Search results for: histograms of oriented gradients

Authors: T. S. Soliman, A. G. Galyas, E. V. Rusinova, S. A. Vshivkov

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The liquid crystals combining properties of a liquid and an anisotropic crystal substance play an important role in a science and engineering. Molecules of cellulose and its derivatives have rigid helical conformation, stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Therefore the macromolecules of these polymers are capable to be ordered at dissolution and form liquid crystals of cholesteric type. Phase diagrams of solutions of some cellulose derivatives are known. However, little is known about the effect of a magnetic field on the viscosity of polymer solutions. The systems hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) – ethanol, HPC – ethylene glycol, HPC–DМАA, HPC–DMF, ethyl cellulose (EC)–ethanol, EC–DMF, were studied in the presence and absence of magnetic field. The solution viscosity was determined on a Rheotest RN 4.1 rheometer. The effect of a magnetic field on the solution properties was studied with the use of two magnets, which induces a magnetic-field-lines directed perpendicularly and parallel to the rotational axis of a rotor. Application of the magnetic field is shown to be accompanied by an increase in the additional assembly of macromolecules, as is evident from a gain in the radii of light scattering particles. In the presence of a magnetic field, the long chains of macromolecules are oriented in parallel with field lines. Such an orientation is associated with the molecular diamagnetic anisotropy of macromolecules. As a result, supramolecular particles are formed, especially in the vicinity of the region of liquid crystalline phase transition. The magnetic field leads to the increase in viscosity of solutions. The results were used to plot the concentration dependence of η/η0, where η and η0 are the viscosities of solutions in the presence and absence of a magnetic field, respectively. In this case, the values of viscosity corresponding to low shear rates were chosen because the concentration dependence of viscosity at low shear rates is typical for anisotropic systems. In the investigated composition range, the values of η/η0 are described by a curve with a maximum.

Keywords: rheology, liquid crystals, magnetic field, cellulose ethers

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Authors: Sireen Irsheid

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Despite concerted efforts to improve education attainment with progress in recent years, student achievement and attainment remain among the most significant challenges for school districts across the United States. Many scholars have argued that students who do not complete high school do not drop out of school voluntarily but are ‘pushed out’ of schools through multiple mechanisms related to structural and socioeconomic barriers, behavioral health challenges, pedagogical practices, and administrative procedures. Extant literature has shown that living in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods or attending under-resourced schools exacerbates student-level risk factors for grade retention and school pushout. Most efforts to respond to the school pushout phenomenon have focused on individual characteristics of students, with relatively little attention to addressing these multiple system-level characteristics related to perpetuating inequities. This study is built on a growing body of social justice-oriented research concerned with the systemic influences that shape the experiences and mental health challenges of young people. Specifically, this study examined how young people who have been experiencing education inequities make meaning and navigate the structural factors related to neighborhood and school disinvestment and access to resources and supports, and their risk for school pushout. Furthermore, schools as political, cultural, and ideologically reproductive spaces often serve as sites of resistance and can support students who are impacted by educational inequity. Study findings provide education, neighborhood, school psychology, social work practice, and policy considerations.

Keywords: education policy, mental health, school prison nexus, school pushout, structural trauma

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Authors: Andres Diaz Garcia

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The successful technological development of any bioproduct, including those of the biostimulant type, requires to adequately completion of a series of stages allied to different disciplines that are related to microbiological, engineering, pharmaceutical chemistry, legal and market components, among others. Engineering as a discipline has a key contribution in different aspects of fermentation processes such as the design and optimization of culture media, the standardization of operating conditions within the bioreactor and the scaling of the production process of the active ingredient that it will be used in unit operations downstream. However, all aspects mentioned must take into account many biological factors of the microorganism such as the growth rate, the level of assimilation to various organic and inorganic sources and the mechanisms of action associated with its biological activity. This paper focuses on the practical experience within the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (Agrosavia), which led to the development of a biostimulant bioproduct based on native rhizobacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, oriented mainly to plant growth promotion in cape gooseberry nurseries and fruit crops in Colombia, and the challenges that were overcome from the expertise in the area of engineering. Through the application of strategies and engineering tools, a culture medium was optimized to obtain concentrations higher than 1E09 CFU (colony form units)/ml in liquid fermentation, the process of biomass production was standardized and a scale-up strategy was generated based on geometric (H/D of bioreactor relationships), and operational criteria based on a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration and that took into account the differences in the capacity of control of the process in the laboratory and pilot scales. Currently, the bioproduct obtained through this technological process is in stages of registration in Colombia for cape gooseberry fruits for export.

Keywords: biochemical engineering, liquid fermentation, plant growth promoting, scale-up process

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Authors: Mei-Ching Ho

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Graduate-level writing practices have gained increasing scholarly attention in recent years. Due to its discipline-specific conventions and requirements, research writing can cause various levels of anxiety for native English speaking and English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) postgraduate students. Although many studies have investigated how writing anxiety can negatively affect writing performance, self-efficacy, and disciplinary discourse socialization process, relatively few have examined the impact of writing anxiety from the perspectives of postgraduate students in EFL contexts. This study aims to 1) examine the level of and the relationship between research writing anxiety and self-efficacy among Taiwanese EFL students at the master's and doctoral levels and 2) to uncover the causes of students' research writing anxiety. The data was collected from an adapted version of Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and Research Writing Self-Efficacy Scale with 218 EFL graduate students in engineering-related fields at two research-oriented universities in Taiwan. A pilot study was conducted to ensure the construct and content validity of the instruments. Semi-structured interviews were also undertaken with 30 survey respondents to better understand the causes of their writing anxiety. The results revealed that while both master's and doctoral students had low to moderate research writing anxiety and self-efficacy, the doctoral students with more experiences in writing research papers in English were more anxious but not necessarily more confident than the master's students. A significantly weak negative correlation was found between the two constructs. The contributing factors for these results include different degree of writing exigency, perceived importance and types of writing tasks, writing for publication as graduation thresholds, and mentoring relationship with thesis/dissertation advisers. The study also identified several causes of graduate-level writing anxiety, of which writing under time constraints and concern on linguistic and rhetorical proficiency appeared to be the major concern. Pedagogical implications regarding facilitating graduate students' writing process and reducing anxiety will also be drawn.

