Search results for: the good of the relationship

Authors: Paola Molteni, Luigi d’Alonzo

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Background: Sensory issues are now considered one of the key aspects in defining and diagnosing autism, changing the perspectives on behavioural analysis and intervention in mainstream educational services. However, Italian teachers’ training is yet not specific on the topic of autism and its sensory-related effects and this research investigates the teacher’s capability in understanding the student’s needs and his/her challenging behaviours considering sensory perceptions. Objectives: The research aims to analyse mainstream schools teachers’ awareness on students’ sensory perceptions and how this affects classroom inclusion and learning process. The research questions are: i) Are teachers able to identify student’s sensory issues?; ii) Are trained teachers more able to identify sensory problems then untrained ones?; iii) What is the impact of sensory issues on inclusion in mainstream classrooms?; iv) What should teachers know about autistic sensory dimensions? Methods: This research was designed as a pilot study that involves a multi-methods approach, including action and collaborative research methodology. The designed research allows the researcher to catch the complexity of a province school district (from kindergarten to high school) through a deep detailed analysis of selected aspects. The researcher explored the questions described above through 133 questionnaires and 6 focus groups. The qualitative and quantitative data collected during the research were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Mainstream schools teachers are not able to confidently recognise sensory issues of children included in the classroom. The research underlines: how professionals with no specific training on autism are not able to recognise sensory problems in students on the spectrum; how hearing and sight issues have higher impact on classroom inclusion and student’s learning process; how a lack of understanding is often followed by misinterpretations of the impact of sensory issues and challenging behaviours. Conclusions: As this research has shown, promoting and enhancing the importance of understanding sensory issues related to autism is fundamental to enable mainstream schools teachers to define educational and life-long plans able to properly answer the student’s needs and support his/her real inclusion in the classroom. This study is a good example of how the educational research can meet and help the daily practice in working with people on the autism spectrum and support the training design for mainstream school teachers: the emerging need of designed preparation on sensory issues is fundamental to be considered when planning school district in-service training programmes, specifically declined for inclusive services.

Keywords: autism spectrum condition, scholastic inclusion, sensory overload, teacher's training

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Authors: Gadinga Walter Forje, Martin Ngankam Tchamba, Nyong Princely Awazi, Barnabas Neba Nfornka

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Ecotourism is viewed as a double edge sword for the enhancement of conservation and local livelihood within a protected landscape. The Campo Ma’an National Park (CMNP) adopted ecotourism in its management plan as a strategic axis for better management of the park. The growing importance of ecotourism as a strategy for the sustainable management of CMNP and its environs requires adequate information to bolster the sector. This study was carried out between November 2018 and September 2021, with the main objective to contribute to the sustainable management of the CMNP through suggestions for enhancing the capacity of ecotourism in and around the park. More specifically, the study aimed at; 1) Analyse the governance of ecotourism in the CMNP and its surrounding; 2) Assessing the impact of ecotourism on local livelihood around the CMNP; 3) Evaluating the contribution of ecotourism to biodiversity conservation in and around the CMNP; 4) Evaluate the determinants of ecotourism possibilities in achieving sustainable livelihood and biodiversity conservation in and around the CMNP. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were obtained from household surveys (N=124), focus group discussions (N=8), and key informant interviews (N=16). Data collected were coded and imputed into SPSS (version 19.0) software and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings from the Chi-square test revealed overall poor ecotourism governance in and around the CMNP, with benefit sharing (X2 = 122.774, p <0.01) and conflict management (X2 = 90.839, p<0.01) viewed to be very poor. For the majority of the local population sampled, 65% think ecotourism does not contribute to local livelihood around CMNP. The main factors influencing the impact of ecotourism around the CMNP on the local population’s livelihood were gender (logistic regression (β) = 1.218; p = 0.000); and level of education (logistic regression (β) = 0.442; p = 0.000). Furthermore, 55.6% of the local population investigated believed ecotourism activities do not contribute to the biodiversity conservation of CMNP. Spearman correlation between socio-economic variables and ecotourism impact on biodiversity conservation indicated relationships with gender (r = 0.200, p = 0.032), main occupation (r = 0.300 p = 0.012), time spent in the community (r = 0.287 p = 0.017), and number of children (r =-0.286 p = 0.018). Variables affecting ecotourism impact on biodiversity conservation were age (logistic regression (β) = -0.683; p = 0.037) and gender (logistic regression (β) = 0.917; p = 0.045). This study recommends the development of ecotourism-friendly policies that can accelerate Public Private Partnership for the sustainable management of the CMNP as a commitment toward good governance. It also recommends the development of gender-sensitive ecotourism packages, with fair opportunities for rural women and more parity in benefit sharing to improve livelihood and contribute more to biodiversity conservation in and around the Park.

Keywords: biodiversity conservation, Campo Ma’an national park, ecotourism, ecotourism governance, rural livelihoods, protected area management

