Search results for: employee safety behavior

Authors: Moien Mojabi, Aurelien Hospital, Daniel Potts, Chris Young, Albert Leung

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The wave analysis is an integral part of the hydrotechnical assessment carried out during the permitting and design phases for coastal structures, such as marinas. This analysis aims in quantifying: i) the Suitability of the coastal structure design against Small Craft Harbour wave tranquility safety criterion; ii) Potential environmental impacts of the structure (e.g., effect on wave, flow, and sediment transport); iii) Mooring and dock design and iv) Requirements set by regulatory agency’s (e.g., WSA section 11 application). While a complex three-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling approach can be applied on large-scale projects, the need for an efficient and reliable wave analysis method suitable for smaller scale marina projects was identified. As a result, Tetra Tech has developed and applied an integrated analysis framework (hereafter TT approach), which takes the advantage of the state-of-the-art numerical models while preserving the level of simplicity that fits smaller scale projects. The present paper aims to describe the TT approach and highlight the key advantages of using this integrated framework in lake marina projects. The core of this methodology is made by integrating wind, water level, bathymetry, and structure geometry data. To respond to the needs of specific projects, several add-on modules have been added to the core of the TT approach. The main advantages of this method over the simplified analytical approaches are i) Accounting for the proper physics of the lake through the modelling of the entire lake (capturing real lake geometry) instead of a simplified fetch approach; ii) Providing a more realistic representation of the waves by modelling random waves instead of monochromatic waves; iii) Modelling wave-structure interaction (e.g. wave transmission/reflection application for floating structures and piles amongst others); iv) Accounting for wave interaction with the lakebed (e.g. bottom friction, refraction, and breaking); v) Providing the inputs for flow and sediment transport assessment at the project site; vi) Taking in consideration historical and geographical variations of the wind field; and vii) Independence of the scale of the reservoir under study. Overall, in comparison with simplified analytical approaches, this integrated framework provides a more realistic and reliable estimation of wave parameters (and its spatial distribution) in lake marinas, leading to a realistic hydrotechnical assessment accessible to any project size, from the development of a new marina to marina expansion and pile replacement. Tetra Tech has successfully utilized this approach since many years in the Okanagan area.

Keywords: wave modelling, wind-wave, extreme value analysis, marina

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Authors: Isabel Carrero, Raquel Redondo, Carmen Valor

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An unclosed issue in sustainable consumption (SC) literature is the relationship between SC and well-being. This paper seeks to address three limitations in past research. First, well-being has been measured as a single-faceted construct. However, other authors have defended the need to broaden the well-being construct since it goes beyond the emotional experiences and life satisfaction. By examining the relationship between SC and the multifaceted construct of psychological well-being, past contradictory results may be reconciled. To illustrate, past studies have shown that sustainable consumers experience negative emotions when they become aware of the harm that human beings inflict on the planet but they realize they have limited power to solving the problem or when they find limited alternatives or useful information to make sustainable decisions. Thus, these experiences may negatively affect the dimension of well-being 'environmental mastery'. However, as past studies have demonstrated that sustainable consumers feel meaningful, their assessment of the dimension 'purpose in life' would be positive. Thus, we need to understand how SC impinge on the different facets of psychological well-being, in order to better understand the relationship between SC and well-being. Another limitation of past research is that most studies failed to distinguish among different pro-environmental actions under SC (i.e., boycotting, buycotting) among others. For instance, activists have been found to experience higher levels of well-being and sense of meaning than less committed sustainable consumers but also burnt-out and social rejection, which should affect negatively the dimension of 'positive relations'. Finally, the influence of gender has been overlooked in the literature of SC and well-being when it has been identified consistently as a moderator variable in SC. Therefore, this study aims to (1) investigate the effect of SC on the six facets of psychological well-being, (2) distinguish between conventional SC behaviors vs. activism to examine whether these behaviors influence psychological well-being differently (3) and test gender as a moderator variable. It does so by surveying 861 individuals. This paper contributes to existing literature by showing that the relationship between well-being and SC is more intricate than it has been presented in previous literature, as it depends on the facet, the type of behavior carried out and gender.

Keywords: activism, gender, psychological well-being, structural equation modelling, sustainable consumption

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Authors: Julianne Mullen-Williams

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This paper will provide an overview of a three year mixed methods research project that explores if methods from the supervision of dramatherapy can augment the occupational psychology of newly qualified secondary school teachers. It will consider how creativity and the use of metaphor, as applied in the supervision of dramatherapists, can be translated to an educational context in order to explore the explicit / implicit dynamics between the teacher trainee/ newly qualified teacher and the organisation in order to support the super objective in training for teaching; how to ‘be a teacher.’ There is growing evidence that attrition rates among teachers are rising after only five years of service owing to too many national initiatives, an unmanageable curriculum and deteriorating student discipline. The fieldwork conducted entailed facilitating a reflective space for Newly Qualified Teachers from all subject areas, using methods from the supervision of dramatherapy, to explore the social and emotional aspects of teaching and learning with the ultimate aim of improving the occupational psychology of teachers. Clinical supervision is a formal process of professional support and learning which permits individual practitioners in frontline service jobs; counsellors, psychologists, dramatherapists, social workers and nurses to expand their knowledge and proficiency, take responsibility for their own practice, and improve client protection and safety of care in complex clinical situations. It is deemed integral to continued professional practice to safeguard vulnerable people and to reduce practitioner burnout. Dramatherapy supervision incorporates all of the above but utilises creative methods as a tool to gain insight and a deeper understanding of the situation. Creativity and the use of metaphor enable the supervisee to gain an aerial view of the situation they are exploring. The word metaphor in Greek means to ‘carry across’ indicating a transfer of meaning form one frame of reference to another. The supervision support was incorporated into each group’s induction training programme. The first year group attended fortnightly one hour sessions, the second group received two one hour sessions every term. The existing literature on the supervision and mentoring of secondary school teacher trainees calls for changes in pre-service teacher education and in the induction period. There is a particular emphasis on the need to include reflective and experiential learning, within training programmes and within the induction period, in order to help teachers manage the interpersonal dynamics and emotional impact within a high pressurised environment

Keywords: dramatherapy supervision, newly qualified secondary school teachers, professional development, teacher education

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Authors: Rubina Waseem

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The research focuses on the major crises and major effects, largely unforeseen, to counter international security concerns. At the close of 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China. The coronavirus was initially seen as an inchoate danger, aimed at striking people randomly. Owing to the extraordinary transmissibility of the virus and the highly knitted nature of the international political world, the Covid-19 soon became a formidable global challenge. The once hustling and bustling avenues, city centers, and market places became deserted. Lockdown, self-isolation, hygiene and safety, social-distancing, and job losses became a new norm. The national economies gradually plunged into crisis. The pandemic has so far caused over 33 million cases and one million deaths. The virus continues to devastate social life, as there is yet no therapeutic available. While the world was preoccupied addressing the human and social toll, the pandemic has exacerbated despair, mistrust, and friction in international relations, diplomacy, and strategy. The research will discuss how the coronavirus has accelerated the trends of transition in the postwar security order constructed by the United States. China, Russia, European Union, and other lesser regional players are now increasingly changing their security orientations to undermine the United States standing and authority in world politics. The systemic level analyses will be adopted as a methodology to broaden the lens of the study, and the research will analyze the prevalent global power distribution, whether vulnerable or exposed. The trends of parochial nationalism and isolationism are increasingly replacing multilateralism and collectivism. Yet worse, military posturing is assuming a greater role in international interactions. Taken together, the pandemic has worsened the prospects of international peace and stability by mounting equal pressure across the channels of international relations, diplomacy, and strategy. It is yet unclear which country or collectivity will face the real brunt. Despite this jaded and pessimistic view, the lingering pandemic has the potential to reinforce cooperation, multilateralism, and collectivism in the realm of international politics. There is a renewed momentum for global efforts against the pandemic. States and societies are coming closer to act as a whole. Equally important, the world leaders are feeling tempted to revisit the traditional conception of national security. In this regard, they are exploring the possibility of according preference to non-traditional security issues. In essence, the research concludes that Covid-19 has put the international political system under a great trial.

