Search results for: development indicators
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 17045

Search results for: development indicators

16175 Human Resource Development in Sri Lankan Universities: An Analysis of the Staff Development Programme at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Authors: Chamindi Dilkushi Senaratne

Abstract:

Staff development both formal and informal, structured and unstructured is universally accepted as fundamental to the growth of individuals and institutions. This study is based on feedback summaries collected from 2014 to 2017 from 240 participants of the staff development programme for probationary lecturers at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. It also contains data from interviews conducted with the resource persons in the programme. The study further includes observations from experts involved in staff training in higher education institutions in Sri Lanka The data reveals that though the programme has many aspects that can be improved, the selected topics in the curriculum and new topics that were incorporated had positive impacts to enhance continuing professional development of staff in Sri Lankan universities. The participants also believe that the programme has an impact on professional development, teaching, and management of classroom and curricula and research skills. Based on the findings, the study recommends the addition of new topics to the curriculum such as continuing professional development, code of conduct in universities, gender awareness and the green concept. The study further recommends programmes for senior academic staff in universities to assist them to reach higher levels in their career by focusing on areas such as teaching, research, and administrative skills.

Keywords: staff development, higher education, curriculum, research

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16174 Design of a Professional Development Framework in Teaching and Learning for Engineering Educators

Authors: Orla McConnell, Cormac MacMahon, Jen Harvey

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Ireland’s national professional development framework for those who teach in higher education, aims to provide guidance and leadership in the planning, developing and engaging in professional development practices. A series of pilot projects have been initiated to help explore the framework’s likely utility and acceptance by educators and their institutions. These projects require engagement with staff in the interpretation and adaption of the framework within their working contexts. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of one such project with engineering educators at three Institutes of Technology seeking designation as a technological university. The initiative aims to gain traction in the acceptance of the framework with the engineering education community by linking core and discipline-specific teaching and learning competencies with professional development activities most valued by engineering educators. Informed by three strands of literature: professional development in higher education; engineering education; and teaching and learning training provisions, the project begins with a survey of all those involved in teaching and learning in engineering across the three institutes. Based on engagement with key stakeholders, subsequent qualitative research informs the contextualization of the national framework for discipline-specific and institutional piloting. The paper concludes by exploring engineering educator perceptions of the national framework’s utility based on their engagement with the pilot process. Feedback from the pilot indicates that there is a significant gap between the professional development needs of engineering educators and the current professional development provision in teaching and learning.

Keywords: engineering education, pilot, professional development, teaching and learning

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16173 Comparative Study of Greenhouse Locations through Satellite Images and Geographic Information System: Methodological Evaluation in Venezuela

Authors: Maria A. Castillo H., Andrés R. Leandro C.

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During the last decades, agricultural productivity in Latin America has increased with precision agriculture and more efficient agricultural technologies. The use of automated systems, satellite images, geographic information systems, and tools for data analysis, and artificial intelligence have contributed to making more effective strategic decisions. Twenty years ago, the state of Mérida, located in the Venezuelan Andes, reported the largest area covered by greenhouses in the country, where certified seeds of potatoes, vegetables, ornamentals, and flowers were produced for export and consumption in the central region of the country. In recent years, it is estimated that production under greenhouses has changed, and the area covered has decreased due to different factors, but there are few historical statistical data in sufficient quantity and quality to support this estimate or to be used for analysis and decision making. The objective of this study is to compare data collected about geoposition, use, and covered areas of the greenhouses in 2007 to data available in 2021, as support for the analysis of the current situation of horticultural production in the main municipalities of the state of Mérida. The document presents the development of the work in the diagnosis and integration of geographic coordinates in GIS and data analysis phases. As a result, an evaluation of the process is made, a dashboard is presented with the most relevant data along with the geographical coordinates integrated into GIS, and an analysis of the obtained information is made. Finally, some recommendations for actions are added, and works that expand the information obtained and its geographical traceability over time are proposed. This study contributes to granting greater certainty in the supporting data for the evaluation of social, environmental, and economic sustainability indicators and to make better decisions according to the sustainable development goals in the area under review. At the same time, the methodology provides improvements to the agricultural data collection process that can be extended to other study areas and crops.

Keywords: greenhouses, geographic information system, protected agriculture, data analysis, Venezuela

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16172 The Impact of Different Social Networks on the Development of Digital Entrepreneurship

Authors: Mohammad Mehdizadeh, Sara Miri

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In today's world, competition is one of the essential components of different markets. Therefore, in addition to economic factors, social factors can also affect the development and prosperity of businesses. In this regard, social networks are of particular importance and play a critical role in the flourishing and development of Internet businesses. The purpose of this article is to investigate the effect of different social networks in promoting digital entrepreneurship. The research method is the descriptive survey. The results show that social networks have a positive and significant impact on digital entrepreneurship development. Among the social networks studied, Instagram and Facebook have the most positive effect on digital entrepreneurship.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, Facebook, Instagram, social media

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16171 A Study of Quality Assurance and Unit Verification Methods in Safety Critical Environment

Authors: Miklos Taliga

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In the present case study we examined the development and testing methods of systems that contain safety-critical elements in different industrial fields. Consequentially, we observed the classical object-oriented development and testing environment, as both medical technology and automobile industry approaches the development of safety critical elements that way. Subsequently, we examined model-based development. We introduce the quality parameters that define development and testing. While taking modern agile methodology (scrum) into consideration, we examined whether and to what extent the methodologies we found fit into this environment.

