Search results for: block farm program

Authors: Naritphol Boonyakiat

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This research attempts to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and students’ job performance of the Silpakorn University’s internship program within various organizations. The goal of this study is to fill the literature gap by gaining an understanding of corporate social responsibility that fundamentally relate to students’ job performance within the organizations. Thus, this study will focus on the outcomes that derive from selected employers’ qualitative assessment and evaluation forms from various companies. The results represent the perceptions of students towards the corporate social responsibility aspects and their job performance evaluation from the employers in various organizations. The findings indicate that corporate social responsibility has significant effects on students’ job performance. This study may assist us in gaining a better understanding of the integrated aspects of university and workplace environments to discover how to allocate optimally university’s resources and management approaches to gain benefits from corporate social responsibility practices toward students’ job performance within an organizational setting. Therefore, there is good reason to believe that the findings can contribute to research in the area of CSR and students’ job performance as an essential aspect of long-term success sustainability.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, job performance, university students, internship program

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Authors: Asma Alyahya

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This study attempts to elicit the perceptions and attitudes of EFL learners of the Preparatory Year Program at KSU towards dialogue journal writing as an EFL learning strategy. The descriptive research design used incorporated both qualitative and quantitative instruments to accomplish the objectives of the study. A learners’ attitude questionnaire and follow-up interviews with learners from a randomly selected representative sample of the participants were employed. The participants were 55 female Saudi university students in the Preparatory Year Program at King Saud University. The analysis of the results indicated that the PYP learners had highly positive attitudes towards dialogue journal writing in their EFL classes and positive perceptions of the benefits of the use of dialogue journal writing as an EFL learning strategy. The results also revealed that dialogue journals are considered an effective EFL learning strategy since they fulfill various needs for both learners and instructors. Interestingly, the analysis of the results also revealed that Saudi university level students tend to write about personal topics in their dialogue journals more than academic ones.

Keywords: dialogue journals, EFL, learning strategy, writing

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Authors: Somkiat Korbuakaew, Winai Mankhatitham, Anchan Chongcharoen, Wichar Kunkum

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This research’s objective is to evaluate the online broadcasting of Suan Dusit Rajabhat Univeristy by CIPP model. The evaluation was separated into 4 parts: context factor, input factor, process factor and product factor. Sample group in this research were 399 participants who were university’s executive, staff and students. Questionnaires and interview were the research tools. Data were analyzed by computer program. Statistics used here were percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Findings are as follows: 1. Context factor: The context factor here in this research was university’s executives, staff and students. The study shows that they would like to use online broadcasting to be the educational tool and IT development. 2. Input factor: The input factor was the modern IT equipment to create interesting teaching materials and develop education in general. 3. Process factor: The process factor in this study was the publication of the program that it should be promoted more among students and should be more objective. 4. Product factor: The product factor in this study was the purpose of the program that it expands the educational channel for students.

Keywords: evaluation, project, internet, online broadcasting

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Authors: Bisemiire Anthony,

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PESH Poultry is a business project proposed specifically to solve unemployment and income-related problems affecting the youths in the Busia district. The project is intended to transform the life of the youth in terms of economic, social and behavioral, as well as the domestic well-being of the community at large. PESH Poultry is a start-up poultry farm that will be engaged in the keeping of poultry birds, broilers and layers for the production of quality and affordable poultry meat and eggs respectively and other poultry derivatives targeting consumers in eastern Uganda, for example, hotels, restaurants, households and bakeries. We intend to use a semi-intensive system of farming, where water and some food are provided in a separate nighttime shelter for the birds; our location will be in Lumino, Busia district. The poultry project will be established and owned by Bisemiire Anthony, Nandera Patience, Naula Justine, Bwire Benjamin and other investors. The farm will be managed and directed by Nandera Patience, who has five years of work experience and business administration knowledge. We will sell poultry products, including poultry eggs, chicken meat, feathers and poultry manure. We also offer consultancy services for poultry farming. Our eggs and chicken meat are hygienic, rich in protein and high quality. We produce processes and packages to meet the standard organization of Uganda and international standards. The business project shall comprise five (5) workers on the key management team who will share various roles and responsibilities in the identified business functions such as marketing, finance and other related poultry farming activities. PESH Poultry seeks 30 million Ugandan shillings in long-term financing to cover start-up costs, equipment, building expenses and working capital. Funding for the launch of the business will be provided primarily by equity from the investors. The business will reach positive cash flow in its first year of operation, allowing for the expected repayment of its loan obligations. Revenue will top UGX 11,750,000, and net income will reach about UGX115 950,000 in the 1st year of operation. The payback period for our project is 2 years and 3 months. The farm plans on starting with 1000 layer birds and 1000 broiler birds, 20 workers in the first year of operation.