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Authors: Asmamaw Yehun

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The name “TANA” is one of International Geodetic Service (IGS) Global Positioning System (GPS) station which is found in Bahir Dar University in Institute of Land Administration. The station name taken from one of big Lakes in Africa ,Lake Tana. The Institute of Land Administration (ILA) is part of Bahir Dar University, located in the capital of the Amhara National Regional State, Bahir Dar. The institute is the first of its kind in East Africa. The station is installed by cooperation of ILA and Sweden International Development Agency (SIDA) fund support. The Continues Operating Reference Station (CORS) is a network of stations that provide global satellite system navigation data to help three dimensional positioning, meteorology, space, weather, and geophysical applications throughout the globe. TANA station was as CORS since 2013 and sites are independently owned and operated by governments, research and education facilities and others. The data collected by the reference station is downloadable through Internet for post processing purpose by interested parties who carry out GNSS measurements and want to achieve a higher accuracy. We made a first observation on TANA, monitor stations on May 29th 2013. We used Leica 1200 receivers and AX1202GG antennas and made observations from 11:30 until 15:20 for about 3h 50minutes. Processing of data was done in an automatic post processing service CSRS-PPP by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) . Post processing was done June 27th 2013 so precise ephemeris was used 30 days after observation. We found Latitude (ITRF08): 11 34 08.6573 (dms) / 0.008 (m), Longitude (ITRF08): 37 19 44.7811 (dms) / 0.018 (m) and Ellipsoidal Height (ITRF08): 1850.958 (m) / 0.037 (m). We were compared this result with GAMIT/GLOBK processed data and it was very closed and accurate. TANA station is one of the second IGS station for Ethiopia since 2015 up to now. It provides data for any civilian users, researchers, governmental and nongovernmental users. TANA station is installed with very advanced choke ring antenna and GR25 Leica receiver and also the site is very good for satellite accessibility. In order to test hydrostatic and wet zenith delay for positional data quality, we used GAMIT/GLOBK and we found that TANA station is the most accurate IGS station in East Africa. Due to lower tropospheric zenith and ionospheric delay, TANA and ADIS IGS stations has 2 and 1.9 meters 3D positional accuracy respectively.

Keywords: atmosphere, GNSS, neutral atmosphere, precipitable water vapour

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Authors: Krzysztof Buczak, Sonia Lachowska, Pawel Kucharski, Agnieszka Antonczyk

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Tiletamine - zolazepam combination is increasingly used in veterinary anaesthesiology in wild animals, including snakes. The available literature shows a lack of information about anesthesia in this mixture in ovoviviparous snakes. The studies show the possibility of using the combination at a dose of 20 mg/kg or more for snake immobilization. This paper presents an anesthetic protocol with the use of a combination of tiletamine - zolazepam at the dose of 10 mg/kg intramuscularly and maintenance with inhalant anesthesia with isoflurane in pure oxygen. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the anesthetic protocol to proceed with coeliotomy in Amazon Tree Boa. The patient was a five years old bicolor female Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus) with dystocia. The clinical examination reveals significant emaciation (bodyweight 520g), high degree of dehydration, heart rate (HR = 60 / min), pale mucous membranes and poor reactivity. Meloxicam (1 mg/kg) and tramadol (10 mg/kg) were administered subcutaneously and the patient was placed in an incubator with access to fresh oxygen. Four hours later, the combination of tiletamine - zolazepam (10 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly for induction of anesthesia. The snake was intubated and connected to inhalant anesthesia equipment. For maintenance, the anesthesia isoflurane in pure oxygen was used due to apnea, which occurs 30 minutes after the induction semi-closed system was attached and the ventilator was turned on (PCV system, four breaths per minute, 8 cm of H2O). Cardiopulmonary parameters (HR, RR, SPO2, ETCO2, ETISO) were assessed throughout the procedure. During the entire procedure, the operating room was heated to a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the hose was placed on a heating mat, which maintained a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. For 15 minutes after induction, the loss of muscle tone was observed from the head to the tail. Induction of general anesthesia was scored as good because of the possibility of intubation. During the whole procedure, the heart rate was at the rate of 58 beats per minute (bpm). Ventilation parameters were stable throughout the procedure. The recovery period lasts for about 4 hours after the end of general anesthesia. The muscle tension returned from tail to head. The snake started to breathe spontaneously within 1,5 hours after the end of general anesthesia. The protocol of general anesthesia with the combination of tiletamine- zolazepam with a dose of 10 mg/kg is useful for proceeding with the emergency coeliotomy in maintenance with isoflurane in oxygen. Further study about the impact of the combination of tiletamine- zolazepam for the recovery period is needed.

Keywords: anesthesia, corallus hortulanus, ovoviparous, snake, tiletamine, zolazepam

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Authors: A. Shakoor, M. Arshad

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The utilization of groundwater resources in irrigation has significantly increased during the last two decades due to constrained canal water supplies. More than 70% of the farmers in the Punjab, Pakistan, depend directly or indirectly on groundwater to meet their crop water demands and hence, an unchecked paradigm shift has resulted in aquifer depletion and deterioration. Therefore, a comprehensive research was carried at central Punjab-Pakistan, regarding spatiotemporal variation in groundwater level and quality. Processing MODFLOW for window (PMWIN) and MT3D (solute transport model) models were used for existing and future prediction of groundwater level and quality till 2030. The comprehensive data set of aquifer lithology, canal network, groundwater level, groundwater salinity, evapotranspiration, groundwater abstraction, recharge etc. were used in PMWIN model development. The model was thus, successfully calibrated and validated with respect to groundwater level for the periods of 2003 to 2007 and 2008 to 2012, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R2) and model efficiency (MEF) for calibration and validation period were calculated as 0.89 and 0.98, respectively, which argued a high level of correlation between the calculated and measured data. For solute transport model (MT3D), the values of advection and dispersion parameters were used. The model used for future scenario up to 2030, by assuming that there would be no uncertain change in climate and groundwater abstraction rate would increase gradually. The model predicted results revealed that the groundwater would decline from 0.0131 to 1.68m/year during 2013 to 2030 and the maximum decline would be on the lower side of the study area, where infrastructure of canal system is very less. This lowering of groundwater level might cause an increase in the tubewell installation and pumping cost. Similarly, the predicted total dissolved solids (TDS) of the groundwater would increase from 6.88 to 69.88mg/L/year during 2013 to 2030 and the maximum increase would be on lower side. It was found that in 2030, the good quality would reduce by 21.4%, while marginal and hazardous quality water increased by 19.28 and 2%, respectively. It was found from the simulated results that the salinity of the study area had increased due to the intrusion of salts. The deterioration of groundwater quality would cause soil salinity and ultimately the reduction in crop productivity. It was concluded from the predicted results of groundwater model that the groundwater deteriorated with the depth of water table i.e. TDS increased with declining groundwater level. It is recommended that agronomic and engineering practices i.e. land leveling, rainwater harvesting, skimming well, ASR (Aquifer Storage and Recovery Wells) etc. should be integrated to meliorate management of groundwater for higher crop production in salt affected soils.