Keywords: writing affect, writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, EFL, postgraduate students

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Authors: Ana Paula Mousinho, Ronaldo D. Mansano, Nelson Ordonez

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Carbon nanotubes are one of the main elements in nanotechnologies; their applications are in microelectronics, nano-electronics devices (photonics, spintronic), chemical sensors, structural material and currently in clean energy devices (supercapacitors and fuel cells). The use of magnetic particle decorated carbon nanotubes increases the applications in magnetic devices, magnetic memory, and magnetic oriented drug delivery. In this work, single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) forest decorated with chromium were deposited at room temperature by high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD) system. The CNTs forest was obtained using pure methane plasmas and chromium, as precursor material (seed) and for decorating the CNTs. Magnetron sputtering deposited the chromium on silicon wafers before the CNTs' growth. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction characterized the single-walled CNTs forest decorated with chromium. In general, the CNTs' spectra show a unique emission band, but due to the presence of the chromium, the spectra obtained in this work showed many bands that are related to the CNTs with different diameters. The CNTs obtained by the HDPCVD system are highly aligned and showed metallic features, and they can be used as photonic material, due to the unique structural and electrical properties. The results of this work proved the possibility of obtaining the controlled deposition of aligned single-walled CNTs forest films decorated with chromium by high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition system.

Keywords: CNTs forest, high density plasma deposition, high-aligned CNTs, nanomaterials

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Authors: Mercy E. Makpor

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Traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) idea has gone beyond just ensuring safety environments, caring about global warming and ensuring good living standards and conditions for the society at large. The paradigm shift is towards a focus on strategic objectives and the long-term value creation for both businesses and the society at large for a realistic future. As an important approach to solving social and environment issues, CSR has been accepted globally. Yet the approach is expected to go beyond where it is currently. So much is expected from businesses and governments at every level globally and locally. This then leads to the original idea of the concept, that is, how it originated and how it has been perceived over the years. Little wonder there has been a lot of definitions surrounding the concept without a major globally acceptable definition of it. The definition of CSR given by the European Commission will be considered for the purpose of this paper. Sustainable Development (SD), on the other hand, has been viewed in recent years as an ethical concept explained in the UN-Report termed “Our Common Future,” which can also be referred to as the Brundtland report. The report summarises the need for SD to take place in the present without comprising the future. However, the recent 21st-century framework on sustainability known as the “Triple Bottom Line (TBL)” framework, has added its voice to the concepts of CSR and sustainable development. The TBL model is of the opinion that businesses should not only report on their financial performance but also on their social and environmental performances, highlighting that CSR has gone beyond just the “material-impact” approach towards a “Future-Oriented” approach (sustainability). In this paper, the concept of CSR is revisited by exploring the various theories therein. The discourse on the concepts of sustainable development and sustainable development frameworks will also be indicated, thereby inducing these into how CSR can benefit both businesses and their stakeholders as well as the entirety of the society, not just for the present but for the future. It does this by exploring the importance of both concepts (CSR and SD) and concludes by making recommendations for a more empirical research in the near future.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, sustainability, triple bottom line model

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Authors: Kourosh Ghaffari, Baghaei Azhang

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This study aims to address two main questions whether a camp designed for refugees will affect their quality of life and how to effectively incorporate ecotech architecture into the architectural design of a refugee camp. The current study planned to ensure that the final design reflects the principles of ecotech architecture in most refugee camps. The design process has taken into account various factors, including flexibility, diversity in the camp space according to the ecotech approach, expandability in the building, spatial hierarchy in the design of camp spaces, and the assignment of territories and space sanctuaries to refugees. It should be noted that this study is not a research-oriented type of study and is only limited to collecting information and making hypotheses and questions related to the plan. The researchers attempted to provide a general summary of similar domestic and foreign examples and examine them in similar conditions using the ecotech architecture. The research method utilized in this study was qualitative. Afterwards, the climate studies of the target area, citing and paying attention to the criteria and points extracted from the theoretical framework, reaching the desired conclusion and examining similar examples were followed. Additionally, placement on the site, compliance with relevant standards and regulations, attention to the content and physical program, and addressing the idea and its evolution in all the details of the plan were presented. The data collection procedure included observation and library studies, and the design method was to determine and recognize the subject and examine similar samples. In conclusion, the principles of theoretical foundations, the design protocols in ecotech architecture and the scope of the study are dealt. Furthermore, the site analysis, the design process and the final plan are presented.

Keywords: ecotech architecture, livable city, shelter, refugee camp

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Víctor D. Rodríguez, Edith P. Estupiñán, Juan C. Martínez

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The evolution in mobile broadband technologies has allowed to increase the download rates in users considering the current services. The evaluation of technical parameters at the link level is of vital importance to validate the quality and veracity of the connection, thus avoiding large losses of data, time and productivity. Some of these failures may occur between the eNodeB (Evolved Node B) and the user equipment (UE), so the link between the end device and the base station can be observed. LTE (Long Term Evolution) is considered one of the IP-oriented mobile broadband technologies that work stably for data and VoIP (Voice Over IP) for those devices that have that feature. This research presents a technical analysis of the connection and channeling processes between UE and eNodeB with the TAC (Tracking Area Code) variables, and analysis of performance variables (Throughput, Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR)). Three measurement scenarios were proposed in the city of Bogotá using QualiPoc, where two operators were evaluated (Operator 1 and Operator 2). Once the data were obtained, an analysis of the variables was performed determining that the data obtained in transmission modes vary depending on the parameters BLER (Block Error Rate), performance and SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio). In the case of both operators, differences in transmission modes are detected and this is reflected in the quality of the signal. In addition, due to the fact that both operators work in different frequencies, it can be seen that Operator 1, despite having spectrum in Band 7 (2600 MHz), together with Operator 2, is reassigning to another frequency, a lower band, which is AWS (1700 MHz), but the difference in signal quality with respect to the establishment with data by the provider Operator 2 and the difference found in the transmission modes determined by the eNodeB in Operator 1 is remarkable.