Keywords: chicken, pullets, turkey, ducks

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Authors: Syed Ibrahim, Syed Muneer Ahmed

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It is a global phenomenon that fitness is a pre-requisite to the desired end of optimum efficiency in elite class basketballers achieved through appropriate conditioning program. This study was undertaken to find out the effect of gymnastic oriented training program on the physical fitness and the level of technical performance of basketball players. Method: 27 basketballers were divided into 12 experimental and 15 control groups aged between 19 to 25 years. Physical fitness tests comprising of vertical jump, push-ups, chin ups, sit ups, back strength, 30 m sprint, boomerangs test, 600 m run, sit and reach, bridge up and shoulder rotation and technical skill tests like dribbling, layup shots and rebound collection were used for the study. A pre- and post-test was conducted before and after the training program of 6 weeks. Results: The results indicated no significant difference in the anthropometric measurements of age, height and weight between the experimental and control group as the ‘t’ values observed were 0.28, 1.63 and 1.60 respectively . There were significant improvements in vertical jump, push-ups, sit-ups, modified boomerang test, bridge test and shoulder rotation index with the ‘t’ values being 2.60, 3.41, 3.91, 4.02, 3.55 and 2.33 respectively. However, no significant differences existed in chin-ups, back strength, 30 m sprint and 6000 m run with the ‘t’ values being 2.08, 1.77, 1.28 and 0.80 respectively. There was significant improvement in the post-test for the technical skills tests in the experimental group with ‘t’ values being 3.65, 2.57, and 3.62 for the dribble, layup shots and rebound collection respectively. There was no significant difference in the values of the control group except in the rebound collection which showed significant difference. Conclusion: It was found that both the physical fitness and skill proficiency of the basketballers increased through the participation in the gymnastics oriented program.

Keywords: gymnastic, technical, pre-requisite, elite class

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Authors: Jiaqi Yin, Baofeng Liang

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The rapid development in the fields of computer science and information technology presents new challenges and opportunities for foundational programming education. Traditional programming courses often focus heavily on theoretical knowledge while neglecting students’ practical programming and problem-solving abilities. This paper delves into the significance of programming education based on application abilities and provides a detailed explanation of a reform approach that incorporates project-driven teaching to nurture students with more comprehensive computer science skills.

Keywords: fundamentals of programming, application abilities, pedagogical reform, program design

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Authors: Ho-Dae Chong, Jong-Kil Kim

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Collaborative research has become more prevalent and important across disciplines because it stimulates innovation and interaction between scholars. Seeing as existing studies relatively disregarded the institutional conditions triggering collaborative research, this work aims to analyze the changing trend in collaborative work patterns among Korean social scientists. The focus of this research is the performance of social scientists who received research grants through the government’s Social Science Korea (SSK) program. Using quantitative statistical methods, collaborative research patterns in a total of 2,354 papers published under the umbrella of the SSK program in peer-reviewed scholarly journals from 2013 to 2016 were examined to identify changing trends and triggering factors in collaborative research. A notable finding is that the share of collaborative research is overwhelmingly higher than that of individual research. In particular, levels of collaborative research surpassed 70%, increasing much quicker compared to other research done in the social sciences. Additionally, the most common composition of collaborative research was for two or three researchers to conduct joint research as coauthors, and this proportion has also increased steadily. Finally, a strong association between international journals and co-authorship patterns was found for the papers published by SSK program researchers from 2013 to 2016. The SSK program can be seen as the driving force behind collaboration between social scientists. Its emphasis on competition through a merit-based financial support system along with a rigorous evaluation process seems to have influenced researchers to cooperate with those who have similar research interests.

Keywords: coauthorship, collaboration, competition, cooperation, Social Science Korea, policy

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Authors: Lokvendra S. Budania, Yogesh K Gaude, Vamsidhar Chamala

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Introduction: Congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (CCTGA) is a complex congenital heart disease where there are both atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial discordances, usually accompanied by other cardiovascular malformations. Case Report: A 24-year-old primigravida known case of CCTGA at 37 weeks of gestation was referred to our hospital for safe delivery. Her electrocardiogram showed HR-40/pm, echocardiography showed Ejection Fraction of 65% and CCTGA. Temporary pacemaker was inserted by cardiologist in catheterization laboratory, before giving trial of labour in view of complete heart block. She was planned for normal delivery, but emergency Caesarean section was planned due to non-reassuring foetal Cardiotocography Pre-op vitals showed PR-50 bpm with temporary pacemaker, Blood pressure-110/70 mmHg, SpO2-99% on room air. Nil per oral was inadequate. Patency of two peripheral IV cannula checked and left radial arterial line secured. Epidural Anaesthesia was planned, and catheter was placed at L2-L3. Test dose was given, Anaesthesia was provided with 5ml + 5ml of 2% Lignocaine with 25 mcg Fentanyl and further 2.5Ml of 0.5% Bupivacaine was given to achieve a sensory level of T6. Cesarean section was performed and baby was delivered. Cautery was avoided during this procedure. IV Oxytocin (15U) was added to 500 mL of ringer’s lactate. Hypotension was treated with phenylephrine boluses. Patient was shifted to post-operative care unit and later to high dependency unit for monitoring. Post op vitals remained stable. Temporary pacemaker was removed after 24 hours of surgery. Her post-operative period was uneventful and discharged from hospital. Conclusion: Rare congenital cardiac disorders require detail knowledge of pathophysiology and associated comorbidities with the disease. Meticulously planned and carefully titrated neuraxial techniques will be beneficial for such cases.

