to get all the necessary knowledge and skills of leader ship procedures that will definitely promote teachers morale, improve students’ academic performance and enhances principals’ productivity in senior secondary schools in Kano State.

Keywords: principles of educational administration, principals of senior secondary schools, Kano, educational sciences

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Authors: Chen Chan Wei

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of swim 1500m, 10000m run, VO2 max, and body fat on Olympic distance triathlon competition performance. The subjects were thirteen college triathletes with endurance training, with an average age, height and weight of 20.61±1.04 years (mean ± SD), 171.76±8.54 cm and 65.32±8.14 kg respectively. All subjects were required to take the tests of swim 1500m, run 10000m, VO2 max, body fat, and participate in the Olympic distance triathlon competition. First, the swim 1500m test was taken in the standardized 50m pool, with a depth of 2m, and the 10000m run test on the standardized 400m track. After three days, VO2 max was tested with the MetaMax 3B and body fat was measured with the DEXA machine. After two weeks, all 13 subjects joined the Olympic distance triathlon competition at the 2016 New Taipei City Asian Cup. The relationships between swim 1500m, 10000m run, VO2 max, body fat test, and Olympic distance triathlon competition performance were evaluated using Pearson's product-moment correlation. The results show that 10000m run and body fat had a significant positive correlation with Olympic distance triathlon performance (r=.830, .768), but VO2 max has a significant negative correlation with Olympic distance triathlon performance (r=-.735). In conclusion, for improved non-draft Olympic distance triathlon performance, triathletes should focus on running than swimming training and can be measure VO2 max to prediction triathlon performance. Also, managing body fat can improve Olympic distance triathlon performance. In addition, swimming performance was not significantly correlated to Olympic distance triathlon performance, possibly because the 2016 New Taipei City Asian Cup age group was not a drafting competition. The swimming race is the shortest component of Olympic distance triathlons. Therefore, in a non-draft competition, swimming ability is not significantly correlated with overall performance.

Keywords: triathletes, olympic, non-drafting, correlation

Procedia PDF Downloads 249

Authors: N. Choobkar, M. Rezaeimanesh, A. M. Emami Rad, M. Ghaeni, H. Norouzi, S. Pahlavani, M. S. Tamasoki, E. Nezafatian

Abstract:

Antibiotics are used to increase the immune and wound healing in many animals . But due to the residual effects of a drug , researchers sought to replace them with natural materials such as Plant extracts. Falcaria vulgaris is the most attractive sources of the new drugs. Falcaria vulgaris (locally named Ghazzyaghi/Poghazeh) is a member of Umbelliferae family which grows near farmlands and is consumed as a vegetable in some regions of Iran. In the West of the country, in the wound healing and irregularities in the digestive system is also used. There were no scientific reports available in literature in support of the traditional claims of F. vulgaris in fish. The present study is therefore an attempt to assess the efficacy of this indigenous herb for its healing effect in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Falcaria vulgaris at concentrations of 0, 2 and 10 % with Lophag foods used on wound healing of common carp and immune response, and weight grow and survival during periods of 21 days with feeding 2 times per day on the basis of body weight. The results showed that, compared with the control group, using of concentration 10 % F. vulgaris have significant effect on wound healing and stimulates the immune system by increasing white blood cells (WBC) and weight grow and survival of carp. The herb can used in wound healing, increased resistance to disease and weight grow in fish and the beneficial effects of this combination goes back to man.

Keywords: common carp, falcaria vulgaris, immune response, wound healing

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Authors: Hossein Shareh, Farhad Seifi

Abstract:

The present study was to examine the role of attachment styles, gender schemas, sexual-self schemas, and body image during sexual activity in sexual function, marital satisfaction, and sexual self-esteem. The sampling method was among married women who were living in Mashhad; a snowball selected 765 people. Questionnaires and measures of adult attachment style (AAS), Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), sexual self-schema (SSS), body exposure during sexual activity questionnaire (BESAQ), sexual function female inventory (FSFI), a short form of sexual self-esteem (SSEI-W-SF) and marital satisfaction (Enrich) were completed by participants. Data analysis using Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression and case analysis was performed by SPSS-19 software. The results showed that there is a significant correlation (P <0.05) between attachment and sexual function (r=0.342), marital satisfaction (r=0.351) and sexual self-esteem (r =0.292). A correlation (P <0.05) was observed between sexual schema (r=0.342) and sexual esteem (r=0.31). A meaningful correlation (P <0.05) exists between gender stereotypes and sexual function (r=0.352). There was a significant inverse correlation (P <0.05) between body image and their performance during sexual activity (r=0.41). There is no significant relationship between gender schemas, sexual schemas, body image, and marital satisfaction, and no relation was found between gender schemas, body image, and sexual self-esteem. Also, the result of the regression showed that attachment styles, gender schemas, sexual self- schemas, and body exposures during sexual activity are predictable in sexual function, and marital satisfaction can be predicted by attachment style and gender schema. Somewhat, sexual self-esteem can be expected by attachment style and gender schemas.

