Search results for: evidence based nursing

Authors: Maryam Kiani, Abdul Basit Kiani

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At larger scales, the performance of cementitious materials is impacted by processes occurring at the nanometer scale. These materials boast intricate hierarchical structures with random features that span from the nanometer to millimeter scale. It is fascinating to observe how the nanoscale processes influence the overall behavior and characteristics of these materials. By delving into and manipulating these processes, scientists and engineers can unlock the potential to create more durable and sustainable infrastructure and construction materials. It's like unraveling a hidden tapestry of secrets that hold the key to building stronger and more resilient structures. The present work employs simulations as the computational modeling methodology to predict mechanical properties for carbon/silica based cementitious materials at the molecular/nano scale level. Studies focused on understanding the effect of higher mechanical properties of cementitious materials with carbon silica nanoparticles via Material Studio materials modeling.

Keywords: nanomaterials, SiO₂, carbon black, mechanical properties

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Authors: Kahil Amar, Meziani Faroudja, Khelil Nacim

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The principal objective of this study is the evaluation of the seismic performance of reinforced concrete frame structures, taking into account of the behavior laws, reflecting the real behavior of materials, using CASTEM2000 software. A finite element model used is based in modified Takeda model with Timoshenko elements for columns and beams. This model is validated on a Vecchio experimental reinforced concrete (RC) frame model. Then, a study focused on the behavior of a RC frame with three-level and three-story in order to visualize the positioning the plastic hinge (plastic rotation), determined from the curvature distribution along the elements. The results obtained show that the beams of the 1^st and 2^nd level developed a very large plastic rotations, or these rotations exceed the values corresponding to CP (Collapse prevention with cp q_CP = 0.02 rad), against those developed at the 3^rd level, are between IO and LS (Immediate occupancy and life Safety with q_IO = 0.005 rad and rad q_LS = 0.01 respectively), so the beams of first and second levels submit a very significant damage.

Keywords: seismic performance, performance level, pushover analysis, plastic rotation, plastic hinge

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Authors: Lazhar Zourgui

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Opuntia species are used as local medicinal interventions for chronic diseases and as food sources, mainly because they possess nutritional properties and biological activities. Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill, commonly known as prickly pear or nopal cactus, is the most economically valuable plant in the Cactaceae family worldwide. It is a tropical or subtropical plant native to tropical and subtropical America, which can grow in arid and semi-arid climates. It belongs to the family of angiosperms dicotyledons Cactaceae of which about 1500 species of cacti are known. The Opuntia plant is distributed throughout the world and has great economic potential. There are differences in the phytochemical composition of Opuntia species between wild and domesticated species and within the same species. It is an interesting source of plant bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds are compounds with nutritional benefits and are generally classified into phenolic and non-phenolic compounds and pigments. Opuntia species are able to grow in almost all climates, for example, arid, temperate, and tropical climates, and their bioactive compound profiles change depending on the species, cultivar, and climatic conditions. Therefore, there is an opportunity for the discovery of new compounds from different Opuntia cultivars. Health benefits of prickly pear are widely demonstrated: There is ample evidence of the health benefits of consuming prickly pear due to its source of nutrients and vitamins and its antioxidant properties due to its content of bioactive compounds. In addition, prickly pear is used in the treatment of hyperglycemia and high cholesterol levels, and its consumption is linked to a lower incidence of coronary heart disease and certain types of cancer. It may be effective in insulin-independent type 2 diabetes mellitus. Opuntia ficus-Indica seed oil has shown potent antioxidant and prophylactic effects. Industrial applications of these bioactive compounds are increasing. In addition to their application in the pharmaceutical industries, bioactive compounds are used in the food industry for the production of nutraceuticals and new food formulations (juices, drinks, jams, sweeteners). In my lecture, I will review in a comprehensive way the phytochemical, nutritional, and bioactive compound composition of the different aerial and underground parts of Opuntia species. The biological activities and applications of Opuntia compounds are also discussed.

Keywords: medicinal plants, cactus, Opuntia, actives biomolecules, biological activities

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Authors: Marios Papaevripidou, Yvoni Pavlou, Zacharias Zacharia

