Search results for: indicators of care quality

Authors: Getu Hailu, Catelynn Hettick, Niklas Pieper, Paul Kim, Augustine Hamner

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Airborne transmission is a problem that all viral respiratory diseases have in common. In late 2019, a disease outbreak, now known as SARS-CoV-2, suddenly expanded across China and the rest of the world in a matter of months. Research on the spread and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 airborne particles is ongoing, as well as the development of strategies for the prevention of the spread of these pathogens using indoor air quality (IAQ) methods. By evaluating the surface area of pollutants on the surface of a mannequin in a mock-based clinic room, this study aims to better understand how altering temperature and relative humidity affect aerosol spread and contamination. Four experiments were carried out at a constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit but with four different humidity levels of 0%, 30%, 45 percent, and 60%. The mannequin was placed in direct aerosol flow since it was discovered that this was the position with the largest exposed surface area. The findings demonstrate that as relative humidity increased while the temperature remained constant, the amount of surface area infected by virus particles decreased. These findings point to approaches to reduce the spread of viral particles, such as SARS-CoV-2 and emphasize the significance of IAQ controls in enclosed environments.

Keywords: IAQ, ventilation, COVID-19, humidity, temperature

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Authors: Juanee Cilliers

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Urban citizens have come to expect more from their cities, demanding optimal conditions for business creativity and professional development, along with efficient, sustainable transportation and energy systems that feed robust economic development and healthy job markets. Urban public spaces are an important part of the urban environment, creating the framework for public life and quality thereof. The transformation of space into successful public places are crucial in this regard as planning must safeguard flexibility towards future changes, whilst simultaneously be capable of acting on short-term demands in order to address the complexity of public spaces within urban areas. This research evaluated two case studies of different cities in Belgium which successfully transformed spaces into lively public places. The transformation was illustrated and evaluated by means of visual analyses and space usage analyses of the original and redesigned space, along with the experience and value that the redesign brought to the area. Selected design elements were identified and evaluated based on the role in the transformation process, in an attempt to draw conclusions with regards to theory-practice relevance and to guide the transformation of space to place of (similar) public spaces.

Keywords: space, place, transformation, case studies

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Authors: Abbas S. Alwan, Waleed K. Hussan

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In this paper, a general verification of possible heat treatment of steel has been done with the view of conditions of real abrasive wear of rotivater with soil texture. This technique is found promising to improve the quality of agriculture components working with the soil in dry condition. Abrasive wear resistance is very important in many applications and in most cases it is directly correlated with the hardness of materials surface. Responded of heat treatments were carried out in various media (Still air, Cottonseed oil, and Brine water 10 %) and follow by low-temperature tempering (250°C) was applied on steel type (AISI 1030). After heat treatment was applied wear with soil texture by using tillage process to determine the (actual wear rate) of the specimens depending on weight loss method. It was found; the wear resistance Increases with increase hardness with varying quenching media as follows; 30 HRC, 45 HRC, 52 HRC, and 60 HRC for nontreated (as received) cooling media as still air, cottonseed oil, and Brine water 10 %, respectively. Martensitic structure with retained austenite can be obtained depending on the quenching medium. Wear was presented on the worn surfaces of the steels which were used in this work.

Keywords: microstructures, hardness, abrasive wear, heat treatment, soil texture

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Authors: Rouzbeh Jafari, Joe Nava

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This study includes learnings from an engineering practice normally performed on large scale biohydrogen processes. If properly scale-up is done, biohydrogen can be a reliable pathway for biowaste valorization. Most of the studies on biohydrogen process development have used model feedstock to investigate process key performance indicators (KPIs). This study does not intend to compare different technologies with model feedstock. However, it reports economic drivers and technical challenges which help in developing a road map for expanding biohydrogen economy deployment in Canada. BBA is a consulting firm responsible for the design of hydrogen production projects. Through executing these projects, activity has been performed to identify, register and mitigate technical drawbacks of large-scale hydrogen production. Those learnings, in this study, have been applied to the biohydrogen process. Through data collected by a comprehensive literature review, a base case has been considered as a reference, and several case studies have been performed. Critical parameters of the process were identified and through common engineering practice (process design, simulation, cost estimate, and life cycle assessment) impact of these parameters on the commercialization risk matrix and class 5 cost estimations were reported. The process considered in this study is food waste and woody biomass dark fermentation. To propose a reliable road map to develop a sustainable biohydrogen production process impact of critical parameters was studied on the end-to-end process. These parameters were 1) feedstock composition, 2) feedstock pre-treatment, 3) unit operation selection, and 4) multi-product concept. A couple of emerging technologies also were assessed such as photo-fermentation, integrated dark fermentation, and using ultrasound and microwave to break-down feedstock`s complex matrix and increase overall hydrogen yield. To properly report the impact of each parameter KPIs were identified as 1) Hydrogen yield, 2) energy consumption, 3) secondary waste generated, 4) CO2 footprint, 5) Product profile, 6) $/kg-H2 and 5) environmental impact. The feedstock is the main parameter defining the economic viability of biohydrogen production. Through parametric studies, it was found that biohydrogen production favors feedstock with higher carbohydrates. The feedstock composition was varied, by increasing one critical element (such as carbohydrate) and monitoring KPIs evolution. Different cases were studied with diverse feedstock, such as energy crops, wastewater slug, and lignocellulosic waste. The base case process was applied to have reference KPIs values and modifications such as pretreatment and feedstock mix-and-match were implemented to investigate KPIs changes. The complexity of the feedstock is the main bottleneck in the successful commercial deployment of the biohydrogen process as a reliable pathway for waste valorization. Hydrogen yield, reaction kinetics, and performance of key unit operations highly impacted as feedstock composition fluctuates during the lifetime of the process or from one case to another. In this case, concept of multi-product becomes more reliable. In this concept, the process is not designed to produce only one target product such as biohydrogen but will have two or multiple products (biohydrogen and biomethane or biochemicals). This new approach is being investigated by the BBA team and the results will be shared in another scientific contribution.