Keywords: groundwater quality, groundwater management, PMWIN, MT3D model

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Authors: Yuta Nakano, Kozo Kajiwara, Atsushi Hori, Takeshi Fujita

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In association with the wave of electric vehicles (EV), low energy consumption systems have become more and more important. One of the key technologies to realize low energy consumption is a dynamic vision sensor (DVS), or we can call it an event sensor, neuromorphic vision sensor and so on. This sensor has several features, such as high temporal resolution, which can achieve 1 Mframe/s, and a high dynamic range (120 DB). However, the point that can contribute to low energy consumption the most is its sparsity; to be more specific, this sensor only captures the pixels that have intensity change. In other words, there is no signal in the area that does not have any intensity change. That is to say, this sensor is more energy efficient than conventional sensors such as RGB cameras because we can remove redundant data. On the other side of the advantages, it is difficult to handle the data because the data format is completely different from RGB image; for example, acquired signals are asynchronous and sparse, and each signal is composed of x-y coordinate, polarity (two values: +1 or -1) and time stamp, it does not include intensity such as RGB values. Therefore, as we cannot use existing algorithms straightforwardly, we have to design a new processing algorithm to cope with DVS data. In order to solve difficulties caused by data format differences, most of the prior arts make a frame data and feed it to deep learning such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) for object detection and recognition purposes. However, even though we can feed the data, it is still difficult to achieve good performance due to a lack of intensity information. Although polarity is often used as intensity instead of RGB pixel value, it is apparent that polarity information is not rich enough. Considering this context, we proposed to use the timestamp information as a data representation that is fed to deep learning. Concretely, at first, we also make frame data divided by a certain time period, then give intensity value in response to the timestamp in each frame; for example, a high value is given on a recent signal. We expected that this data representation could capture the features, especially of moving objects, because timestamp represents the movement direction and speed. By using this proposal method, we made our own dataset by DVS fixed on a parked car to develop an application for a surveillance system that can detect persons around the car. We think DVS is one of the ideal sensors for surveillance purposes because this sensor can run for a long time with low energy consumption in a NOT dynamic situation. For comparison purposes, we reproduced state of the art method as a benchmark, which makes frames the same as us and feeds polarity information to CNN. Then, we measured the object detection performances of the benchmark and ours on the same dataset. As a result, our method achieved a maximum of 7 points greater than the benchmark in the F1 score.

Keywords: event camera, dynamic vision sensor, deep learning, data representation, object recognition, low energy consumption

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Authors: Paola Modesto, Floriana Fruscione, Isabella Martini, Simona Perga, Federica Riccardo, Mariateresa Camerino, Davide Giacobino, Cecilia Gola, Luca Licenziato, Elisabetta Razzuoli, Katia Varello, Lorella Maniscalco, Elena Bozzetta, Angelo Ferrari

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Canine and human melanoma, osteosarcoma (OSA), and mammary carcinomas are aggressive tumors with common characteristics making dogs a good model for comparative oncology. Novel therapeutic strategies against these tumors could be useful to both species. In humans, chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) is a marker involved in tumor progression and could be a candidate target for immunotherapy. The anti-CSPG4 DNA electrovaccination has shown to be an effective approach for canine malignant melanoma (CMM) [1]. An immunohistochemistry evaluation of CSPG4 expression in tumour tissue is generally performed prior to electrovaccination. To assess the possibility to perform a rapid molecular evaluation and in order to validate these spontaneous canine tumors as the model for human studies, we investigate the CSPG4 gene expression by RT qPCR in CMM, OSA, and canine mammary tumors (CMT). The total RNA was extracted from RNAlater stored tissue samples (CMM n=16; OSA n=13; CMT n=6; five paired normal tissues for CMM, five paired normal tissues for OSA and one paired normal tissue for CMT), retro-transcribed and then analyzed by duplex RT-qPCR using two different TaqMan assays for the target gene CSPG4 and the internal reference gene (RG) Ribosomal Protein S19 (RPS19). RPS19 was selected from a panel of 9 candidate RGs, according to NormFinder analysis following the protocol already described [2]. Relative expression was analyzed by CFX Maestro™ Software. Student t-test and ANOVA were performed (significance set at P<0.05). Results showed that gene expression of CSPG4 in OSA tissues is significantly increased by 3-4 folds when compared to controls. In CMT, gene expression of the target was increased from 1.5 to 19.9 folds. In melanoma, although an increasing trend was observed, no significant differences between the two groups were highlighted. Immunohistochemistry analysis of the two cancer types showed that the expression of CSPG4 within CMM is concentrated in isles of cells compared to OSA, where the distribution of positive cells is homogeneous. This evidence could explain the differences in gene expression results.CSPG4 immunohistochemistry evaluation in mammary carcinoma is in progress. The evidence of CSPG4 expression in a different type of canine tumors opens the way to the possibility of extending the CSPG4 immunotherapy marker in CMM, OSA, and CMT and may have an impact to translate this strategy modality to human oncology.