Keywords: covid-19, global challenges, international politics, international security

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Authors: Mustafa Al Sukar, Azzam Sleit, Abdullatif Abu-Dalhoum, Bassam Al-Kasasbeh

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Use and abuse of drugs by teens is very common and can have dangerous consequences. The drugs contribute to physical and sexual aggression such as assault or rape. Some teenagers regularly use drugs to compensate for depression, anxiety or a lack of positive social skills. Teen resort to smoking should not be minimized because it can be "gateway drugs" for other drugs (marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin). The combination of teenagers' curiosity, risk taking behavior, and social pressure make it very difficult to say no. This leads most teenagers to the questions: "Will it hurt to try once?" Nowadays, technological advances are changing our lives very rapidly and adding a lot of technologies that help us to track the risk of drug abuse such as smart phones, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), Internet of Things (IoT), etc. This technique may help us to early discovery of drug abuse in order to prevent an aggravation of the influence of drugs on the abuser. In this paper, we have developed a Decision Support System (DSS) for detecting the drug abuse using Artificial Neural Network (ANN); we used a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) feed-forward neural network in developing the system. The input layer includes 50 variables while the output layer contains one neuron which indicates whether the person is a drug addict. An iterative process is used to determine the number of hidden layers and the number of neurons in each one. We used multiple experiment models that have been completed with Log-Sigmoid transfer function. Particularly, 10-fold cross validation schemes are used to access the generalization of the proposed system. The experiment results have obtained 98.42% classification accuracy for correct diagnosis in our system. The data had been taken from 184 cases in Jordan according to a set of questions compiled from Specialists, and data have been obtained through the families of drug abusers.

Keywords: drug addiction, artificial neural networks, multilayer perceptron (MLP), decision support system

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Authors: Adel Dalilottojari, Bahman Delalat, Frances J. Harding, Michaelia P. Cockshell, Claudine S. Bonder, Nicolas H. Voelcker

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Endothelial Progenitor Cell (EPC) based therapies continue to be of interest to treat ischemic events based on their proven role to promote blood vessel formation and thus tissue re-vascularisation. Current strategies for the production of clinical-grade EPCs requires the in vitro isolation of EPCs from peripheral blood followed by cell expansion to provide sufficient quantities EPCs for cell therapy. This study aims to examine the use of different biomolecules to significantly improve the current strategy of EPC capture and expansion on collagen type I (Col I). In this study, four different biomolecules were immobilised on a surface and then investigated for their capacity to support EPC capture and proliferation. First, a cell microarray platform was fabricated by coating a glass surface with epoxy functional allyl glycidyl ether plasma polymer (AGEpp) to mediate biomolecule binding. The four candidate biomolecules tested were Col I, collagen type II (Col II), collagen type IV (Col IV) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), which were arrayed on the epoxy-functionalised surface using a non-contact printer. The surrounding area between the printed biomolecules was passivated with polyethylene glycol-bisamine (A-PEG) to prevent non-specific cell attachment. EPCs were seeded onto the microarray platform and cell numbers quantified after 1 h (to determine capture) and 72 h (to determine proliferation). All of the extracellular matrix (ECM) biomolecules printed demonstrated an ability to capture EPCs within 1 h of cell seeding with Col II exhibiting the highest level of attachment when compared to the other biomolecules. Interestingly, Col IV exhibited the highest increase in EPC expansion after 72 h when compared to Col I, Col II and VEGF-A. These results provide information for significant improvement in the capture and expansion of human EPC for further application.

Keywords: biomolecules, cell microarray platform, cell therapy, endothelial progenitor cells, high throughput screening

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Authors: Jyoti Singh, Ranju Bansal

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Fighting pain and inflammation is a common problem faced by physicians while dealing with a wide variety of diseases. Since ancient time nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) and opioids have been the cornerstone of treatment therapy, however, the usefulness of both these classes is limited due to severe side effects. NSAIDs, which are mainly used to treat mild to moderate inflammatory pain, induce gastric irritation and nephrotoxicity whereas opioids show an array of adverse reactions such as respiratory depression, sedation, and constipation. Moreover, repeated administration of these drugs induces tolerance to the analgesic effects and physical dependence. Further discovery of selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) suggested safety without any ulcerogenic side effects; however, long-term use of these drugs resulted in kidney and hepatic toxicity along with an increased risk of secondary cardiovascular effects. The basic approaches towards inflammation and pain treatment are constantly changing, and researchers are continuously trying to develop safer and effective anti-inflammatory drug candidates for the treatment of different inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. Synthetic 3(2H)-pyridazinones constitute an important scaffold for drug discovery. Structure-activity relationship studies on pyridazinones have shown that attachment of a lactam at N-2 of the pyridazinone ring through a methylene spacer results in significantly increased anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the derivatives. Further introduction of the heterocyclic ring at lactam nitrogen results in improvement of biological activities. Keeping in mind these SAR studies, a new series of compounds were synthesized as shown in scheme 1 and investigated for anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-platelet activities and docking studies. The structures of newly synthesized compounds have been established by various spectroscopic techniques. All the synthesized pyridazinone derivatives exhibited potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Homoveratryl substituted derivative was found to possess highest anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity displaying 73.60 % inhibition of edema at 40 mg/kg with no ulcerogenic activity when compared to standard drugs indomethacin. Moreover, 2-substituted-4-benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-6-phenylpyridazin-3(2H)-ones derivatives did not produce significant changes in bleeding time and emerged as safe agents. Molecular docking studies also illustrated good binding interactions at the active site of the cyclooxygenase-2 (hCox-2) enzyme.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, pyridazin-3(2H)-one, selective COX-2 inhibitors