Keywords: biohydrogen, process scale-up, economic evaluation, commercialization uncertainties, hydrogen economy

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Authors: R. Kandiah, K. Miyamoto

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In Sri Lanka, the Jaffna area is a high drought affected area and depends mainly on groundwater aquifers for water needs. Water for daily activities is extracted from wells. As households manually extract water from the wells, it is not drawn from mid evening to early morning. The water inflow at night provides the maximum water level that decreases during the daytime due to extraction. The storage volume of water in wells is limited or at its lowest level during the dry season. This study analyzes the domestic water budget during the dry season in the Jaffna area. In order to evaluate the water inflow rate into wells, storage volume and extraction volume from wells over time, water pressure is measured at the bottom of three wells, which are located in coastal area denoted as well A, in nonspecific area denoted as well B, and agricultural area denoted as well C. The water quality at the wells A, B, and C, are mostly fresh, modest fresh, and saline respectively. From the monitoring, we can find that the daily inflow amount of water into the wells and daily water extraction depend on each other, that is, higher extraction yields higher inflow. And, in the dry season, the daily inflow volume and the daily extraction volume of each well are almost in balance.

Keywords: accessible volume, consumption volume, inflow rate, water budget

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Authors: L. Beltran, S. Solano, T. Lacruz, M. Blanco, M. Rojo, M. Graell, A. R. Sepulveda

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Introduction and Objective: Given the difficulties of assessing Binge Eating Disorder during childhood, episodes of Loss of Control (LOC) eating can be a key symptom. The objective is to know the prevalence of food psychopathology depending on the type of evaluation and find out which psychological characteristics differentiate overweight or obese children who present LOC from those who do not. Material and Methods: 170 children from 8 to 12 years of age with overweight or obesity (P > 85) were evaluated through the Primary Care Centers of Madrid. Sociodemographic data and psychological measures were collected through the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders & Schizophrenia, Present & Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) diagnostic interview and self-applied questionnaires: Children's eating attitudes (ChEAT), depressive symptomatology (CDI), anxiety (STAIC), general self-esteem (LAWSEQ), body self-esteem (BES), perceived teasing (POTS) and perfectionism (CAPS). Results: 15.2% of the sample exceeded the ChEAT cut-off point, presenting a risk of pathological eating; 5.88% presented an Eating Disorder through the diagnostic interview (2.35% Binge Eating disorder), and 33.53% had LOC episodes. No relationship was found between the presence of LOC and clinical diagnosis of eating disorders according to DSM-V; however, the group with LOC presented a higher risk of eating psychopathology using the ChEAT (p < .02). Significant differences were found in the group with LOC (p < .02): higher z-BMI, lower body self-esteem, greater anxious symptomatology, greater frequency of teasing towards weight, and greater effect of teasing both towards weight and competitions; compared to their peers without LOC. Conclusion: According to previous studies in samples with overweight children, in this Spanish sample of children with obesity, we found a prevalence of moderate eating disorder and a high presence of LOC episodes, which is related to both eating and general psychopathology. These findings confirm that the exclusion of LOC episodes as a diagnostic criterion can underestimate the presence of eating psychopathology during this developmental stage. According to these results, it is highly recommended to promote school context programs that approach LOC episodes in order to reduce associated symptoms. This study is included in a Project funded by the Ministry of Innovation and Science (PSI2011-23127).

Keywords: childhood obesity, eating psychopathology, loss-of-control eating, psychological symptomatology

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Authors: Cindy de Frias, Erum Whyne

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Objectives: The current study examined whether the link between stress and health-related quality of life was buffered by protective factors, namely mindfulness, in a sample of middle-aged and older adults. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 134 healthy, community-dwelling adults (aged 50–85 years) were recruited from Dallas, Texas. The participants were screened for depressive symptoms and severity (using the Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]). All participants completed measures of self-reported health status (i.e., SF-36v2: mental and physical health composites), life stress (using the Elder’s Life Stress Inventory [ELSI]), and trait mindfulness (i.e., Mindful Attention Awareness Scale). Results: Hierarchical regressions (covarying for age, gender, and education) showed that life stress was inversely related to physical and mental health. Mindfulness was positively related to mental health. The negative effect of life stress on mental health was weakened for those individuals with greater trait mindfulness. Discussion: The results suggest that mindfulness is a powerful, adaptive strategy that may protect middle-aged and older adults from the well-known harmful effects of stress on healthy aging.

