Search results for: design science research

Authors: Nantida Otakum

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The purpose of the study is to study the level of the application of sufficiency economy philosophy among the employees of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. This research also investigates the relationship between the application of sufficiency economy philosophy and work morale of the employees. The research methodology employed a self-administered questionnaire as a quantitative method. The respondents were employees who are working for Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. Totally, 365 usable questionnaires were returned. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied in data analysis. The results showed that the level of the application of sufficiency economy philosophy among the employees was at a good level. The results also indicated that the application of sufficiency economy philosophy was positively correlated with work morale of the employees of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University.

Keywords: employees, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, sufficiency economy philosophy, work morale

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Authors: Mohamed Moussaoui, Mouna Baassi, Soukayna Baammi, Hatim Soufi, Mohammed Salah, Rachid Daoud, Achraf EL Allali, Mohammed Elalaoui Belghiti, Said Belaaouad

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The present study aims to investigate the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) of a series of Thiazole derivatives reported as anticancer agents (hepatocellular carcinoma), using principally the electronic descriptors calculated by the density functional theory (DFT) method and by applying the multiple linear regression method. The developed model showed good statistical parameters (R²= 0.725, R²ₐ𝒹ⱼ= 0.653, MSE = 0.060, R²ₜₑₛₜ= 0.827, Q²𝒸ᵥ = 0.536). The energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (EHOMO) orbital, electronic energy (TE), shape coefficient (I), number of rotatable bonds (NROT), and index of refraction (n) were revealed to be the main descriptors influencing the anti-cancer activity. Additional Thiazole derivatives were then designed and their activities and pharmacokinetic properties were predicted using the validated QSAR model. These designed molecules underwent evaluation through molecular docking (MD) and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, with binding affinity calculated using the MMPBSA script according to a 100 ns simulation trajectory. This process aimed to study both their affinity and stability towards Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 (CDK2), a target protein for cancer disease treatment. The research concluded by identifying four CDK2 inhibitors - A1, A3, A5, and A6 - displaying satisfactory pharmacokinetic properties. MDs results indicated that the designed compound A5 remained stable in the active center of the CDK2 protein, suggesting its potential as an effective inhibitor for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The findings of this study could contribute significantly to the development of effective CDK2 inhibitors.

Keywords: QSAR, ADMET, Thiazole, anticancer, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulations, MMPBSA calculation

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Authors: Yasaman Ashrafi, Stephen Kajewski, Annastiina Silvennoinen, Madhav Nepal

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Mega projects either in construction, urban development or energy sectors are one of the key drivers that build the foundation of wealth and modern civilizations in regions and nations. Such projects require economic justification and substantial capital investment, often derived from individual and corporate investors as well as governments. Cost overruns and time delays in these mega projects demands a new approach to more accurately predict project costs and establish realistic financial plans. The significance of this paper is that the cost efficiency of megaprojects will improve and decrease cost overruns. This research will assist Project Managers (PMs) to make timely and appropriate decisions about both cost and outcomes of ongoing projects. This research, therefore, examines the oil and gas industry where most mega projects apply the classic methods of Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and rely on project data to forecast cost and time. Because these projects are always overrun in cost and time even at the early phase of the project, the probabilistic methods of Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and Bayesian Adaptive Forecasting method were used to predict project cost at completion of projects. The current theoretical and mathematical models which forecast the total expected cost and project completion date, during the execution phase of an ongoing project will be evaluated. Earned Value Management (EVM) method is unable to predict cost at completion of a project accurately due to the lack of enough detailed project information especially in the early phase of the project. During the project execution phase, the Bayesian adaptive forecasting method incorporates predictions into the actual performance data from earned value management and revises pre-project cost estimates, making full use of the available information. The outcome of this research is to improve the accuracy of both cost prediction and final duration. This research will provide a warning method to identify when current project performance deviates from planned performance and crates an unacceptable gap between preliminary planning and actual performance. This warning method will support project managers to take corrective actions on time.

Keywords: cost forecasting, earned value management, project control, project management, risk analysis, simulation

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Authors: Luis Andrey Fajardo Fajardo

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We are immersed in complex systems. The human brain, the galaxies, the snowflakes are examples of complex systems. An area of interest in Complex systems is the chaos theory. This revolutionary field of science presents different ways of study than determinism and reductionism. Here is where in junction with the Nonlinear DSP, chaos theory offer valuable techniques that establish a link between time series and complex theory in terms of complex networks, so that, the study of signals can be explored from the graph theory. Recently, some people had purposed a method to transform time series in graphs, but no one had developed a suitable implementation in Python with signals extracted from Chaotic Systems or Complex systems. That’s why the implementation in Python of an existing method to transform one dimensional chaotic signals from time domain to graph domain and some measures that may reveal information not extracted in the time domain is proposed.