Keywords: congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries, complete heart block, emergency LSCS, epidural anaesthesia

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Authors: Andreas Lind, Aitor Iriondo Pascual, Dan Hogberg, Lars Hanson

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Factory setup lifecycles are most often described and prepared in CAD environments; the preparation is based on experience and inputs from several cross-disciplinary processes. Early in the factory setup preparation, a so-called block layout is created. The intention is to describe a high-level view of the intended factory setup and to claim area reservations and allocations. Factory areas are then blocked, i.e., targeted to be used for specific intended resources and processes, later redefined with detailed factory setup layouts. Each detailed layout is based on the block layout and inputs from cross-disciplinary preparation processes, such as manufacturing sequence, productivity, workers’ workplace requirements, and resource setup preparation. However, this activity is often not carried out with all variables considered simultaneously, which might entail a risk of sub-optimizing the detailed layout based on manual decisions. Therefore, this work aims to realize a digital method for assembly manufacturing layout planning where productivity, area utilization, and ergonomics can be considered simultaneously in a cross-disciplinary manner. The purpose of the digital method is to support engineers in finding optimized designs of detailed layouts for assembly manufacturing factories, thereby facilitating better decisions regarding setups of future factories. Input datasets are company-specific descriptions of required dimensions for specific area reservations, such as defined dimensions of a worker’s workplace, material façades, aisles, and the sequence to realize the product assembly manufacturing process. To test and iteratively develop the digital method, a demonstrator has been developed with an adaptation of existing software that simulates and proposes optimized designs of detailed layouts. Since the method is to consider productivity, ergonomics, area utilization, and constraints from the automatically generated block layout, a multi-objective optimization approach is utilized. In the demonstrator, the input data are sent to the simulation software industrial path solutions (IPS). Based on the input and Lua scripts, the IPS software generates a block layout in compliance with the company’s defined dimensions of area reservations. Communication is then established between the IPS and the software EPP (Ergonomics in Productivity Platform), including intended resource descriptions, assembly manufacturing process, and manikin (digital human) resources. Using multi-objective optimization approaches, the EPP software then calculates layout proposals that are sent iteratively and simulated and rendered in IPS, following the rules and regulations defined in the block layout as well as productivity and ergonomics constraints and objectives. The software demonstrator is promising. The software can handle several parameters to optimize the detailed layout simultaneously and can put forward several proposals. It can optimize multiple parameters or weight the parameters to fine-tune the optimal result of the detailed layout. The intention of the demonstrator is to make the preparation between cross-disciplinary silos transparent and achieve a common preparation of the assembly manufacturing factory setup, thereby facilitating better decisions.

Keywords: factory setup, multi-objective, optimization, simulation

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Authors: Anja Gräff, Stefan Holzer, Manfred Höld, Jörn Stumpenhausen, Heinz Bernhardt

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In view of the increasing quantity of 'green energy' from renewable raw materials and photovoltaic facilities, it is quite conceivable that power supply variations may occur, so that constantly working machines like automatic milking systems (AMS) may break down temporarily. The usage of farm-made energy is steadily increasing in order to keep energy costs as low as possible. As a result, power cuts are likely to happen more frequently. Current work in the framework of the project 'stable 4.0' focuses on possible stress reactions by simulating power cuts up to four hours in dairy farms. Based on heart activity it should be found out whether stress on dairy cows increases under these circumstances. In order to simulate a power cut, 12 random cows out of 2 herds were not admitted to the AMS for at least two hours on three consecutive days. The heart rates of the cows were measured and the collected data evaluated with HRV Program Kubios Version 2.1 on the basis of eight parameters (HR, RMSSD, pNN50, SD1, SD2, LF, HF and LF/HF). Furthermore, stress reactions were examined closely via video analysis, milk yield, ruminant activity, pedometer and measurements of cortisol metabolites. Concluding it turned out, that during the test only some animals were suffering from minor stress symptoms, when they tried to get into the AMS at their regular milking time, but couldn´t be milked because the system was manipulated. However, the stress level during a regular “time-dependent milking rejection” was just as high. So the study comes to the conclusion, that the low psychological stress level in the case of a 2-4 hours failure of an AMS does not have any impact on animal welfare and health.

Keywords: dairy cow, heart activity, power cut, stable 4.0

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Authors: Nazli Eslamirad, Peter C. Junk, Jun Wang, Glen B. Deacon

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Since coordination behavior of pyrazoles and pyrazolate ions are widely versatile towards a great range of metals such as d-block, f-block as well as main group elements; they attract interest as ligands for preparing compounds. A variety of rare-earth pyrazolate complexes have been synthesized by redox transmetalation/protolysis (RTP) previously, therefore, a variety of rare-earth pyrazolate complexes using two pyrazoles, 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (Me₂pzH) and 3,5-di-tert -butylpyrazolate (t-Bu₂pzH), in which the structures span the whole La-Lu array beside Sc and Y has been synthesized by RTP reaction. There have been further developments in this study: Synthesizing structure of [Tb(Me₂pz)₃(thf)]₂ which is isomorphous with those of the previously reported [Dy(Me₂pz)₃(thf)]₂ and [Lu(Me₂pz)₃(thf)]₂ analogous that has two µ-1(N):2(Nʹ)-Me2pz ligands (the most common pyrazolate ligation for non-rare-earth complexes). Previously most of the reported compounds using t-Bu2pzH were monomeric compounds however the lanthanum derivative [La(Me₂pz)₃thf₂] ,which has been reported previously without crystal structure, has now been structurally characterized, along with cerium and lutetium analogue. Also a polymeric structure with samarium has now been synthesized which the neodymium analogue has been reported previously and comparing these polymeric structures can support the idea that the geometry of Sm(tBu₂pz)₃ affect the coordination of the solvent. Also, by using 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) instead of tetrahydrofuran (THF) new [Er(tBu₂pz)₃ (dme)₂] has now been reported.