Keywords: health, stress, mindfulness, aging

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Authors: N. David, H. O. Gao

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Air pollution is a serious environmental threat on a global scale and can cause harm to human health, morbidity and premature mortality. Reliable monitoring and control systems are therefore necessary to develop coping skills against the hazards associated with this phenomenon. However, existing environmental monitoring means often do not provide a sufficient response due to practical and technical limitations. Commercial microwave links that form the infrastructure for transmitting data between cell phone towers can be harnessed to map rain at high tempo-spatial resolution. Rainfall causes a decrease in the signal strength received by these wireless communication links allowing it to be used as a built-in sensor network to map the phenomenon. In this study, we point to the potential that lies in this system to indirectly monitor areas where air pollution is reduced. The relationship between pollutant wash-off and rainfall provides an opportunity to acquire important spatial information about air quality using existing cell-phone tower signals. Since the density of microwave communication networks is high relative to any dedicated sensor arrays, it could be possible to rely on this available observation tool for studying precipitation scavenging on air pollutants, for model needs and more.

Keywords: air pollution, commercial microwave links, rainfall, washout

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Authors: J. Burlakovs, Y. Jani, L. Grinberga, M. Kriipsalu, O. Anne, I. Grinfelde, W. Hogland

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The worldwide future sustainable economies are oriented towards the sea: the maritime economy is becoming one of the strongest driving forces in many regions as population growth is the highest in coastal areas. For hundreds of years sea resources were depleted unsustainably by fishing, mining, transportation, tourism, and waste. European Sustainable Development Strategy is identifying and developing actions to enable the EU to achieve a continuous, long-term improvement of the quality of life through the creation of sustainable communities. The aim of this paper is to provide insight in Baltic Sea Region case studies on implemented actions on tourism industry waste and beach wrack management in coastal areas, hazardous contaminants and plastic flow treatment from waste, wastewaters and stormwaters. These projects mentioned in study promote successful prevention of contaminant flows to the sea environments and provide perspectives for creation of valuable new products from residuals for future circular economy are the step forward to green innovation winning streak.

Keywords: resilience, hazardous waste, phytoremediation, water management, circular economy

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Authors: Mohannad N. H. Al-Malichi

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Because of its exceptional properties, graphene has become the most promising nanomaterial for the development of a new generation of advanced materials from battery electrodes to structural composites. However, current methods to meet requirements for the mass production of high-quality graphene are limited by harsh oxidation, high temperatures, and tedious processing steps. To extend the scope of the bulk production of graphene, herein, a facile, reproducible and cost-effective approach has been developed. This involved heating a specific mixture of chemical materials at an extremely low temperature (70 C) for a short period (7 minutes) to exfoliate functionalized graphene platelets with high structural integrity. The obtained graphene platelets have an average thickness of 3.86±0.71 nm and a lateral size less than ~2 µm with a low defect intensity ID/IG ~0.06. The thin film (~2 µm thick) exhibited a low surface resistance of ~0.63 Ω/sq⁻¹, confirming its high electrical conductivity. Additionally, these nanoplatelets were decorated with polar functional groups (epoxy and carboxyl groups), thus have the potential to toughen and provide multifunctional polymer nanocomposites. Moreover, such a simple method can be further exploited for the novel exfoliation of other layered two-dimensional materials such as MXenes.

Keywords: functionalized graphene nanoplatelets, high structural integrity graphene, low temperature exfoliation of graphene, functional graphene platelets

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Authors: Ali A. Abdollahi

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During the last several decades, scientists have consistently applied Multiple Criteria Decision-Making methods in making decisions about multi-faceted, complicated subjects. While making such decisions and in order to achieve more accurate evaluations, they have regularly used a variety of criteria instead of applying just one Optimum Evaluation Criterion. The method presented here utilizes both ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’ to assess the function of the Multiple-Criteria method. Applying Data envelopment analysis (DEA), weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS), Weighted Sum Approach (WSA), Analytic Network Process (ANP), and Charnes, Cooper, Rhodes (CCR) methods, we have analyzed thirteen parks in Kerman city. It further indicates that the functions of WASPAS and WSA are compatible with each other, but also that their deviation from DEA is extensive. Finally, the results for the CCR technique do not match the results of the DEA technique. Our study indicates that the ANP method, with the average rate of 1/51, ranks closest to the DEA method, which has an average rate of 1/49.