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Authors: Julien Benomar

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The World Bank report published in April 2023 called “Migrants, Refugees and Society” allows us to first distinguish migrants in search of economic opportunities and refugees that flee a situation of danger and choose their destination based on their immediate need for safety. Amongst those two categories, the report distinguished people having professional skills adapted to the labor market of the host country and those who have not. Out of that distinction of four categories, we choose to focus our research on refugees that do not have professional skills adapted to the labor market of the host country. Given that refugees generally have no recourse to public assistance schemes and cannot count on the support of their entourage or support network, we propose to examine the extent to which external assistance, such as international humanitarian action, is likely to accompany refugees' transition to financial empowerment through entrepreneurship. To this end, we propose to carry out a case study structured in three stages: (i) an exchange with a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) active in supporting refugee populations from Congo and Burundi to Rwanda, enabling us to (i.i) define together a financial empowerment income, and (i. ii) learn about the content of the support measures taken for the beneficiaries of the humanitarian project; (ii) monitor the population of 118 beneficiaries, including 73 refugees and 45 Rwandans (reference population); (iii) conduct a participatory analysis to identify the level of performance of the project and areas for improvement. The case study thus involved the staff of an international NGO active in helping refugees from Rwanda since 2015 and the staff of a Luxembourg NGO that has been funding this economic aid project through entrepreneurship since 2021. The case study thus involved the staff of an international NGO active in helping refugees from Rwanda since 2015 and the staff of a Luxembourg NGO, which has been funding this economic aid through an entrepreneurship project since 2021, and took place over a 48-day period between April and May 2023. The main results are of two types: (i) the need to associate indicators for monitoring the impact of the project on the indirect beneficiaries of the project (refugee community) and (ii) the identification of success factors making it possible to bring concrete and relevant responses to the constraints encountered. The first result thus made it possible to identify the following indicators: Indicator of community potential ((jobs, training or mentoring) promoted by the activity of the entrepreneur), Indicator of social contribution (tax paid by the entrepreneur), Indicator of resilience (savings and loan capacity generated, and finally impact on social cohesion. The second result made it possible to identify that among the 7 success factors tested, the sector of activity chosen and the level of experience in the sector of the future activity are those that stand out the most clearly.

Keywords: entrepreuneurship, refugees, financial empowerment, international aid

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Authors: Sima Ajami, Batool Akbari

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Background: Radio frequency identification (RFID) system has been successfully applied to the areas of manufacturing, supply chain, agriculture, transportation, healthcare, and services. The RFID is already used to track and trace the victims in a disaster situation. Data can be collected in real time and be immediately available to emergency personnel and saves time by the RFID. Objectives: The aim of this study was, first, to identify stakeholders and customers for rescuing earthquake victims, second, to list key internal and external factors to use RFID to track earthquake victims, finally, to assess SWOT for rescuers' viewpoint. Materials and Methods: This study was an applied and analytical study. The study population included scholars, experts, planners, policy makers and rescuers in the "red crescent society of Isfahan province", "disaster management Isfahan province", "maintenance and operation department of Isfahan", "fire and safety services organization of Isfahan municipality", and "medical emergencies and disaster management center of Isfahan". After that, researchers held a workshop to teach participants about RFID and its usages in tracking earthquake victims. In the meanwhile of the workshop, participants identified, listed, and weighed key internal factors (strengths and weaknesses; SW) and external factors (opportunities and threats; OT) to use RFID in tracking earthquake victims. Therefore, participants put weigh strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and their weighted scales were calculated. Then, participants' opinions about this issue were assessed. Finally, according to the SWOT matrix, strategies to solve the weaknesses, problems, challenges, and threats through opportunities and strengths were proposed by participants. Results: The SWOT analysis showed that the total weighted score for internal and external factors were 3.91 (Internal Factor Evaluation) and 3.31 (External Factor Evaluation) respectively. Therefore, it was in a quadrant SO strategies cell in the SWOT analysis matrix and aggressive strategies were resulted. Organizations, scholars, experts, planners, policy makers and rescue workers should plan to use RFID technology in order to save more victims and manage their life. Conclusions: Researchers suppose to apply SO strategies and use a firm’s internal strength to take advantage of external opportunities. It is suggested, policy maker should plan to use the most developed technologies to save earthquake victims and deliver the easiest service to them. To do this, education, informing, and encouraging rescuers to use these technologies is essential. Originality/ Value: This study was a research paper that showed how RFID can be useful to track victims in earthquake.

Keywords: frequency identification system, strength, weakness, earthquake, victim

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Authors: Maisa Sales Gama Tobias, Humberto de Paiva Junior, Luciano Silva Brito, Rui António Rodrigues Ramos

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Waterway transport in the Amazon was the first means of access and occupation in the region. For the economic and social matter of high importance, still nowadays one of the main transport modes to several places in the region. To some places, still the only transport mode. With the advent of the pandemic, transport companies that already faced management challenges began to experience unprecedented structural changes and trends in trade and global supply chains. Thus, companies need operational reorganization to maintain the sustainability of the service under the penalty of loss of demand. Allied to this fact, it was observed that the demand presented behavior changes to adapt to this new moment. However, the lack of information about these changes makes it difficult to find solutions to maintain the quality of service. This work aimed to characterize the changes in the demand of waterway passengers through an empirical study with field research involving interviews with users and crew, on-board journeys, and visits to the waterway service company. The case study is the route Belém-Camara, on Marajó Island, in the state of Pará. This line is traditionally the only means of transport for this route, besides air transport on a much smaller scale. The collected data had a descriptive and analytical statistical treatment presented in this work. As the main result, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes, mainly in trip time and motives and, in the perception itself on service quality by part of the demand, with the increase of trip time and the feeling of insecurity. In conclusion, the service operator must review cost management and business survival strategies and tactics. The viability of the service and the social guarantee of transport proved to be threatened, putting at risk the service to the riverside populations.

Keywords: demand of waterway transport passengers, data analysis, COVID-19, amazonia

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Authors: I. Wlasny, Z. Klusek, A. Wysmolek

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Hexagonal boron nitride is a representative of a widely popular class of two-dimensional Van Der Waals materials. It finds its uses, among others, in construction of complexly layered heterostructures. Hexagonal boron nitride attracts great interest because of its properties characteristic for wide-gap semiconductors as well as an ultra-flat surface.Van Der Waals heterostructures composed of two-dimensional layered materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides or graphene give hope for miniaturization of various electronic and optoelectronic elements. In our presentation, we will show the results of our investigations of the not previously reported modification of the hexagonal boron nitride layers with focused laser beam. The electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) images reveal that the irradiation leads to changes of the local electric fields for a wide range of laser wavelengths (from 442 to 785 nm). These changes are also accompanied by alterations of crystallographic structure of the material, as reflected by Raman spectra. They exhibit high stability and remain visible after at least five months. This behavior can be explained in terms of photoionization of the defect centers in h-BN which influence non-uniform electrostatic field screening by the photo-excited charge carriers. Analyzed changes influence local defect structure, and thus the interatomic distances within the lattice. These effects can be amplified by the piezoelectric character of hexagonal boron nitride, similar to that found in nitrides (e.g., GaN, AlN). Our results shed new light on the optical properties of the hexagonal boron nitride, in particular, those associated with electron-phonon coupling. Our study also opens new possibilities for h-BN applications in layered heterostructures where electrostatic fields can be used in tailoring of the local properties of the structures for use in micro- and nanoelectronics or field-controlled memory storage. This work is supported by National Science Centre project granted on the basis of the decision number DEC-2015/16/S/ST3/00451.