Keywords: lanthanoid complexes, pyrazolate, redox transmetalation/protolysis, x-ray crystal structures

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Authors: Imelda Albert Gisip, Tarisah T. Z. Taman

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In Asia, particularly in Malaysia, women entrepreneurs contribute substantially to economic growth. This paper presents a review of women entrepreneurs’ program, focusing on Creating Millionaires among Young Women Entrepreneurs (CREAM@YWE) program in Sabah Malaysia, which aims to accelerate entrepreneurship among young women in Sabah Malaysia. Entrepreneurs are seen as essential for growth, job creation, and social progress, and the virtues of small business for Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ), the Sabah state government Sabah State development plan for the year 2021-2025. SMJ guides the direction of the government's policies and programs, further guiding the implementation in a planned and strategic manner to achieve targets and goals that coincide with the development needs of the state. One of the government’s agendas is to put more effort into ensuring that women entrepreneurs are well supported and enhanced. Thus, The CreaM@YWE Program was developed in 2018 with the main objective is to produce competitive young women entrepreneurs in Sabah and achieve "millionaire" status. CreaM@YWE Program is an innovation process specifically developed to accelerate the entrepreneurship sector, particularly for women entrepreneurs in Sabah, by incorporating strategic partnerships and collaborations with government agencies and industry players. Being the first of its kind in Sabah, the novelty of this project is providing a supportive ecosystem, including six months of intensive courses guided through "hands-holding”, collaborations with strategic partners, and easy access to government assistance. Since its inception, the program has significantly impacted society’s wellbeing, particularly in empowering young women entrepreneurs in Sabah for the past six years, and has produced many successful women entrepreneurs with “millionaire” status. Generally, improving the women’s enterprise sector in Malaysia needs an overall environment that provides development opportunities for women entrepreneurs, including access to resources and support services. Since achieving the goal of women's entrepreneurship policy requires effective partnerships and inclusiveness, Cream @YWE Program has managed to practice these in assisting small entrepreneurs among young women in Sabah in accessing public goods and business opportunities. This proves that achieving women’s economic empowerment requires sound policies, a holistic approach, and long-term commitment. Thus, this paper presents how the Cream@YWE Program has been supporting Sabah young women entrepreneurs by reforming the business environment to help create opportunities for women while addressing the few existing gender-specific hurdles.

Keywords: young, women, entrepreneurs, Sabah, Malaysia

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Authors: Saheb Yousefi, Kim T. Zebehazy, Parviz Sharifi Daramadi, Tahereh Najafi Fard, Kevin Murfitt

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Context: Children with visual impairments often face challenges in their cognitive, motor, and social development. Sensory-motor and spatial perception therapies can be beneficial for these children, but many existing programs only focus on a limited set of therapies. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program for sensory- motor and spatial perception in reducing the fear of mobility in visually impaired children. Research Aim: The aim of this study is to determine if a rehabilitation program based on parent-child interaction can reduce the fear of mobility in visually impaired children. Methodology: This study uses a semi-experimental approach with an uneven control group design. Visually impaired children aged 10 to 14 and their parents from the Board of the Blind and Visually Impaired in Tehran Province were included in the study. The sample was divided into experimental and control groups, with a total of 30 participants. The experimental group participated in a rehabilitation program for sensory-motor and spatial perception based on parent-child interaction, while the control group did not receive this intervention. Data was collected using questionnaires on transportation issues and analyzed using multivariate and univariate mixed analysis of variance tests. Findings: The analysis of the data showed that the fear of movement was significantly improved in the experimental group compared to the control group after the intervention. Theoretical Importance: This study highlights the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program for sensory- motor and spatial perception based on parent-child interaction in reducing the fear of mobility in visually impaired children. It contributes to the existing knowledge by demonstrating the positive impact of this type of intervention on the cognitive, motor, and social development of these children. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: Data was collected through the use of questionnaires administered to the children before and after the intervention. The data was analyzed using multivariate and univariate mixed analysis of variance tests to examine the effects of the rehabilitation program. Questions Addressed: This study addresses the question of whether a rehabilitation program based on parent-child interaction can reduce the fear of mobility in visually impaired children. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the effectiveness of the sensory-motor and spatial perception rehabilitation program based on parent-child interaction in reducing the fear of movement in visually impaired children. This intervention can be considered as a suitable method to enhance the fear of mobility in these children.

Keywords: vision impairment, sensory-motor rehabilitation, space perception, parent-child interaction, fear of movement.

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Authors: Cory B. Lord

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Falls among the elderly population has become an area of concern in healthcare today. The negative impacts of falls lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and financial burdens for both patients and healthcare systems. Falls in the United States is reported at an annual rate of 36 million in those aged 65 and older. Each year, one out of four people in this age group will suffer a fall, with 20% of these falls causing injury. The setting for this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a memory care unit in an assisted living community, as these facilities house cognitively impaired older adults. These communities lack fall prevention programs; therefore, the need exists to add to the body of knowledge to positively impact this population. The objective of this project was to reduce fall rates through the implementation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) STEADI (stopping elderly accidents, deaths, and injuries) program. The DNP project performed was a quality improvement pilot study with a pre and post-test design. This program was implemented in the memory care setting over 12 weeks. The project included an educational session for staff and a fall risk assessment with appropriate resident referrals. The three aims of the DNP project were to reduce fall rates among the elderly aged 65 and older who reside in the memory care unit, increase staff knowledge of STEADI fall prevention measures after an educational session, and assess the willingness of memory care unit staff to adopt an evidence-based a fall prevention program. The Donabedian model was used as a guiding conceptual framework for this quality improvement pilot study. The fall rate data for 12 months before the intervention was evaluated and compared to post-intervention fall rates. The educational session comprised of a pre and post-test to assess staff knowledge of the fall prevention program and the willingness of staff to adopt the fall prevention program. The overarching goal was to reduce falls in the elderly population who live in memory care units. The results of the study showed, on average that the fall rate during the implementation period of STEADI (μ=6.79) was significantly lower when compared to the prior 12 months (μ= 9.50) (p=0.02, α = 0.05). The mean staff knowledge scores improved from pretest (μ=77.74%) to post-test (μ=87.42%) (p=0.00, α= 0.05) after the education session. The results of the willingness to adopt a fall prevention program were scored at 100%. In summation, implementing the STEADI fall prevention program can assist in reducing fall rates for residents aged 65 and older who reside in a memory care setting.