Keywords: multiple criteria decision making, Data envelopment analysis (DEA), Charnes Cooper Rhodes (CCR), Weighted Sum Approach (WSA)

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Authors: Xing Wang, Lin Feng, Lingling E., Hongchen Liu

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In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) there is poorer quality osseointegration than in non-diabetic (n-DM) patients, and the success of dental implants is less. Recent studies have demonstrated that insulin could stimulate bone cells to produce and accelerate implant osseointegration in DM patients.This raised the question whether insulin could provide local bone anabolic effects in non-diabetic patients. In this study,48 SD rats were divided into four groups randomly: DM group, DM+insulin group, n-DM group, n-DM + insulin group. All rats were implanted the titanium implant near the epiphyseal end of tibia, then the DM + insulin and n-DM + insulin group received twice-daily subcutaneous injections of insulin (10U/day).Two,four and eight weeks after implantation, rats were killed in batches. Histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate bone formation and osseointegration. The amount of newly formed bone, Implant–bone contact and the expression of OCN,RUNX2 in the DM+insulin, n-DM and n-DM+insulin group were significantly more than in the DM group (p<0.05). Compared with the n-DM group,the Implant–bone contact and expression of OCN,RUNX2 were significantly increased in n-DM+insulin group (p< 0.05). Taken together,these observations provide evidence that insulin has the potential to increase bone formation and osseointegration around implant not only in diabetic subjects but also in non-diabetic subject.

Keywords: insulin, diabetes mellitus, osseointegration, dental implants

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Authors: N. R. Putra, A. H. Abdul Aziz, A. S. Zaini, Z. Idham, F. Idrus, M. Z. Bin Zullyadini, M. A. Che Yunus

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The content of omega-3 in soybean oil is important in the development of infants and is an alternative for the omega-3 in fish oils. The investigation of extraction of soybean oil is needed to obtain the bioactive compound in the extract. Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction is modern and green technology to extract herbs and plants to obtain high quality extract due to high diffusivity and solubility of the solvent. The aim of this study was to obtain the optimum condition of soybean oil extraction by modified supercritical carbon dioxide. The soybean oil was extracted by using modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) under the temperatures of 40, 60, 80 °C, pressures of 150, 250, 350 Bar, and constant flow-rate of 10 g/min as the parameters of extraction processes. An experimental design was performed in order to optimize three important parameters of SC-CO₂ extraction which are pressure (X₁), temperature (X₂) to achieve optimum yields of soybean oil. Box Behnken Design was applied for experimental design. From the optimization process, the optimum condition of extraction of soybean oil was obtained at pressure 338 Bar and temperature 80 °C with oil yield of 2.713 g. Effect of pressure is significant on the extraction of soybean oil by modified supercritical carbon dioxide. Increasing of pressure will increase the oil yield of soybean oil.

Keywords: soybean oil, SC-CO₂ extraction, yield, optimization

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Authors: Alaa Eldien Sarhaan, Rania A. Galil, Yasmina Youssef

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Vital streets transfer a totally different message from the lifeless streets; vitality is considered as the mobility dynamism for the city’s streets. The quality of a street is integral to the vitality. However, most efforts have focused on the requirements of cars resulting in the loss many qualities. A successful street is related to the needs and expectations of pedestrians. The amount of activity held in a place is one of the measures of vitality; hence the meaning of a vital street may be the result of a number of people engaged in various activities meeting their needs and expectations. Consequently, it varies from one city to another. This research focuses on vitality in commercial streets. It studies commercial streets in the Egyptian context, which have developed into a chaotic environment due to inefficiency and high-density activities. The first part identifies the meaning of vitality in the frame of its physical, social and economic dimensions, then determines the methods used in measuring vitality across commercial streets. Secondly, an application on one of the most important commercial streets in Alexandria ‘El-Attareen’ street is chosen as a case study to measure its vitality. The study contributes to a greater understanding of how theories on vital urban life contribute to the development of vital commercial streets in the Egyptian and similar contexts.

Keywords: footfall measurement, vitality, urban commercial streets, yield factor

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Authors: Emma Louise McKinney

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There is a global move to integrate children who are Deaf and Hearing Impaired into regular classrooms with their hearing peers with an inclusive education framework. This paper examines the current education situation for children who are Deaf and Hearing Impaired in South Africa, Madagascar, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Qualitative data for this paper was obtained from the author’s experiences working as the Southern African Education Advisor for an international organization funding disability projects. It examines some of the challenges facing these children and their teachers relating to education. Challenges include cultural stigma relating to disability and deafness, a lack of hearing screening and early identification of deafness, schools in rural areas, special schools, specialist teacher training, equipment, understanding of how to implement policy, support, appropriate teaching methodologies, and sign language training and proficiency. On the other hand, in spite of the challenges some teachers are able to provide quality education to children who are Deaf and Hearing Impaired. This paper examines both the challenges as well as what teachers are doing to overcome these.

Keywords: education of children who are deaf and hearing impaired, Southern African experiences, challenges, triumphs

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Authors: Yusra Abdulsalam Alqamati, Ahmed Alkilany

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The teaching staff is a distinct group whose impact is on the educational process and which plays an important role in enhancing the quality of the academic education process. To improve the management effectiveness of the academy, the Teaching Staff Management System (TSMS) proposes that all teacher processes be digitized. Since the BPMN approach can accurately describe the processes, it lacks a clear picture of the process flow map, something that the process mining approach has, which is extracting information from event logs for discovery, monitoring, and model enhancement. Therefore, these two methodologies were combined to create the most accurate representation of system operations, the ability to extract data records and mining processes, recreate them in the form of a Petri net, and then generate them in a BPMN model for a more in-depth view of process flow. Additionally, the TSMS processes will be orchestrated to handle all requests in a guaranteed small-time manner thanks to the integration of the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), the BPM engine, and allowing business owners to take part throughout the entire TSMS project development lifecycle.