Keywords: safety-critical elements, quality managent, unit verification, model base testing, agile methods, scrum, metamodel, object-oriented programming, field specific modelling, sprint, user story, UML Standard

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16170 The Impact of Women on Urban Sustainability (Case Study: Three Districts of Tehran)

Authors: Reza Mokhtari Malekabadi, Leila Jalalabadi, Zahra Kiyani Ghaleh No

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Today, systems of management and urban planning, attempt to reach more sustainable development through monitoring developments, urban development and development plans. Monitoring of changes in the urban places and sustainable urban development accounted a base for the realization of worthy goals urban sustainable development. The importance of women in environmental protection programs is high enough that in 21 agenda has been requested from all countries to allocate more shares to women in their policies. On the other hand, urban waste landfill has become one of the environmental concerns in modern cities. This research assumes that the impact of women on recycling, reduction and proper waste landfill is much more than men. For this reason, three districts; Yousef Abad, Heshmatieh and Nezam Abad are gauged through questionnaire and using the analytical research hypothesis model. This research will be categorized as functional research. The results have shown that noticing the power of women, their participation towards realization of the development objectives and programs can be used in solving their problems.

Keywords: citizens, urban, environmental, sustainability, solid waste, Tehran

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16169 Impact of Individual Resilience on Organizational Resilience: An Exploratory Study

Authors: Mitansha, Suzanne Wilkinson, Regan Potangaroa

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The built environment is designed, maintained, operated, and decommissioned by construction organisations, which play a significant role in providing physical resources and rebuilding infrastructures during major crises and disasters. It is evident that enhancing the resilience of construction organisations allows better responding ability and speedy recovery from disasters and acts as a boon for the nation in the face of significant disruptions. As individuals are the integral component of any organisation, hence, individual resilience is considered a critical aspect, which may boost organisational resilience of construction sector. It has been observed that individual resilience is indirectly supported by organisation’s citizenship behaviour, job performance, and career success. Not only this, it also tends to hold a directly proportional relation with job satisfaction, physical and emotional well-being affected by organisation’s work culture, whereas the resilience of organisation increases as a result of positive adaption, growth and collective learning of the employees as an entity. Moreover, indicators like Situation awareness in staff and crisis related issues, effective vulnerability management, organisational leadership and culture ensured by approachable, encouraging and people-oriented leaders, are prominent for achieving organisational resilience. It, thus, becomes perceptible that both, organisational and individual resiliencies have the potential to influence each other. Consequently, it arises a major question that how these characteristics are associated and tend to behave with respect to each other The study, thus, aims to explore the overlapping dimensions of organisational and individual resilience to determine the impact boundaries. The research methodology of the paper would be based on systematic literature review specifically focused on the resilience of construction industry. This would provide a direct comparison of characteristics influencing individual and organisational resilience and will present the most significant indicators of individual resilience, that can eventually help to enhance the resilience of construction organisations amidst any disaster or crisis.

Keywords: construction industry, individual resilience, organizational resilience, overlapping dimension

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16168 Software Quality Assurance in Component Based Software Development – a Survey Analysis

Authors: Abeer Toheed Quadri, Maria Abubakar, Mehreen Sirshar

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Component Based Software Development (CBSD) is a new trend in software development. Selection of quality components is not enough to ensure software quality in Component Based Software System (CBSS). A software product is considered to be a quality product if it satisfies its customer’s needs and has minimum defects. Authors’ survey different research papers and analyzes various techniques which ensure software quality in component based software development. This paper includes an investigation about how to improve the quality of a component based software system without effecting quality attributes. The reported information is identified from literature survey. The developments of component based systems are rising as they reduce the development time, effort and cost by means of reuse. After analysis, it has been explored that in order to achieve the quality in a CBSS we need to have the components that are certified through software measure because the predictability of software quality attributes of system depend on the quality attributes of the constituent components, integration process and the framework used.