Keywords: Python, complex systems, graph theory, dynamical systems

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Authors: Savvas Varitis, Panagiotis Kavouras, George Vourlias, Eleni Pavlidou, Theodoros Karakostas, Philomela Komninou

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A chromium-loaded ash originating from incineration of tannery sludge under anoxic conditions was mixed with low grade soda-lime glass powder coming from commercial glass bottles. The relative weight proportions of ash over glass powder tested were 30/70, 40/60 and 50/50. The solid mixtures, formed in green state compacts, were sintered at the temperature range of 800oC up to 1200oC. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS) and micro-indentation. The above methods were employed to characterize the various phases, microstructure and hardness of the produced materials. Thermal treatment at 800oC and 1000oC produced opaque ceramic products composed of a variety of chromium-containing and chromium-free crystalline phases. Thermal treatment at 1200oC gave rise to composite products, where only chromium-containing crystalline phases were detected. Hardness results suggest that specific products are serious candidates for structural applications. Acknowledgement: This research has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) – Research Funding Program: THALES “WasteVal”: Reinforcement of the interdisciplinary and/or inter-institutional research and innovation.

Keywords: chromium-rich tannery residues, glass-ceramic materials, mechanical properties, microstructure

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Authors: Theodore Panton

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As cities in the United States experience critical housing shortages, mass timber presents the opportunity to address this crisis in housing supply while taking advantage of the carbon-positive benefits of sustainably forested wood fiber. Mass timber, however, currently has a low level of adoption in residential multifamily structures due to the risk-averse nature of change within the construction financing, Architecture / Engineering / Contracting (AEC) communities, as well as various agency approval challenges. This study demonstrates how mass timber can be used within the cost and feasibility parameters of a typical multistory residential structure and ultimately address the need for dense urban housing. This study will utilize The Garden District, a mixed-use market-rate housing project in Woodinville, Washington, as a case study to illuminate the potential of mass timber in this application. The Garden District is currently in final stages of permit approval and will commence construction in 2023. It will be the tallest dowel-laminated timber (DLT) residential structure in the United States when completed. This case study includes economic, technical, and design reference points to demonstrate the relevance of the use of this system and its ability to deliver “triple bottom line” results. In terms of results, the study establishes scalable and repeatable approaches to project design and delivery of mass timber in multifamily residential uses and includes economic data, technical solutions, and a summary of end-user advantages. This study discusses the third party tested systems for satisfying acoustical requirements within dwelling units, a key to resolving the use of mass timber within multistory residential use. Lastly, the study will also compare the mass timber solution with a comparable cold formed steel (CFS) system with a similar program, which indicates a net carbon savings of over three million tons over the life cycle of the building.

Keywords: DLT, dowell laminated timber, mass timber, market rate multifamily

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Authors: Alfred Kamate Siviri, Angelus Mafikiri Tsongo, Jean Robert Kala Kamdjoug

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Digitalization and information systems well organized have been selected as relevant measures to mitigate operational risks within organizations. Unfortunately, information system comes with new threats that can cause severe damage and quick organization lockout. This study aims to measure perceived information system risks and their effects on operational risks within the microfinance institution in D.R. Congo. Also, the factors influencing the operational risk are identified, and the link between operational risk with other risks and performance is to be assessed. The study proposes a research model drawn on the combination of Resources-Based-View, dynamic capabilities, the agency theory, the Information System Security Model, and social theories of risk. Therefore, we suggest adopting a mixed methods research with the sole aim of increasing the literature that already exists on perceived operational risk assessment and its link with other risk and performance, a focus on IT risk.

Keywords: Democratic Republic Congo, information system risk, microfinance performance, operational risk

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Authors: S. Yussuf Abdulmaliq

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Experiment was conducted for two years (2013 and 2014) at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Teaching and Research Farm to study the effects of soil organic amendment types and rates on soil chemical fertility improvement, growth and yield of Amarathus cruentus in the southern guinea savannah, lapai, Niger state, Nigeria. Soil and manure samples were collected and analysed for physical and chemical components. The experiments were laid out in 3 x 4 factorial in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Consisting of three (3) levels of soil amendment types (Poultry manure, goat manure and cowdung) and four (4) levels of amendment rates (0, 6, 12 and 18 t ha-1). Data collected include plant height/plant (cm), number of leaves/plant, leaf area/ plant (cm2) at 2, 4, 6 and 8WAT, fresh vegetable yield/plant, fresh vegetable yield/plot and fresh vegetable yield in tons ha-1. The result obtained showed that, Amaranthus cruentus height, number of leaves and leaf area were not significantly affected by the type of organic amendment and rates at 2WAT in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons. However, at 4, 6 and 8 WAT, significant differences were observed among the types of amendment and their rates. Application of poultry manure as soil amendment supported taller, large number of leaves and wider leaf area, and higher marketable vegetable yield in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons (Pα 0.05) which was closely followed by goat manure in the two (2) cropping seasons. In addition, the application of 18 t ha-1 was superior to 12, 6 and the control by producing tallest amaranthus plants, higher number of leaves, wider leaf area and higher marketable vegetable yield in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons (Pα 0.05). In conclusion, the use of 18 t ha-1poultry manure is therefore recommended as soil amendment for Amaranthus cruentus in southern guinea savannah of Nigeria.