Keywords: process mining, BPM, business process model and notation, Petri net, teaching staff, Google Cloud Platform

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Authors: Joshua Russell, Omar Zubair, Reuben Ndegwa

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Introduction: Mesenteric ischemia is an uncommon condition that can be challenging to diagnose in the acute setting, with the potential for significant morbidity and mortality. Very rarely has acute acalculous cholecystitis been described in the setting of mesenteric ischemia. Case: This was the case in a 78-year-old male, who initially presented with clinical and radiological evidence of small bowel obstruction, thought likely secondary to malignancy. The patient had a 6-week history of anorexia, worsening lower abdominal pain, and ~30kg of unintentional weight loss over a 12-month period and a CT- scan demonstrated a transition point in the distal ileum. The patient became increasingly hemodynamically unstable and peritonitic, and an emergency laparotomy was performed. Intra-operatively, however, no obvious transition point was identified, and instead, the gallbladder was markedly gangrenous and oedematous, consistent with acalculous cholecystitis. An open total cholecystectomy was subsequently performed. The patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit post-operatively and continued to deteriorate over the proceeding 48 hours, with two re-look laparotomies demonstrating progressively worsening bowel ischemia, initially in the distribution of the superior mesenteric artery and then the coeliac trunk. On review, the patient was found to have an aberrant right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery. The extent of ischemia was considered non-survivable, and the patient was palliated. Discussion: Multiple theories currently exist for the underlying pathophysiology of acalculous cholecystitis, including biliary stasis, sepsis, and ischemia. This case lends further support to ischemia as the underlying etiology of acalculous cholecystitis. This is particularly the case when considered in the context of the patient’s aberrant right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, which occurs in 11-14% of patients. Conclusion: This case report adds further insight to the debate surrounding the pathophysiology of acalculous cholecystitis. It also presents acalculous cholecystitis as a complication of mesenteric ischemia that should always be considered, especially in the elderly patient and in the context of relatively common anatomical variations. Furthermore, the case brings to attention the importance of maintaining dynamic working diagnoses in the setting of evolving pathophysiology and clinical presentations.

Keywords: acalculous cholecystitis, anatomical variation, general surgery, mesenteric ischemia

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Authors: Saeed Sayyad Hagh Shomar

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Modeling users’ decisions on departure time choice is the main motivation for this research. In particular, it examines the impact of social-demographic features, household, job characteristics and trip qualities on individuals’ departure time choice. Departure time alternatives are presented as adjacent discrete time periods. The choice between these alternatives is done using a discrete choice model. Since a great deal of early morning trips and traffic congestion at that time of the day comprise work trips, the focus of this study is on the work trip over the entire day. Therefore, this study by using questionnaire of stated preference models users’ departure time choice affected by congestion pricing plan in downtown Tehran. Experimental results demonstrate efficient social-demographic impact on work trips’ departure time. These findings have substantial outcomes for the analysis of transportation planning. Particularly, the analysis shows that ignoring the effects of these variables could result in erroneous information and consequently decisions in the field of transportation planning and air quality would fail and cause financial resources loss.

Keywords: modeling, departure time, travel timing, time of the day, congestion pricing, transportation planning

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Authors: M. Sakthivel, A. Devaki, D. Balasubramanyam, P. Kumarasamy, A. Raja, R. Anilkumar, H. Gopi

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The genetic parameters of growth traits in the New Zealand White rabbits maintained at Sheep Breeding and Research Station, Sandynallah, The Nilgiris, India were estimated by partitioning the variance and covariance components. The (co)variance components of body weights at weaning (W42), post-weaning (W70) and marketing (W135) age and growth efficiency traits viz., average daily gain (ADG), relative growth rate (RGR) and Kleiber ratio (KR) estimated on a daily basis at different age intervals (1=42 to 70 days; 2=70 to 135 days and 3=42 to 135 days) from weaning to marketing were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood, fitting six animal models with various combinations of direct and maternal effects. Data were collected over a period of 15 years (1998 to 2012). A log-likelihood ratio test was used to select the most appropriate univariate model for each trait, which was subsequently used in bivariate analysis. Heritability estimates for W42, W70 and W135 were 0.42 ± 0.07, 0.40 ± 0.08 and 0.27 ± 0.07, respectively. Heritability estimates of growth efficiency traits were moderate to high (0.18 to 0.42). Of the total phenotypic variation, maternal genetic effect contributed 14 to 32% for early body weight traits (W42 and W70) and ADG1. The contribution of maternal permanent environmental effect varied from 6 to 18% for W42 and for all the growth efficiency traits except for KR2. Maternal permanent environmental effect on most of the growth efficiency traits was a carryover effect of maternal care during weaning. Direct maternal genetic correlations, for the traits in which maternal genetic effect was significant, were moderate to high in magnitude and negative in direction. Maternal effect declined as the age of the animal increased. The estimates of total heritability and maternal across year repeatability for growth traits were moderate and an optimum rate of genetic progress seems possible in the herd by mass selection. The estimates of genetic and phenotypic correlations among body weight traits were moderate to high and positive; among growth efficiency traits were low to high with varying directions; between body weights and growth efficiency traits were very low to high in magnitude and mostly negative in direction. Moderate to high heritability and higher genetic correlation in body weight traits promise good scope for genetic improvement provided measures are taken to keep the inbreeding at the lowest level.