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Embodied cognition and additional (touch) sensory channel theories indicate that physical manipulation is crucial to learning since it provides, among others, touch sensory input, which is needed for constructing knowledge. Given these theories, the use of Physical Manipulatives (PM) becomes a prerequisite for learning. On the other hand, empirical research on Virtual Manipulatives (VM) (e.g., simulations) learning has provided evidence showing that the use of PM, and thus haptic sensory input, is not always a prerequisite for learning. In order to investigate which means of experimentation, PM or VM, are required for enhancing student science learning at the kindergarten level, an empirical study was conducted that sought to investigate the impact of haptic feedback on the conceptual understanding of pre-school students (n=44, age mean=5,7) in three science domains: beam balance (D1), sinking/floating (D2) and springs (D3). The participants were equally divided in two groups according to the type of manipulatives used (PM: presence of haptic feedback, VM: absence of haptic feedback) during a semi-structured interview for each of the domains. All interviews followed the Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) strategy and consisted of three phases: initial evaluation, experimentation, final evaluation. The data collected through the interviews were analyzed qualitatively (open-coding for identifying students’ ideas in each domain) and quantitatively (use of non-parametric tests). Findings revealed that the haptic feedback enabled students to distinguish heavier to lighter objects when held in hands during experimentation. In D1 the haptic feedback did not differentiate PM and VM students' conceptual understanding of the function of the beam as a mean to compare the mass of objects. In D2 the haptic feedback appeared to have a negative impact on PM students’ learning. Feeling the weight of an object strengthen PM students’ misconception that heavier objects always sink, whereas the scientifically correct idea that the material of an object determines its sinking/floating behavior in the water was found to be significantly higher among the VM students than the PM ones. In D3 the PM students outperformed significantly the VM students with regard to the idea that the heavier an object is the more the spring will expand, indicating that the haptic input experienced by the PM students served as an advantage to their learning. These findings point to the fact that PMs, and thus touch sensory input, might not always be a requirement for science learning and that VMs could be considered, under certain circumstances, as a viable means for experimentation.

Keywords: haptic feedback, physical and virtual manipulatives, pre-school science learning, science experimentation

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Authors: Maha Atout, Pippa Hemingway, Jane Seymour

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Background: A mixed method systematic review was undertaken in order to explore issues related to the experiences of health care providers and parents in the care of children with palliative care needs. The aims of this systematic review were to identify existing evidence about the experiences of communication in the care of children with palliative care needs, to appraise the research conducted in this area and to identify gaps in the literature in order to recommend for future related studies. Method: A mixed method systematic review of research on the experience of communication in the care of children with palliative care needs, conducted with parents and health professionals was undertaken. The electronic databases of CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed, OVID, Social Care Online, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest were searched for the period of 2000-2016. Inclusion was limited to studies of communication experience in the care of children with palliative care needs. Result: Thirty-eight studies were found. The studies were conducted in a variety of countries: Uganda, Jordan, USA, UK, Taiwan, Turkey, Ireland, Poland, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Netherland, Lebanon, Spain, Greece, and China. The current review shows that parents tend to protect their children when they are discussing their illnesses with them, particularly where they have a life-threatening or life-limiting condition. The approach of parents towards the discussion of sensitive issues concerning death with their children is significantly affected by the cultural background of the families. Conservative cultures encourage collusion behaviours which tend to keep children unaware of the incurable nature of the disease. The major communication challenges reported by health professionals are facing difficulties in judging how much information should be given to parents, responding to difficult questions, conflicts with families and inadequate skills to support grieving families. Conclusion: It is probably significant for the future studies to consider the change of parent-child communication experience over time in order to understand how the parents could change their interaction styles with their children according to the different stages of their children’s disease. Moreover, further studies are required to investigate the experience of communication of parents of children with non-malignant life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses.

Keywords: children with life-threatening or life- limiting illnesses, end of life, experience of communication, healthcare care providers, paediatric palliative care

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Authors: Yepeng Cheng, Yasuhiko Morimoto

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Customer relationship analysis is vital for retail stores, especially for supermarkets. The point of sale (POS) systems make it possible to record the daily purchasing behaviors of customers as an identification point of sale (ID-POS) database, which can be used to analyze customer behaviors of a supermarket. The customer value is an indicator based on ID-POS database for detecting the customer loyalty of a store. In general, there are many supermarkets in a city, and other nearby competitor supermarkets significantly affect the customer value of customers of a supermarket. However, it is impossible to get detailed ID-POS databases of competitor supermarkets. This study firstly focused on the customer value and distance between a customer's home and supermarkets in a city, and then constructed the models based on logistic regression analysis to analyze correlations between distance and purchasing behaviors only from a POS database of a supermarket chain. During the modeling process, there are three primary problems existed, including the incomparable problem of customer values, the multicollinearity problem among customer value and distance data, and the number of valid partial regression coefficients. The improved customer value, Huff’s gravity model, and inverse attractiveness frequency are considered to solve these problems. This paper presents three types of models based on these three methods for loyal customer classification and competitors’ influence analysis. In numerical experiments, all types of models are useful for loyal customer classification. The type of model, including all three methods, is the most superior one for evaluating the influence of the other nearby supermarkets on customers' purchasing of a supermarket chain from the viewpoint of valid partial regression coefficients and accuracy.