Keywords: dementia, elderly, falls, STEADI

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Authors: Anwar Hussain, Muhammad Iqbal

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The changes in the prices of the agriculture commodities combined with changes in population and agriculture productivity affect farmers’ profitability and standard of living. This study intends to estimate various domestic terms of trade for agriculture sector and also to assess the volatility in the standard of living and profitability of farmers. The terms of trade has been estimated for Pakistan and its provinces using producer prices indices, consumer price indices, input prices indices and quantity indices using the data for the period 1990-91 to 2008-09. The domestic terms of trade of agriculture sector has been improved in terms of both approaches i.e. the ratio of producer prices indices to consumer prices indices and the real per capita income approach. However, the cross province estimates indicated that the terms of trade also improved for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab while Balochistan’s domestic terms of trade deteriorated drastically. In other words the standard of living of the farmers in Pakistan and its provinces except Balochistan improved. Using the input prices, the domestic terms of trade deteriorated for Pakistan as a whole and its provinces as well. This also explores that as a whole the profitability of the farmers reduced during the study period. The farmers pay more prices for inputs as compared to they receive for their produce. This further indicates that the poverty at the gross root level has been increased. Further, summing, the standard of living of the farmers improved but their profitability reduced, which indicates that the farmers do not completely rely on the farm income but also utilize some other sources of income for their livelihood. The study supports to give subsidies on farm inputs so as to improve the profitability of the farmers.

Keywords: agricultural terms of trade, farmers’ profitability, farmers’ standard of living, consumer and producer price indices, quantity indices

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Authors: Shreyas Jayasimha, Suneel Anand Sundharesan, Rohan Tigadi

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In the recent past, the United States of America and Russia were the only two dominant players in the field of space exploration and had a virtual monopoly in the field of space and technology. However, this has changed over the past few years. Many other nation states such as India, China, and the UK have made significant progress in this field. Amongst these nations, the growth and development of the Indian space program have been nothing short of a miracle. Starting recently, India has successfully launched a series of satellites including its much acclaimed Mangalyaan mission, which placed a satellite in Mars’ orbit. The fact that India was able to attain this feat in its attempt demonstrates the enormous growth potential and promise that the Indian space program holds for the coming years. However, unlike other space-faring nations, India does not have a comprehensive and consolidated space insurance policy. In this regard, it is pertinent to note that, the costs and risks involved in a administering a space program are enormous. Therefore, in the absence of a comprehensive space insurance policy, any losses from an unsuccessful will have to be borne by the state exchequer. Thus, in order to ensure that Indian space program continues on its upward trajectory, the Indian establishment should seriously consider formulating a comprehensive insurance policy. This paper intends to analyze the international best practices followed by other space-faring nations in relation to space insurance policy. Thereafter, the authors seek to examine the current regime in India relating to space insurance policy. Finally, the authors will conclude by providing a series of recommendations regarding the essential elements that should be part of any Indian space insurance policy regime.

Keywords: India, space insurance policy, space law, Indian space research organization

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Authors: Mohammed R. Elkobaisi, Abdelsalam Maatuk

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The search engines are the large scale information retrieval tools from the Web that are currently freely available to all. This paper explains how to convert the raw resulted number of search engines into useful information. This represents a new method for data gathering comparing with traditional methods. When a query is submitted for a multiple numbers of keywords, this take a long time and effort, hence we develop a user interface program to automatic search by taking multi-keywords at the same time and leave this program to collect wanted data automatically. The collected raw data is processed using mathematical and statistical theories to eliminate unwanted data and converting it to usable data.

Keywords: search engines, information extraction, agent system

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Authors: Shenghui Wu, Patricia Chalela, Amelie G. Ramirez

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Background: Cervical cancer (CC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and breast cancer (BC) are diseases that can be prevented/detected through early test. Through educational programs, individuals can become better informed about these cancers and understand the importance of screening and early detection. A community-based educational program was developed to improve knowledge and awareness toward the screening of the three cancer types in a South Texas underserved population. Methods: Residents living in Laredo, Texas were invited to participate in the present study. From January 2020 to April 2021, participants were recruited using social media and flyer distributions in general community. Participants received a free live web cancer education presentation delivered by bilingual community health educators, and online pre- and post-education surveys for CC, CRC, and BC separately. Pre-post changes in knowledge for individual items were compared using McNemar’s chi-squared tests. Results: Overall, participants demonstrated increases in CC (n=237), CRC (n=59), and BC (n=56) screening knowledge and awareness after receiving the cancer screening education (Ps<0.05). After receiving the cancer screening education, 85-97% of participants had an intent to talk to a healthcare provider about CC/CRC/BC screening, 88-97% had an intent to get a CC/CRC/BC screening test in the next 12 months or at the next routine appointment, and 90-97% had an intent to talk about CC/CRC/BC with their family members or friends. Conclusion: A community-based educational program can help increase knowledge and awareness about cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer screening, promote positive changes in population's knowledge and awareness about the benefits of cancer screening.