Keywords: CBSD (component based software development), CBSS (component based software system), quality components, SQA (software quality assurance)

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16167 The Nature and the Structure of Scientific and Innovative Collaboration Networks

Authors: Afshin Moazami, Andrea Schiffauerova

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The objective of this work is to investigate the development and the role of collaboration networks in the creation of knowledge and innovations in the US and Canada, with a special focus on Quebec. In order to create scientific networks, the data on journal articles were extracted from SCOPUS, and the networks were built based on the co-authorship of the journal papers. For innovation networks, the USPTO database was used, and the networks were built on the patent co-inventorship. Various indicators characterizing the evolution of the network structure and the positions of the researchers and inventors in the networks were calculated. The comparison between the United States, Canada, and Quebec was then carried out. The preliminary results show that the nature of scientific collaboration networks differs from the one seen in innovation networks. Scientists work in bigger teams and are mostly interconnected within one giant network component, whereas the innovation network is much more clustered and fragmented, the inventors work more repetitively with the same partners, often in smaller isolated groups. In both Canada and the US, an increasing tendency towards collaboration was observed, and it was found that networks are getting bigger and more centralized with time. Moreover, a declining share of knowledge transfers per scientist was detected, suggesting an increasing specialization of science. The US collaboration networks tend to be more centralized than the Canadian ones. Quebec shares a lot of features with the Canadian network, but some differences were observed, for example, Quebec inventors rely more on the knowledge transmission through intermediaries.

Keywords: Canada, collaboration, innovation network, scientific network, Quebec, United States

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16166 Developing API Economy: Associating Value to APIs and Microservices in an Enterprise

Authors: Mujahid Sultan

Abstract:

The IT industry has seen many transformations in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodologies and development approaches. SDLCs range from waterfall to agile, and the development approaches from monolith to microservices. Management, orchestration, and monetization of microservices have created an API economy in the modern enterprise. There are two approaches to API design, code first and design first. Design first is gaining popularity in the industry as this allows capturing the API needs from the stakeholders rather than the development teams guesstimating the needs and associating a monetary value with the APIs and microservices. In this publication, we describe an approach to organizing and creating stakeholder needs and requirements for designing microservices and APIs.

Keywords: requirements engineering, enterprise architecture, APIs, microservices, DevOps, continuous delivery, continuous integration, stakeholder viewpoints

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16165 Gig Economy Development Trends in Georgia

Authors: Nino Grigolaia

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The paper discusses the importance of the development of the gig economy in the economy of Georgia, analyzes the trends of the development of the gig economy, and identifies the main challenges in this field. Objective. The objective of the study is to assess the role of the gig economy, identify the main challenges and develop recommendations. Methodologies. Analysis, synthesis, comparison, induction and other methods are used; A desk study has been conducted. Findings. The advantages and disadvantages of the gig economy are identified, and the impact of the changes caused by the development of the gig economy on labor relations and employment is determined. It is argued that the ongoing technological changes have led to the emergence of new global trends in the labor market and increased the inequality of income distribution. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of the gig economy in the world and in Georgia, relevant recommendations are proposed, namely: establishing a new system of regulating the incomes of employees in this field, developing a real social protection mechanism, Development of political and legal instruments for regulation of gig economy and others.

Keywords: gig economy, economy of Georgia, digital platforms, labor relations

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16164 Sustainable Balanced Scorecard for Kaizen Evaluation: Comparative Study between Egypt and Japan

Authors: Ola I. S. El Dardery, Ismail Gomaa, Adel R.M. Rayan, Ghada El Khayat, Sara H. Sabry

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Continuous improvement activities are becoming a key factor of the success of any organization, those improvement activities include but not limited to kaizen, six sigma, lean projects, and continuous improvement projects. Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement by making small incremental changes to improve an organization’s performance, reduce costs, reduce delay time, reduce waste in production, etc. This study aims at proposing a new measuring technique for kaizen activities using a Sustainable balanced scorecard structure. A survey questionnaire was developed and introduced to kaizen participants in both Egypt and Japan with the purpose of allocating key performance indicators for both kaizen process (critical success factors) and result (kaizen benefits) into the five perspectives of sustainable balanced scorecard. The study contributes to the literature by presenting a new kaizen measurement of both kaizen process and results, that will illuminate the benefits of using kaizen. Also, the presented measurement can help in the sustainability of kaizen implementation. Determining the combination of the proper kaizen measures could be used by any industry whether service or manufacturing to better measure kaizen activates. The comparison between Japanese measures, as the leaders of kaizen philosophy, and Egyptian measures will help recommending better practices of kaizen in Egypt, and contributing to the 2030 sustainable development goals.

Keywords: continuous improvements, kaizen, performance, sustainable balanced scorecard

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16163 Static Analysis Deployment Model for Code Quality on Research and Development Projects of Software Development

Authors: Jeong-Hyun Park, Young-Sik Park, Hyo-Teag Jung

Abstract:

This paper presents static analysis deployment model for code quality on R&D Projects of SW Development. The proposed model includes the scope of R&D projects and index for static analysis of source code, operation model and execution process, environments and infrastructure system for R&D projects of SW development. There is the static analysis result of pilot project as case study based on the proposed deployment model and environment, and strategic considerations for success operation of the proposed static analysis deployment model for R&D Projects of SW Development. The proposed static analysis deployment model in this paper will be adapted and improved continuously for quality upgrade of R&D projects, and customer satisfaction of developed source codes and products.