Keywords: BLER, LTE, network, qualipoc, SNR.

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Authors: Saeid Gharechelou, Stuart Green, Fiona Cawkwell

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Hedgerow has an important role for a wide range of ecological habitats, landscape, agriculture management, carbon sequestration, wood production. Hedgerow detection accurately using satellite imagery is a challenging problem in remote sensing techniques, because in the special approach it is very similar to line object like a road, from a spectral viewpoint, a hedge is very similar to a forest. Remote sensors with very high spatial resolution (VHR) recently enable the automatic detection of hedges by the acquisition of images with enough spectral and spatial resolution. Indeed, recently VHR remote sensing data provided the opportunity to detect the hedgerow as line feature but still remain difficulties in monitoring the characterization in landscape scale. In this research is used the TerraSAR-x Spotlight and Staring mode with 3-5 m resolution in wet and dry season in the test site of Fermoy County, Ireland to detect the hedgerow by acquisition time of 2014-2015. Both dual polarization of Spotlight data in HH/VV is using for detection of hedgerow. The varied method of SAR image technique with try and error way by integration of classification algorithm like texture analysis, support vector machine, k-means and random forest are using to detect hedgerow and its characterization. We are applying the Shannon entropy (ShE) and backscattering analysis in single and double bounce in polarimetric analysis for processing the object-oriented classification and finally extracting the hedgerow network. The result still is in progress and need to apply the other method as well to find the best method in study area. Finally, this research is under way to ahead to get the best result and here just present the preliminary work that polarimetric image of TSX potentially can detect the hedgerow.

Keywords: TerraSAR-X, hedgerow detection, high resolution SAR image, dual polarization, polarimetric analysis

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Authors: Marcos Perez, Christian Dumont, Olivier Nodin, Sebastien Nouveau

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Nickel superalloys are used to manufacture high-temperature rotary engine parts such as high-pressure disks in gas turbine engines. High strength at high operating temperatures is required due to the levels of stress and heat the disk must withstand. Therefore it is necessary parts made from materials that can maintain mechanical strength at high temperatures whilst remain comparatively low in cost. A manufacturing process referred to as the triple melt process has made the production of cast and wrought (C&W) nickel superalloys possible. This means that the balance of cost and performance at high temperature may be optimized. AD730TM is a newly developed Ni-based superalloy for turbine disk applications, with reported superior service properties around 700°C when compared to Inconel 718 and several other alloys. The cast ingot is converted into billet during either cogging process or open die forging. The semi-finished billet is then further processed into its final geometry by forging, heat treating, and machining. Conventional ingot-to-billet conversion is an expensive and complex operation, requiring a significant amount of steps to break up the coarse as-cast structure and interdendritic regions. Due to the size of conventional ingots, it is difficult to achieve a uniformly high level of strain for recrystallization, resulting in non-recrystallized regions that retain large unrecrystallized grains. Non-uniform grain distributions will also affect the ultrasonic inspectability response, which is used to find defects in the final component. The main aim is to analyze the recrystallization behavior and microstructural evolution of AD730 at subsolvus temperatures from a semi-finished product (billet) under conditions representative of both cogging and hot forging operations. Special attention to the presence of large unrecrystallized grains was paid. Double truncated cones (DTCs) were hot forged at subsolvus temperatures in hydraulic press, followed by air cooling. SEM and EBSD analysis were conducted in the as-received (billet) and the as-forged conditions. AD730 from billet alloy presents a complex microstructure characterized by a mixture of several constituents. Large unrecrystallized grains present a substructure characterized by large misorientation gradients with the formation of medium to high angle boundaries in their interior, especially close to the grain boundaries, denoting inhomogeneous strain distribution. A fine distribution of intragranular precipitates was found in their interior, playing a key role on strain distribution and subsequent recrystallization behaviour during hot forging. Continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) mechanism was found to be operating in the large unrecrystallized grains, promoting the formation intragranular DRX grains and the gradual recrystallization of these grains. Evidences that hetero-epitaxial recrystallization mechanism is operating in AD730 billet material were found. Coherent γ-shells around primary γ’ precipitates were found. However, no significant contribution to the overall recrystallization during hot forging was found. By contrast, strain presents the strongest effect on the microstructural evolution of AD730, increasing the recrystallization fraction and refining the structure. Regions with low level of deformation (ε ≤ 0.6) were translated into large fractions of unrecrystallized structures (strain accumulation). The presence of undissolved secondary γ’ precipitates (pinning effect), prior to hot forging operations, could explain these results.

Keywords: AD730 alloy, continuous dynamic recrystallization, hot forging, γ’ precipitates

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Authors: Fatemeh Abbasi, Sahand Daneshvar

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Productivity is one of the essential goals of companies to improve performance, which as a strategy-oriented method, determines the basis of the company's economic growth. The history of productivity goes back centuries, but most researchers defined productivity as the relationship between a product and the factors used in production in the early twentieth century. Productivity as the optimal use of available resources means that "more output using less input" can increase companies' economic growth and prosperity capacity. Also, having a quality life based on economic progress depends on productivity growth in that society. Therefore, productivity is a national priority for any developed country. There are several methods for calculating productivity growth measurements that can be divided into parametric and non-parametric methods. Parametric methods rely on the existence of a function in their hypotheses, while non-parametric methods do not require a function based on empirical evidence. One of the most popular non-parametric methods is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), which measures changes in productivity over time. The DEA evaluates the productivity of decision-making units (DMUs) based on mathematical models. This method uses multiple inputs and outputs to compare the productivity of similar DMUs such as banks, government agencies, companies, airports, Etc. Non-parametric methods are themselves divided into the frontier and non frontier approaches. The Malmquist productivity index (MPI) proposed by Caves, Christensen, and Diewert (1982), the Hicks–Moorsteen productivity index (HMPI) proposed by Bjurek (1996), or the Luenberger productivity indicator (LPI) proposed by Chambers (2002) are powerful tools for measuring productivity changes over time. This study will compare the Malmquist, Hicks–Moorsteen, and Luenberger indices theoretically and empirically based on DEA models and review their strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords: data envelopment analysis, Hicks–Moorsteen productivity index, Leuenberger productivity indicator, malmquist productivity index