Keywords: attachment styles, gender and sexual schemas, body image, sexual function, marital satisfaction, sexual self-esteem

Procedia PDF Downloads 38

Authors: Nataša Stojić, Mira Pucarević, Nebojša Ralević, Vojislava Bursić, Gordan Stojić

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Surface soil (0 – 10 cm) samples from 52 sampling sites along the length of railway tracks on the territory of Srem (the western part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, itself part of Serbia) were collected and analyzed for 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in order to see how the distance from the railroad on the one hand and dump on the other hand, affect the concentration of PCBs (CPCBs) in the soil. Samples were taken at a distance of 0.03 to 4.19 km from the railway and 0.43 to 3.35 km from the landfills. For the soil extraction the Soxhlet extraction (USEPA 3540S) was used. The extracts were purified on a silica-gel column (USEPA 3630C). The analysis of the extracts was performed by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. PCBs were not detected only at two locations. Mean total concentration of PCBs for all other sampling locations was 0,0043 ppm dry weight (dw) with a range of 0,0005 to 0,0227 ppm dw. On the part of the data that were interesting for this research with statistical methods (PCA) were isolated factors that affect the concentration of PCBs. Data were also analyzed using the Pearson's chi-squared test which showed that the hypothesis of independence of CPCBs and distance from the railway can be rejected. Hypothesis of independence between CPCB and the percentage of humus in the soil can also be rejected, in contrast to dependence of CPCB and the distance from the landfill where the hypothesis of independence cannot be rejected. Based on these results can be said that railway transport is a potential source of PCBs. The next step in this research is to establish the position of transformers which are located near sampling sites as another important factor that affects the concentration of PCBs in the soil.

Keywords: GC/MS, landfill, PCB, railway, soil

Procedia PDF Downloads 333

Authors: Junaid Mahmood Alam, Howarh Humaira Ali, Ishrat Sultana

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Long term irregularity in the glycemic state, especially in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, depicted by higher levels of HbA1c, is noted to be correlated with the development of microalbuminuria. The aim of the current study is to investigate the association of urinary microalbumin with HbA1c and with duration of diabetes mellitus in selected male and female T2DM patients. This cross-sectional study was carried out in a total of 70 patients, thirty-five each male and females with diagnosed T2DM, within the age group of 35-60 years. Biochemical parameters of urea, creatinine, urinary microalbumin, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose and post- parendial blood glucose were determined by standard methods. Data was statistically examined by student’s t-test and Pearson’s correlation. Results showed that comparison of healthy control subjects with both male and female T2DM patients depicted significantly elevated levels of all parameters in (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001). Comparison of duration of T2DM with the existence of urinary microalbumin was moderately significant (P < 0.05) when duration was less than 4 years, significant (P < 0.01) with duration of 4-6 years and markedly significant (P < 0.001) with duration of more than 6 years. It is concluded that in male and female T2DM patients, duration of DM as well as poor glycemic control, depicted by higher levels of HbA1c is significantly correlated with elevated levels of urinary microalbumin.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, glycosylated hemoglobin, urinary microalbumin, T2DM, HbA1c

Procedia PDF Downloads 290

Authors: Hao Wang, Shengchun Wang, Weidong Wang

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On the influence of train vibration and environmental noise on the measurement of track wear, we proposed a method for automatic extraction of circular arc on the inner or outer side of the rail waist and achieved the high-precision registration of rail profile. Firstly, a polynomial fitting method based on truncated residual histogram was proposed to find the optimal fitting curve of the profile and reduce the influence of noise on profile curve fitting. Then, based on the curvature distribution characteristics of the fitting curve, the interval search algorithm based on dynamic window’s maximum curvature entropy was proposed to realize the automatic segmentation of small circular arc. At last, we fit two circle centers as matching reference points based on small circular arcs on both sides and realized the alignment from the measured profile to the standard designed profile. The static experimental results show that the mean and standard deviation of the method are controlled within 0.01mm with small measurement errors and high repeatability. The dynamic test also verified the repeatability of the method in the train-running environment, and the dynamic measurement deviation of rail wear is within 0.2mm with high repeatability.