Keywords: static analysis, code quality, coding rules, automation tool

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16162 Assessing the Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers’ Continuation of Use of Technology After Participation in Professional Development

Authors: Ayoub Kafyulilo, Petra Fisser, Joke Voogt

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This study was conducted to assess the continuation of the use of technology in science and mathematics teaching of the pre-service and in-service teachers who attended the professional development programme. It also assessed professional development, personal, institutional, and technological factors contributing to the continuous use of technology in teaching. The study involved 42 teachers, thirteen pre-service teachers, and twenty-nine in-service teachers. A mixed-method research approach was used to collect data for this study. Findings showed that the continuous use of technology in teaching after the termination of the professional development arrangement was high among the pre-service teachers, and differed for the in-service teachers. The regression model showed that knowledge and skills, access to technology and ease of use were strong predictors (R2 = 55.3%) of the teachers’ continuous use of technology after the professional development arrangement. The professional development factor did not have a direct effect on the continuous use of technology, rather had an influence on personal factors (knowledge and skills). In turn, the personal factors had influence on the institutional factors (access to technology) and technological factors (ease of use), which together had an effect on the teachers’ continuous use of technology in teaching.

Keywords: technology, professional development, teachers, science and mathematics

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16161 The Fadama Initiative: Implications for Human Security and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Authors: Albert T. Akume, Yahya M. Abdullahi

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The impact of poverty on individual and society is grave, hence the efforts by the government to eradicate or alleviate. In Nigeria the various efforts to reduce rural poverty by empowering them and making the process of their development self-sustaining have ended dismally. That notwithstanding, government determination to conquer poverty has not diminish as in the early 1990s the government with financial collaboration from the World Bank and African Development Bank introduced the fadama project. It is against this backdrop that this paper uses the documentary and analytical research methods to examine the implication the fadama development project has for community capacity development and human security in Nigeria. From the analysis it was discovered the fadama project improved household income of fadama farmers, community empowerment, participatory development planning and support for demand driven productive investment in farm and non-farm activities including community infrastructures. Despite this impressive result the fadama project is challenged by conflict especially in northern Nigeria and late delivery of necessary farm consumables that aid improved productivity. It was therefore recommended that the government should strengthen her various state security institutions to proactively mitigate conflicts and to ensure that farm consumables and other support services reach farmers timely.

Keywords: capacity development, empowerment, fadama, human security, poverty reduction, theory of change, sustainable development

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16160 De-Securitizing Identity: Narrative (In)Consistency in Periods of Transition

Authors: Katerina Antoniou

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When examining conflicts around the world, it is evident that the majority of intractable conflicts are steeped in identity. Identity seems to be not only a causal variable for conflict, but also a catalytic parameter for the process of reconciliation that follows ceasefire. This paper focuses on the process of identity securitization that occurs between rival groups of heterogeneous collective identities – ethnic, national or religious – as well as on the relationship between identity securitization and the ability of the groups involved to reconcile. Are securitized identities obstacles to the process of reconciliation, able to hinder any prospects of peace? If the level to which an identity is securitized is catalytic to a conflict’s discourse and settlement, then which factors act as indicators of identity de-securitization? The level of an in-group’s identity securitization can be estimated through a number of indicators, one of which is narrative. The stories, views and stances each in-group adopts in relation to its history of conflict and relation with their rival out-group can clarify whether that specific in-group feels victimized and threatened or safe and ready to reconcile. Accordingly, this study discusses identity securitization through narrative in relation to intractable conflicts. Are there conflicts around the world that, despite having been identified as intractable, stagnated or insoluble, show signs of identity de-securitization through narrative? This inquiry uses the case of the Cyprus conflict and its partitioned societies to present official narratives from the two communities and assess whether these narratives have transformed, indicating a less securitized in-group identity for the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Specifically, the study compares the official historical overviews presented by each community’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and discusses the extent to which the two official narratives present a securitized collective identity. In addition, the study will observe whether official stances by the two communities – as adopted by community leaders – have transformed to depict less securitization over time. Additionally, the leaders’ reflection of popular opinion is evaluated through recent opinion polls from each community. Cyprus is currently experiencing renewed optimism for reunification, with the leaders of its two communities engaging in rigorous negotiations, and with rumors calling for a potential referendum for reunification to be taking place even as early as within 2016. Although leaders’ have shown a shift in their rhetoric and have moved away from narratives of victimization, this is not the case for the official narratives used by their respective ministries of foreign affairs. The study’s findings explore whether this narrative inconsistency proves that Cyprus is transitioning towards reunification, or whether the leaders are risking sending a securitized population to the polls to reject a potential reunification. More broadly, this study suggests that in the event that intractable conflicts might be moving towards viable peace, in-group narratives--official narratives in particular--can act as indicators of the extent to which rival entities have managed to reconcile.