Keywords: customer value, Huff's Gravity Model, POS, Retailer

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Authors: Hoi Nga Ng, Kam Weng Boey, Chi Wai Kwan, Hing Kwan To

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The effectiveness of school-based sexuality education (SBSE) depends largely on adolescents’ attitudes towards sexuality and SBSE. This study examined factors (demographic characteristics, religiosity, and spirituality) associated with students’ sexual attitudes and their views on SBSE. Data were collected via a questionnaire through convenience sampling from three secondary schools. A total of 818 students participated in the study. Male students were generally more permissive in sexual attitudes. Female students were specifically more liberal in attitudes towards abortion, contraception, infection of sexually transmitted diseases, and homosexuality. Higher levels of religiosity and spirituality were negatively associated with permissive sexual attitudes. As in the West, students showed positive attitudes towards SBSE, which provided a fertile ground for SBSE. However, female gender, conservative sexual attitudes, religiosity, and spirituality were positively related to attitudes towards SBSE, which were incongruent with what was found in Western studies. Implementation of SBSE needs to consider factors specific to the local cultural setting.

Keywords: religiosity, school-based sexuality education, secondary school, spirituality

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Authors: Souzan Al Sayegh, Izzeldin Ibrahim, Mercia Van Der Walt, Mohamed Al-Kuwari

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Background: Walking is the most common form of physical activity which can promote a healthy well-being among people of different age groups. In this regard, pedometers are becoming more popular within research and are considered useful tools in monitoring physical activity levels based on individuals’ daily steps. A value of ˂5,000 steps/day is identified as a sedentary lifestyle index where individuals are physically inactive. Those achieving 5,000-7,499 steps/day have a low active lifestyle as they do not meet the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommendations. Moreover, individuals achieving ≥7,500 steps/day are classified as physically active. The objective of this study is to assess the physical activity levels of adult population in Qatar through a pedometer-based program over a one-year period. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis, as part of a longitudinal study, was carried out over one year to assess the daily step count. 'Step into Health' is a community-based program launched by Aspire as an approach for the purpose of improving physical activity across the population of Qatar. The program involves the distribution of pedometers to registered members which is supported by a self-monitoring online account and linked to a web database. Daily habitual physical activity (daily total step count) was assessed through Omron HJ-324U pedometer. Analyses were done on data extracted from the web database. Results: A total of 1,988 members were included in this study (males: n=1,143, 57%; females: n=845, 43%). Average age was 37.8±10.9 years distributed as 60% of age between age 25-54 (n=1,186), 27% of age 45-64 (n=546), and 13% of age 18-24 years (n=256). Majority were non-Qataris, 81% (n=1,609) compared with 19% of the Qatari nationality (n=379). Average body mass index (BMI) was 27.8±6.1 (kg/m2) where most of them (41%, n=809) were found to be overweight, between 25-30 kg/m2. Total average step count was 5,469±3,884. Majority were found to be sedentary (n=1110, 55.8%). Middle aged individuals were more active than the other two age groups. Males were seen as more active than females. Those who were less active had a higher BMI. Older individuals were more active. There was a variation in the physical activity level throughout the year period. Conclusion: It is essential to further develop the available intervention programs and increase their physical activity behavior. Planning such physical activity interventions for female population should involve aspects such as time, environmental variables and aerobic steps.

Keywords: adults, pedometer, physical activity, step-count

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Authors: Panagiotis Kosmas, Panayiotis Zaphiris

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Embodied Cognition (EC) as a learning paradigm is based on the idea of an inseparable link between body, mind, and environment. In recent years, the advent of theoretical learning approaches around EC theory has resulted in a number of empirical studies exploring the implementation of the theory in education. This systematic literature overview identifies the mainstream of EC research and emphasizes on the implementation of the theory across learning environments. Based on a corpus of 43 manuscripts, published between 2013 and 2017, it sets out to describe the range of topics covered under the umbrella of EC and provides a holistic view of the field. The aim of the present review is to investigate the main issues in EC research related to the various learning contexts. Particularly, the study addresses the research methods and technologies that are utilized, and it also explores the integration of body into the learning context. An important finding from the overview is the potential of the theory in different educational environments and disciplines. However, there is a lack of an explicit pedagogical framework from an educational perspective for a successful implementation in various learning contexts.

Keywords: embodied cognition, embodied learning, education, technology, schools

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Authors: Ishit Sheth, Chandrasekhar Jinendran, Chinmaya Ranjan Sahu

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A fourteen degree of freedom (DOF) ride and handling control mathematical model is developed for a car using generalized boltzmann hamel equation which will create a basis for design of ride and handling controller. Mathematical model developed yield equations of motion for non-holonomic constrained systems in quasi-coordinates. The governing differential equation developed integrates ride and handling control of car. Model-based systems engineering approach is implemented for simulation using matlab/simulink, vehicle’s response in different DOF is examined and later validated using commercial software (ADAMS). This manuscript involves detailed derivation of full car vehicle model which provides response in longitudinal, lateral and yaw motion to demonstrate the advantages of the developed model over the existing dynamic model. The dynamic behaviour of the developed ride and handling model is simulated for different road conditions.