Keywords: Amaranthus cruentus, cowdung, goat manure, poultry manure, soil amendment

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Authors: Daeung Jung

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Background: In case of patients with missing teeth, multiple implant restoration has been widely used and is inevitable. To increase its survival rate, it is important to understand the influence of different implant designs on inter-implant crestal bone resorption. There are several implant systems designed to minimize loss of crestal bone, and the Astra Tech and Brånemark Implant are two of them. Aim/Hypothesis: The aim of this 10-year study was to compare the height of inter-implant bone crest in two implant systems; the Astra Tech and the Brånemark implant system. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, 40 consecutively treated patients were utilized; 23 patients with 30 sites for Astra Tech system and 17 patients with 20 sites for Brånemark system. The implant restoration was comprised of splinted crown in partially edentulous patients. Radiographs were taken immediately after 1st surgery, at impression making, at prosthetics setting, and annually after loading. Lateral distance from implant to bone crest, inter-implant distance was gauged, and crestal bone height was measured from the implant shoulder to the first bone contact. Calibrations were performed with known length of thread pitch distance for vertical measurement, and known diameter of abutment or fixture for horizontal measurement using ImageJ. Results: After 10 years, patients treated with Astra Tech implant system demonstrated less inter-implant crestal bone resorption when implants had a distance of 3mm or less between them. In cases of implants that had a greater than 3 mm distance between them, however, there appeared to be no statistically significant difference in crestal bone loss between two systems. Conclusion and clinical implications: In the situation of partially edentulous patients planning to have more than two implants, the inter-implant distance is one of the most important factors to be considered. If it is impossible to make sure of having sufficient inter-implant distance, the implants with less micro gap in the fixture-abutment junction, less traumatic 2nd surgery approach, and the adequate surface topography would be choice of appropriate options to minimize inter-implant crestal bone resorption.

Keywords: implant design, crestal bone loss, inter-implant distance, 10-year retrospective study

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Authors: Ziwen Fang, Jianran Wang, Hongtao Liu, Weiguo Kong, Kefei Wang, Qi Luo, Haifeng Hong

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A 4-stage crash energy management (CEM) system for subway rail vehicles used by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the USA is developed in this paper. The 4 stages of this new CEM system include 1) energy absorbing coupler (draft gear and shear bolts), 2) primary energy absorbers (aluminum honeycomb structured box), 3) secondary energy absorbers (crush tube), and 4) collision post and corner post. A sliding anti-climber and a fixed anti-climber are designed at the front of the vehicle cooperating with the 4-stage CEM to maximize the energy to be absorbed and minimize the damage to passengers and crews. In order to investigate the effectiveness of this CEM system, both finite element (FE) methods and crashworthiness test have been employed. The whole vehicle consists of 3 married pairs, i.e., six cars. In the FE approach, full-scale railway car models are developed and different collision cases such as a single moving car impacting a rigid wall, two moving cars into a rigid wall, two moving cars into two stationary cars, six moving cars into six stationary cars and so on are investigated. The FE analysis results show that the railway vehicle incorporating this CEM system has a superior crashworthiness performance. In the crashworthiness test, a simplified vehicle front end including the sliding anti-climber, the fixed anti-climber, the primary energy absorbers, the secondary energy absorber, the collision post and the corner post is built and impacted to a rigid wall. The same test model is also analyzed in the FE and the results such as crushing force, stress, and strain of critical components, acceleration and velocity curves are compared and studied. FE results show very good comparison to the test results.

Keywords: railway vehicle collision, crash energy management design, finite element method, crashworthiness test

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Authors: Vanja Vlajkov, Ivana PajčIn, Mila Grahovac, Marta Loc, Dragana Budakov, Jovana Grahovac

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The rhizosphere soil refers to the plant roots' dynamic environment characterized by their inhabitants' high biological activity. Rhizospheric bacteria are recognized as effective biocontrol agents and considered cardinal in alternative strategies for securing ecological plant diseases management. The need to suppress fungal pathogens is an urgent task, not only because of the direct economic losses caused by infection but also due to their ability to produce mycotoxins with harmful effects on human health. Aspergillus and Fusarium species are well-known producers of toxigenic metabolites with a high capacity to colonize crops and enter the food chain. The bacteria belonging to the Bacillus genus has been conceded as a plant beneficial species in agricultural practice and identified as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Besides incontestable potential, the full commercialization of microbial biopesticides is in the preliminary phase. Thus, there is a constant need for estimating the suitability of novel strains to be used as a central point of viable bioprocess leading to market-ready product development. In the present study, 76 potential producing strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil, sampled from different localities in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia. The selective isolation process of strains started by resuspending 1 g of soil samples in 9 ml of saline and incubating at 28° C for 15 minutes at 150 rpm. After homogenization, thermal treatment at 100° C for 7 minutes was performed. Dilution series (10-1-10-3) were prepared, and 500 µl of each was inoculated on nutrient agar plates and incubated at 28° C for 48 h. The pure cultures of morphologically different strains indicating belonging to the Bacillus genus were obtained by the spread-plate technique. The cultivation of the isolated strains was carried out in an Erlenmeyer flask for 96 h, at 28 °C, 170 rpm. The antagonistic activity screening included two phytopathogenic fungi as test microorganisms: Aspergillus sp. and Fusarium sp. The mycelial growth inhibition was estimated based on the antimicrobial activity testing of cultivation broth by the diffusion method. For the Aspergillus sp., the highest antifungal activity was recorded for the isolates Kro-4a and Mah-1a. In contrast, for the Fusarium sp., following 15 isolates exhibited the highest antagonistic effect Par-1, Par-2, Par-3, Par-4, Kup-4, Paš-1b, Pap-3, Kro-2, Kro-3a, Kro-3b, Kra-1a, Kra-1b, Šar-1, Šar-2b and Šar-4. One-way ANOVA was performed to determine the antagonists' effect statistical significance on inhibition zone diameter. Duncan's multiple range test was conducted to define homogenous groups of antagonists with the same level of statistical significance regarding their effect on antimicrobial activity of the tested cultivation broth against tested pathogens. The study results have pointed out the significant in vitro potential of the isolated strains to be used as biocontrol agents for the suppression of the tested mycotoxigenic fungi. Further research should include the identification and detailed characterization of the most promising isolates and mode of action of the selected strains as biocontrol agents. The following research should also involve bioprocess optimization steps to fully reach the selected strains' potential as microbial biopesticides and design cost-effective biotechnological production.