Keywords: conflict, identity, narrative, reconciliation

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16159 Gender-Specific Vulnerability on Climate Change and Food Security Status - A Catchment Approach on Agroforestry Systems - A Multi-Country Case Study

Authors: Zerihun Yohannes Amare Id, Bernhard Freyer, Ky Serge Stephane, Ouéda Adama, Blessing Mudombi, Jean Nzuma, Mekonen Getachew Abebe, Adane Tesfaye, Birtukan Atinkut Asmare, Tesfahun Asmamaw Kassie

Abstract:

The study was conducted in Ethiopia (Zege Catchment) (ZC), Zimbabwe (Upper Save Catchment) (USC), and Burkina Faso (Nakambe Catchment) (NC). The study utilized a quantitative approach with 180 participants and complemented it with qualitative methods, including 33 key informant interviews and 6 focus group discussions. Households in ZC (58%), NC (55%), and US (40%) do not cover their household food consumption from crop production. The households rely heavily on perennial cash crops rather than annual crop production. Exposure indicators in ZC (0.758), USC (0.774), and NC (0.944), and sensitivity indicators in ZC (0.849) and NC (0.937) show statistically significant and high correlation with vulnerability. In the USC, adaptive capacity (0.746) and exposure (0.774) are also statistically significant and highly correlated with vulnerability. Vulnerability levels of the NC are very high (0.75) (0.85 female and 0.65 male participants) compared to the USC (0.66) (0.69 female and 0.61 male participants) and ZC (0.47) (0.34 female and 0.58 male participants). Female-headed households had statistically significantly lower vulnerability index compared to males in ZC, while male-headed households had statistically significantly lower vulnerability index compared to females in USC and NC. The reason is land certification in ZC (80%) is higher than in the US (10%) and NC (8%). Agroforestry practices variables across the study catchments had statistically significant contributions to households' adaptive capacity. We conclude that agroforestry practices do have substantial benefits in increasing women's adaptive capacity and reducing their vulnerability to climate change and food insecurity.

Keywords: climate change vulnerability, agroforestry, gender, food security, Sub-Saharan Africa

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16158 The Emergence of the Knowledge-Based Urban Development: An Evaluation of Sydney, New York and London's Race to the Top

Authors: Richard W. Jelier

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This research examines the emergence of the knowledge-based economies in three world cities in a comparative context. The Australian, American and British approaches to (KBE) are analyzed through the study of three premier world cities of Sydney, New York and London. Long considered leaders in the KBE, London and New York’s pre-imminence in this race to the top is not surprising. Sydney, Australia however has seen a remarkable transformation from an old economy to an emerging success in the new economy. After an examination of national KBE indicators (GDP comparisons and Knowledge Economy indexes) the research turns to a detailed investigation of specific strategies advanced in greater Sydney, New York City and London to advance the creative sector and compete for a spot among the world leaders in the knowledge age. These intense efforts at restructuring national and local economies have led to increasingly intense competition between cities and nations and there are clear winners and losers. Overall the conclusion of this research suggests that as Australia is rising, America is struggling to keep its position as a global world leader in the new economy. London’s urban primacy has helped elevate it role in the UK new economy and recent transformations have led London to compete successfully with New York City for the top position as the premier global city.

Keywords: knowledge-based economy, knowledge economy indexes, sustainable transformation, creative economies, New York, London and Sydney

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16157 Study of the Economic Development of Border Areas Malinau District

Authors: Indri Nilam Sari, Aris Subagiyo, Nindya Sari

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Malinau Regency border area is an area which is based on the RTRWN and the development priority. But, in real border area Malinau Regency placed as backyard from Indonesian area and caused development lag that is fairly large compared by town area in Malinau Regency. This research aimed to know the condition of the gap in the Malinau Regency border and its influence on the development of the border region as well as knowing the problems related to the economy development of society in the area of the border district of Malinau. Methods of analysis are used in namely descriptive analysis that represent analysis of land use and analysis of movement activities of the population, level analysis facility and infrastructure, economy analysis that represent top commodity determination analysis (LQ and Growth Share) and accessibility. The results of the study showed that the condition of the Malinau Regency border come within the gap as seen from the contributions of infrastructure repair facilities and accessibility advocates, communities, scattered seed commodities come within the borders and human resources with the condition of the most Upstream Bahau town in the backwaters of the town more. There are a few problems that cause the condition area of the border experiencing inequality, lack of human resources, poor infrastructure, lack of accessibility and low levels of security so that it brings development recommendations was the development of the flagship commodities and infrastructure as well as supporting community economic infrastructure, as well as human resources.