Keywords: Full Vehicle Model, MBSE, Non Holonomic Constraints, Boltzmann Hamel Equation

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Authors: Josip Arneric, Blanka Skrabic Peric

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Forecasting of volatility, i.e. returns fluctuations, has been a topic of interest to portfolio managers, option traders and market makers in order to get higher profits or less risky positions. Based on the fact that volatility is time varying in high frequency data and that periods of high volatility tend to cluster, the most common used models are GARCH type models. As standard GARCH models show high volatility persistence, i.e. integrated behaviour of the conditional variance, it is difficult the predict volatility using standard GARCH models. Due to practical limitations of these models different approaches have been proposed in the literature, based on Markov switching models. In such situations models in which the parameters are allowed to change over time are more appropriate because they allow some part of the model to depend on the state of the economy. The empirical analysis demonstrates that Markov switching GARCH model resolves the problem of excessive persistence and outperforms uni-regime GARCH models in forecasting volatility for selected emerging markets.

Keywords: emerging markets, Markov switching, GARCH model, transition probabilities

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Authors: Neda Razavi Kaleibar, Bahloul Salmani

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The present study dealt with the multimodal analysis of two cinematic adaptations of The Great Gatsby as intersemiotic translation. The assessment in this study went beyond the faithfulness based on repetition, addition, deletion, and creation which limit the analysis from other aspects. In fact, this research aimed to pinpoint the role of multimodality in examining the intersemiotic translations of the novel into film by means of analyzing different applied modes. Through a qualitative type of research, the analysis was conducted based on the theory proposed by Burn as Kineikonic mode theory derived from the concept of multimodality. The results of the study revealed that due to the applied modes, each adaptation represents a sense and meaning different from the other one. Analyzing the results and discussions, it was concluded that not only the modes have an undeniable role in film adaptations, but rather multimodal analysis including different nonverbal modes can be a useful and functional choice for analyzing the intersemiotic translations.

Keywords: cinematic adaptation, intersemiotic translation, kineikonic mode, multimodality

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Authors: Irfan Ahmad Afip

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This main research objective is to accurately identify the possibility for a Leptospirosis outbreak severity of a certain area based on its input features into a multivariate regression model. The research question is the possibility of an outbreak in a specific area being influenced by this feature, such as social demographics and hydrometeorological extremes. If the occurrence of an outbreak is being subjected to these features, then the epidemic severity for an area will be different depending on its environmental setting because the features will influence the possibility and severity of an outbreak. Specifically, this research objective was three-fold, namely: (a) to identify the relevant multivariate features and visualize the patterns data, (b) to develop a multivariate regression model based from the selected features and determine the possibility for Leptospirosis outbreak in an area, and (c) to compare the predictive ability of multivariate regression model and machine learning algorithms. Several secondary data features were collected locations in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, based on the possibility it would be relevant to determine the outbreak severity in the area. The relevant features then will become an input in a multivariate regression model; a linear regression model is a simple and quick solution for creating prognostic capabilities. A multivariate regression model has proven more precise prognostic capabilities than univariate models. The expected outcome from this research is to establish a correlation between the features of social demographic and hydrometeorological with Leptospirosis bacteria; it will also become a contributor for understanding the underlying relationship between the pathogen and the ecosystem. The relationship established can be beneficial for the health department or urban planner to inspect and prepare for future outcomes in event detection and system health monitoring.

Keywords: geographical information system, hydrometeorological, leptospirosis, multivariate regression

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Authors: Mahdi Aghaei, Saeid Jamshidi, Mastaneh Hajipour

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Effective factors on the mechanical wellbore stability are divided in to two categories: 1) Controllable factors, 2) Uncontrollable factors. The purpose of geo-mechanical modeling of wells is to determine the limit of controlled parameters change based on the stress regime at each point and by solving the governing equations the pore-elastic environment around the well. In this research, the mechanical analysis of wellbore stability was carried out for Soroush oilfield. For this purpose, the geo-mechanical model of the field is made using available data. This model provides the necessary parameters for obtaining the distribution of stress around the wellbore. Initially, a basic model was designed to perform various analysis, based on obtained data, using Abaqus software. All of the subsequent sensitivity analysis such as sensitivity analysis on porosity, permeability, etc. was done on the same basic model. The results obtained from these analysis gives various result such as: with the constant geomechanical parameters, and sensitivity analysis on porosity permeability is ineffective. After the most important parameters affecting the wellbore stability and instability are geo-mechanical parameters.

Keywords: wellbore stability, movement, stress, instability

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Authors: Tao Peng, Jing Zhao, Yanqing Xu, Jing Cai

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Due to missing/ambiguous boundaries between the prostate and neighboring structures, the presence of shadow artifacts, as well as the large variability in prostate shapes, ultrasound prostate segmentation is challenging. To handle these issues, this paper develops a hybrid method for ultrasound prostate segmentation by combining an optimized closed principal curve-based method and the evolutionary neural network; the former can fit curves with great curvature and generate a contour composed of line segments connected by sorted vertices, and the latter is used to express an appropriate map function (represented by parameters of evolutionary neural network) for generating the smooth prostate contour to match the ground truth contour. Both qualitative and quantitative experimental results showed that our proposed method obtains accurate and robust performances.