Keywords: genetic parameters, growth traits, maternal effects, rabbit genetics

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Authors: Ngan Nguyen

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The study analyses adjectives collocating with the word ‘education’ in the American language of the Corpus of Global Web-based English using a combination of corpus linguistic and discourse analytical methods to examine not only language patterns but also social political ideologies around the topic. Significant conclusions are deduced: (1) there are a large number of adjectival collocates of the word education which have been identified and classified into four categories representing four different aspects of education: level, quality, forms and types of education; (2) education, as in combination with three first categories, carries the meaning as the act and process of teaching and learning while with the last category having the meaning of a particular kind of teaching or training; (3) higher education is the topic that gains most concerns from the American public; (4) five most significant ideologies are discovered from the corpus: higher education associates with financial affairs, higher education is an industry, monetary policy of the government on higher education, people require greater accessibility to higher education and people value higher education. The study contributes to the field of developing meanings of words through corpus analysis and the field of discourse analysis.

Keywords: adjectival collocation, American context, corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, education

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Authors: Raeesa Moolla, Ryan S. Johnson

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Air travel, and the use of airports, has experienced proliferative growth in the past few decades, resulting in the concomitant release of air pollutants. Air pollution needs to be monitored because of the known relationship between exposure to air pollutants and increased adverse effects on human health. This study monitored a group of volatile organic compounds (VOCs); specifically BTEX (viz. benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylenes), as many are detrimental to human health. Through the use of passive sampling methods, the spatial variability of BTEX within an international airport was investigated, in order to determine ‘hotspots’ where occupational exposure to BTEX may be intensified. The passive sampling campaign revealed BTEX_total concentrations ranged between 12.95–124.04 µg m^-3. Furthermore, BTEX concentrations were dispersed heterogeneously within the airport. Due to the slow wind speeds recorded (1.13 m.s^-1); the hotspots were located close to their main BTEX sources. The main hotspot was located over the main apron of the airport. Employees working in this area may be chronically exposed to these emissions, which could be potentially detrimental to their health.

Keywords: air pollution, air quality, hotspot monitoring, volatile organic compounds

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Authors: Omar M. Elmabrouk

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The cutting tool, in the high-speed machining process, is consistently dealing with high localized stress at the tool tip, tip temperature exceeds 800°C and the chip slides along the rake face. These conditions are affecting the tool wear, the cutting tool performances, the quality of the produced parts and the tool life. Therefore, a thin film coating on the cutting tool should be considered to improve the tool surface properties while maintaining its bulks properties. One of the general coating processes in applying thin film for hard coating purpose is PVD magnetron sputtering. In this paper, the prediction of the effects of PVD magnetron sputtering coating process parameters, sputter power in the range of (4.81-7.19 kW), bias voltage in the range of (50.00-300.00 Volts) and substrate temperature in the range of (281.08-600.00 °C), were studied using artificial neural network (ANN). The results were compared with previously published results using RSM model. It was found that the ANN is more accurate in prediction of tool hardness, and hence, it will not only improve the tool life of the tool but also significantly enhances the efficiency of the machining processes.

Keywords: artificial neural network, hardness, prediction, titanium aluminium nitrate coating

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Authors: Abdelaziz Sheba Abdelrahman

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Compost enriched with actinomyces and Bacillus polymyxa algae as a Partial Substitute for Mineral N in Ewaise Mango Orchards Organic fertiliser, compost enriched with actinomyces, and the biofertilizer Bacillus polymyxa algae were used as a partial replacement for mineral N fertiliser in Ewaise mango orchards during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. When compared to using mineral N alone, the results showed that reducing the percentage of mineral N fertiliser from 100 to 50% and using compost enriched with actinomyces at 25 to 50% and Bacillus polymyxa had an announced promotion on leaf area, total chlorophylls, leaf N, P, and K, yield, and fruit quality. The use of compost enriched with actinomyces and Bacillus polymyxa, as well as mineral N, resulted in a significant decrease in nitrite in the pulp. Reducing mineral N to 25% of the suitable N had a negative impact on yield. The application of appropriate N via 50% inorganic N + compost enriched with actinomyces at 50% + Bacillus polymyxa algae increased yield quantitatively and qualitatively in Ewaise mango orchards. This promised treatment significantly reduced nitrite levels in the pulp fruit.