Keywords: border, economy, development, Malinau

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16156 The Effect of Taxes on Development: An Albanian Case

Authors: Mergleda Hodo

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All national governments aim to achieve economic equilibrium to build sustainable welfare, political stability, and economic equilibrium. There are various instruments to stimulate economic development and growth and achieve macroeconomic objectives. After the collapse of the political and economic system in the 1990s, some countries faced the complex challenge of economic development. This study aims to determine, based on empirical research, whether and to what extent tax revenue has an impact on the economic development of Albania. Furthermore, it gives an overview of the ways in which high tax burdens on the western Balkan countries have negatively affected foreign investment and reduced economic growth. This analysis is important for these selected countries, as the financial system has changed significantly over the years and has been affected significantly by a period of economic transition. The analysis is performed based on secondary data possessed by the World Bank and the central bank of each participating country between 2005 and 2018. The research findings indicate that tax policy affects, to a significant extent, the economic development of Albania. An efficient tax system is when individuals are willing to pay tax liability which will help in improving the economic well-being of a country.

Keywords: tax, development, economic growth, tax revenue

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16155 Diagnosis of Gingivitis Based on Correlations of Laser Doppler Data and Gingival Fluid Cytology

Authors: A. V. Belousov, Yakushenko

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One of the main problems of modern dentistry is development a reliable method to detect inflammation in the gums on the stages of diagnosis and assessment of treatment efficacy. We have proposed a method of gingival fluid intake, which successfully combines accessibility, excluding the impact of the annoying and damaging the gingival sulcus factors and provides reliable results (patent of RF№ 2342956 Method of gingival fluid intake). The objects of the study were students - volunteers of Dentistry Faculty numbering 75 people aged 20-21 years. Cellular composition of gingival fluid was studied using microscope "Olympus CX 31" (Japan) with the calculation of epithelial leukocyte index (ELI). Assessment of gingival micro circulation was performed using the apparatus «LAKK–01» (Lazma, Moscow). Cytological investigation noted the highly informative of epithelial leukocyte index (ELI), which demonstrated changes in the mechanisms of protection gums. The increase of ELI occurs during inhibition mechanisms of phagocytosis and activation of epithelial desquamation. The cytological data correlate with micro circulation indicators obtained by laser Doppler flowmetry. We have identified and confirmed the correlations between parameters laser Doppler flowmetry and data cytology gingival fluid in patients with gingivitis.

Keywords: gingivitis, laser doppler flowmetry, gingival fluid cytology, epithelial leukocyte index (ELI)

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16154 Forecasting of Innovative Development of Kondratiev-Schumpeter’s Economic Cycles

Authors: Alexander Gretchenko, Liudmila Goncharenko, Sergey Sybachin

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This article summarizes the history of the discovery of N.D. Kondratiev of large cycles of economic conditions, as well as the creation and justification of the theory of innovation-cyclical economic development of Kondratiev-Schumpeter. An analysis of it in modern conditions is providing. The main conclusion in this article is that in general terms today it can be argued that the Kondratiev-Schumpeter theory is sufficiently substantiated. Further, the possibility of making a forecast of the development of the economic situation in the direction of applying this theory in practice, which demonstrate its effectiveness, is considered.

Keywords: Kondratiev's big cycles of economic conjuncture, Schumpeter's theory of innovative economic development, long-term cyclical forecasting, dating of Kondratiev cycles

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16153 Investigating the Relationship between Place Attachment and Sustainable Development of Urban Spaces

Authors: Hamid Reza Zeraatpisheh, Ali Akbar Heidari, Soleiman Mohammadi Doust

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This study has examined the relationship between place attachment and sustainable development of urban spaces. To perform this, the components of place identity, emotional attachment, place attachment and social bonding which totally constitute the output of place attachment, by means of the standardized questionnaire measure place attachment in three domains of (cognitive) the place identity, (affective) emotional attachment and (behavioral) place attachment and social bonding. To measure sustainable development, three components of sustainable development, including society, economy and environment has been considered. The study is descriptive. The assessment instrument is the standard questionnaire of Safarnia which has been used to measure the variable of place attachment and to measure the variable of sustainable development, a questionnaire has been made by the researcher and been based on the combined theoretical framework. The statistical population of this research has been the city of Shiraz. The statistical sample has been Hafeziyeh. SPSS software has been used to analyze the data and examined the results of both descriptive and inferential statistics. In inferential statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient has been used to examine the hypotheses. In this study, the variable of place attachment is high and sustainable development is also in a high level. These results suggest a positive relationship between attachment to place and sustainable development.

Keywords: place attachment, sustainable development, economy-society-environment, Hafez's tomb

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16152 Information Construction of Higher Education in Teaching Practice

Authors: Yang Meng, James L. Patnao

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With the rapid development of information technology and the impact of the epidemic environment, the traditional teaching model can’t longer meet the requirements of the development of the times. The development of teaching mechanism is the inevitable trend of the future development of higher education. We must further promote the informatization of higher education in teaching practice, let modern information technology penetrate and practice in classroom teaching, and provide promising opportunities for the high-quality development of higher education. This article mainly through the distribution of questionnaires to teachers of colleges and universities, so as to understand the degree of informatization in the teaching of colleges and universities. And on the basis of domestic and foreign scholars' research on higher education informatization, it analyzes the existing problems, and finds the optimal solution based on the needs of education and teaching development. According to the survey results, most college teachers will use information technology in teaching practice, but the information technology teaching tools used by teachers are relatively simple, and most of them only use slides. In addition, backward informatization infrastructure and less informatization training are the main challenges facing the current teaching informatization construction. If colleges and universities can make good use of information technology and multimedia technology and combine it with traditional teaching, it will definitely promote the development of college education and further promote the modernization and informatization of higher education.