Keywords: ultrasound prostate segmentation, optimized closed polygonal segment method, evolutionary neural network, smooth mathematical model, principal curve

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Authors: Vahid Nourani, Atefeh Ashrafi

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Prediction of treated wastewater quality is a matter of growing importance in water treatment procedure. In this way artificial neural network (ANN), as a robust data-driven approach, has been widely used for forecasting the effluent quality of wastewater treatment. However, developing ANN model based on appropriate input variables is a major concern due to the numerous parameters which are collected from treatment process and the number of them are increasing in the light of electronic sensors development. Various studies have been conducted, using different clustering methods, in order to classify most related and effective input variables. This issue has been overlooked in the selecting dominant input variables among wastewater treatment parameters which could effectively lead to more accurate prediction of water quality. In the presented study two ANN models were developed with the aim of forecasting effluent quality of Tabriz city’s wastewater treatment plant. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was utilized to determine water quality as a target parameter. Model A used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for input selection as a linear variance-based clustering method. Model B used those variables identified by the mutual information (MI) measure. Therefore, the optimal ANN structure when the result of model B compared with model A showed up to 15% percent increment in Determination Coefficient (DC). Thus, this study highlights the advantage of PCA method in selecting dominant input variables for ANN modeling of wastewater plant efficiency performance.

Keywords: Artificial Neural Networks, biochemical oxygen demand, principal component analysis, mutual information, Tabriz wastewater treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant

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Authors: Anastasia V. Lazareva

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Nowadays in the light of the evolving multifocal challenges in the sphere of environmental and social difficulties and despite the strong opposition of globalist and anti-globalist movements, we are facing the urgent need of the creation of a vast pool of educated environmentalists through the implementation of relevant university faculties and programs. Considering the threats humanity has tackled these years portrayed in every tiny detail in AGENDA – 2030 –namely, poverty, biodiversity loss, marine and terrestrial pollution, lack of sanitation, and equal rights for all, we must admit that professionals are required to address them all. With this purpose, we have conducted research based on the questionnaires of students, faculty members, and companies’ chief executives and human resources managers on what particular disciplines should be incorporated into the programs in universities and higher institutions to meet the millennium goals and tests. The research is based on the Linkert scale and covers various age groups of students. The topicality of this issue is predetermined by modern reality. The subject of the research is a questionnaire database filled in by 97 students, 17 faculty members of MGIMO University, and 14 companies’ representatives concerning their attitudes towards the implementation of environmental programs of studies in universities and the choice of disciplines required. The study has a limitation -it is based only on one university students' and faculty members’ questionnaires. The methods applied are a questionnaire, content analysis, sampling, and categorization. The findings of this survey imply that all three groups of respondents admit the necessity of implementing environmental programs for studies in higher education. Nevertheless, different groups favor various programs and disciplines to be incorporated into the curriculum.

Keywords: ecology, university studies, environmentalists, education, global challenges

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Authors: Matthew Korey, Jeffrey Youngblood, John Howarter

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Background and Significance: Tannic acid (TA) is a bio-based high molecular weight organic, aromatic molecule that has been found to increase thermal stability and flame retardancy of many polymer matrices when used as an additive. Although it is biologically sourced, TA is a pollutant in industrial wastewater streams, and there is a desire to find applications in which to downcycle this molecule after extraction from these streams. Additionally, epoxy thermosets have revolutionized many industries, but are too flammable to be used in many applications without additives which augment their flame retardancy (FR). Many flame retardants used in epoxy thermosets are synthesized from petroleum-based monomers leading to significant environmental impacts on the industrial scale. Many of these compounds also have significant impacts on human health. Various bio-based modifiers have been developed to improve the FR of the epoxy resin; however, increasing FR of the system without tradeoffs with other properties has proven challenging, especially for TA. Methodologies: In this work, TA was incorporated into the thermoset by use of solvent-exchange using methyl ethyl ketone, a co-solvent for TA, and epoxy resin. Samples were then characterized optically (UV-vis spectroscopy and optical microscopy), thermally (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry), and for their flame retardancy (mass loss calorimetry). Major Findings: Compared to control samples, all samples were found to have increased thermal stability. Further, the addition of tannic acid to the polymer matrix by the use of solvent greatly increased the compatibility of the additive in epoxy thermosets. By using solvent-exchange, the highest loading level of TA found in literature was achieved in this work (40 wt%). Conclusions: The use of solvent-exchange shows promises for circumventing the limitations of TA in epoxy.