Keywords: cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, educational program, health knowledge, awareness, Hispanics, screening, health education

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Authors: Mamadou Dione, Eric Matzner-lober, Philippe Alexandre

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The Energy Transition Act defined by the French State has precise implications on Renewable Energies, in particular on its remuneration mechanism. Until then, a purchase obligation contract permitted the sale of wind-generated electricity at a fixed rate. Tomorrow, it will be necessary to sell this electricity on the Market (at variable rates) before obtaining additional compensation intended to reduce the risk. This sale on the market requires to announce in advance (about 48 hours before) the production that will be delivered on the network, so to be able to predict (in the short term) this production. The fundamental problem remains the variability of the Wind accentuated by the geographical situation. The objective of the project is to provide, every day, short-term forecasts (48-hour horizon) of wind production using weather data. The predictions of the GFS model and those of the ECMWF model are used as explanatory variables. The variable to be predicted is the production of a wind farm. We do two approaches: a direct approach that predicts wind generation directly from weather data, and an integrated approach that estimâtes wind from weather data and converts it into wind power by power curves. We used machine learning techniques to predict this production. The models tested are random forests, CART + Bagging, CART + Boosting, SVM (Support Vector Machine). The application is made on a wind farm of 22MW (11 wind turbines) of the Compagnie du Vent (that became Engie Green France). Our results are very conclusive compared to the literature.

Keywords: forecast aggregation, machine learning, spatio-temporal dynamics modeling, wind power forcast

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Authors: Linung Kresno Adikusumo, Ivan Ramos Sampe Immanuel, Liston Sitanggang

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An excellent, well work program in the oil and gas industry can have numerous positive business impacts, contributing to operational efficiency, increased production, enhanced safety, and improved financial performance. In summary, an excellent, well work program not only ensures the immediate success of specific projects but also has a broader positive impact on the overall business performance and reputation of the oil and gas company. It positions the company for long-term success in a competitive and dynamic industry. Nevertheless, a number of challenges were encountered when developing a good work program, such as the poor quality and lack of integration of well documentation, the incompleteness of the well history, and the low accessibility of well documentation. As a result, the well work program was delivered less accurately, plus well damage was managed slowly. Our solution implementing digital technology by developing a web-based database and application not only solves those issues but also provides an easy-to-access report and user-friendly display for management as well as engineers to analyze the report’s content. This application aims to revolutionize the documentation of well history in the field of oil and gas exploration and production. The current lack of a streamlined and comprehensive system for capturing, organizing, and accessing well-related data presents challenges in maintaining accurate and up-to-date records. Our innovative solution introduces a user-friendly and efficient platform designed to capture well history documentation seamlessly.

Keywords: digital, drilling, well work, application

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Authors: Loong Qing Zhe, Foo Jing Heng

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A variety of data files are now available on the internet due to the advancement of technology across the globe today. As more and more data are being uploaded on the internet, people are becoming more concerned that their private data, particularly medical health records, are being compromised and sold to others for money. Hence, the accessibility and confidentiality of patients' medical records have to be protected through electronic means. Blockchain technology is introduced to offer patients security against adversaries or unauthorised parties. In the blockchain network, only authorised personnel or organisations that have been validated as nodes may share information and data. For any change within the network, including adding a new block or modifying existing information about the block, a majority of two-thirds of the vote is required to confirm its legitimacy. Additionally, a consortium permission blockchain will connect all the entities within the same community. Consequently, all medical data in the network can be safely shared with all authorised entities. Also, synchronization can be performed within the cloud since the data is real-time. This paper discusses an efficient method for storing and sharing electronic health records (EHRs). It also examines the framework of roles within the blockchain and proposes a new approach to maintain EHRs with keyword indexes to search for patients' medical records while ensuring data privacy.

Keywords: healthcare sectors, distributed system, blockchain, electronic health records (EHR)

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Authors: A. Harrouz, A. Benatiallah, O. Harrouz

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This paper presents the search for errors in the measurement instruments in a dynamic system of metering liquid or gas and sees the tolerance defined by the international standards and recommendations. We will implement a program on MATLAB/Simulink which is calculated based on the ISO-5167. This program will take the system parameters on considerations such as: the willingness plates, the size of the orifice, the given design conditions, reference conditions, find pressure drop for a given flow, or flow for a loss of given load. The results are considered very good and satisfactory because the errors identified of measuring instruments system are within the margin of error limit by the regulations.