Keywords: canine melanoma, canine mammary carcinomas, canine osteosarcoma, CSPG4, gene expression, immunotherapy

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Authors: D. Falliano, G. Ricciardi, E. Gugliandolo

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Foamed concrete belongs to the category of lightweight concrete. It is characterized by a density which is generally ranging from 200 to 2000 kg/m³ and typically comprises cement, water, preformed foam, fine sand and eventually fine particles such as fly ash or silica fume. The foam component mixed with the cement paste give rise to the development of a system of air-voids in the cementitious matrix. The peculiar characteristics of foamed concrete elements are summarized in the following aspects: 1) lightness which allows reducing the dimensions of the resisting frame structure and is advantageous in the scope of refurbishment or seismic retrofitting in seismically vulnerable areas; 2) thermal insulating properties, especially in the case of low densities; 3) the good resistance against fire as compared to ordinary concrete; 4) the improved workability; 5) cost-effectiveness due to the usage of rather simple constituting elements that are easily available locally. Classic foamed concrete cannot be extruded, as the dimensional stability is not permitted in the green state and this severely limits the possibility of industrializing them through a simple and cost-effective process, characterized by flexibility and high production capacity. In fact, viscosity enhancing agents (VEA) used to extrude traditional concrete, in the case of foamed concrete cause the collapsing of air bubbles, so that it is impossible to extrude a lightweight product. These requirements have suggested the study of a particular additive that modifies the rheology of foamed concrete fresh paste by increasing cohesion and viscosity and, at the same time, stabilizes the bubbles into the cementitious matrix, in order to allow the dimensional stability in the green state and, consequently, the extrusion of a lightweight product. There are plans to submit the additive’s formulation to patent. In addition to the general benefits of using the extrusion process, extrudable foamed concrete allow other limits to be exceeded: elimination of formworks, expanded application spectrum, due to the possibility of extrusion in a range varying between 200 and 2000 kg/m³, which allows the prefabrication of both structural and non-structural constructive elements. Besides, this contribution aims to present the significant differences regarding extrudable and classic foamed concrete fresh properties in terms of slump. Plastic air content, plastic density, hardened density and compressive strength have been also evaluated. The outcomes show that there are no substantial differences between extrudable and classic foamed concrete compression resistances.

Keywords: compressive strength, extrusion, foamed concrete, fresh properties, plastic air content, slump.

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Authors: Cindy Sithole, Didier Nyembwe, Peter Olubambi

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The sand casting process involves pattern making, mould making, metal pouring and shake out. Every step in the sand moulding process is very critical for production of good quality castings. However, waste generated during the sand moulding operation and lack of quality are matters that influences performance inefficiencies and lack of competitiveness in South African foundries. Defects produced from the sand moulding process are only visible in the final product (casting) which results in increased number of scrap, reduced sales and increases cost in the foundry. The purpose of this Research is to propose six sigma technique (DMAIC, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) intervention in sand moulding foundries and to reduce variation caused by deficiencies in the sand moulding process in South African foundries. Its objective is to create sustainability and enhance productivity in the South African foundry industry. Six sigma is a data driven method to process improvement that aims to eliminate variation in business processes using statistical control methods .Six sigma focuses on business performance improvement through quality initiative using the seven basic tools of quality by Ishikawa. The objectives of six sigma are to eliminate features that affects productivity, profit and meeting customers’ demands. Six sigma has become one of the most important tools/techniques for attaining competitive advantage. Competitive advantage for sand casting foundries in South Africa means improved plant maintenance processes, improved product quality and proper utilization of resources especially scarce resources. Defects such as sand inclusion, Flashes and sand burn on were some of the defects that were identified as resulting from the sand moulding process inefficiencies using six sigma technique. The courses were we found to be wrong design of the mould due to the pattern used and poor ramming of the moulding sand in a foundry. Six sigma tools such as the voice of customer, the Fishbone, the voice of the process and process mapping were used to define the problem in the foundry and to outline the critical to quality elements. The SIPOC (Supplier Input Process Output Customer) Diagram was also employed to ensure that the material and process parameters were achieved to ensure quality improvement in a foundry. The process capability of the sand moulding process was measured to understand the current performance to enable improvement. The Expected results of this research are; reduced sand moulding process variation, increased productivity and competitive advantage.

Keywords: defects, foundries, quality improvement, sand moulding, six sigma (DMAIC)

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Authors: Priyanka Tamta, Sukanya Sharma

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The Kamakhya Temple in Assam plays a very important role in the development of Assam as not only a historical place but also as an archaeologically important site. Temple building activity on the site began in 5th century AD when a cave temple dedicated to Lord Balabhadraswami was constructed here by King Maharajadhiraja Sri Surendra Varman. In the history of Assam, the name of this king is not found and neither the name of this form of Vishnu is known in this region. But this inscription sanctified the place as it recorded the first ever temple building activity in this region. The fifteen hundred years habitation history of the Kamakhya temple sites shows a gradual progression of the site from a religious site to an archaeological site and finally as a historical landmark. Here, in this paper, our main objective is to understand the evolution of Kamakhya temple site as a historical landscape and as an important landmark in the history of Assam. The central theme of the paper is the gradual development of the religious site to a historical landmark. From epigraphical records, it is known that the site received patronage from all ruling dynasties of Assam and its adjoining regions. Royal households of Kashmir, Nepal, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, etc. have left their footprints on the site. According to records they donated wealth, constructed or renovated temples and participated in the overall maintenance of the deity. This made Kamakhya temple a ground of interaction of faiths, communities, and royalties of the region. Since the 5th century AD, there was a continuous struggle between different beliefs, faiths, and power on the site to become the dominant authority of the site. In the process, powerful beliefs system subsumed minor ones into a larger doctrine of beliefs. This can be seen in the case of the evolution of the Kamakhya temple site as one of the important Shakta temples in India. Today, it is cultural identity marker of the state of Assam within which it is located. Its diverse faiths and beliefs have been appropriated by powerful legends to the dominant faith of the land. The temple has evolved from a cave temple to a complex of seventeen temples. The faith has evolved from the worship of water, an element of nature to the worship of the ten different forms of the goddess with their five male consorts or Bhairavas. Today, it represents and symbolizes the relationship of power and control out of which it has emerged. During different periods of occupation certain architectural and iconographical characters developed which indicated diffusion and cultural adaptation. Using this as sources and the epigraphical records this paper will analyze the interactive and dynamic processes which operated in the building of this cultural marker, the archaeological site of Kamakhya.