Keywords: sustainable, flame retardant, epoxy, tannic acid

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Authors: Baba Mbaye

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In collaborative filtering recommendation systems, a user receives suggested items based on the opinions and evaluations of a community of users. This type of recommendation system uses only the information (notes in numerical values) contained in a usage matrix as input data. This matrix can be constructed based on users' behaviors or by offering users to declare their opinions on the items they know. The cold start problem leads to very poor performance for new users. It is a phenomenon that occurs at the beginning of use, in the situation where the system lacks data to make recommendations. There are three types of cold start problems: cold start for a new item, a new system, and a new user. We are interested in this article at the cold start for a new user. When the system welcomes a new user, the profile exists but does not have enough data, and its communities with other users profiles are still unknown. This leads to recommendations not adapted to the profile of the new user. In this paper, we propose an approach that improves cold start by using the notions of similarity and semantic proximity between users profiles during cold start. We will use the cold-metadata available (metadata extracted from the new user's data) useful in positioning the new user within a community. The aim is to look for similarities and semantic proximities with the old and current user profiles of the system. Proximity is represented by close concepts considered to belong to the same group, while similarity groups together elements that appear similar. Similarity and proximity are two close but not similar concepts. This similarity leads us to the construction of similarity which is based on: a) the concepts (properties, terms, instances) independent of ontology structure and, b) the simultaneous representation of the two concepts (relations, presence of terms in a document, simultaneous presence of the authorities). We propose an ontology, OIVCSRS (Ontology of Improvement Visitor Cold Start in Recommender Systems), in order to structure the terms and concepts representing the meaning of an information field, whether by the metadata of a namespace, or the elements of a knowledge domain. This approach allows us to automatically attach the new user to a user community, partially compensate for the data that was not initially provided and ultimately to associate a better first profile with the cold start. Thus, the aim of this paper is to propose an approach to improving cold start using semantic technologies.

Keywords: visitor cold start, recommender systems, collaborative filtering, semantic filtering

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Authors: Sayed Kifayat Shah, Tang Zhongjun, Mohammad Ahmad, Sohaib Mostafa

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This article investigates consumer’s intention to shift to 5G in the light of disruptive technology innovation. To switch from 4G (Existing) technology to 5G (Disruptive) technology requires not just economic benefits and costs but involves other values too, which aren't yet experienced in the framework of technology innovation. This study extended the valued adaptation (VAM) model by proposing the sustainability values (SVs) construct. The model was examined on data from 361 Chinese consumers using the partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The outcomes prove the significant correlation of sustainability values (SVs) which influences consumer’s switching intentions toward 5G disruptive technology. The findings of this research will be helpful to telecoms firms in developing consumer retention strategies. Some limitations and the importance of the research for scholars and managers are also discussed.

Keywords: value adaptation model (VAM), sustainability values (SVs), disruptive 5G technology, switching intentions (SI), partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM)

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Authors: Ismail Celik, Ismail Sahin, Fetah Eren

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The computer, among the most important inventions of the twentieth century, has become an increasingly important component in our everyday lives. Computer games also have become increasingly popular among people day-by-day, owing to their features based on realistic virtual environments, audio and visual features, and the roles they offer players. In the present study, the metaphors students have for computer games are investigated, as well as an effort to fill the gap in the literature. Students were asked to complete the sentence—‘Computer game is like/similar to….because….’— to determine the middle school students’ metaphorical images of the concept for ‘computer game’. The metaphors created by the students were grouped in six categories, based on the source of the metaphor. These categories were ordered as ‘computer game as a means of entertainment’, ‘computer game as a beneficial means’, ‘computer game as a basic need’, ‘computer game as a source of evil’, ‘computer game as a means of withdrawal’, and ‘computer game as a source of addiction’, according to the number of metaphors they included.

Keywords: computer game, metaphor, middle school students, virtual environments

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Authors: I. Tzoka, V. A. Chirayath, A. Brandt, J. Asaadi, Melvin J. Aviles, Stephen Clarke, Stefan Cwik, Michael R. Foley, Cole J. Hamel, Alexey Lyashenko, Michael J. Minot, Mark A. Popecki, Michael E. Stochaj, S. Shin

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Micro-channel plate photo-multiplier tubes (MCP-PMTs) have become ubiquitous and are widely considered potential candidates for next generation High Energy Physics experiments due to their picosecond timing resolution, ability to operate in strong magnetic fields, and low noise rates. A key factor that determines the applicability of MCP-PMTs in their lifetime, especially when they are used in high event rate experiments. We have developed a novel method for the investigation of the aging behavior of an MCP-PMT on an accelerated basis. The method involves exposing a localized region of the MCP-PMT to photons at a high repetition rate. This pixel-based method was inspired by earlier results showing that damage to the photocathode of the MCP-PMT occurs primarily at the site of light exposure and that the surrounding region undergoes minimal damage. One advantage of the pixel-based method is that it allows the dynamics of photo-cathode damage to be studied at multiple locations within the same MCP-PMT under different operating conditions. In this work, we use the pixel-based accelerated lifetime test to investigate the aging behavior of a 20 cm x 20 cm Large Area Picosecond Photo Detector (LAPPD) manufactured by INCOM Inc. at multiple locations within the same device under different operating conditions. We compare the aging behavior of the MCP-PMT obtained from the first lifetime test conducted under high gain conditions to the lifetime obtained at a different gain. Through this work, we aim to correlate the lifetime of the MCP-PMT and the rate of ion feedback, which is a function of the gain of each MCP, and which can also vary from point to point across a large area (400 $cm^2$) MCP. The tests were made possible by the uniqueness of the LAPPD design, which allows independent control of the gain of the chevron stacked MCPs. We will further discuss the implications of our results for optimizing the operating conditions of the detector when used in high event rate experiments.