Keywords: analyzing, control, gas, meters system

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Authors: Sibel Karacaoglu, Fatma Ç. Kayapinar

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The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of the core training program on physical fitness characteristics and body composition in male volleyball players. 26 male university volleyball team players aged between 19 to 24 years who had no health problems and injury participated in the study. Subjects were divided into training (TG) and control groups (CG) as randomly. Data from twenty-one players who completed all training sessions were used for statistical analysis (TG,n=11; CG,n=10). A core training program was applied to the training group three days a week for 10 weeks. On the other hand, the control group did not receive any training. Before and after the 10-week training program, pre- and post-testing comprised of body composition measurements (weight, BMI, bioelectrical impedance analysis) and physical fitness measurements including flexibility (sit and reach test), muscle strength (back, leg and grip strength by dynamometer), muscle endurance (sit-ups and push-ups tests), power (one-legged jump and vertical jump tests), speed (20m sprint, 30m sprint) and balance tests (one-legged standing test) were performed. Changes of pre- and post- test values of the groups were determined by using dependent t test. According to the statistical analysis of data, no significant difference was found in terms of body composition in the both groups for pre- and post- test values. In the training group, all physical fitness measurements improved significantly after core training program (p<0.05) except 30m speed and handgrip strength (p>0.05). On the hand, only 20m speed test values improved after post-test period (p<0.05), but the other physical fitness tests values did not differ (p>0.05) between pre- and post- test measurement in the control group. The results of the study suggest that the core training program has positive effect on physical fitness characteristics in male volleyball players.

Keywords: body composition, core training, physical fitness, volleyball

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Authors: Felix Y. Mahenge, Abiud L. Kaswamila, Davis G. Mwamfupe

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Grapevine is a drought resistant crop, although in recent years it has been observed to be affect by climate change. This compelled investigation of grapevine farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change in Dodoma, Tanzania. A mixed research approach was adopted. Likewise, purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select individuals for the study. About 248 grapevine farmers and 64 key informants and members of focus group discussions were involved. Primary data were collected through surveys, discussions, interviews, and observations, while secondary data were collected through documentary reviews. Quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics by means of IBM (SPSS) software while the qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The findings indicate that climate change has adversely affected grapevine production leading to the occurrence of grapevine pests and diseases, drought which increases costs for irrigation and uncertainties which affect grapevine markets. For the purpose of lessening grapevine production constraints due to climate change, farmers have been using several adaptation strategies. Some of the strategies include application of pesticides, use of scarers to threaten birds, irrigation, timed pruning, manure fertilisers and diversification to other farm or non-farm activities. The use of pesticides and industrial fertilizers were regarded as increasing human health risks in the study area. The researchers recommend that the Tanzania government should strengthen the agricultural extension services in the study area so that the farmers undertake adaptation strategies with the consideration of human health safety.

Keywords: grapevine farmers, adaptation, climate change, human health

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Authors: Mohd Fairus Humar, Ibrahim Sulaiman, Pedro Cruz, Hasry Harun

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This paper presents the propose knowledge transfer program on railway signaling and communication by Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Thales Portugal. The fundamental issue is that there is no rail related course offered by local universities and colleges in Malaysia which could be an option to pursue student career path. Currently, dedicated trainings related to the rail technology are provided by in-house training academies established by the respective rail operators such as Malaysia Railway Academy (MyRA) and Rapid Rail Training Centre. In this matter, the content of training and facilities need to be strengthened to keep up-to-date with the dynamic evolvement of the rail technology. This is because rail products have evolved to be more sophisticated and embedded with high technology components which no longer exist in the mechanical form alone but combined with electronics, information technology and others. These demand for a workforce imbued with knowledge, multi-skills and competency to deal with specialized technical areas. Talent is needed to support sustainability in Southeast Asia. Keeping the above factors in mind, an Industrial Collaboration Program (ICP) was carried out to transfer knowledge on curricula of railway signaling and communication to a selected railway operators and tertiary educational institution in Malaysia. In order to achieve the aim, a partnership was formed between Technical Depository Agency (TDA), Thales Portugal and MyRA for two years with three main stages of program implementation comprising of: i) training on basic railway signaling and communication for 1 month with Thales in Malaysia; ii) training on advance railway signaling and communication for 4 months with Thales in Portugal and; iii) a series of workshop. Two workshops were convened to develop and harmonize curricula of railway signaling and communication course and were followed by one training for installation equipment of railway signaling and Controlled Train Centre (CTC) system from Thales Portugal. With active involvement from Technical Depository Agency (TDA), railway operators, universities, and colleges, in planning, executing, monitoring, control and closure, the program module of railway signaling and communication course with a lab railway signaling field equipment and CTC simulator were developed. Through this program, contributions from various parties help to build committed societies to engage important issues in relation to railway signaling and communication towards creating a sustainable future.

Keywords: knowledge transfer program, railway signaling and communication, curricula, module and teaching aid simulator

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Authors: Francesco Ruscio, Paolo Paoletti, Jens Thomas, Paul Myers, Sebastiano Fichera

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This paper presents the development of a low-cost monitoring system for a hydroponic urban vertical farm, enabling its automation and a quantitative assessment of the farm performance. Urban farming has seen increasing interest in the last decade thanks to the development of energy efficient and affordable LED lights; however, the optimal configuration of such systems (i.e. amount of nutrients, light-on time, ambient temperature etc.) is mostly based on the farmers’ experience and empirical guidelines. Moreover, even if simple, the maintenance of such systems is labor intensive as it requires water to be topped-up periodically, mixing of the nutrients etc. To unlock the full potential of urban farming, a quantitative understanding of the role that each variable plays in the growth of the plants is needed, together with a higher degree of automation. The low-cost monitoring system proposed in this paper is a step toward filling this knowledge and technological gap, as it enables collection of sensor data related to water and air temperature, water level, humidity, pressure, light intensity, pH and electric conductivity without requiring any human intervention. More sensors and actuators can also easily be added thanks to the modular design of the proposed platform. Data can be accessed remotely via a simple web interface. The proposed platform can be used both for quantitatively optimizing the setup of the farms and for automating some of the most labor-intensive maintenance activities. Moreover, such monitoring system can also potentially be used for high-level decision making, once enough data are collected.