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Authors: Noemi Schneider, Richard Blaese, Pietro Morandi, Brigitte Liebig

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While women are increasingly frequent among the founders of innovative companies and advanced researchers in many university research institutes today, they are still an exception among initiators of research-based spin-offs. This also applies to countries such as Switzerland, which does have a leading position in international innovation rankings. Starting from a gender-sensitive neo-institutionalist perspective, this paper examines formal and non-formal institutional framework conditions for academic spin-offs at Swiss universities of applied sciences. This field, which stresses vocational education and practice-oriented research, seems to conserve the gender gap in the area of establishing research-based spin-offs spin-off rates strongly. The analysis starts from a survey conducted in 2017 and 2018 at all seven public universities of applied sciences in Switzerland as well as on an evaluation of expert interviews performed with heads of start-up centers, where also spin-offs from universities of applied sciences get support. The results show the mechanisms, which contribute to gender gaps in academic entrepreneurship in higher education. University's female employees have hardly been discovered as target groups. Thus, only 10.5% of universities of applied sciences offer specific support measures for women in academia. And only 1 out of 7 universities of applied sciences offer mentoring programs for female entrepreneurs while in addition there are no financial resources available to support female founders in academia. Moreover, the awareness of the gender gap in academic entrepreneurship is low among founding commissioners. A consistent transfer strategy might be key for bringing in line the formal and non-formal preconditions relevant for the formation of research-based spin-offs and for providing an effective incentive structure to promote women.

Keywords: gender, science-based spin-off, universities of applied sciences, knowledge transfer strategy

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Authors: Joseph Marae Djouda, Ashraf Kasmi, François Hild

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Fused filament fabrication is one of the most widespread additive manufacturing techniques because of its low-cost implementation. Its initial development was based on part fabrication with thermoplastic materials. The influence of the manufacturing parameters such as the filament orientation through the nozzle, the deposited layer thickness, or the speed deposition on the mechanical properties of the parts has been widely experimentally investigated. It has been recorded the remarkable variations of the anisotropy in the function of the filament path during the fabrication process. However, there is a lack in the development of constitutive models describing the mechanical properties. In this study, integrated digital image correlation (I-DIC) is used for the identification of mechanical constitutive parameters of two configurations of ABS samples: +/-45° and so-called “oriented deposition.” In this last, the filament was deposited in order to follow the principal strain of the sample. The identification scheme based on the gap reduction between simulation and the experiment directly from images recorded from a single sample (single edge notched tension specimen) is developed. The macroscopic and mesoscopic analysis are conducted from images recorded in both sample surfaces during the tensile test. The elastic and elastoplastic models in isotropic and orthotropic frameworks have been established. It appears that independently of the sample configurations (filament orientation during the fabrication), the elastoplastic isotropic model gives the correct description of the behavior of samples. It is worth noting that in this model, the number of constitutive parameters is limited to the one considered in the elastoplastic orthotropic model. This leads to the fact that the anisotropy of the architectured 3D printed ABS parts can be neglected in the establishment of the macroscopic behavior description.

Keywords: elastic anisotropy, fused filament fabrication, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, I-DIC identification

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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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Authors: Bahadır Erişti

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Values are the behavioral procedures of society based communication and interaction process that includes social and cultural backgrounds. The policy of learning and teaching in higher education is oriented towards constructing knowledge and skills, based on theorist framework of cognitive and psychomotor aspects. This approach makes people not to develop generosity, empathy, affection, solidarity, justice, equality and so on. But the sensorial gains of education system provide the integrity of society interaction. This situation carries out the necessity of values education’s in higher education. The current study aims to consider values education from the viewpoint of students in higher education. Within the framework of the current study, an open ended survey based scenario of higher education students was conducted with the students’ social, cognitive, affective and moral developments. In line with this purpose, the following situations of the higher education system were addressed based on the higher education students’ viewpoint: The views of higher education students’ regarding values that are tried to be gained at the higher education system; The higher education students’ suggestions regarding values education at the higher education system; The views of the higher education students’ regarding values that are imposed at the higher education system. In this study, descriptive qualitative research method was used. The study group of the research is composed of 20 higher education postgraduate students at Curriculum and Instruction Department of Educational Sciences at Anadolu University. An open-ended survey was applied for the purpose of collecting qualitative data. As a result of the study, value preferences, value judgments and value systems of the higher education students were constructed on prioritizes based on social, cultural and economic backgrounds and statues. Multi-dimensional process of value education in higher education need to be constructed on higher education-community-cultural background cooperation. Thus, the act of judgement upon values between higher education students based on the survey seems to be inherent in the system of education itself. The present study highlights the students’ value priorities and importance of values in higher education. If the purpose of the higher education system gains on values, it is possible to enable society to promote humanity.

Keywords: higher education, value, values education, values in higher education

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Authors: Melike Orhan

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Along with impetuous physical change, configuration and increase in the density of cities, urban public spaces have started to become a transition area rather than spaces to inhabit. The insufficiency of public spaces, one of the most significant components of a city, where communal life is maintained and the decrease in the quality of urban spaces have led to an increase in the use of semi-public spaces as urban space. Semi-public spaces are those that ensure transition between private and public spaces and can be seen, observed, reached and used by urban-dwellers. Humans are in a constant relation to their surroundings and care for integration as part of their surroundings. Semi-public spaces providing balance for the individual between private spaces (structures) and urban-public spaces make this integration easier. Spaces with a semi-public characteristic serve for a particular neighboring unit and the user (i.e. common use areas in residential spaces and dwellings, common outdoor areas situated between office buildings, and etc.) These spaces, whose density of usage is increased with distinctive functions and activities, gain different attributions according to the characteristics of the urban space they are located in (commercial, residential, touristic, and etc.) and to the functions of the structures with which they are in relation. At the same time, they begin to serve other neighboring units along with an increase in public usage. As a result, the interaction between environment-space-structure-humans changes, which directly affects the urban space quality. The aim of this study is to determine how and depending on what characteristics the public usage density of semi-public spaces change and to put forth the effects of this change on the urban environment it is located in and to designate its role in terms of 'urban space quality'. In conclusion, within the scope of this study, semi-public spaces located in urban spaces with distinctive functions will be explored through examples, and the effects of these spaces with altered public usage and density on urban space and quality of life will be put forward. Accordingly, applicable criteria will be determined by means of semi-public spaces oriented at increasing and sustaining the quality of urban space.