Keywords: Bacillus, biocontrol, bioprocess, mycotoxigenic fungi

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Authors: Jolanta Jonak

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All students demonstrate various learning preferences and learning styles that range from visual, auditory to kinesthetic preferences. These learning preferences are further impacted by individual cognitive profiles hat characterizes itself in linguistic strengths, logical- special, inter-or intra- personal, just to name a few. Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CLD) have an increased risk of being misunderstood by many school systems and even medical personnel. Students with disability, specifically Autism, are faced with another layer of learning differences. Research indicates that large numbers of students are not provided the type of education and types of supports they need in order to be successful in an academic environment. Multiple research findings indicate that significant numbers of school staff self-reports that they do not feel adequately prepared to work with students with disability and different learing profiles. It is very important for the school staff to be educated about different learning needs of students with autism spectrum disorders. Having the knowledge, school staff can avoid unnecessary referrals for office referrals and avoid inaccurate decisions about restrictive learning environments. This presentation will illustrate the cognitive differences in students with autism, how to recognize them, and how to support them through Differentiated Instruction. One way to ensure successful education for students with disability is by providing Differentiated Instruction (DI). DI is quickly gaining its popularity in the Unites States as a scientific- research based instructional approach for all students. This form of support ensures that regardless of the students’ learning preferences and cognitive learning profiles, they have an opportunity to learn through approaches that are suitable to their needs. It is extremely important for the school staff, especially school psychologists who often are the first experts to be consulted by educators, to be educated about differences due to learning preference styles and differentiation needs.

Keywords: special education, autism, differentiation, differences, differentiated instruction

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Authors: Abderrhamane Jarou, Dominique Sauter, Christophe Aubrun

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Over the past decade, the growing demand for energy efficiency in buildings has attracted the attention of the control community. Failures in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems in buildings can have a significant impact on the desired and expected energy performance of buildings and on the user's comfort as well. FTC is a recent technology area that studies the adaptation of control algorithms to faulty operating conditions of a system. The application of Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) in HVAC systems has gained attention in the last two decades. The objective is to maintain the variations in system performance due to faults within an acceptable range with respect to the desired nominal behavior. This paper considers the so-called active approach, which is based on fault and identification scheme combined with a control reconfiguration algorithm that consists in determining a new set of control parameters so that the reconfigured performance is "as close as possible, "in some sense, to the nominal performance. Thermal models of buildings and their HVAC systems are described by non-linear (usually bi-linear) equations. Most of the works carried out so far in FDI (fault diagnosis and isolation) or FTC consider a linearized model of the studied system. However, this model is only valid in a reduced range of variation. This study presents a new fault diagnosis (FD) algorithm based on a bilinear observer for the detection and accurate estimation of the magnitude of the HVAC system failure. The main contribution of the proposed FD algorithm is that instead of using specific linearized models, the algorithm inherits the structure of the actual bilinear model of the building thermal dynamics. As an immediate consequence, the algorithm is applicable to a wide range of unpredictable operating conditions, i.e., weather dynamics, outdoor air temperature, zone occupancy profile. A bilinear fault detection observer is proposed for a bilinear system with unknown inputs. The residual vector in the observer design is decoupled from the unknown inputs and, under certain conditions, is made sensitive to all faults. Sufficient conditions are given for the existence of the observer and results are given for the explicit computation of observer design matrices. Dedicated observer schemes (DOS) are considered for sensor FDI while unknown input bilinear observers are considered for actuator or system components FDI. The proposed strategy for FTC works as follows: At a first level, FDI algorithms are implemented, making it also possible to estimate the magnitude of the fault. Once the fault is detected, the fault estimation is then used to feed the second level and reconfigure the control low so that that expected performances are recovered. This paper is organized as follows. A general structure for fault-tolerant control of buildings is first presented and the building model under consideration is introduced. Then, the observer-based design for Fault Diagnosis of bilinear systems is studied. The FTC approach is developed in Section IV. Finally, a simulation example is given in Section V to illustrate the proposed method.

Keywords: bilinear systems, fault diagnosis, fault-tolerant control, multi-zones building

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Authors: Ziwen Wang

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There are close links between religion and migration. As newcomers to a foreign nation, new immigrants endured many pressures and challenges. Religion can be an important part of a migrant’s personal identity, and religious communities can offer valued connections and relationships. During the migration process, religion can undergo significant changes as migrants travel across geographical and cultural gaps and as they face new opportunities or new constraints. For those migrants who are not religious, during this unsettling time, people might become sensitive to the "sacredness", accepting its guidance, and occasionally contemplating religious conversion. This research examines the role of faith and the church in supporting new Chinese immigrants from the perspective of the social function of Christianity, utilizing Chinese immigrants in New Zealand as a case study. Through participant observation in four Chinese churches and over seventy semi-structured interviews, this research illustrates how religion has provided them with a haven and how the church provides indispensable material, spiritual, and informational resources essential for their adaptation to life in New Zealand.