Keywords: electron multipliers (vacuum), LAPPD, lifetime, micro-channel plate photo-multipliers tubes, photoemission, time-of-flight

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Authors: Jacopo Baboni Schilingi

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We here describe the theoretical and philosophical understanding of a long term use and development of algorithmic computer-based tools applied to music composition. The findings of our research lead us to interrogate some specific processes and systems of communication engaged in the discovery of specific cultural artworks: artistic creation in the sono-musical domain. Our hypothesis is that the patterns of auditory learning cannot be only understood in terms of social transmission but would gain to be questioned in the way they rely on various ranges of acoustic stimuli modes of consciousness and how the different types of memories engaged in the percept-action expressive systems of our cultural communities also relies on these shadowy conscious entities we named “Reduced Descriptive Structures”.

Keywords: algorithmic sonic computation, corrected and self-correcting learning patterns in acoustic perception, morphological derivations in sensorial patterns, social unconscious modes of communication

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Authors: Petar Sarajcev, Josip Vasilj, Damir Jakus

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This paper presents a novel statistical description of the counterpoise effective length due to lightning surges, where the (impulse) effective length had been obtained by means of regressive formulas applied to the transient simulation results. The effective length is described in terms of a statistical distribution function, from which median, mean, variance, and other parameters of interest could be readily obtained. The influence of lightning current amplitude, lightning front duration, and soil resistivity on the effective length has been accounted for, assuming statistical nature of these parameters. A method for determining the optimal counterpoise length, in terms of the statistical impulse effective length, is also presented. It is based on estimating the number of dangerous events associated with lightning strikes. Proposed statistical description and the associated method provide valuable information which could aid the design engineer in optimising physical lengths of counterpoises in different grounding arrangements and soil resistivity situations.

Keywords: counterpoise, grounding conductor, effective length, lightning, Monte Carlo method, statistical distribution

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Authors: C. F. Jones Couto, L. C. Motlhaolwa, K. Williams

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This article explores the re-imagining of physical education teacher education in South African higher education. Utilising student reflections from a physical education practical module, valuable insights into student experiences were obtained about the current physical education pedagogical approaches and potential areas for improvement. The traditional teaching model of physical education is based on the idea of teaching students a variety of sports and physical activities. However, this model has been shown to be ineffective in promoting lifelong physical activity. The modern world demands a more holistic approach to health and wellness. Data was collected using the arts-based collage method in combination with written group reflections from 139 second-year undergraduate physical education students. This study employed thematic analysis methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the data and extract a broader perspective on the students' experiences. The study aimed to empower student teachers to learn, think, and act creatively within the many educational models that impact their experience, contributing to the ongoing efforts of re-imagining physical education teacher education in South African higher education. This research is significant as the students' valuable insights reflected that they can think and work across disciplines. Sustainable development goals and graduate attributes are important concepts that can contribute to student preparation. Using a multi-model educational approach based on the cultural-historical theory, higher education institutions can help develop graduate attributes that will prepare students for success in the workplace and life.

Keywords: holistic education, graduate attributes, physical education, teacher education, student experiences, sustainable development goals

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Authors: Katherine Karayianis

Abstract:

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have trouble learning in traditional classrooms. These children miss out on important developmental opportunities in school, which leads to challenges starting in early childhood, and these problems persist throughout their adult lives. Despite receiving supplemental support in school, children with ADHD still perform below their non-ADHD peers. Thus, there is a great need to find better ways of facilitating learning in children with ADHD. Evidence has shown that children with ADHD learn best through interactive engagement, but this is not always possible in schools, given classroom restraints and the large student-to-teacher ratio. Redesigning classrooms may not be feasible, so informal learning opportunities provide a possible alternative. One popular informal learning opportunity is educational TV shows like Sesame Street. These types of educational shows can teach children foundational skills taught in pre-K and early elementary school. One downside to these shows is the lack of interactive dialogue between the TV characters and the child viewers. Pseudo-interaction is often deployed, but the benefits are limited if the characters can neither understand nor contingently respond to the child. AI technology has become extremely advanced and is now popular in many electronic devices that both children and adults have access to. AI has been successfully used to create interactive dialogue in children’s educational TV shows, and results show that this enhances children’s learning and engagement, especially when children perceive the character as a reliable teacher. It is likely that children with ADHD, whose minds may otherwise wander, may especially benefit from this type of interactive technology, possibly to a greater extent depending on their perception of the animated dialogic agent. To investigate this issue, I have begun examining the moderating role of inattention among children’s learning from an educational TV show with different types of dialogic interactions. Preliminary results have shown that when character interactions are neither immediate nor accurate, children who are more easily distracted will have greater difficulty learning from the show, but contingent interactions with a TV character seem to buffer these negative effects of distractibility by keeping the child engaged. To extend this line of work, the moderating role of the child’s perception of the dialogic agent as a reliable teacher will be examined in the association between children’s attention and the type of dialogic interaction in the TV show. As such, the current study will investigate this moderated moderation.