Keywords: semi-public spaces, urban public spaces, urban space quality, public usage

Procedia PDF Downloads 239

Authors: Xueming Xu, Jiahao Liu, Jichao Li, Kewei Yang, Minghao Li, Bingfeng Ge

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A combat system-of-systems (CSoS) comprises various types of functional combat entities that interact to meet corresponding task requirements in the present and future. Enhancing the resilience of CSoS holds significant military value in optimizing the operational planning process, improving military survivability, and ensuring the successful completion of operational tasks. Accordingly, this research proposes an integrated framework called CSoS resilience enhancement (CSoSRE) to enhance the resilience of CSoS from a recovery perspective. Specifically, this research presents a two-phase resilience optimization model to define a resilience optimization objective for CSoS. This model considers not only task baseline, recovery cost, and recovery time limit but also the characteristics of emergency recovery and comprehensive recovery. Moreover, the research extends it from the deterministic case to the stochastic case to describe the uncertainty in the recovery process. Based on this, a resilience-oriented recovery optimization method based on deep reinforcement learning (RRODRL) is proposed to determine a set of entities requiring restoration and their recovery sequence, thereby enhancing the resilience of CSoS. This method improves the deep Q-learning algorithm by designing a discount factor that adapts to changes in CSoS state at different phases, simultaneously considering the network’s structural and functional characteristics within CSoS. Finally, extensive experiments are conducted to test the feasibility, effectiveness and superiority of the proposed framework. The obtained results offer useful insights for guiding operational recovery activity and designing a more resilient CSoS.

Keywords: combat system-of-systems, resilience optimization model, recovery optimization method, deep reinforcement learning, certainty and uncertainty

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Authors: Musaab Salman Sultan

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The surface and bulk magnetization behavior of template released isolated ferromagnetic Ni₆₀Fe₄₀ nanowires of relatively thick diameters (~200 nm), deposited from a dilute suspension onto pre-patterned insulating chips have been investigated experimentally, using a highly sensitive Magneto-Optical Ker Effect (MOKE) magnetometry and Magneto-Resistance (MR) measurements, respectively. The MR data were consistent with the theoretical predictions of the anisotropic magneto-resistance (AMR) effect. The MR measurements, in all the angles of investigations, showed large features and a series of nonmonotonic "continuous small features" in the resistance profiles. The extracted switching fields from these features and from MOKE loops were compared with each other and with the switching fields reported in the literature that adopted the same analytical techniques on the similar compositions and dimensions of nanowires. A large difference between MOKE and MR measurments was noticed. The disparate between MOKE and MR results is attributed to the variance in the micro-magnetic structure of the surface and the bulk of such ferromagnetic nanowires. This result was ascertained using micro-magnetic simulations on an individual: cylindrical and rectangular cross sections NiFe nanowires, with the same diameter/thickness of the experimental wires, using the Object Oriented Micro-magnetic Framework (OOMMF) package where the simulated loops showed different switching events, indicating that such wires have different magnetic states in the reversal process and the micro-magnetic spin structures during switching behavior was complicated. These results further supported the difference between surface and bulk magnetization behavior in these nanowires. This work suggests that a combination of MOKE and MR measurements is required to fully understand the magnetization behavior of such relatively thick isolated cylindrical ferromagnetic nanowires.

Keywords: MOKE magnetometry, MR measurements, OOMMF package, micromagnetic simulations, ferromagnetic nanowires, surface magnetic properties

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Authors: Dalia Kubiliūtė

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Lithuania is known as a trusted location for global business institutions, and it attracts investors with it’s competitive environment for financial service providers. Along with the aspiration to offer a strong results-oriented and innovations-driven environment for financial service providers, Lithuanian regulatory authorities consistently implement the European Union's high regulatory standards for financial activities, including sustainability-related disclosures. Since European Union directed its policy towards transition to a climate-neutral, green, competitive, and inclusive economy, additional regulatory requirements for financial market participants are adopted: disclosure of sustainable activities, transparency, prevention of greenwashing, etc. The financial sector is one of the key factors influencing the implementation of sustainability objectives in European Union policies and mitigating the negative effects of climate change –public funds are not enough to make a significant impact on sustainable investments, therefore directing public and private capital to green projects may help to finance the necessary changes. The topic of the study is original and has not yet been widely analyzed in Lithuanian legal discourse. There are used quantitative and qualitative methodologies, logical, systematic, and critical analysis principles; hence the aim of this study is to reveal the problem of the implementation of the regulation on sustainability in the Lithuanian financial sector. Additional regulatory requirements could cause serious changes in financial business operations: additional funds, employees, and time have to be dedicated in order for the companies could implement these regulations. Lack of knowledge and data on how to implement new regulatory requirements towards sustainable reporting causes a lot of uncertainty for financial market participants. And for some companies, it might even be an essential point in terms of business continuity. It is considered that the supervisory authorities should find a balance between financial market needs and legal regulation.