Keywords: migration and religion, overseas chinese, religious capital, christianity

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Authors: Mohammad Khamoushi, Reza Mirmahdi

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The aim of this research was the effect of sensory integration in reduction of stereotype behaviors in autistic children. The statistical population included 55 children with the age range 2/8 – 14 in Esfahan Ordibehesht autistic center. Purposive sampling was used for selecting the sample group and 20 children with random assignment were designated in two group; experimental and control . Research project was quasi-experimental two-group with pretest and posttest. Data collection tools included repetitive behavior scale-revised with six sub-scales: stereotype behavior, self-injurious behavior, compulsive behavior, ritualistic behavior, sameness behavior, restricted behavior. Analysis of covariance was used for analyzing hypotheses. Result show that sensory integration procedure was effective in reduction of stereotype behavior, compulsive behavior and self-injurious behavior in autistic children. According to the findings, it is suggested that effect sensory integration procedure in stereotype behavior of autism children should be studied and used for treatment of other disabilities of this children.

Keywords: autism, sensory integration procedure, stereotype behavior, compulsive behavior

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Authors: T. Thompson, E. F. Zegeye

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Bacterial Cellulose (BC) is a structural organic compound produced in the anaerobic process. This material can be a useful eco-friendly substitute for commercial textiles that are used in industries today. BC is easily and sustainably produced and has the capabilities to be used as a replacement in textiles. However, BC is extremely fragile when it completely dries. This research was conducted to improve the mechanical properties of the BC by reinforcing with an organic polymer and exfoliated graphite (EG). The BC films were grown over a period of weeks in a green tea and kombucha solution at 30 °C, then cleaned and added to an enhancing solution. The enhancing solutions were a mixture of 2.5 wt% polymer and 2.5 wt% latex solution, a 5 wt% polymer solution, a 0.20 wt% graphite solution and were each allowed to sit in a furnace for 48 h at 50 °C. Tensile test samples were prepared and tested until fracture at a strain rate of 8 mm/min. From the research with the addition of a 5 wt% polymer solution, the flexibility of the BC has significantly improved with the maximum strain significantly larger than that of the base sample. The addition of EG has also increased the modulus of elasticity of the BC by about 25%.

Keywords: bacterial cellulose, exfoliated graphite, kombucha scoby, tensile test

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Authors: Neşe Alkan

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Purpose: The point that applied/clinical psychology, which is the practice and research discipline of the mental health field, has reached today can be summarized as the necessity of handling the psychological well-being of people from multiple perspectives and the goal of moving it to a higher level. Clients' subjective assessment of their own condition and wellbeing is an integral part of evidence-based interventions. There is a need for tools through which clients can evaluate the effectiveness of the psychotherapy/intervention performed with them and their contribution to the wellbeing and wellbeing of this process in a valid and reliable manner. The aim of this research is to meet this need, to test the reliability and validity of the index in Turkish, and explore its usability in the practices of both researchers and psychotherapists. Method: A total of 213 adults aged between 18-54, 69.5% working and 29.5% university students, were included in the study. Along with their demographic information, the participants were administered a set of scales: wellbeing, life satisfaction, spiritual satisfaction, shopping addiction, and loneliness, namely via an online platform. The construct validity of the wellbeing scale was tested with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, convergent and discriminant validity were tested with two-way full and partial correlation analyses and, measurement invariance was tested with one-way analysis of variance. Results: Factor analyzes showed that the scale consisted of six dimensions as it is in its original structure. The internal consistency of the scale was found to be Cronbach α = .82. Two-way correlation analyzes revealed that the wellbeing scale total score was positively correlated with general life satisfaction (r = .62) and spiritual satisfaction (r = .29), as expected. It was negatively correlated with loneliness (r = -.51) and shopping addiction (r = -.15). While the scale score did not vary by gender, previous illness, or nicotine addiction, it was found that the total wellbeing scale scores of the participants who had used antidepressant medication during the past year were lower than those who did not use antidepressant medication (F(1,204) = 7.713, p = .005). Conclusion: It has been concluded that the 12-item wellbeing scale consisting of six dimensions can be used in research and health sciences practices as a valid and reliable measurement tool. Further research which examines the reliability and validity of the scale in different widely used languages such as Spanish and Chinese is recommended.

Keywords: wellbeing, intervention effectiveness, reliability and validity, effectiveness

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Authors: Samy A. Khalil, U. Ali Rahoma

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The measurements of solar radiation, satellite data has been routinely utilize to estimate solar energy. However, the temporal coverage of satellite data has some limits. The reanalysis, also known as "retrospective analysis" of the atmosphere's parameters, is produce by fusing the output of NWP (Numerical Weather Prediction) models with observation data from a variety of sources, including ground, and satellite, ship, and aircraft observation. The result is a comprehensive record of the parameters affecting weather and climate. The effectiveness of reanalysis datasets (ERA-5) for North Africa was evaluate against high-quality surfaces measured using statistical analysis. Estimating the distribution of global solar radiation (GSR) over five chosen areas in North Africa through ten-years during the period time from 2011 to 2020. To investigate seasonal change in dataset performance, a seasonal statistical analysis was conduct, which showed a considerable difference in mistakes throughout the year. By altering the temporal resolution of the data used for comparison, the performance of the dataset is alter. Better performance is indicate by the data's monthly mean values, but data accuracy is degraded. Solar resource assessment and power estimation are discuses using the ERA-5 solar radiation data. The average values of mean bias error (MBE), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) of the reanalysis data of solar radiation vary from 0.079 to 0.222, 0.055 to 0.178, and 0.0145 to 0.198 respectively during the period time in the present research. The correlation coefficient (R2) varies from 0.93 to 99% during the period time in the present research. This research's objective is to provide a reliable representation of the world's solar radiation to aid in the use of solar energy in all sectors.