Keywords: cultural adaptation and diffusion, cultural and historical landscape, Kamakhya, Saktism, temple art and architecture, historiography

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Authors: Restituto I. Rodelas

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The higher education has adopted the outcomes-based education from K-12. In this approach, the teacher uses any teaching and learning strategies that enable the students to achieve the learning outcomes. The students may be required to exert more effort and figure things out on their own. Hence, outcomes-based students are assumed to be more responsible and more capable of applying the knowledge learned. Another approach that the higher education in the Philippines is starting to adopt from other countries is blended learning. This combination of classroom and fully online instruction and learning is expected to be more effective. Participating in the online sessions, however, is entirely up to the students. Thus, the effect of blended learning on the performance of students in Statistics may be mediated by outcomes-based education. If there is a significant positive mediating effect, then blended learning can be optimized by integrating outcomes-based education. In this study, the sample will consist of four blended learning Statistics classes at Jose Rizal University in the second semester of AY 2015–2016. Two of these classes will be assigned randomly to the experimental group that will be handled using outcomes-based education. The two classes in the control group will be handled using the traditional lecture approach. Prior to the discussion of the first topic, a pre-test will be administered. The same test will be given as posttest after the last topic is covered. In order to establish equality of the groups’ initial knowledge, single factor ANOVA of the pretest scores will be performed. Single factor ANOVA of the posttest-pretest score differences will also be conducted to compare the performance of the experimental and control groups. When a significant difference is obtained in any of these ANOVAs, post hoc analysis will be done using Tukey's honestly significant difference test (HSD). Mediating effect will be evaluated using correlation and regression analyses. The groups’ initial knowledge are equal when the result of pretest scores ANOVA is not significant. If the result of score differences ANOVA is significant and the post hoc test indicates that the classes in the experimental group have significantly different scores from those in the control group, then outcomes-based education has a positive effect. Let blended learning be the independent variable (IV), outcomes-based education be the mediating variable (MV), and score difference be the dependent variable (DV). There is mediating effect when the following requirements are satisfied: significant correlation of IV to DV, significant correlation of IV to MV, significant relationship of MV to DV when both IV and MV are predictors in a regression model, and the absolute value of the coefficient of IV as sole predictor is larger than that when both IV and MV are predictors. With a positive mediating effect of outcomes-base education on the effect of blended learning on student performance, it will be recommended to integrate outcomes-based education into blended learning. This will yield the best learning results.

Keywords: outcome-based teaching, blended learning, face-to-face, student-centered

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Authors: Fitim Sadiku, Mjellma Rexhepi, Kreshnik Grezda, Jonijana Sadiku Tigani, Merita Qorolli, Blerta Rexhepi-Kelmendi, Zelie Sadiku, Laura Cakolli

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Background: According to the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR), biologics should be considered alongside traditional treatments in Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) patients with persistently high disease activity that directly affects functional capacity. Unfortunately, Kosovo’s health system only offers continuous treatment with etanercept (ETN), and most of the patients with AS are referred to be treated with this biological substance. Objectives: This study aims to explore the relationship between comorbidity, disease activity, and functional capacity in AS patients undergoing ETN treatment in Kosovo. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included patients diagnosed with AS who were being treated with ETN 50mg per week for at least 6 months at the Rheumatology Clinic of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. Patients under 18, pregnant women, and patients with spinal fractures were excluded. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Prishtina and a consent form was signed by patients for participating in the study. We collected data (September-December 2023) about socio-demographics and disease history. Moreover, the presence of comorbidities was measured by the Comorbidity Charlson Index; the disease activity was measured by the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), and the functional capacity was measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Results: A total of 31 out of the 39 patients with AS receiving etanercept were included aged 18 to above 65 years (M= 40 years, SD= 14.39), and 87% were male. Diagnose delay was, on average, 7 years from the first symptoms (min-max= 0-24), while the disease duration on average was 7.5 years (min-max= 1- 50). Treatment duration with etanercept was from 0.5 to 6 years. The results indicate a significant positive correlation between comorbidity and BASFI (r= .615, p= .01) and disease activity. Additionally, a significant positive correlation exists between disease activity and BASFI (r= .507, p= .004). Regression analysis highlights the significance of both comorbidity and disease activity as predictors of patients’ functional capacity F (1, 29) = 10.047, p= .05 and F(1, 29) = 17.678, p= .01. No notable gender differences were observed. The study found no significant variations in comorbidity, disease activity, and functional capacity concerning the duration of ETN treatment. Conclusion: We found that in Kosovo, it takes at least 7 years for individuals to be diagnosed with AS from the first-time symptoms are experienced. This study showed that there is a positive correlation between comorbidity and functional capacity, disease activity and functional capacity in patients with AS undergoing etanercept treatment. Furthermore, results showed that comorbidity and disease activity are predictors of the functional status of the patients with AS receiving ETN. Gender and treatment duration with etanercept did not show any significant variations in these patients.

Keywords: ankylosing spondilitis, etanercept, physical wellbeing, comorbidities

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Authors: Lucas Barbosa Da Silva, Jun Okamoto Jr.