Keywords: atomic force microscopy, hexagonal boron nitride, optical properties, raman spectroscopy

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Authors: Umashankar Morya, Somnath Basu

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Metalloids like arsenic are often present as contaminants in industrial effluents. Removal of the same is essential before the safe discharge of the wastewater into the environment. Otherwise, these pollutants tend to percolate into aquifers over a period of time and contaminate drinking water sources. Several adsorbents, including metal powders, carbon nanotubes and zeolites, are being used for this purpose, with varying degrees of success. However, most of these solutions are not only costly but also not always readily available. This restricts their use, especially among financially weaker communities. Slag generated globally from primary steelmaking operations exceeds 200 billion kg every year. Some of it is utilized for applications like road construction, filler in reinforced concrete, railway track ballast and recycled into iron ore agglomeration processes. However, these usually involve low-value addition, and a significant amount of the slag still ends up in a landfill. However, there is a strong possibility that the constituents in the steelmaking slag may immobilize metalloid contaminants present in wastewater through a combination of adsorption and precipitation of insoluble product(s). Preliminary experiments have already indicated that exposure to basic oxygen steelmaking slag does reduce pollutant concentration in wastewater. In addition, the slag is relatively inexpensive and available in large quantities and in several countries across the world. Investigations on the mechanism of interactions at the water-solid interfaces have been in progress for some time. However, at the same time, there are concerns about the possibility of leaching of metal ions from the slag particles in concentrations greater than what exists in the water bodies where the “treated” wastewater would eventually be discharged. The effect of such leached ions on the aquatic flora and fauna is yet uncertain. This has prompted the present investigation, which focuses on the leaching of metal ions from steelmaking slag particles in contact with wastewater, and the influence of these ions on the removal of contaminant species. Experiments were carried out to quantify the leaching behavior of different ionic species upon exposure of the slag particles to simulated wastewater, both with and without specific metalloid contaminants.

Keywords: slag, water, metalloid, heavy metal, wastewater

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Authors: Ahmad AlAbdullah, Ali AlQallaf, Mahdi Hussain, Mohammed AlAttar, Salman Ashknani, Magdy Helal

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We study the effectiveness of the parking service provided at Kuwaiti commercial malls and explore potential problems and feasible improvements. Commercial malls are important to Kuwaitis as the entertainment and shopping centers due to the lack of other alternatives. The difficulty and relatively long times wasted in finding a parking spot at the mall are real annoyances. We applied queuing analysis to one of the major malls that offer paid-parking (1040 parking spots) in addition to free parking. Patrons of the mall usually complained of the traffic jams and delays at entering the paid parking (average delay to park exceeds 15 min for about 62% of the patrons, while average time spent in the mall is about 2.6 hours). However, the analysis showed acceptable service levels at the check-in gates of the parking garage. Detailed review of the vehicle movement at the gateways indicated that arriving and departing cars both had to share parts of the gateway to the garage, which caused the traffic jams and delays. A simple comparison we made indicated that the largest commercial mall in Kuwait does not suffer such parking issues, while other smaller, yet important malls do, including the one we studied. It was suggested that well-designed inlets and outlets of that gigantic mall permitted smooth parking despite being totally free and mall is the first choice for most people for entertainment and shopping. A simulation model is being developed for further analysis and verification. Simulation can overcome the mathematical difficulty in using non-Poisson queuing models. The simulation model is used to explore potential changes to the parking garage entrance layout. And with the inclusion of the drivers’ behavior inside the parking, effectiveness indicators can be derived to address the economic feasibility of extending the parking capacity and increasing service levels. Outcomes of the study are planned to be generalized as appropriate to other commercial malls in Kuwait

Keywords: commercial malls, parking service, queuing analysis, simulation modeling

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Authors: Ting Kai Chia, Ruifeng Yan, Feifei Bai, Tapan Saha

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This research presents a real-world power system oscillation incident in 2022 originated by a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind renewable energy farm with a rated capacity of approximately 300MW in Australia. The voltage and reactive power outputs recorded at the point of common coupling (PCC) oscillated at a sub-synchronous frequency region, which sustained for approximately five hours in the network. The reactive power oscillation gradually increased over time and reached a recorded maximum of approximately 250MVar peak-to-peak (from inductive to capacitive). The network service provider was not able to quickly identify the location of the oscillation source because the issue was widespread across the network. After the incident, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) concluded that the oscillation problem was caused by the incorrect setting recovery of the hybrid power plant controller (HPPC) in the voltage and reactive power control loop after a loss of communication event. The voltage controller normally outputs a reactive (Q) reference value to the Q controller which controls the Q dispatch setpoint of PV and wind plants in the hybrid farm. Meanwhile, a feed-forward (FF) configuration is used to bypass the Q controller in case there is a loss of communication. Further study found that the FF control mode was still engaged when communication was re-established, which ultimately resulted in the oscillation event. However, there was no detailed explanation of why the FF control mode can cause instability in the hybrid farm. Also, there was no duplication of the event in the simulation to analyze the root cause of the oscillation. Therefore, this research aims to model and replicate the oscillation event in a simulation environment and investigate the underlying behavior of the HPPC and the consequent oscillation mechanism during the incident. The outcome of this research will provide significant benefits to the safe operation of large-scale renewable energy generators and power networks.

Keywords: PV, oscillation, modelling, wind

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Authors: Reza Eslami-Farsani, Hamed Khosravi, Saba Fayazzadeh

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Lightweight and efficient structures have the aim to enhance the efficiency of the components in various industries. Toward this end, composites are one of the most widely used materials because of durability, high strength and modulus, and low weight. One type of the advanced composites is grid-stiffened composite (GSC) structures which have been extensively considered in aerospace, automotive, and aircraft industries. They are one of the top candidates for replacing some of the traditional components which are used here. Although there are a good number of published surveys on the design aspects and fabrication of GSC structures, little systematic work has been reported on their material modification to improve their properties, to our knowledge. Matrix modification using nanoparticles is an effective method to enhance the flexural properties of the fibrous composites. In the present study, a silane coupling agent (3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane/3-GPTS) was introduced onto the silica (SiO2) nanoparticle surface and its effects on the three-point flexural response of isogrid E-glass/epoxy composites were assessed. Based on the fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) spectra, it was inferred that the 3-GPTS coupling agent was successfully grafted onto the surface of SiO2 nanoparticles after modification. Flexural test revealed an improvement of 16%, 14%, and 36% in stiffness, maximum load and energy absorption of the isogrid specimen filled with 3 wt.% 3-GPTS/SiO2 compared to the neat one. It would be worth mentioning that in these structures, a considerable energy absorption was observed after the primary failure related to the load peak. Also, 3-GPTMS functionalization had a positive effect on the flexural behavior of the multiscale isogrid composites. In conclusion, this study suggests that the addition of modified silica nanoparticles is a promising method to improve the flexural properties of the grid-stiffened fibrous composite structures.