Keywords: financial, legal, regulatory, sustainability

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Authors: Md. Abdul Kader, Md. Akiz Uddin

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The Islamic banking system is based on the Islamic shariah principles. Islamic banking is set up to avoid riba (interest)--which is prohibited in Islam-- and to prevent unscrupulous practices and participate actively in achieving the welfare-oriented Islamic economy. In the process of offering Islamic banking services, practitioners have been facing several challenges. Out of many challenges, this paper particularly highlights the need for a centralized legal framework for Islamic banks that should be compliant with the shariah law. The researchers employed a qualitative method to collect case studies from high-profile Islamic Bankers and analyzed respective legal documents and policy papers to conduct the study. This study investigates the Shariah Governance Framework (SGF), amended Banking Companies Act, 1991 (Act No. 14 of 1991), and the Shariah Supervisory Board (SSB) of Islamic banks in Bangladesh to evaluate how legal framework supervise and/or monitor Islamic banking system under the jurisdiction of shariah law. The study reveals that the Shariah governance system in Bangladesh is mainly voluntary rather than regulatory, and there is an absence of full-fledged SGF. Though there is no complete Islamic Banking Act for controlling, guiding, and supervising the Islamic banks in Bangladesh, some Islamic banking provisions have already been incorporated in the amended Banking Companies Act, 1991 (Act No. 14 of 1991). Bangladesh Bank did not set up any separate Department at its Head Office to control, guide and supervise the operation of the Islamic banks. So, ensuring the implementation of Shariah principles concurrent with the legal framework of banking policies is recommended in this study. This study also prescribes that the government should enact a law or policy for the operations of Islamic banks in order to improve the Islamic Banking system of Bangladesh. In addition, the central bank can set up a Central Shariah Supervisory Board (CSSB) or authorize the existing Central Shariah Board for Islamic Banks of Bangladesh (CSBIB) to supervise and monitor overall activities of Islamic banks and resolve the disputes among the stakeholders concerning the Shariah issues of Islamic banks.

Keywords: islamic banking, shariah law, banking policies, shariah governance framework (SGF)

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Authors: Inna Kornienko, Svetlana Guryeva, Natalia Danilova, Elena Petersen

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Drug toxicity often goes undetected until clinical trials, the most expensive and dangerous phase of drug development. Both human cell culture and animal studies have limitations that cannot be overcome by improvements in drug testing protocols. Tissue engineering is an emerging alternative approach to creating models of human malignant tumors for experimental oncology, personalized medicine, and drug discovery studies. This new generation of bioengineered tumors provides an opportunity to control and explore the role of every component of the model system including cell populations, supportive scaffolds, and signaling molecules. An area that could greatly benefit from these models is cancer research. Recent advances in tissue engineering demonstrated that decellularized tissue is an excellent scaffold for tissue engineering. Decellularization of donor organs such as heart, liver, and lung can provide an acellular, naturally occurring three-dimensional biologic scaffold material that can then be seeded with selected cell populations. Preliminary studies in animal models have provided encouraging results for the proof of concept. Decellularized Organs preserve organ microenvironment, which is critical for cancer metastasis. Utilizing 3D tumor models results greater proximity of cell culture morphological characteristics in a model to its in vivo counterpart, allows more accurate simulation of the processes within a functioning tumor and its pathogenesis. 3D models allow study of migration processes and cell proliferation with higher reliability as well. Moreover, cancer cells in a 3D model bear closer resemblance to living conditions in terms of gene expression, cell surface receptor expression, and signaling. 2D cell monolayers do not provide the geometrical and mechanical cues of tissues in vivo and are, therefore, not suitable to accurately predict the responses of living organisms. 3D models can provide several levels of complexity from simple monocultures of cancer cell lines in liquid environment comprised of oxygen and nutrient gradients and cell-cell interaction to more advanced models, which include co-culturing with other cell types, such as endothelial and immune cells. Following this reasoning, spheroids cultivated from one or multiple patient-derived cell lines can be utilized to seed the matrix rather than monolayer cells. This approach furthers the progress towards personalized medicine. As an initial step to create a new ex vivo tissue engineered model of a cancer tumor, optimized protocols have been designed to obtain organ-specific acellular matrices and evaluate their potential as tissue engineered scaffolds for cultures of normal and tumor cells. Decellularized biomatrix was prepared from animals’ kidneys, urethra, lungs, heart, and liver by two decellularization methods: perfusion in a bioreactor system and immersion-agitation on an orbital shaker with the use of various detergents (SDS, Triton X-100) in different concentrations and freezing. Acellular scaffolds and tissue engineered constructs have been characterized and compared using morphological methods. Models using decellularized matrix have certain advantages, such as maintaining native extracellular matrix properties and biomimetic microenvironment for cancer cells; compatibility with multiple cell types for cell culture and drug screening; utilization to culture patient-derived cells in vitro to evaluate different anticancer therapeutics for developing personalized medicines.

Keywords: 3D models, decellularization, drug discovery, drug toxicity, scaffolds, spheroids, tissue engineering

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Authors: Ahmed Bux Jamali

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The purpose of this study is to examine and evaluate the overall counterterrorism cooperation during Obama Administration towards Pakistan. It aims and focuses on the performances and measures taken by United States of America during President Obama in office in order to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan. Being a grave national security threat, terrorism played a disastrous role in the domestic peace and stability of both countries. For the sake of curbing this menace in South Asia in general and Pakistan in particular, the role of Obama Administration is viable and results-oriented despite major ups and downs in Pakistan U.S Relations during that period of time. Obama administration formulated policies when he comes to office in 2009 by looking at the already efforts done by Bush Administration to counterterrorism from Pakistan. Obama’s foreign policy was revolving around defense and diplomacy when it comes to dealing with Pakistan. The concept of smart power was indeed a core principle of Obama’s administration to gain the strategic objectives in Pakistan. Obama’s strategies in terms of providing military aid packages and various assistance programs, working on institutional building and strengthening the economy helped Pakistan in strengthening the military capabilities to go for militant operation in the safe havens area in the tribal areas of Pakistan. It further helped building institutional mechanism in the governmental policies to counter terrorism and militancy. The training of combat forces, artillery, and equipment provided by US proved fatal for the militant terrorist organizations seeking hideouts in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Resultantly, many top leaders of al Qaeda and many affiliated militant groups were captured and given to US as well. Despite many ups and downs in the bilateral relations on various domestic and international issues, both countries didn’t compromise the elimination of terrorist phenomena from Pakistan which was indeed a great success of the Obama administration’s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies in the long run.