Keywords: curvature entropy, profile registration, rail wear, structured light, train-running

Procedia PDF Downloads 258

Authors: Umaiza Bashir, Ushna Farukh

Abstract:

The present study examined the perspective of school students regarding teacher’s behavioral pattern during a teaching in classroom and its influence on the students’ socialization particularly forming peer relationships with the development of emotional, behavioral problems in school children. To study these dimension of teacher-student classroom relationship, 210 school children (105 girls and 105 boys) within the age range of 14 to 18 years were taken from the government, private schools. The cross-sectional research design was used in which stratified random sampling was done. Teacher-student interaction scale was used to assess the teacher-student relationship in the classroom, which had two factors such as positive and negative interaction. Peer relationship scale was administered to investigate the socialization of students, and School Children Problem Scale was also given to the participants to explore their emotional, behavioral issues. The analysis of Pearson correlation showed that there is a significant positive relationship between negative teacher-student interaction and student’s emotional-behavioral as well as social problems. Another analysis of t-test revealed that boys perceived more positive interaction with teachers than girls (p < 0.01). Girls showed more emotional behavioral problems than boys (p < 0.001) Linear regression explained that age, gender, negative teacher’s interaction with students and victimization in social gathering predicts mental health problems in school children. This study suggests and highlights the need for the school counselors for the better mental health of students and teachers.

Keywords: teacher-student interaction, school psychology, student’s emotional behavioral problems

Procedia PDF Downloads 167

Authors: Kyriaki Kalaitzidou, Athanasia Tolkou, Christina Raptopoulou, Manassis Mitrakas, Anastasios Zouboulis

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Phosphate rock is the main source of phosphorous (P) in fertilizers and is essential for high crop yield in agriculture; currently, it is considered as a critical element, phasing scarcity. Chemical precipitation, which is a commonly used method of phosphorous removal from wastewaters, finds its significance in that phosphates may be precipitated in appropriate chemical forms that can be reused-recovered. Most often phosphorous is removed from wastewaters in the form of insoluble phosphate salts, by using salts (coagulants) of multivalent metal ions, most frequently iron, aluminum, calcium, or magnesium. The removal degree is affected by various factors, such as pH, chemical agent dose, temperature, etc. In this study, phosphate precipitation from the secondary (biologically treated) effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant is examined. Using chlorosulfate (FeClSO4) it was attempted to either remove and/or recover PO43-. Results showed that the use of Fe3+ can achieve residual concentrations lower than the commonly applied legislation limit of PO43- (i.e. 3 mg PO43-/L) by adding 7.5 mg/L Fe3+ in the secondary effluent with an initial concentration of about 10 mg PO43-/L and at pH range between 6 to 9. In addition, the formed sediment has a percentage of almost 24% PO43- content. Therefore, simultaneous removal and recovery of PO43- as ferric phosphate can be achieved, making it possible for the ferric phosphate to be re-used as a possible (secondary) fertilizer source.

Keywords: ferric phosphate, phosphorus recovery, phosphorus removal, wastewater treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 481

Authors: Eze Catherine Chinwe, J. D. Njoku

Abstract:

Background: Palm oil mill effluent is the voluminous liquid waste that comes from the sterilization and clarification sections of the oil palm milling process. The raw effluent contains 90-95% water and includes residual oil, soil particles, and suspended solids. Palm oil mill effluent is a highly polluting material and much research has been dedicated to means of alleviating its threat to the environment. Objectives: 1. To compare Physico-chemical and microbiological analysis of soil samples from POME and non-POME sites. 2. To make recommendations on how best to handle POME in the study area. Methods: Quadrant approach was adopted for sampling POME (A) and Non POME (B) locations. Qualities were determined using standard analytical procedures. Conclusions: Results of the analysis were obtained in the following range; pH (3.940 –7.435), dissolved oxygen (DO) (1.582–6.234mg/l), biological oxygen demand (BOD) (50–5463mg/l etc. For the various locations, the population of total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) ranged from 1.36x106–2.42x106 cfu/ml, the total heterotrophic fungi (THF) ranged from 1.22–3.05 x 104 cfu/ml. The frequency of occurrence revealed the microbial isolates Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus, as the most frequently occurring isolates. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences (P<0.05) in microbial populations among locations. The discharge of industrial effluents into the soil in Nigeria invariably results in the presence of high concentrations of pollutant in the soil environment.

Keywords: effluents, mirobial composition, soil samples, isiala mbano

Procedia PDF Downloads 311