Keywords: solar energy, ERA-5 analysis data, global solar radiation, North Africa

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Authors: Hsin-Yi Kathy Cheng, Yan-Ying JU, Wann-Yun Shieh, Chin-Man Wang

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Although the coordination of swallowing and respiration has been discussed widely, the influence of the positioning angle on swallowing and respiration during feeding has rarely been investigated. This study aimed to investigate the timing and coordination of swallowing and respiration in different seat inclination angles, with liquid and bolus, to provide suggestions and guidelines for the design and develop a feedback-controlled seat angle adjustment device for the back-adjustable wheelchair. Twenty-six participants aged between 15-30 years old without any signs of swallowing difficulty were included. The combination of seat inclinations and food types was randomly assigned, with three repetitions in each combination. The trunk inclination angle was adjusted by a commercialized positioning wheelchair. A total of 36 swallows were done, with at least 30 seconds of rest between each swallow. We used a self-developed wearable device to measure the submandibular muscle surface EMG, the movement of the thyroid cartilage, and the respiratory status of the nasal cavity. Our program auto-analyzed the onset and offset of duration, and the excursion and strength of thyroid cartilage when it was moving, coordination between breathing and swallowing were also included. Variables measured include the EMG duration (DsEMG), swallowing apnea duration (SAD), total excursion time (TET), duration of 2nd deflection, FSR amplitude, Onset latency, DsEMG onset, DsEMG offset, FSR onset, and FSR offset. These measurements were done in four-seat inclination angles (5。, 15。, 30。, 45。) and three food contents (1ml water, 10ml water, and 5ml pudding bolus) for each subject. The data collected between different contents were compared. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the basic features of the data. Repeated measure ANOVAs were used to analyze the differences for the dependent variables in different seat inclination and food content combinations. The results indicated significant differences in seat inclination, mostly between 5。 and 45。, in all variables except FSR amplitude. It also indicated significant differences in food contents almost among all variables. Significant interactions between seat inclination and food contents were only found in FSR offsets. The same protocol will be applied to participants with disabilities. The results of this study would serve as clinical guidance for proper feeding positions with different food contents. The ergonomic data would also provide references for assistive technology professionals and practitioners in device design and development. In summary, the current results indicated that it is easier for a subject to lean backward during swallowing than when sitting upright and swallowing water is easier than swallowing pudding. The results of this study would serve as the clinical guidance for proper feeding position (such as wheelchair back angle adjustment) with different food contents. The same protocol can be applied to elderly participants or participants with physical disabilities. The ergonomic data would also provide references for assistive technology professionals and practitioners in device design and development.

Keywords: swallowing, positioning, assistive device, disability

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Authors: Fury Khristianty Fitriyah

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This study aims to identify the extent of the role of the Satuan Pengawas Intern (Internal Audit Unit) in detecting and preventing fraud in public universities in West Java under the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education. The research method applied was a qualitative case study approach, while the unit of analysis for this study is the Internal Audit Unit at each public university. Results of this study indicate that the Internal Audit Unit is able to detect and prevent fraud within a public university environment by means of red flags to mark accounting anomalies. These stem from inaccurate budget planning that prompts inappropriate use of funds, exacerbated by late disbursements of funds, which potentially lead to fictitious transactions, and discrepancies in recording state-owned assets into a state property management system (SIMAK BMN), which, if not conducted properly, potentially causes loss to the state.

Keywords: governance, internal control, fraud, public university

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Authors: Hecson Christian, Joel Macwan

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Landfill site selection in an urban area is a critical issue in the planning process. With the growth of the urbanization, it has a mammoth impact on the economy, ecology, and environmental health of the region. Outsized amount of wastes are produced and the problem gets soared every day. Hence, selection of ideal site for sanitary landfill is a challenge for urban planners and solid waste managers. Disposal site is a function of many parameters. Among all, Geotechnical parameters are very vital as the same is related to surrounding open land. Moreover, the accessible safe and acceptable land is also scarce. Therefore, in this paper geotechnical parameters are used to develop a GIS model to identify an ideal location for landfill purpose. Metropolitan city of Surat is highly populated and fastest growing urban area in India. The research objectives are to conduct field experiments to collect data and to transfer the facts in GIS platform to evolve a model, to find ideal location. Planners’ preferences were obtained to use analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to find weights of each parameter. Integration of GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques are applied to improve decision-making. It augments an environment for transformation and combination of geographical data and planners’ preferences. GIS performs deterministic overlay and buffer operations. MCDA methods evaluate alternatives based on the decision makers’ subjective values and priorities. Research results have shown many alternative locations. Economic analysis of selected site from actual operations point of view is not included in this research.