Keywords: isogrid-stiffened composite panels, silica nanoparticles, surface modification, flexural properties, energy absorption

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Authors: Tomas Vincze, Michal Micjan, Milan Pavuk, Martin Weis

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In recent years, alternative materials are gaining attention to replace polycrystalline and amorphous silicon, which are a standard for low requirement devices, where silicon is unnecessarily and high cost. For that reason, metal oxides are envisioned as the new materials for these low-requirement applications such as sensors, solar cells, energy storage devices, or field-effect transistors. Their most common way of layer growth is sputtering; however, this is a high-cost fabrication method, and a more industry-suitable alternative is the sol-gel method. In this group of materials, many oxides exhibit a semiconductor-like behavior with sufficiently high mobility to be applied as transistors. The sol-gel method is a cost-effective deposition technique for semiconductor-based devices. Copper oxides, as p-type semiconductors with free charge mobility up to 1 cm2/Vs., are suitable replacements for poly-Si or a-Si:H devices. However, to reach the potential of silicon devices, a fine-tuning of material properties is needed. Here we focus on the optimization of the electrical parameters of copper oxide-based field-effect transistors by modification of precursor solvent (usually 2-methoxy ethanol). However, to achieve solubility and high-quality films, a better solvent is required. Since almost no solvents have both high dielectric constant and high boiling point, an alternative approach was proposed with blend solvents. By mixing isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and 2-methoxy ethanol (2ME) the precursor reached better solubility. The quality of the layers fabricated using mixed solutions was evaluated in accordance with the surface morphology and electrical properties. The IPA:2ME solution mixture reached optimum results for the weight ratio of 1:3. The cupric oxide layers for optimal mixture had the highest crystallinity and highest effective charge mobility.

Keywords: copper oxide, field-effect transistor, semiconductor, sol-gel method

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Authors: Khalid A. Salman, Shereen Wagih, Tariq Munshi, Musaed Almalki, Safwan Zatari, Zahid Khan

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Aim: To measure exposure levels to family members and caregivers of Saudi patients treated with low dose I131 therapy, and household radiation exposure rate to predict different factors that can affect radiation exposure. Patients and methods: All adult self dependent patients with hyperthyroidism or cancer thyroid referred for low dose radioactive I131 therapy on outpatient basis are included. Radiation protection procedures are given to the participant and family members in details. TLD’s were dispensed to each participant in sufficient quantity for his/her family members living in the household. TLD’s are collected at fifth days post-dispense from patients who agreed to have a home visit during which the household is inspected and level of radiation contamination of surfaces was measured. Results: Thirty-two patients were enrolled in the current study, with a mean age of 43.1± 17.1 years Out of them 25 patients (78%) are females. I131 therapy was given in twenty patients (63%) for cancer thyroid of and for toxic goiter in the remaining twelve patients (37%), with an overall mean I131 dose of 24.1 ± 7.5mCi that is relatively higher in the former. The overall number of household family members and helpers of patients are 139, out of them77 are females (55.4%) & 62 are males (44.6%) with a mean age of 29.8± 17.6. The mean period of contact with the patient is 7.6 ±5.6hours. The cumulative radiation exposure shows that radiation exposure to all family members is below the exposure constraint (1mSv), with a range of 109 to 503uSv, and a mean value of 220.9±91 uSv. Numerical data shows a little higher exposure rate for family members of those who receive higher dose of I131 (patients with thyroid cancer) and household members who spent longer time with the patient, yet, the difference is statistically insignificant (P>0.05). Besides, no significant correlation was found between the degree of cumulative exposure of the family members to their gender, age, socioeconomic standard, educational level and residential factors. In the 21 home visits all data from bedrooms, reception areas and kitchens are below hazardous limits (0.5uSv/h) apart from bathrooms that give a slightly higher reading of 0.57±0.39 uSv/h in those with cancer thyroid who receive a higher radiation dose. A statistically significant difference was found between radiation exposure rate in bathrooms used by the patient versus those used by family members only, with a mean value of exposure rate of 0.701±0.21 uSv/h and 0.17±0.82 uSv/h respectively, with a p-value of 0.018 (<0.05). Conclusion: Family members of patients treated with low dose I131 on outpatient basis have a good compliance to radiation protection instruction if given properly with a cumulative radiation exposure rate evidently beyond the radiation exposure constraints of 1 mSv. Given I131 dose, hours spent with the patient, age, gender, socioeconomic standard, educational level and residential factors have no significant correlation with the cumulative radiation exposure. The patient bathroom exhibits more radiation exposure rate, needing more strict instructions for patient bathroom use and health hygiene.

Keywords: family members, radiation exposure, radioactive iodine therapy, radiation safety

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Authors: Maiko Kiyohara, Toshiki Ito

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In this study, we used a psychotherapy process for patient with dissociative disorder and the graphic Rorschach (Digital version) (GRD). A dissociative disorder is a type of dissociation characterized by multiple alternating personalities (also called alternate identity or another identity). "dissociation" is a state in which consciousness, memory, thinking, emotion, perception, behavior, body image, and so on are divided and experienced. Dissociation symptoms, such as lack of memory, are seen, and the repetition of blanks in daily events causes serious problems in life. Although the pathological mechanism of dissociation has not yet been fully elucidated, it is said that it is caused by childhood abuse or shocking trauma. In case of Japan, no reliable data has been reported on the number of patients and prevalence of dissociative disorders, no drug is compatible with dissociation symptoms, and no clear treatment has been established. GRD is a method that the author revised in 2017 to a Graphic Rorschach, which is a special technique for subjects to draw language responses when enforce Rorschach. GRD reduces the burden on both the subject and the examiner, reduces the complexity of organizing data, improves the simplicity of organizing data, and improves the accuracy of interpretation by introducing a tablet computer during the drawing reaction. We are conducting research for the purpose. The patient in this case is a woman in her 50s, and has multiple personalities since childhood. At present, there are about 10 personalities whose main personality is just grasped. The patients is raising her junior high school sons as single parent, but personal changes often occur at home, which makes the home environment inferior and economically oppressive, and has severely hindered daily life. In psychotherapy, while a personality different from the main personality has appeared, I have also conducted psychotherapy with her son. In this case, the psychotherapy process and the GRD were performed to understand the personality characteristics, and the possibility of therapeutic significance to personality integration is reported.

Keywords: GRD, dissociative disorder, a case study of psychotherapy process, dissociation

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Authors: Ankita Jadon, Sidi Souvi, Nathalie Girault, Denis Petitprez

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The interaction of fission products (FP) with sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) aerosols is of a high safety concern because of their potential role in the radiological source term mitigation by FP trapping. In a sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor (SFR) experiencing a severe accident, sodium (Na) aerosols can be formed after the ejection of the liquid Na coolant inside the containment. The surface interactions between these aerosols and different FP species have been investigated using ab-initio, density functional theory (DFT) calculations using Vienna ab-initio simulation package (VASP). In addition, an improved thermodynamic model has been proposed to treat DFT-VASP calculated energies to extrapolate them to temperatures and pressures of interest in our study. A combined experimental and theoretical chemistry study has been carried out to have both atomistic and macroscopic understanding of the chemical processes; the theoretical chemistry part of this approach is presented in this paper. The Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof functional were applied in combination with Grimme’s van der Waals correction to compute exchange-correlational energy at 0 K. Seven different surface cleavages were studied of Ƴ-Na₂CO₃ phase (stable at 603.15 K), it was found that for defect-free surfaces, the (001) facet is the most stable. Furthermore, calculations were performed to study surface defects and reconstructions on the ideal surface. All the studied surface defects were found to be less stable than the ideal surface. More than one adsorbate-ligand configurations were found to be stable confirming that FP vapors could be trapped on various adsorption sites. The calculated adsorption energies (Eads, eV) for the three most stable adsorption sites for I₂ are -1.33, -1.088, and -1.085. Moreover, the adsorption of the first molecule of I₂ changes the surface in a way which would favor stronger adsorption of a second molecule of I2 (Eads, eV = -1.261). For HI adsorption, the most favored reactions have the following Eads (eV) -1.982, -1.790, -1.683 implying that HI would be more reactive than I₂. In addition to FP species, adsorption of H₂O was also studied as the hydrated surface can have different reactivity than the bare surface. One thermodynamically favored site for H₂O adsorption was found with an Eads, eV of -0.754. Finally, the calculations of hydrated surfaces of Na₂CO₃ show that a layer of water adsorbed on the surface significantly reduces its affinity for iodine (Eads, eV = -1.066). According to the thermodynamic model built, the required partial pressure at 373 K to have adsorption of the first layer of iodine is 4.57×10⁻⁴ bar. The second layer will be adsorbed at partial pressures higher than 8.56×10⁻⁶ bar; a layer of water on the surface will increase these pressure almost ten folds to 3.71×10⁻³ bar. The surface interacts with elemental Cs with an Eads (eV) of -1.60, while interacts even strongly with CsI with an Eads (eV) of -2.39. More results on the interactions between Na₂CO₃ (001) and cesium-based FP will also be presented in this paper.