Keywords: bacillus polymyxa algae, fertiliser, biofertilizer, ewaise mango

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Authors: F. Özlem Saka

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There should be connections between universities and state schools in order to improve the quality of instruction. ELT department of Akdeniz University carries out a project named ‘Easy English’ with a state primary school in Antalya for 2 years. According to the Project requirements, junior students at university teach English to 3rd grade primary school students during the term. They are supposed to teach the topics planned before, preparing different activities for the students. This study reflects the ideas of both students at university and at state school related to the language programme carried out. Their ideas have been collected with a questionnaire consisting of similar structured questions. The result shows that both groups like the programme and evaluate it from their own perspectives. It is believed the efficient results of this project will lead to planning similar programmes for different levels. From this study, curriculum planners and teachers can get ideas to improve language teaching at primary level as both university students, being the teachers in the project and students at state primary school have positive feelings and thoughts about it.

Keywords: foreign language teacher training, games in English teaching, songs in English teaching, teaching English to young learners

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Authors: Golnaz Moghimi, Alireza Afsharghotli, Alireza Rezaei

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Construction waste has been gradually increased as a result of upsizing construction projects which are occurred within the lifecycle of buildings. Since waste management is a major priority and has profound impacts on the volume of waste generated in construction stage, the majority of efforts have been attempted to reuse, recycle and reduce waste. However, there is still room to study on lack of sufficient knowledge about waste management in construction industry. This paper intends to provide an insight into the effect of project management knowledge areas on waste management solely on construction stage. To this end, a survey among Iranian building construction industry contractors was conducted to identify the effectiveness of project management knowledge areas on three jobsite key factors including ‘Site activity’, ‘Training’, and ‘Awareness’. As a result, four management disciplines were identified as most influential ones on amount of construction waste. These disciplines were Project Cost Management, Quality Management, Human Resource Management, and Integration Management. Based on the research findings, a new model was presented to develop effective construction waste strategies.

Keywords: awareness, PMBOK, site activity, training, waste management

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Authors: Eyibo Ebengeobong Eddie, Halil Zafer Alibaba

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The neglect of classroom acoustics is dominant in most educational facilities, meanwhile, hearing and listening is the learning process in this kind of facilities. A classroom should therefore be an environment that encourages listening, without an obstacles to understanding what is being taught. Although different studies have shown teachers to complain that noise is the everyday factor that causes stress in classroom, the capacity of individuals to understand speech is further affected by Echoes, Reverberation, and room modes. It is therefore necessary for classrooms to have an ideal acoustics to aid the intelligibility of students in the learning process. The influence of these acoustical parameters on learning and teaching in schools needs to be further researched upon to enhance the teaching and learning capacity of both teacher and student. For this reason, there is a strong need to provide and collect data to analyse and define the suitable quality of classrooms needed for a learning environment. Research has shown that acoustical problems are still experienced in both newer and older schools. However, recently, principle of acoustics has been analysed and room acoustics can now be measured with various technologies and sound systems to improve and solve the problem of acoustics in classrooms. These acoustic solutions, materials, construction methods and integration processes would be discussed in this paper.

Keywords: classroom, acoustics, materials, integration, speech intelligibility

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Authors: Nor Hafizah Selamat, Intan Hashima Mohd Hashim, Noraida Endut, Shariffah Suraya Syed Jamaludin, Sharifah Zahhura Syed Abdullah, Suziana Mat Yasin, Nurul Jannah Ambak

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In Malaysia, report on discrimination against pregnant women at work does exist, and this issue should be taken seriously as large proportion of women in the workforce in Malaysia are of reproductive age. It has been well established that women tend to leave the workforce because of their responsibility in raising the family, to care for family members and, also due to lack of work-life balance. In this case, women find themselves disadvantaged in career and job advancements due to gender roles and expectations connected with maternity. This maternity discrimination have pushed women out of work although The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which Malaysia is a party, considers discrimination on the ground of maternity is a form of gender discrimination because it hinders women of their effective right to work and requires that special protection be provided for women during maternity to ensure their ability to enjoy the right to work (Article 11(2). What factors prevent women from returning to work and at the same time performing their gender roles expectations? Using semi-structured in-depth interviews this paper explores the experiences of maternity discrimination and their perspectives towards their work employment. 15 women employees who were pregnant or had given birth during her employment period in public and private organizations in Malaysia were participated in this study. While data were analyzed using narrative analysis, respondents were asked on issues related to managing pregnancy, maternity leave and returning to work. The findings revealed that several respondents from private companies stated that they were either dismissed or forced to take unpaid leave due to the company policies. In some cases, respondents also shared how they were treated poorly that they felt that they had to leave their jobs. However, in public organization, the maternity policy implemented showed the support that the employees received from their employer. Study shows that supportive family and employers will encourage employees to return to work. Reasonable adjustments in terms of maternity policies at workplace such as allowing sufficient time in postnatal appointments, offering clear explanation on maternity issues at workplace are something that employees expected from their employers.