Keywords: GIS, AHP, MCDA, Geo-technical

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Authors: Yang Yiting

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This paper employs CiteSpace to conduct a visualiazation analysis of literature on college English writing teaching researches published in core journals from the CNKI database and CSSCI journals between 2002 and 2022. It aims to explore the characteristics of researches and future directions on college English writing teaching. The present study yielded the following major findings: the field primarily focuses on innovative writing teaching models and methods, the integration of traditional classroom teaching and information technology, and instructional strategies to enhance students' writing skills. The future research is anticipated to involve a hybrid writing teaching approach combining online and offline teaching methods, leveraging the "Internet+" digital platform, aiming to elevate students' writing proficiency. This paper also presents a prospective outlook for college English writing teaching research in China.

Keywords: citespace, college English, writing teaching, visualization analysis

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Authors: Deborah Idowu

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This research delves into the effectiveness of explicitly teaching productive non-cognate French suffixes to English beginner learners of the French language. It is widely accepted that cognates, especially orthographic ones, can be inferred by learners from their first language (in this case, English). The same is the case for derived French words with cognate suffixes, provided the learner is familiar with the lemma, which can either be cognate or non-cognate. However, the same cannot be said for derived French words with non-cognate suffixes. These suffixes often pose challenges to learners, even when the base word is familiar to them. The primary goal of this research is to enhance the vocabulary comprehension and expansion of English-speaking beginners in French by focusing on the recognition of derived French words that may not align with their L1 knowledge. The methodology employed in this study of derivational morphology involves an experimental group receiving explicit instruction on productive non-cognate suffixes, while a control group does not. By utilizing confidence ratings and other analytical tools, the analysis aims to measure the impact of this targeted instruction on the learners' ability to understand and incorporate non-cognate suffixes into their French vocabulary. Through this experimental approach, the research seeks to provide valuable insights into how explicit instruction on non-cognate suffixes can benefit beginner French learners, ultimately aiding them in navigating the intricacies of French derivational morphology. The objectives of this research are as follows: i. to investigate the impact of explicitly teaching productive non-cognate suffixes on the vocabulary comprehension and expansion of beginner learners of the French language; ii. to assess the effectiveness of targeted instruction on non-cognate suffixes in aiding English-speaking learners in recognizing and understanding derived French words that may not align with their native language knowledge, iii. to compare the vocabulary acquisition and retention of beginner French learners who receive explicit instruction on non-cognate suffixes with those who do not to determine the effectiveness of this instructional approach, iv. to analyze the confidence ratings and other analytical methods to gauge the learners' ability to integrate non-cognate suffixes into their French vocabulary and comprehend the meaning of derived words more effectively, v. to contribute insights into how explicit instruction on non-cognate suffixes can enhance the overall language learning experience for beginner learners of French, particularly in the area of French derivational morphology.

Keywords: suffixes, derivational morphology, non-cognates, vocabulary acquisition, French language learners

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Authors: Gabriel Jinga, Madalina Dumitru

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The objective of this paper is to present the process of change in management accounting in Romania, a former communist country from Eastern Europe. In order to explain this process, we used the contingency and institutional theories. We focused on the following directions: the presentation of the scientific context and motivation of this research and the case study. We presented the state of the art in the process of change in the management accounting from the international and national perspective. We also described the evolution of management accounting in Romania in the context of economic and political changes. An important moment was the fall of communism in 1989. This represents a starting point for a new economic environment and for new management accounting. Accordingly, we developed a case study which presented this evolution. The conclusion of our research was that the changes in the management accounting system of the company analysed occurred in the same time with the institutionalization of some elements (e.g. degree of competition, training and competencies in management accounting). The management accounting system was modeled by the contingencies specific to this company (e.g. environment, industry, strategy).

Keywords: management accounting, change, Romania, contingency, institutional theory

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Authors: Kawpong Polyorat, Nathamon Buaprommee

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Food safety crises including mad cow disease and bird flu have raised consumers’ concern in meat safety. In response, the meat industry has adopted traceability systems to standardize quality and safety of their meat production. Traceability, however, is still rarely positioned as a marketing tool to persuade consumers who are meat endusers. Therefore, the present study attempts to understand consumer behaviors in the context of meat with traceability system by conducting a study in Thailand where research in this area is scant. The study results, based on structural equation modeling with AMOS, reveal that, while health motivation has a significant, positive impact on traceability trust, health consciousness does not directly affect traceability. Health consciousness, nevertheless, have a positive influence on health motivation. Finally, traceability trust has a positive impact on purchase intention of meat with traceability. Research implications and future study directions conclude the study report.