Keywords: iodine uptake, sodium carbonate surface, sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor, DFT calculations, fission products

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Authors: Avani Maniar, Shivani Mehta

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Population aging is one of the most challenging issues of the twenty-first century, facing both developed and developing countries worldwide. In the developed world, there has already been a substantial amount of research on aging and work to help understand the capacity and potential of older people. They attract ever ones attention. Their existence in human society gives rise to variety of responses, reactions and apprehensions, because it connotes on greater part, to some kind of compulsion or willingness that prompt elderly to decide to work after retirement. Work due to social attention and assurance for security both economical and social. In this age, elderly aspire for psychological security with due attention. But the fact remains that despite age related limitations good number of persons in their age of sixty and beyond were hunting for work that would support them and get them some kind of support and in it turns helps them to remain physically and mentally active. Based on the existing diversities in the ageing process, it may be stated that there is a need to pay greater attention to the increasing awareness on the ageing issues and its socio-economic effects and to promote the development of policies and programmes for dealing with an ageing society. Addressing the needs, wants, and well-being of elderly people is essential for maintaining a healthy productive workforce in an aging society. This paper will draw on the results of the study about reasons of elderly working post retirement, problems faced by them and about the future of retirement to ask how widespread negative attitudes and stereotypes among employers are and whether these attitudes influence behavior towards older employees. The aim of research is not only to point out certain stereotypes concerning the elderly labour force, but also to stress that unless preconditions for overcoming these stereotypes are created and employment opportunities are given to this segment of the labour force, full employment as an ultimate goal of global economic policy cannot be achieved.

Keywords: employers, India, inequality, problems, reasons of working, silver workers

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Authors: Nino KItoshvili

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The family is an integral part of society, which plays a major role in the socialization and the formation of a person as a full member of society. The marital conflict even harms family members and finds a different effect on each member of the family, especially on children. There is a significant difference in the behavior of adolescents in conflict and non-conflict families. In times of marital conflict, adolescent psycho-social well-being is significantly dependent on socio-cultural mediating variables such as; Family income; Parenting style; The functioning of the family, and the existence of psycho-social support. In a family with low economic performance, low psychosocial harassment, family dysfunction, and bad parenting style, marital conflict significantly increases the risk of deteriorating adolescent psycho-social well-being. At this time, to support the well-being of the child, a special role is played by improving the marital relationship, which must be supported by state and community services. There are very few family studies in this field in Georgia, the therapeutic direction of the family is at an early stage, and there are no family-supporting psycho-social programs. This increases the chances of adolescent psycho-social well-being deteriorating amd socialization problems. The study will examine the mediating variables of marital conflict and adolescent psycho-social well-being and will attempt to determine their mediating and moderating role. Research suggests that an increase in the rate of marital conflict is associated with a decrease in child well-being. The well-being of children in conflict families is lower than that of children in non-conflict families and depends on the variables of mediating variables. Quantitative research will be conducted to study this phenomenon through a questionnaire developed and standardized in the research process. The study will be attended by families living in Georgia - spouses (married) and their adolescent children. By analyzing the data obtained from the research, we will be able to determine in which cases the intensity of the relationship between the marital conflict and the well-being of the adolescent increases or decreases; To conclude the mediating and moderating role of mediating variables and also to make relevant recommendations to reduce the negative impact on the psycho-social well-being of a child of marital conflict.

Keywords: adolescent, mediation, moderation, conflict, couple, well-being

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Authors: Patrick Oehler, Nicholas Folger

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Following a new public management approach, Germany has widely reformed its higher education system around the turn of the millennium. Aimed at preparing the country’s publicly funded universities and applied science colleges for a century of glory, the reforms led to the introduction of rigid performance measurement and management practices, which disrupted the inert system on all levels. Yet, many of the new policies met significant resistance, and some of them had to be reversed over time. Ever since Germany has struggled to find a balance between its pre- and its post-millennial approach to performance measurement and management. This contribution combines insights of a joint research project, which was created and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with the aim to better understand the effects of its performance measurement and management policies, including those the ministry had implemented over the previous decades. The research project combines researchers from 17 German research institutions who employed a wide range of theories from various disciplines and very diverse research methods to explain performance measurement and management and their consequences on the behavior of various stakeholders in higher education systems. In these projects, performance measurement and management have been researched from three angles—education, research, and third mission. The collaborative project differentiated functional and dysfunctional elements of common performance measurement and management practices, and identified key problems with these practices, such as (1) oversimplification of performance indicators, (2) ‘overmeasurement’ of performance in general, (3) excessive use of quantitative indicators, and (4), a myopic focus on research-focused indicators and a negligence of measures targeting education and third mission. To address these issues, the collaborative project developed alternative approaches to performance measurement and management, including suggestions for qualitative performance measures, improved supervision, review, and evaluations methods, and recommendations how to better balance education, research, and third mission. The authors would like to share the rich findings of the joint research project with an international audience and discuss their implications for alternative higher education systems.

Keywords: performance measurement, performance management, new public management, performance evaluation

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Authors: Ana Londral, Burcu Demiray, Marcus Cheetham

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Speech recording is a methodology used in many different studies related to cognitive and behaviour research. Modern advances in digital equipment brought the possibility of continuously recording hours of speech in naturalistic environments and building rich sets of sound files. Speech analysis can then extract from these files multiple features for different scopes of research in Language and Communication. However, tools for analysing a large set of sound files and automatically extract relevant features from these files are often inaccessible to researchers that are not familiar with programming languages. Manual analysis is a common alternative, with a high time and efficiency cost. In the analysis of long sound files, the first step is the voice segmentation, i.e. to detect and label segments containing speech. We present a comprehensive methodology aiming to support researchers on voice segmentation, as the first step for data analysis of a big set of sound files. Praat, an open source software, is suggested as a tool to run a voice detection algorithm, label segments and files and extract other quantitative features on a structure of folders containing a large number of sound files. We present the validation of our methodology with a set of 5000 sound files that were collected in the daily life of a group of voluntary participants with age over 65. A smartphone device was used to collect sound using the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR): an app programmed to record 30-second sound samples that were randomly distributed throughout the day. Results demonstrated that automatic segmentation and labelling of files containing speech segments was 74% faster when compared to a manual analysis performed with two independent coders. Furthermore, the methodology presented allows manual adjustments of voiced segments with visualisation of the sound signal and the automatic extraction of quantitative information on speech. In conclusion, we propose a comprehensive methodology for voice segmentation, to be used by researchers that have to work with large sets of sound files and are not familiar with programming tools.