Keywords: higher education, teaching practice, informatization construction, e-education

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16151 Assessment of Natural Flood Management Potential of Sheffield Lakeland to Flood Risks Using GIS: A Case Study of Selected Farms on the Upper Don Catchment

Authors: Samuel Olajide Babawale, Jonathan Bridge

Abstract:

Natural Flood Management (NFM) is promoted as part of sustainable flood management (SFM) in response to climate change adaptation. Stakeholder engagement is central to this approach, and current trends are progressively moving towards a collaborative learning approach where stakeholder participation is perceived as one of the indicators of sustainable development. Within this methodology, participation embraces a diversity of knowledge and values underpinned by a philosophy of empowerment, equity, trust, and learning. To identify barriers to NFM uptake, there is a need for a new understanding of how stakeholder participation could be enhanced to benefit individual and community resilience within SFM. This is crucial in light of climate change threats and scientific reliability concerns. In contributing to this new understanding, this research evaluated the proposed interventions on six (6) UK NFM in a catchment known as the Sheffield Lakeland Partnership Area with reference to the Environment Agency Working with Natural Processes (WWNP) Potentials/Opportunities. Three of the opportunities, namely Run-off Attenuation Potential of 1%, Run-off Attenuation Potential of 3.3% and Riparian Woodland Potential, were modeled. In all the models, the interventions, though they have been proposed or already in place, are not in agreement with the data presented by EA WWNP. Findings show some institutional weaknesses, which are seen to inhibit the development of adequate flood management solutions locally with damaging implications for vulnerable communities. The gap in communication from practitioners poses a challenge to the implementation of real flood mitigating measures that align with the lead agency’s nationally accepted measures which are identified as not feasible by the farm management officers within this context. Findings highlight a dominant top-bottom approach to management with very minimal indication of local interactions. Current WWNP opportunities have been termed as not realistic by the people directly involved in the daily management of the farms, with less emphasis on prevention and mitigation. The targeted approach suggested by the EA WWNP is set against adaptive flood management and community development. The study explores dimensions of participation using the self-reliance and self-help approach to develop a methodology that facilitates reflections of currently institutionalized practices and the need to reshape spaces of interactions to enable empowered and meaningful participation. Stakeholder engagement and resilience planning underpin this research. The findings of the study suggest different agencies have different perspectives on “community participation”. It also shows communities in the case study area appear to be least influential, denied a real chance of discussing their situations and influencing the decisions. This is against the background that the communities are in the most productive regions, contributing massively to national food supplies. The results are discussed concerning practical implications for addressing interagency partnerships and conducting grassroots collaborations that empower local communities and seek solutions to sustainable development challenges. This study takes a critical look into the challenges and progress made locally in sustainable flood risk management and adaptation to climate change by the United Kingdom towards achieving the global 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

Keywords: natural flood management, sustainable flood management, sustainable development, working with natural processes, environment agency, run-off attenuation potential, climate change

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16150 An International Analysis of Career Development and Management Programs for High-Performance Athletes: A Perspective of Organizational Support

Authors: H. J. Hong

Abstract:

Sporting organizations are arguably responsible for encouraging high-performance athletes to balance their life and identity during their sporting career; sporting organizations can establish the motivational climate for high-performance athletes using athlete career development and management programs. The purpose of this article to provide an overview of career development and management programs in 20 countries and to examine the following seven features of the programs: (1) Which government-funded sporting organizations provide career development and management programs? (2) Which athletes are eligible to access the programs? (3) What are the aims and objectives of the programs? (4) What are the activities and content of the programs? (5) Who is responsible for the delivery of the programs within organizations (e.g., advisors, coordinators, service providers, counsellors, etc.)? (6) Do the sporting organizations have training and development programs for support services providers? and (7) Do the sporting organizations assess the programs in terms of the programs’ impact on high-performance athletes’ career development and management skills? Web-based data collection was conducted first. The author contacted the sporting organizations to clarify information as required by requesting further information via emails, international calls, video calls on Skype, and by visiting the sporting organizations and meeting with the practitioners (Fiji, Ireland, Korea, Scotland, Singapore, and Spain). By selecting comparable career development and management programs, the present study reviews programs across the world, identifying similarities, differences, and difficulties, so that sporting organizations and practitioners may enhance the quality of their programs. Since international comparisons of career development and management programs remain scarce, the findings deepen the knowledge of high-performance athletes’ career development, management, and transitions in the areas of organizational support programs.