Keywords: counterterrorism cooperation, national security strategy, Obama administration, Pakistan-US relations

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Authors: B. Vijay Antony Raj, Umarani Gunasekaran, R. Thiru Kumara Raja Vallaban

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Fibrous autoclaved aerated concrete (FAAC) is concrete containing fibrous material in it which helps to increase its structural integrity when compared to that of convention autoclaved aerated concrete (CAAC). These short discrete fibers are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented, which enhances the bond strength within the aerated concrete matrix. Conventional red-clay bricks create larger impact to the environment due to red soil depletion and it also consumes large amount to time for construction. Whereas, AAC are larger in size, lighter in weight and it is environmentally friendly in nature and hence it is a viable replacement for red-clay bricks. Internal micro cracks and corner cracks are the only disadvantages of conventional autoclaved aerated concrete, to resolve this particular issue it is preferable to make use of fibers in it.These fibers are bonded together within the matrix and they induce the aerated concrete to withstand considerable stresses, especially during the post cracking stage. Hence, FAAC has the capability of enhancing the mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity of CAAC. In this research work, individual fibers like glass, nylon, polyester and polypropylene are used they generally reduce the brittle fracture of AAC.To study the fibre’s surface topography and composition, SEM analysis is performed and then to determine the composition of a specimen as a whole as well as the composition of individual components EDAX mapping is carried out and then an experimental approach was performed to determine the effect of hybrid (multiple) fibres at various dosage (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%) and curing temperature of 180-2000 C is maintained to determine the mechanical properties of autoclaved aerated concrete. As an analytical part, the outcome experimental results is compared with fuzzy logic using MATLAB.

Keywords: fiberous AAC, crack control, energy absorption, mechanical properies, SEM, EDAX, MATLAB

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Authors: Laura Cami Vorpsi

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This research paper examines the potential of private law as a means to promote and safeguard human rights while also addressing the associated challenges and limitations of adopting such an approach. Historically, private law mechanisms, namely contract law, tort law, and property law, have been employed to govern and oversee private relationships and transactions. Nevertheless, it is increasingly acknowledged that private law can also assume a significant role in safeguarding and advancing human rights, particularly in circumstances where the safeguards provided by public law are insufficient or inaccessible. This study assesses the benefits associated with the utilization of private law as a complementary measure to public law safeguards. These advantages encompass enhanced efficacy and efficiency of remedies, as well as the capacity to customize solutions to suit the unique requirements and circumstances of individuals. Nevertheless, the present study also considers the constraints associated with private law mechanisms, such as the financial and procedural intricacies of legal proceedings, the possibility of imbalanced negotiation power, and the potential to worsen pre-existing disparities and systemic inequities. The paper posits that the adoption of a private law-based approach to human rights necessitates a meticulous design and implementation process in order to mitigate potential risks and optimize the advantages. In conclusion, this study examines the ramifications of these discoveries on policy and practice, highlighting the necessity for heightened awareness and education regarding the capacity of private law to advance and safeguard human rights. Additionally, it underscores the significance of establishing efficient and easily accessible mechanisms for upholding human rights within the private domain. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for future research in this domain, specifically emphasizing the necessity for additional empirical investigations to assess the efficacy and consequences of private law-oriented strategies in safeguarding human rights.

Keywords: private law, human rights, promoting, protecting, access to justice

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Authors: G. H. B. Dilhari, A. A. D. T. Saparamadu

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Sri Lanka is one of the prominent countries for the coir production. The coir is one of the by-products of the coconut and the coir industry is considered to be one of the traditional industries in Sri Lanka. Because of the inherent nature of the coir industry, labourers play a significant role in the coir production process. The study has analyzed the determinants of the income of the household level coir yarn labourers. The study was conducted in the Kumarakanda Grama Niladhari division. Simple random sampling was used to generate a sample of 100 household level coir yarn labourers and structured questionnaire, personal interviews, and discussion were performed to gather the required data. The obtained data were statistically analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed for mean comparison. The findings revealed that the household level coir yarn industry is dominated by the female workers and it was identified that fewer numbers of workers have engaged in this industry as the main occupation. In addition to that, elderly participation in the industry is higher than the younger participation and most of them have engaged in the industry as a source of extra income. Level of education, the methods of engagement, satisfaction, engagement in the industry by the next generation, support from the government, method of government support, working hours per day, employed as a main job, number of completed units per day, suffering from job related diseases and type of the diseases were related with income level of household level coir yarn laboures. The recommendations as to flourish in future includes, technological transformation for coir yarn production, strengthening the raw material base and regulating the raw material supply, introduction of new technologies, markets and training programmes, the establishment of the labourers’ association, the initiation of micro credit schemes and better consideration about the job oriented diseases.

Keywords: coir yarn, determinants, income, Sri Lanka

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Authors: Min-Feng Hsieh

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Nowadays, we are facing a highly competitive environment in which the situation for survival has come even more critical than ever before. The challenge we will be confronted with is no longer can be dealt with the single system of knowledge. The abilities we urgently need to acquire is something that can lead us to cross over the boundaries between different disciplines and take us to a neutral ground that gathers and integrates powers and intelligence that surrounds us. This paper aims at discussing how a trans-disciplinary design course organized by the College of Design at Chaoyang University can react to this modern challenge. By orchestrating an experimental course format and by developing a series of coaching strategies, a trans-disciplinary learning environment has been created and practiced in which students selected from five different departments, including Architecture, Interior Design, Visual Design, Industrial Design, Landscape and Urban Design, are encouraged to think outside their familiar knowledge pool and to learn with/from each other. In the course of implementing this program, a parallel research has been conducted alongside by adopting the theory and principles of Action Research which is a research methodology that can provide the course organizer emergent, responsive, action-oriented, participative and critically reflective insights for the immediate changes and amendments in order to improve the effect of teaching and learning experience. In the conclusion, how the learning and teaching experience of this trans-disciplinary design studio can offer us some observation that can help us reflect upon the constraints and division caused by the subject base curriculum will be pointed out. A series of concepts for course design and teaching strategies developed and implemented in this trans-disciplinary course are to be introduced as a way to promote learners’ self-motivated, collaborative, cross-disciplinary and student-centered learning skills. The outcome of this experimental course can exemplify an alternative approach that we could adopt in pursuing a remedy for dealing with the problematic issues of the current educational practice.