Keywords: automatic speech analysis, behavior analysis, naturalistic environments, voice segmentation

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Authors: Alireza Fallahfard, Ludwig Vinches, Stephane Halle

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In the workplace, the exposure level of airborne contaminants should be evaluated due to health and safety issues. It can be done by numerical models or experimental measurements, but the numerical approach can be useful when it is challenging to perform experiments. One of the simplest models is the well-mixed room (WMR) model, which has shown its usefulness to predict inhalation exposure in many situations. However, since the WMR is limited to gases and vapors, it cannot be used to predict exposure to aerosols. The main objective is to modify the WMR model to expand its application to exposure scenarios involving aerosols. To reach this objective, the standard WMR model has been modified to consider the deposition of particles by gravitational settling and Brownian and turbulent deposition. Three deposition models were implemented in the model. The time-dependent concentrations of airborne particles predicted by the model were compared to experimental results conducted in a 0.512 m3 chamber. Polystyrene particles of 1, 2, and 3 µm in aerodynamic diameter were generated with a nebulizer under two air changes per hour (ACH). The well-mixed condition and chamber ACH were determined by the tracer gas decay method. The mean friction velocity on the chamber surfaces as one of the input variables for the deposition models was determined by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. For the experimental procedure, the particles were generated until reaching the steady-state condition (emission period). Then generation stopped, and concentration measurements continued until reaching the background concentration (decay period). The results of the tracer gas decay tests revealed that the ACHs of the chamber were: 1.4 and 3.0, and the well-mixed condition was achieved. The CFD results showed the average mean friction velocity and their standard deviations for the lowest and highest ACH were (8.87 ± 0.36) ×10-2 m/s and (8.88 ± 0.38) ×10-2 m/s, respectively. The numerical results indicated the difference between the predicted deposition rates by the three deposition models was less than 2%. The experimental and numerical aerosol concentrations were compared in the emission period and decay period. In both periods, the prediction accuracy of the modified model improved in comparison with the classic WMR model. However, there is still a difference between the actual value and the predicted value. In the emission period, the modified WMR results closely follow the experimental data. However, the model significantly overestimates the experimental results during the decay period. This finding is mainly due to an underestimation of the deposition rate in the model and uncertainty related to measurement devices and particle size distribution. Comparing the experimental and numerical deposition rates revealed that the actual particle deposition rate is significant, but the deposition mechanisms considered in the model were ten times lower than the experimental value. Thus, particle deposition was significant and will affect the airborne concentration in occupational settings, and it should be considered in the airborne exposure prediction model. The role of other removal mechanisms should be investigated.

Keywords: aerosol, CFD, exposure assessment, occupational settings, well-mixed room model, zonal model

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Authors: Salim Al Harthy, Alexandre A. Bachkirov

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This study delves into the complexities of competitive aggressiveness in the oil and gas industry, focusing on the characteristics of the identified competitive actions. The current quantitative research on competitive aggressiveness lacks agreement on the connection between antecedents and outcomes, prompting a qualitative investigation. To address this gap, the research utilizes qualitative interviews with CEOs from Oman's oil and gas service industry to explore the dynamics of competitive aggressiveness. Using Noklenain's typology, the study categorizes and analyzes identified actions, shedding light on the spectrum of competitive behaviors within the industry. Notably, actions predominantly fall under the "Bring about" and "Preserve" elements, with a notable absence in the "Forebear" and "Destroy" categories, possibly linked to the study's focus on service-oriented businesses. The study also explores the detectability of actions, revealing that "Bring about" actions are detectable, while those in "Preserve" and "Suppress" are not. This challenges conventional definitions of competitive aggressiveness, suggesting that not all actions are readily detectable despite being considered competitive. The presence of non-detectable actions introduces complexity to measurement methods reliant on visible empirical data. Moreover, the study contends that companies can adopt an aggressive competitive approach without directly challenging rivals. This challenges traditional views and emphasizes the innovative and entrepreneurial aspects of actions not explicitly aimed at competitors. By not revealing strategic intentions, such actions put rivals at a disadvantage, underscoring the need for a nuanced understanding of competitive aggressiveness. In summary, the lack of consensus in existing literature regarding the relationship between antecedents and outcomes in competitive aggressiveness is addressed. The study reveals a spectrum of detectable and undetectable actions, posing challenges in measurement and emphasizing the need for alternative methods to assess undetectable actions in competitive behavior. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of competitive aggressiveness, acknowledging the diverse actions shaping a company's strategic positioning in dynamic business environments.

Keywords: competitive aggressiveness, qualitative exploration, noklenain's typology, oil and gas industry

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Authors: Isabella Lobo Sasaoka, Felipe Q. da Luz, Zubeyir Salis, Phillipa Hay, Tamiris Gaeta, Paula Costa Teixeira, Táki Cordás, Amanda Sainsbury

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Background: A significant number of people with obesity that seek weight loss treatments experience binge eating episodes. Nonetheless, it is unknown whether binge eating episodes can hinder weight loss outcomes. Objective: To compare weight change in people with or without binge eating submitted to bariatric surgery, pharmacotherapy, nutritional orientation, and/or psychological therapies. Method: We conducted a systematic review with meta-analyses by searching studies in PubMed, American Psychological Association (APA), and Embase. Results: Thirty-four studies were included in our systematic review, and 17 studies were included in the meta-analyses. Overall, we found no significant difference in weight loss between people with or without binge eating submitted to any type of weight loss treatment. Additionally, we found no statistically significant differences in body weight between people with or without binge eating at short and long follow-up assessments following any type of weight loss treatment. We also examined changes in body weight in people with or without binge eating in three additional meta-analyses categorized by the type of weight loss treatment (i.e., behavioural and/or nutritional interventions; bariatric surgery; pharmacotherapy isolated or combined with behavior interventions) and found no difference in weight loss. Eleven out of the 17 studies that were assessed qualitatively (i.e., not included in meta-analyses) did not show differences in weight loss in people with or without binge eating submitted to any type of weight loss treatment. Conclusion: This systematic review with meta-analyses showed no difference in weight loss in people with or without binge eating submitted to a variety of weight loss treatments. Nonetheless, specialized therapies can be required to address eating disorder psychopathology and recurrent binge eating in people with obesity that seek weight loss.

Keywords: obesity, binge eating, weight loss, systematic review, meta-analysis

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Authors: Indunil Jayatilake, Warna Karunasena

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Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites enjoy an array of applications ranging from aerospace, marine and military to automobile, recreational and civil industry due to their outstanding properties. A structural glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite sandwich panel made from E-glass fiber skin and a modified phenolic core has been manufactured in Australia for civil engineering applications. One of the major mechanisms of damage in FRP composites is skin-core debonding. The presence of debonding is of great concern not only because it severely affects the strength but also it modifies the dynamic characteristics of the structure, including natural frequency and vibration modes. This paper deals with the investigation of the dynamic characteristics of a GFRP beam with single and multiple debonding by finite element based numerical simulations and analyses using the STRAND7 finite element (FE) software package. Three-dimensional computer models have been developed and numerical simulations were done to assess the dynamic behavior. The FE model developed has been validated with published experimental, analytical and numerical results for fully bonded as well as debonded beams. A comparative analysis is carried out based on a comprehensive parametric investigation. It is observed that the reduction in natural frequency is more affected by single debonding than the equally sized multiple debonding regions located symmetrically to the single debonding position. Thus it is revealed that a large single debonding area leads to more damage in terms of natural frequency reduction than isolated small debonding zones of equivalent area, appearing in the GFRP beam. Furthermore, the extents of natural frequency shifts seem mode-dependent and do not seem to have a monotonous trend of increasing with the mode numbers.