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Precision Agriculture has long being benefited from crop fields’ aerial imagery. This important tool has allowed identifying patterns in crop fields, generating useful information to the production management. Reflectance intensity data in different ranges from the electromagnetic spectrum may indicate presence or absence of nutrients in the soil of an area. Different relations between the different light bands may generate even more detailed information. The knowledge of the nutrients content in the soil or in the crop during its growth is a valuable asset to the farmer that seeks to optimize its yield. However, small farmers in Brazil often lack the resources to access this kind information, and, even when they do, it is not presented in a comprehensive and/or objective way. So, the challenges of implementing this technology ranges from the sampling of the imagery, using aerial platforms, building of a mosaic with the images to cover the entire crop field, extracting the reflectance information from it and analyzing its relationship with the parameters of interest, to the display of the results in a manner that the farmer may take the necessary decisions more objectively. In this work, it’s proposed an analysis of soil nutrient contents based on image processing of satellite imagery and comparing its outtakes with commercial laboratory’s chemical analysis. Also, sources of satellite imagery are compared, to assess the feasibility of using Google Earth data in this application, and the impacts of doing so, versus the application of imagery from satellites like Landsat-8 and Pleiades. Furthermore, an algorithm for building mosaics is implemented using Google Earth imagery and finally, the possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles is analyzed. From the data obtained, some soil parameters are estimated, namely, the content of Potassium, Phosphorus, Boron, Manganese, among others. The suitability of Google Earth Imagery for this application is verified within a reasonable margin, when compared to Pleiades Satellite imagery and to the current commercial model. It is also verified that the mosaic construction method has little or no influence on the estimation results. Variability maps are created over the covered area and the impacts of the image resolution and sample time frame are discussed, allowing easy assessments of the results. The final results show that easy and cheaper remote sensing and analysis methods are possible and feasible alternatives for the small farmer, with little access to technological and/or financial resources, to make more accurate decisions about soil nutrient management.

Keywords: remote sensing, precision agriculture, mosaic, soil, nutrient content, satellite imagery, aerial imagery

Procedia PDF Downloads 163

Authors: Kevin Henry

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Introduction: This research identifies the main struggles of non-binary people in an organizational setting using the ZMET – method of in-depth interviews. The research was done in Iceland, a country that is repeatedly listed in the top countries for gender equality and found three main categories of non-binary struggles in organizations. These categories can be used to improve organizational non-binary inclusion. Aim: The main questions this paper will answer are: Which unique obstacles are non-binary people facing in their daily organizational life? Which organizational and individual measures help with more inclusion of non-binary people? How can organizational gender equality measures be made more inclusive of non-binary issues? Background: Even though gender equality is a much-researched topic, the struggles of non-binary people are often overlooked in gender equality research. Additionally, non-binary and transgender people are frequently researched together, even though their struggles can be very different. Research focused on non-binary people is, in many cases, done on a more structural or organizational level with quantitative data such as salary or position within an organization. This research focuses on the individual and their struggles with qualitative data to derive measures for non-binary inclusion and equality. Method: An adapted approach of the ZMET-Method (Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique) will be used, during which in-depth interviews are held with individuals, utilizing pictures as a metaphorical starting point to discuss their main thoughts and feelings on being non-binary in an organizational setting. Interviewees prepared five pictures, each representing one key thought or feeling about their organizational life. The interviewer then lets the interviewee describe each picture and asks probing questions to get a deeper understanding of each individual topic. This method helps with a mostly unbiased data collection process by only asking probing questions during the interview and not leading the interviewee in any certain direction. Results: This research has identified three main categories of struggles non-binary people are facing in an organizational setting: internal (personal) struggles, external struggles and structural struggles. Internal struggles refer to struggles that originate from the person themselves (e.g., struggles with their own identity). External struggles refer to struggles from the outside (e.g. harassment from coworkers, exclusion). Structural struggles refer to struggles that are built into the organizational policy or facilities (e.g. restrooms, gendered language). Conclusion: This study shows that there are many struggles for non-binary people in organizations and that even in countries that pride themselves on being progressive and having a high level of gender equality, there is still much to be done for non-binary inclusion. Implications for Organizations: Organizations that strive to improve the inclusion of all genders should pay attention to how their structures are built, how their training is conducted, and how their policies affect people of various genders. Simple changes like making restrooms gender-neutral and using neutral language in company communications are good examples of small structural steps for more inclusion.

Keywords: gender equality, non-binary, organizations, ZMET

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Authors: Farhana Nosheen, Maleeha Fatima

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This study on Afghan refugee women living in Punjab, Pakistan, shows a strong relationship between poor socio-economic status and lower nutritional health status. Pakistan is one of the significant countries accepting refugees from the Afghan war. Universally, refugees are vulnerable to food security and basic life necessities. The in-hand study aimed to investigate food insecurity among afghan refugees who recently migrated to Pakistan. Purposive sampling technique was employed to collect the data from afghan women refugees settled in refugee camp settled in Capital city Islamabad, Pakistan. Data was collected through an interview tool. It revealed from data that the majority of women were underweight, about 74.7% in their reproductive years, which is an alarming situation for the forthcoming children and families. It is also shown that There’s a strong impact of their income level, education, dietary habits and food insecurity on their overall health status. It can also be observed in their Body Mass Index and in their physical appearance; they also show extremely poor levels of hemoglobin which is directly indicated anemic condition, especially iron deficiency anemia among the young Afghan refugee women. The illiteracy rate is about 93.33% among the selected participants as well as a majority of this population has 10-12 family size in comparison with their income level of about 10,000-15,000 Pakistani rupees per month, which can hardly meet their daily food expenditure. Adequate food is rarely accessible to young girls and women due to fewer national and international food aids program available in Pakistan. The majority have pale yellowish skin color (due to low iron content) along with clear white eyes (low hemoglobin level), thin hairs (protein deficiency) and spoon-shaped nails (a direct indicator of low iron level). Data showed a significant relation between appetite and BMI as their appetite is very low, which is directly indicated in their underweight body condition. About 56.67% of the participants had Urinary Tract Infections. The main causes included personal unhygienic conditions and lack of washrooms as well as drinking water facilities in their refugee camps. It is suggested that National and international food aid programs should cater to the nutritional demands of women refugees in the world to protect them from food insecurities as well as future researchers should find out better ways of analysis and treatment plans for such kind of communities who are highly prone to nutritional deficiencies and lack of basic supplies.