Keywords: automation, hydroponics, internet of things, monitoring system, urban farming

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Authors: Cornelius Ehlers, Lisa Harmatiuk, Sharon Rowland, Michelle Shafers

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The objective of the Street Connect program is to provide client-centered care for the homeless population within the City of Red Deer. The program aims to provide an extended continuum of care (addiction, mental health, and physical health) for high acuity homeless individuals who are not connected to a service provider and/or community service agency. Street Connect includes both primary and secondary streams of service: Overall, Street Connect has demonstrated its ability to support vulnerable populations within the City of Red Deer, specifically those who are homeless and seeking addiction, mental health, and medical assistance. The results from the data extract and chart audit reflect the complexity and vulnerability of the clients enrolled in the Street Connect program. The clients were predominantly male, with an average age of 41 years. The majority did not have a permanent address, and 65% did not have employment. Substance abuse/addiction issues were common, combined with a history of psychiatric diagnoses and previous mental health hospitalizations. The most utilized drugs were street drugs such as methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other opioids.

Keywords: client-centred care, homelessness, mental health, rural

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Authors: Alok Kumar, Hari Ram, Lebin Thomas, Ved Pal Singh

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Organic solvent tolerant amylases and proteases of microbial origin are in great demand for their application in transglycosylation of water-insoluble flavanoids and in peptide synthesizing reaction in organic media. Most of the amylases and proteases are unstable in presence of organic solvent. In the present work two different bacterial strains M-11 and VP-07 were isolated from the soil sample of a dairy farm in Delhi, India, for the efficient production of extracellular amylase and protease through their screening on starch agar (SA) and skimmed milk agar (SMA) plates, respectively. Both the strains (M-11 and VP-07) were identified based on morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. After analysis through Ez-Taxon software, the strains M-11 and VP-07 were found to have maximum pairwise similarity of 98.63% and 100% with Bacillus subtilis subsp. inaquosorum BGSC 3A28 and Bacillus anthracis ATCC 14578 and were therefore identified as Bacillus sp. UKS1 and Bacillus sp. UKS2, respectively. Time course study of enzyme activity and bacterial growth has shown that both strains exhibited typical sigmoid growth behavior and maximum production of amylase (180 U/ml) and protease (78 U/ml) by these strains (UKS1 and UKS2) was commenced during stationary phase of growth at 24 and 20 h, respectively. Thereafter, both amylase and protease were tested for their tolerance towards organic solvents and were found to be active as well stable in p-xylene (130% and 115%), chloroform (110% and 112%), isooctane (119% and 107%), benzene (121% and 104%), n-hexane (116% and 103%) and toluene (112% and 101%, respectively). Owing to such properties, these enzymes can be exploited for their potential application in industries for organic synthesis.

Keywords: amylase, enzyme activity, industrial applications, organic solvent tolerant, protease

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Authors: U. Tumaini, J. Msuya

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Food insecurity is a worrying challenge worldwide with sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania being the most affected. Although factors that influence household food access security status and ways of coping with such factors have been examined, little has been reported on how these coping strategies vary along the urban-rural continuum especially in medium-sized towns. The purpose of this study was to identify food insecurity coping strategies employed by households and assess whether they are similar along the urban-rural continuum. The study was cross-sectional in design whereby a random sample of 279 households was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 software. It was revealed that the proportion of households relying on less preferred and quality foods, eating fewer meals per day, undertaking work for food or money, performing farm and off-farm activities, and selling fall back assets was higher in rural settings compared to urban and peri-urban areas. Similarly, more households in urban and peri-urban areas cope with food access insecurity by having strict food budgets compared to those in rural households (p ≤ 0.001). The study concludes that food insecurity coping strategies vary significantly from one spatial entity to another. It is thereby recommended that poor, particularly rural households should be supported to diversify their income-generating activities not only for food security purposes during times of food shortage but also as businesses aimed at increasing their household incomes.

Keywords: food coping strategies, household food insecurity, medium-sized towns, urban-rural continuum

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Authors: Osama Brinji, Wing Kong Chiu, Graham Tew

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Understanding the stability of rail ballast is one of the most important aspects in the railways. An unstable track may cause some issues such as unnecessary vibration and ultimately loss of track quality. The track foundation plays an important role in the stabilization of the railway. The dynamic response of rail ballast in the vicinity of the rail sleeper can affect the stability of the rail track and this has not been studied in detail. A review of literature showed that most of the works focused on the area under the concrete sleeper. Although there are some theories about the shear (longitudinal) effect of the rail ballast, these have not properly been studied and hence are not well understood. The stability of a rail track will depend on the compactness of the ballast in its vicinity. This paper will try to determine the dynamic response of the ballast to identify its resonant behaviour. This preliminary research is one of several studies that examine the vibration response of the granular materials. The main aim is to use this information for future design of sleepers to ensure that any dynamic response of the sleeper will not compromise the state of compactness of the ballast. This paper will report on the dependence of damping and the natural frequency of the ballast as a function of depth and distance from the point of excitation introduced through a concrete block. The concrete block is used to simulate a sleeper and the ballast is simulated with gravel. In spite of these approximations, the results presented in the paper will show an agreement with theories and the assumptions that are used in study the mechanical behaviour of the rail ballast.

Keywords: ballast, dynamic response, sleeper, stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 491