Keywords: debonding, dynamic response, finite element modelling, novel FRP beams

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Authors: C. Hall, J. Ramos, V. Ramasamy

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Hydrocarbon-based fuel vehicles are a major contributor to air pollution due to harmful emissions produced, leading to a demand for cleaner fuel types. A leader in this pursuit is hydrogen, with its application in vehicles producing zero harmful emissions and the only by-product being water. To compete with the performance of conventional vehicles, hydrogen gas must be stored on-board of vehicles in cylinders at high pressures (35–70 MPa) and have a short refueling duration (approximately 3 mins). However, the fast-filling of hydrogen cylinders causes a significant rise in temperature due to the combination of the negative Joule-Thompson effect and the compression of the gas. This can lead to structural failure and therefore, a maximum allowable internal temperature of 85°C has been imposed by the International Standards Organization. The technological solution to tackle the issue of rapid temperature rise during the refueling process is to decrease the temperature of the gas entering the cylinder. Pre-cooling of the gas uses a heat exchanger and requires energy for its operation. Thus, it is imperative to determine the least amount of energy input that is required to lower the gas temperature for cost savings. A validated universal thermodynamic model is used to identify an energy-efficient pre-cooling strategy. The model requires negligible computational time and is applied to previously validated experimental cases to optimize pre-cooling requirements. The pre-cooling characteristics include the location within the refueling timeline and its duration. A constant pressure-ramp rate is imposed to eliminate the effects of rapid changes in mass flow rate. A pre-cooled gas temperature of -40°C is applied, which is the lowest allowable temperature. The heat exchanger is assumed to be ideal with no energy losses. The refueling of the cylinders is modeled with the pre-cooling split in ten percent time intervals. Furthermore, varying burst durations are applied in both the early and late stages of the refueling procedure. The model shows that pre-cooling in the later stages of the refuelling process is more energy-efficient than early pre-cooling. In addition, the efficiency of pre-cooling towards the end of the refueling process is independent of the pressure profile at the inlet. This leads to the hypothesis that pre-cooled gas should be applied as late as possible in the refueling timeline and at very low temperatures. The model had shown a 31% reduction in energy demand whilst achieving the same final gas temperature for a refueling scenario when pre-cooling was applied towards the end of the process. The identification of the most energy-efficient refueling approaches whilst adhering to the safety guidelines is imperative to reducing the operating cost of hydrogen refueling stations. Heat exchangers are energy-intensive and thus, reducing the energy requirement would lead to cost reduction. This investigation shows that pre-cooling should be applied as late as possible and for short durations.

Keywords: cylinder, hydrogen, pre-cooling, refueling, thermodynamic model

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Authors: Reihane Mehrparvar

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Human age could exceed further by altering gene expression through food intaking, although as a consequence of recent century eating patterns, human life-span getting shorter by emerging irregulating in autophagy mechanism, insulin, leptin, gut microbiota which are important etiological factors of type-2 diabetes, obesity, infertility, cancer, metabolic and autoimmune diseases. However, restricted calorie intake and vigorous exercise might be beneficial for losing weight and metabolic regulation in a short period but could not be implementable in the long term as a way of life. Therefore, the lack of a dietary program that is compatible with the genes of the body is essential. Sweet and high-glycemic-index (HGI) foods were associated with type-2 diabetes and cancer morbidity. The neuropsychological perspective characterizes the inclination of sweet and HGI-food consumption as addictive behavior; hence this process engages preference of gut microbiota, neural node, and dopaminergic functions. Moreover, meal composition is not the only factor that affects body hemostasis. In this narrative review, it is believed to attempt to investigate how the body responded to different food intakes and represent an accurate model based on current evidence. Eating frequently and ingesting unassimilable protein and carbohydrates may not be compatible with human genes and could cause impairments in the self-renovation mechanism. This trajectory indicates our body is more adapted to starvation and eating animal meat and marrow. Here has been recommended a model that takes into account three important factors: frequent eating, meal composition, and circadian rhythm, which may offer a promising intervention for obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular, autoimmune disorder, type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance, infertility, and cancer through intensifying autophagy-mechanism and eliminate medical costs.

Keywords: metabolic disease, anti-aging, type-2 diabetes, autophagy

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Authors: Madhulika Pathak, Polani Seshagiri, Vani Venkatappa

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Blastocyst hatching is an indispensable process for successful implantation. One of the major reasons for implantation failure in IVF clinic is poor quality of embryo, which are not development/hatching-competent. Therefore, attempts are required to develop or enhance the culture system with a molecule recapitulating the autocrine/paracrine factors containing the environment of in-vivo endometrial milieu. We have tried to explore the functional molecules involved in the hamster hatching phenomenon. Blastocyst hatching is governed by several molecules that are entwined and regulate this process, among which cytokines are known to be expressed and are still least explored. Two of such cytokines we have used for our study are IL-1β and its natural antagonist IL-1ra to understand the functional dynamics of cytokines involved in the hatching process. Using hamster, an intriguing experimental model for hatching behavior, we have shown the mRNA (qPCR) and protein (ICC) expression of IL-1β, IL-1ra and IL-1 receptor type 1 throughout all the stages of morula, blastocyst and hatched blastocyst. Post-asserting the expression, the functional role is shown by supplementation studies, where IL-1β supplementation showed enhancement in hatching level (IL-1β treated: 84.1 ± 4.2% vs control: 63.7 ± 3.1 %, N=11), further confirmed by the diminishing effect of IL-1ra on hatching rate (IL-1ra treated: 27.5 ± 11.1% vs control: 67.9 ± 3.1%). The exogenous supplementation of IL-1ra decreased the survival rate of embryos and affected the viability in dose-dependent manner, establishing the importance of IL-1β in blastocyst cell survival. Previously, the cathepsin L and B were established as the proteases that were involved in the hamster hatching process. The inducing effect of IL-1β was correlated with enhanced mRNA level, as analyzed by qPCR, for both CAT L (by 1.9 ± 0.5 fold) and CAT B (by 3.5 ± 0.1) fold which was diminished in presence of IL-1ra (Cat L by 88 percent and Cat B by 94 percent. Moreover, using a specific fluorescent substrate-based assay kit, the enzymatic activity of these proteases was found to be increased in presence of IL-1β (Cat L by 2.1 ± 0.1 fold and CAT B by 2.3 ± 0.7 fold) and was curtailed in presence of IL-1ra. These observations provide functional insights with respect to the involvement of cytokines in the hatching process. This has implications in understanding the hatching biology and improving the embryo development quality in IVF clinics.

Keywords: Blastocyst, Cytokines, Hatching, Interleukin

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