Keywords: course design, coaching strategy, subject base curriculum, trans-disciplinary

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Authors: Joyce Joas Kahembe

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The implementation of education assessment reforms in developing countries has been claimed to be problematic and difficult. The socio-economic teaching and learning environment has pointed to constraints in the education reform process. Nevertheless, there are existing assessment practices that if enhanced, can have potential to foster formative assessment practices in those contexts. The present study used the sociocultural perspective to explore teachers’ assessment practices and factors influencing them in Tanzania. Specifically, the sociocultural perspective helped to trace social, economic and political histories imparted to teachers’ assessment practices. The ethnographic oriented methods like interviews, observations and document reviews was used in this exploration. Teachers used assessment practices, such as questioning and answering, tests, assignments and examinations, for evaluating, monitoring and diagnosing students’ understanding, achievement and performance and standards and quality of instruction practices. The obtained assessment information functioned as feedback for improving students’ understanding, performance, and the standard and quality of teaching instruction and materials. For example, teachers acknowledged, praised, approved, disapproved, denied, graded, or marked students’ responses to give students feedback and aid learning. Moreover, teachers clarified and corrected or repeated students’ responses with worded/added words to improve students’ mastery of the subject content. Teachers’ assessment practices were influenced by the high demands of passing marks in the high stakes examinations and the contexts of the social economic teaching environment. There is a need to ally education assessment reforms with existing socio-economic teaching environments and society and institutional demands of assessment to make assessment reforms meaningful and sustainable. This presentation ought to contribute on ongoing strategies for contextualizing assessment practices for formative uses.

Keywords: assessment, feedback, practices, formative assessment

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Authors: Henriette Jarild-Koblanck, Monica Moro

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The research has been implemented at the Kalmar University now LNU Linnaeus University inside the Design Program (Designprogrammet) for several years. The Work Book tool was created using the framework of the Bologna declaration. The project concerns primarily pedagogy and design methodology, focusing on how we evaluate artistic work processes and projects and on how we can develop the preconditions for cross-disciplinary work. The original idea of the Work Book springs from the steady habit of the Swedish researcher and now retired full professor and dean Henriette Koblanck to put images, things and colours in a notebook, right from her childhood, writing down impressions and reflections. On this preliminary thought of making use of a work book, in a form freely chosen by the user, she began to develop the Design Program (Designprogrammet) that was applied at the Kalmar University now LNU Linnaeus University, where she called a number of professionals to collaborate, among them Monica Moro an Italian designer, researcher, and teacher in the field of colour and shape. The educational intention is that the Work Book should become a tool that is both inspirational for the process of thinking and intuitional creating, and personal support for both rational and technical thinking. The students were to use the Work Book not only to visually and graphically document their results from investigations, experiments and thoughts but also as a tool to present their works to others, -students, tutors and teachers, or to other stakeholders they discussed the proceedings with. To help the students a number of matrixes were developed oriented to evaluate the projects in elaboration, based on the Bologna Declaration. In conclusion, the feedback from the students is excellent; many are still using the Work Book as a professional tool as in their words they consider it a rather accurate representation of their working process, and furthermore of themselves, so much that many of them have used it as a portfolio when applying for jobs.

Keywords: academic program, art, assessment of student’s progress, Bologna Declaration, design, learning, self-assessment

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Authors: M. Lu

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The paper presents part of the results of EU-funded projects: SoCool@EU (Sustainable Organisation between Clusters Of Optimized Logistics @ Europe), DG-RTD (Research and Innovation), Regions of Knowledge Programme (FP7-REGIONS-2011-1). It will provide an in-depth review of emerging technologies for further improving urban mobility and freight transport systems, such as (information and physical) infrastructure, ICT-based Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), vehicles, advanced logistics, and services. Furthermore, the paper will provide an analysis of the barriers and will review business models for the market uptake of innovations. From a perspective of science and technology, the challenges of urbanization could be mainly handled through adequate (human-oriented) solutions for urban planning, sustainable energy, the water system, building design and construction, the urban transport system (both physical and information aspects), and advanced logistics and services. Implementation of solutions for these domains should be follow a highly integrated and balanced approach, a silo approach should be avoided. To develop a sustainable urban transport system (for people and goods), including inter-hubs and intra-hubs, a holistic view is needed. To achieve a sustainable transport system for people and goods (in terms of cost-effectiveness, efficiency, environment-friendliness and fulfillment of the mobility, transport and logistics needs of the society), a proper network and information infrastructure, advanced transport systems and operations, as well as ad hoc and seamless services are required. In addition, a road map for an enhanced urban transport system until 2050 will be presented. This road map aims to address the challenges of urban transport, and to provide best practices in inter-city and intra-city environments from various perspectives, including policy, traveler behaviour, economy, liability, business models, and technology.

Keywords: synchromodality, multimodal transport, logistics, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

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Authors: G. H. B. Dilhari, A. A. D. T. Saparamadu

Abstract:

The coir is one of the by-products of the coconut and the coir industry can be identified as one of the traditional industries in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is one of the prominent countries for the coir production. Due to the labour insensitiveness, the labourers are the significant factor in the coir production process. The study has analyzed the determinants and its impact on income of the household level coir yarn labourers. The study was conducted in the Kumarakanda Grama Niladhari division, Galle, Sri Lanka. Simple random sampling was used to generate the sample of 100 household level coir yarn labourers and structured questionnaire, personal interviews and discussion were performed to gather the required data. The obtained data were statistically analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis test were carried out. The findings revealed that the household level coir yarn industry is dominated by the female workers and fewer amounts of workers have engaged this industry as the main occupation. In addition to that, elderly participation of the industry is greater than younger participation and most of them engaged as an extra income source. Level of education, the methods of engagement, satisfaction, labour’s children employment in the coir industry, support from the government, method of government support, working hours per day, employed as a main job, no of completed units per day, suffering any job related diseases and type of the diseases were related with income level of household level coir yarn labourers. The recommendations were formulated in respect to these problems including technological transformation for coir yarn production, strengthening of the raw material base and regulating the raw material supply, introduction of new technologies, markets and training programs, the establishment of the labourers association, the initiation of micro credit schemes, better consideration about the job oriented diseases.

Keywords: coir, coir yarn labourers, income, Galle

Procedia PDF Downloads 192