Keywords: athletes' career development and management, athletes' psychological preparation, organizational support, sport career transition

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16149 Buy-and-Hold versus Alternative Strategies: A Comparison of Market-Timing Techniques

Authors: Jonathan J. Burson

Abstract:

With the rise of virtually costless, mobile-based trading platforms, stock market trading activity has increased significantly over the past decade, particularly for the millennial generation. This increased stock market attention, combined with the recent market turmoil due to the economic upset caused by COVID-19, make the topics of market-timing and forecasting particularly relevant. While the overall stock market saw an unprecedented, historically-long bull market from March 2009 to February 2020, the end of that bull market reignited a search by investors for a way to reduce risk and increase return. Similar searches for outperformance occurred in the early, and late 2000’s as the Dotcom bubble burst and the Great Recession led to years of negative returns for mean-variance, index investors. Extensive research has been conducted on fundamental analysis, technical analysis, macroeconomic indicators, microeconomic indicators, and other techniques—all using different methodologies and investment periods—in pursuit of higher returns with lower risk. The enormous variety of timeframes, data, and methodologies used by the diverse forecasting methods makes it difficult to compare the outcome of each method directly to other methods. This paper establishes a process to evaluate the market-timing methods in an apples-to-apples manner based on simplicity, performance, and feasibility. Preliminary findings show that certain technical analysis models provide a higher return with lower risk when compared to the buy-and-hold method and to other market-timing strategies. Furthermore, technical analysis models tend to be easier for individual investors both in terms of acquiring the data and in analyzing it, making technical analysis-based market-timing methods the preferred choice for retail investors.

Keywords: buy-and-hold, forecast, market-timing, probit, technical analysis

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16148 The Impact of Road Development on the Emergence of the Commercial Area

Authors: Ida Bagus Ilham Malik, Bart Julian Dewancker

Abstract:

The road construction will affect the development of the region along the new road. With this principle, the government developed Antasari Street in order to become one of the main economic corridors for the city of Bandar Lampung. Since its construction in 1997, Antasari Street developed into one of the main economic corridors that greatly affect the economic condition of the city, in addition to other economic corridors such as Pagar Alam Street and Teuku Umar Street. The data shows that the construction of roads affects economic development in the corridor that with the advent of commercial buildings in large quantities. Among them are shops, office, restaurants, and a car showroom. This study proves that the road construction could accelerate the economic progress of the road corridor, especially in the construction and development of urban roads.

Keywords: road development, commercial area, Antasari street, Bandar Lampung

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16147 The Importance of Sustainable Urban Development and Its Impacts on Turkey’s Urban Environmental Laws

Authors: Azadeh Rezafar, Sevkiye Sence Turk

Abstract:

Rapid population growth in urban areas and extinction danger of natural resources in order to meet the food needs of these population, has revealed the need for sustainability. It did not last long that city planners realized the importance of an equal access to natural resources with protecting and managing them in cities, in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. Like in other countries The Turkish Government is aware of the importance of the sustainable development in their cities. The government issued new laws for protection of environmental assets and so that the preservation of natural ecology. The main objective of this article is to emphasis the importance of the sustainable development in the context of the developing world by giving special information about the method of the Turkish Government for protecting nature with approval of difference laws in this area.

Keywords: population growth, sustainable development, Turkey, Turkish Urban Environmental Laws

Procedia PDF Downloads 341
16146 Characterization of Femur Development in Mice: A Computational Approach

Authors: Moncayo Donoso Miguelangel, Guevara Morales Johana, Kalenia Flores Kalenia, Barrera Avellaneda Luis Alejandro, Garzon Alvarado Diego Alexander

Abstract:

In mammals, long bones are formed by ossification of a cartilage mold during early embryonic development, forming structures called secondary ossification centers (SOCs), a primary ossification center (POC) and growth plates. This last structure is responsible for long bone growth. During the femur growth, the morphology of the growth plate and the SOCs may vary during different developmental stages. So far there are no detailed morphological studies of the development process from embryonic to adult stages. In this work, we carried out a morphological characterization of femur development from embryonic period to adulthood in mice. 15, 17 and 19 days old embryos and 1, 7, 14, 35, 46 and 52 days old mice were used. Samples were analyzed by a computational approach, using 3D images obtained by micro-CT imaging. Results obtained in this study showed that femur, its growth plates and SOCs undergo morphological changes during different stages of development, including changes in shape, position and thickness. These variations may be related with a response to mechanical loads imposed for muscle development surrounding the femur and a high activity during early stages necessary to support the high growth rates during first weeks and years of development. This study is important to improve our knowledge about the ossification patterns on every stage of bone development and characterize the morphological changes of important structures in bone growth like SOCs and growth plates.

Keywords: development, femur, growth plate, mice

Procedia PDF Downloads 337