Keywords: food insecurity, refugees, women, vulnerable

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Authors: Zhao Luqian, Wang Yafei

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Participation in music activities is beneficial for enhancing wellbeing, especially for aged people (Creech, 2013). Looking at percussion group in particular, it can facilitate a sense of belonging, relaxation, energy, and productivity, learning, enhanced mood, humanising, seems of accomplishment, escape from trauma, and emotional expression (Newman, 2015). In health literatures, group drumming is effective in reducing stress and improving multiple domains of social-motional behaviors (Ho et al., 2011; Maschi et al., 2010) because it offers a creative and mutual learning space that allows patients to establish a positive peer interaction (Mungas et al., 2014; Perkins, 2016). However, very few studies have investigated the effect of group drumming from the aspect of patients’ needs. Therefore, this study focuses on the discussion of patients' specific needs within mental health and explores how group percussion may meet their needs. Seligman’s (2011) five core elements of mental health were applied as patients’ needs in this study: (1) Positive emotions; (2) Engagement; (3) Relationships; (4) Meaning and (5) Accomplishment. 12 participants aged 57- 80 years were interviewed individually. The researcher also had observation in four drumming groups simultaneously. The results reveal that group drumming could improve participants’ mental wellbeing. First, it created a therapeutic health care environment extending beyond the elimination of boredom, and patients could focus on positive emotions during the session of group drumming. Secondly, it was effective in satisfying patients’ level of engagement. Thirdly, this study found that joining a percussion group would require patients to work on skills such as turn-taking and sharing. This equal relationship is helpful for releasing patients’ negative mood and thus forming tighter relationships between and among them. Fourthly, group drumming was found to meet patients’ meaning needs through offering them a place of belonging and a place for sharing. Its leaner-oriented approach engaged patients by a sense of belonging, accepting, connecting, and ownership. Finally, group drumming could meet patients’ needs for accomplishment through the learning process. The inclusive learning process, which indicates there is no right or wrong throughout the process, allowed patients to make their own decisions. In conclusion, it is difficult for patients to achieve positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meanings, and accomplishments in a hospital setting. Drumming can be practiced for enhancement in terms of reducing patients’ negative emotions and improving their experiences in a hospital through enriched social interaction and sense of accomplishment. Also, it can help patients to enhance social skills in a controlled environment.

Keywords: group drumming, hospital, mental health, music psychology

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Authors: Bina Gupta, Rashmi Singh, Harshit Mahandra

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Molybdenum is a strategic metal and finds applications in petroleum refining, thermocouples, X-ray tubes and in making of steel alloy owing to its high melting temperature and tensile strength. The growing significance and economic value of molybdenum have increased interest in the development of efficient processes aiming its recovery from secondary sources. Main secondary sources of Mo are molybdenum catalysts which are used for hydrodesulphurisation process in petrochemical refineries. The activity of these catalysts gradually decreases with time during the desulphurisation process as the catalysts get contaminated with toxic material and are dumped as waste which leads to environmental issues. In this scenario, recovery of molybdenum from spent catalyst is significant from both economic and environmental point of view. Recently ionic liquids have gained prominence due to their low vapour pressure, high thermal stability, good extraction efficiency and recycling capacity. Present study reports recovery of molybdenum from Mo-Co spent leach liquor using Cyphos IL 102[trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide] as an extractant. Spent catalyst was leached with 3 mol/L HCl and the leach liquor containing Mo-870 ppm, Co-341 ppm, Al-508 ppm and Fe-42 ppm was subjected to extraction step. The effect of extractant concentration on the leach liquor was investigated and almost 85% extraction of Mo was achieved with 0.05 mol/L Cyphos IL 102. Results of stripping studies revealed that 2 mol/L HNO3 can effectively strip 94% of the extracted Mo from the loaded organic phase. McCabe-Thiele diagrams were constructed to determine the number of stages required for quantitative extraction and stripping of molybdenum and were confirmed by counter current simulation studies. According to McCabe-Thiele extraction and stripping isotherms, two stages are required for quantitative extraction and stripping of molybdenum at A/O= 1:1. Around 95.4% extraction of molybdenum was achieved in two stage counter current at A/O= 1:1 with negligible extraction of Co and Al. However, iron was coextracted and removed from the loaded organic phase by scrubbing with 0.01 mol/L HCl. Quantitative stripping (~99.5 %) of molybdenum was achieved with 2.0 mol/L HNO3 in two stages at O/A=1:1. Overall ~95.0% molybdenum with 99 % purity was recovered from Mo-Co spent catalyst. From the strip solution, MoO3 was obtained by crystallization followed by thermal decomposition. The product obtained after thermal decomposition was characterized by XRD, FE-SEM and EDX techniques. XRD peaks of MoO3correspond to molybdite Syn-MoO3 structure. FE-SEM depicts the rod like morphology of synthesized MoO3. EDX analysis of MoO3 shows 1:3 atomic percentage of molybdenum and oxygen. The synthesised MoO3 can find application in gas sensors, electrodes of batteries, display devices, smart windows, lubricants and as catalyst.