Keywords: consumer behavior, health consciousness, health motivation, traceability, trust

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Authors: E. Knisel, H. Rupprich, A. Heissel

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Health Literacy is defined as the degree to which people have the capacity to obtain and understand information to make health decisions. Illustrated are three levels of health literacy: (1) Functional literacy refers to the transmission of information about e. g. physical activity and nutrition; (2) interactive literacy implies the development of personal and social skills to adopt health-related behaviour and (3) critical health literacy indicates advanced cognitive skills connected with personal empowerment to critically analyse health information, to define self-determined goals and taking action in various situations accordingly. The achievement of the third level refers to self-determination and autonomy which should be outcomes of exercise programs for overweight children as health-related behaviour change will occur and persist if it is autonomously motivated. Method: We adopted a quasi-experimental design with group (autonomy supportive coaching, control) and session (pre-test, intervention, post-test, and follow-up-test). Overweight and obese children and adolescents at the age of 8-14 years (N=40) received a 6-month (20 sessions) exercise program with autonomy supportive coaching implemented by the coaches and sandwiched between pre-test and post-test. All participants (N=92) completed the German version of the Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale Sport and Exercise. Additionally, we assessed the engagement in the exercise program by the MVPA (Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity) and by the adherence and drop-out-rate. Results: Participants in the intervention group perceived their autonomy as moderate in the post-test and the follow-up-test. However, the psychological intervention failed to develop a high autonomy, as both groups show moderate perceived autonomy from the pre-test to the post-test. Participants in the intervention group were higher engaged in MVPA in the exercise program and they attend the program more regularly. Discussion: Young overweight and obese children and adolescents can acquire autonomy using autonomy supporting coaching. However, research identifying the extent they achieve critical health literacy is required to implement an autonomy-supportive coaching style into exercise programs for this target group.

Keywords: autonomy support, coaching, health literacy, health promotion

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Authors: Daniella L. Pereira, Emeliana G. Imperial, Ingrid Webster, Ian Wiid, Hans Strijdom, Nireshni Chellan, Sanet H. Kotzé

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Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) is a shrub-like bush native to the Western Cape of South Africa and commonly consumed as a herbal tea. Interest on the anti-oxidant capabilities of the tea have risen based on anecdotal evidence. Rooibos contains polyphenols that contribute to the overall antioxidant capacity of the tea. These polyphenols have been reported to attenuate the effects of oxidative stress in biological systems. The bioavailability of these compounds is compromised when exposed to light, pH fluctuations, and oxidation. It is crucial to evaluate whether the polyphenols in a typical rooibos solution remain constant over time when administered to rats in a research environment. This study aimed to determine the effects of various storage scenarios on the phenolic composition of rooibos tea commonly administered to rodents in experimental studies. A standardised aqueous solution of rooibos tea was filtered and divided into three samples namely fresh, refrigerated, and frozen. Samples were stored in air tight, light excluding bottles. Refrigerated samples were stored at 4°C for seven days. Frozen samples were stored for fourteen days at -20°C. Each sample consisted of two subgroups labeled day 1 and day 7. Teas marked day 7 of each group were kept in air tight, light protected bottles at room temperature for an additional week. All samples (n=6) were freeze-dried and underwent polyphenol characterization using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The phenolic composition remained constant throughout all groups. This indicates that rooibos tea can be safely stored at the above conditions without compromising the phenolic viability of the tea typically used for research purposes.

Keywords: Aspalathus linearis, experimental studies, polyphenols, storage

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Authors: Dalia Suša Vugec

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In recent few decades, business process management (BPM) has been in focus of a great number of researchers and organizations. There are many benefits derived from the implementation of BPM in organizations. However, there has been also noticed that lately traditional BPM faces some difficulties in terms of the divide between models and their execution, lost innovations, lack of information fusioning and so on. As a result, there has been a new discipline, called social BPM, which incorporates principles of social software into the BPM. On the other hand, many researchers indicate organizational culture as a vital part of the BPM success and maturity. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the current state of BPM maturity and the usage of social BPM among the organizations from Croatia, Slovenia and Austria, with the regards to the organizational culture as well. The paper presents the results of a survey conducted as part of the PROSPER project (IP-2014-09-3729), financed by Croatian Science Foundation. The results indicate differences in the level of BPM maturity, the usage of social BPM and the dominant organizational culture in the observed organizations from different countries. These differences are further discussed in the paper.

Keywords: business process management, BPM maturity, organizational culture, social BPM

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Authors: Qin Luofeng, Shen Siqi

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For the 58 years since the first video game came into being, the video game industry is getting through an explosive evolution from then on. Video games exert great influence on society and become a reflection of public life to some extent. Video game virtual spaces are where activities are taking place like real spaces. And that’s the reason why some architects pay attention to video games. However, compared to the researches on the appearance of games, we observe a lack of theoretical comprehensive on the construction of video game virtual spaces. The research method of this paper is to collect literature and conduct theoretical research about the virtual space in video games firstly. And then analogizing the opinions on the space phenomena from the theory of literature and films. Finally, this paper proposes a three-layer framework for the construction of video game virtual spaces: “algorithmic space-narrative space players space”, which correspond to the exterior, expressive, affective parts of the game space. Also, we illustrate each sub-space according to numerous instances of published video games. Hoping this writing could promote the interactive development of video games and architecture.

Keywords: video game, virtual space, narrativity, social space, emotional connection

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Authors: N. Ben Si Ali, N. Benalia, N. Zarzouri

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Speed sensorless systems are intensively studied during recent years; this is mainly due to their economical benefit and fragility of mechanical sensors and also the difficulty of installing this type of sensor in many applications. These systems suffer from instability problems and sensitivity to parameter mismatch at low speed operation. In this paper an analysis of adaptive observer stability with stator resistance estimation is given.

Keywords: motor drive, sensorless control, adaptive observer, stator resistance estimation

Procedia PDF Downloads 361