Keywords: maternity discrimination, women and work, gender, maternity protection, Malaysia

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Authors: Gevorgianiene Violeta, Sumskiene Egle

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Background. Child removal is a profound and life-altering measure that significantly impacts both children and their mothers. Unfortunately, mothers with intellectual disabilities are disproportionately affected by the removal of their children. This action is often taken due to concerns about the mother's perceived inability to care for the child, instances of abuse and neglect, or struggles with addiction. In many cases, the failure to meet society's standards of a "good mother" is seen as a deviation from conventional norms of femininity and motherhood. From an institutional perspective, separating a child from their mother is sometimes viewed as a step toward restoring justice or doing what is considered "right." In another light, this act of child removal can be seen as the removal of a mother from her child, an attempt to shield society from the complexities and fears associated with motherhood for women with disabilities. This separation can be likened to the Greek legend of the Minotaur, a fearsome beast confined within an impenetrable labyrinth. By reimagining this legend, we can see the social fears surrounding 'mothering with intellectual disability' as deeply sealed within an unreachable place. The Aim of this Presentation. Our goal with this presentation is to draw from our research and the metaphors found in the Greek legend to delve into the profound challenges faced by mothers with intellectual disabilities in raising their children. These challenges often become entangled within an insurmountable labyrinth, including navigating complex institutional bureaucracies, enduring persistent doubts cast upon their maternal competencies, battling unfavorable societal narratives, and struggling to retain custody of their children. Coupled with limited social support networks, these challenges frequently lead to situations resulting in maternal failure and, ultimately, child removal. On a broader scale, this separation of a child from their mother symbolizes society’s collective avoidance of confronting the issue of 'mothering with disability,' which can only be effectively addressed through united efforts. Conclusion. Just as in the labyrinth of the Minotaur legend, the struggles faced by mothers with disabilities in their pursuit of retaining their children reveal the need for a metaphorical 'string of Ariadne.' This string symbolizes the support offered by social service providers, communities, and the loved ones these women often dream of but rarely encounter in their lives.

Keywords: motherhood, disability, child removal, support.

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Authors: Ilham Ihoume, Rachid Tadili, Nora Arbaoui

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Recent innovations in economical heating systems have significantly boosted ‎agricultural production by effectively managing temperature drops in greenhouse ‎microclimates. These advancements enhance product profitability in terms of quality, ‎quantity, and growth duration. This study experimentally investigates the impact of a ‎solar heating system on the microclimate of an agricultural greenhouse, focusing on ‎zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). The System comprises a copper tube placed between double ‎roof glazing and a sensible heat storage system, converting solar energy during the day ‎and storing it for night-time release. A second control greenhouse without heating ‎allows for comparative analysis at various growth stages. During the cold season, the ‎experimental greenhouse showed a temperature increase of 3°C compared to the ‎control greenhouse and 5°C above external ambient air. The relative humidity in the ‎experimental greenhouse ranged from 69% to 70%, whereas the control greenhouse recorded 68% to 86%, and ambient air ‎was between 94% to 99%. The heating systems achieved an efficiency of 73%, and ‎zucchini plants in the experimental greenhouse developed fruit 13 days earlier than ‎those in the control greenhouse.‎

Keywords: solar energy, storage, energy managment, heating system

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Authors: Obiajulu Anthony Ugochukwu Nnedum, Bernard Chukwukelue Chine, Jerome Ogochukwu Ezisi

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A notable challenge of organizational citizenship behavior in Nigerian organizations is the prevalence of individualistic work cultures among employees, as this mindset can result in employees being less willing to go beyond their formal job requirements to contribute to the organization overall success. However, the dearth and scarce research on the antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior, such as paternalistic leadership and employee loyalty to supervisors in sub-Saharan African cultures such as Nigeria, motivated the current study to take a deep investigation into the moderating role of employee loyalty to supervisor on the relationship between paternalistic leadership and organizational citizenship behavior. The relevance of the current study ensures that when employees are loyal to their paternalistic leaders who show care and support, they are more likely to exhibit organizational citizenship behavior. The current study employed a sample size of four hundred and twenty participants (one hundred and five managers and three hundred and five subordinates) from eleven large organizations randomly selected through lucky dip from twenty-two large organizations from the directory of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Anambra state, south-eastern Nigeria. Also, a twelve-item organizational citizenship behavior scale, a thirty-nine-item paternalistic leadership scale, and a six-item loyalty to supervisor scale were employed for the collection of data for the current study. Adopting a one manager/Leader by triad subordinates cross-sectional survey design, Hayes process micro model and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version twenty-five, the findings from the result of the analysis of the hypotheses demonstrated that loyalty to supervisor moderated the relationship between paternalistic leadership and organizational citizenship behavior-conscientiousness. Also, the findings from the result revealed that loyalty to the supervisor moderated the relationship between authoritative leadership and organizational citizenship behavior identification. Furthermore, the findings from the result showed that loyalty to the supervisor moderated the relationship between moral leadership and organizational citizenship behavior. Accordingly, the result from the analysis implies that when employees are loyal to their supervisors, they are more likely to exhibit organizational citizenship behavior by going above and beyond their formal job requirements, as this loyalty can be fostered through a paternalistic leadership style that emphasizes a supportive and caring relationship between supervisors and subordinates.

Keywords: authoritative leadership, moral leadership, loyalty to supervisor, organizational citizenship behavior

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