Keywords: attention, dialogic TV, informal learning, educational TV, perception of teacher

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Authors: Soumitr Sanjay Dubey, Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, Rahul Shrestha

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In this paper, we have presented a novel approach of calculating eigenvalues of any matrix for the first time on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) using Triangular Systolic Arra (TSA) architecture. Conventionally, additional computation unit is required in the architecture which is compliant to the algorithm for determining the eigenvalues and this in return enhances the delay and power consumption. However, recently reported works are only dedicated for symmetric matrices or some specific case of matrix. This works presents an architecture to calculate eigenvalues of any matrix based on QR algorithm which is fully implementable on FPGA. For the implementation of QR algorithm we have used TSA architecture, which is further utilising CORDIC (CO-ordinate Rotation DIgital Computer) algorithm, to calculate various trigonometric and arithmetic functions involved in the procedure. The proposed architecture gives an error in the range of 10−4. Power consumption by the design is 0.598W. It can work at the frequency of 900 MHz.

Keywords: coordinate rotation digital computer, three angle complex rotation, triangular systolic array, QR algorithm

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Authors: Yuanchao Sang, Zhihao Gong, Longsheng Chen, Long Chen

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Clothing fashion represents a human’s aesthetic appreciation towards everyday outfits and appetite for fashion, and it reflects the development of status in society, humanity, and economics. However, modelling fashion by machine is extremely challenging because fashion is too abstract to be efficiently described by machines. Even human beings can hardly reach a consensus about fashion. In this paper, we are dedicated to answering a fundamental fashion-related problem: what image feature best describes clothing fashion? To address this issue, we have designed and evaluated various image features, ranging from traditional low-level hand-crafted features to mid-level style awareness features to various current popular deep neural network-based features, which have shown state-of-the-art performance in various vision tasks. In summary, we tested the following 9 feature representations: color, texture, shape, style, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), CNNs with distance metric learning (CNNs&DML), AutoEncoder, CNNs with multiple layer combination (CNNs&MLC) and CNNs with dynamic feature clustering (CNNs&DFC). Finally, we validated the performance of these features on two publicly available datasets. Quantitative and qualitative experimental results on both intra-domain and inter-domain fashion clothing image retrieval showed that deep learning based feature representations far outweigh traditional hand-crafted feature representation. Additionally, among all deep learning based methods, CNNs with explicit feature clustering performs best, which shows feature clustering is essential for discriminative fashion feature representation.

Keywords: convolutional neural network, feature representation, image processing, machine modelling

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Authors: M. Zamurad Shah, M. Kemal Ozgoren, Raza Samar

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This paper presents a 3D guidance scheme for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The proposed guidance scheme is based on the sliding mode approach using nonlinear sliding manifolds. Generalized 3D kinematic equations are considered here during the design process to cater for the coupling between longitudinal and lateral motions. Sliding mode based guidance scheme is then derived for the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system using the proposed nonlinear manifolds. Instead of traditional sliding surfaces, nonlinear sliding surfaces are proposed here for performance and stability in all flight conditions. In the reaching phase control inputs, the bang-bang terms with signum functions are accompanied with proportional terms in order to reduce the chattering amplitudes. The Proposed 3D guidance scheme is implemented on a 6-degrees-of-freedom (6-dof) simulation of a UAV and simulation results are presented here for different 3D trajectories with and without disturbances.

Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles, sliding mode control, 3D guidance, nonlinear sliding manifolds

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Authors: Ruomeng Xiao, Zhulin Zong, Longfa Yang

Abstract:

Aiming at the problem that the target signal is difficult to detect under the strong ground clutter environment, this paper proposes a clutter suppression algorithm based on the combination of singular value decomposition and the Mallat fast wavelet algorithm. The method first carries out singular value decomposition on the radar echo data matrix, realizes the initial separation of target and clutter through the threshold processing of singular value, and then carries out wavelet decomposition on the echo data to find out the target location, and adopts the discard method to select the appropriate decomposition layer to reconstruct the target signal, which ensures the minimum loss of target information while suppressing the clutter. After the verification of the measured data, the method has a significant effect on the target extraction under low SCR, and the target reconstruction can be realized without the prior position information of the target and the method also has a certain enhancement on the output SCR compared with the traditional single wavelet processing method.

Keywords: clutter suppression, singular value decomposition, wavelet transform, Mallat algorithm, low SCR

Procedia PDF Downloads 110