Keywords: cyphos IL 102, extraction, Mo-Co spent catalyst, recovery

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Authors: Karl Erickson I. Ebora

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Science and technology are two inseparable terms which bring wonders to all aspects of life such as education, medicine, food production and even the environment. In education, technology has become an integral part as it brings many benefits to the teaching-learning process. However, in the Philippines, being one of the developing countries resources are scarce and not all schools enjoy the fruits brought by technology. Much of this ordeal impacts that of multigrade instruction. These schools are often the last priority in resources allocation since these have limited number of students. In fact, it is not surprising that these schools do not have even a single computer unit much more a computer laboratory. This paper sought to present a plan on how public schools would receive its e-classroom. Specifically, this paper sought to answer questions like the level of the school readiness in terms of facilities and equipment; the attitude of the respondents towards the use of e-classroom; level of teacher’s familiarity in using different e-classroom software and the plans of interventions undertaken by the school to make it e-classroom ready. After gathering and analysing the necessary data, this paper came up with the following conclusions that in terms of facilities and equipment, Guisguis Talon Elementary School (Main), though a multigrade school, is ready to receive e-classroom.; that the respondents show positive disposition in technology utilization in teaching after they strongly agree that technology plays essential role in the teaching-learning process. Also, they strongly agree that technology is a good motivator; it makes the teaching and learning more interesting and effective; it makes teaching easy; and that technology enhances student’s learning. Additionally, Teacher-respondents in Guisguis Talon Elementary School (Main) show familiarity in using software. They are very familiar with MS Word; MS Excel; MS PowerPoint; and internet and email. Moreover, they are very familiar with basic e-classroom computer operations and basic application software. They are very familiar with MS office and can do simple editing and formatting; in accessing and saving information from CD/DVD, external hard drives, USB and the like; and in browsing effectively different search engines and educational sites, download and upload files. Likewise respondents strongly agree to the interventions undertaken by the school to make it e-classroom ready. They strongly agree that funding and support are needed by the school; that stakeholders should be encouraged to consider donating of equipment; and that school and community should try to mobilize their resources in order to help the school; that the teachers should be provided with trainings in order for them to be technologically competent; and that principals and administrators should motivate their teachers to undergo continuous professional development.

Keywords: e-classroom, multi-grade school, DCP, classroom computers

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Authors: Hanee Ryu

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The supporting policies for renewable energy have been designed to deploy renewable energy technology targeting domestic market. The government encourages market creation through obligations such as FIT or RPS on an energy supplier. With these policy measures, the securing vast market needs to induce technology development. Furthermore, it is crucial that ensuring developing market can make the environment nurture the renewable energy industry. Overseas expansion to countries being in demand is essential under immature domestic market. Extending its business abroad can make the domestic company get the knowledge through learning-by-doing. Besides, operation in the countries to be rich in renewable resources such as weather conditions helps to develop proven track record required for verifying technologies. This paper figures out the factor to hamper the global market entry and build up the strategies to overcome difficulties. Survey conducted renewable energy company having overseas experiences at least once. Based on the survey we check the obstacle against exporting home goods and services. As a result, securing funds is salient fact to proceed to business. It is difficult that only private bank or investment agencies participate in the project under uncertainty which renewable energy development project bears inherently. These uncertainties need public fund such as ODA to encourage private sectors to start a business. Furthermore, international organizations such as IRENA or multilateral development banks as WBG play a role to guarantee the investment including risk insurance against uncertainty. It can also manage excavation business cooperating with developing countries and supplement inadequate government funding involved. With survey results strategies to obtain the order, the international organization places are categorized according to the type of getting a contract. This paper suggests 3 types approaching to the international organization project (going through international competitive bidding, using ODA and project financing) and specifies the role of government to support the domestic firms with running out of funds. Under renewable energy industry environment where hard to being created as a spontaneous market, government policy approach needs to motivate the actors to get into the business. It is one of the good strategies that countries with the low demand of renewable energies participate in the project international agencies order in the developing countries having abundant resources. This provides crucial guidance for the formulation of renewable energy development policy and planning with consideration of business opportunities and funding.

Keywords: exporting strategies, multilateral development banks, promoting in developing countries, renewable energy technologies

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Authors: Abdolrasoul Daneshjoo

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Introduction: Soccer is a game which draws more attention in different countries especially in Brazil. Kicking among different skills in soccer and soccer players is an excellent role for the success and preference of a team. The way of point gaining in this game is passing the ball over the goal lines which are gained by shoot skill in attack time and or during the penalty kicks.Regarding the above assumption, identifying the effective factors in instep kicking in different distances shoot with maximum force and high accuracy or pass and penalty kick, may assist the coaches and players in raising qualitative level of performing the skill. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to study of a few kinematical parameters in instep kicking from 3 and 5 meter distance among the male and female elite soccer players. Methods: 24 right dominant lower limb subjects (12 males and 12 females) among Tehran elite soccer players with average and the standard deviation (22.5 ± 1.5) & (22.08± 1.31) years, height of (179.5 ± 5.81) & (164.3 ± 4.09) cm, weight of (69.66 ± 4.09) & (53.16 ± 3.51) kg, %BMI (21.06 ± .731) & (19.67 ± .709), having playing history of (4 ± .73) & (3.08 ± .66) years respectively participated in this study. They had at least two years of continuous playing experience in Tehran soccer league.For sampling player's kick; Kinemetrix Motion analysis with three cameras with 500 Hz was used. Five reflective markers were placed laterally on the kicking leg over anatomical points (the iliac crest, major trochanter, lateral epicondyle of femur, lateral malleolus, and lateral aspect of distal head of the fifth metatarsus). Instep kick was filmed, with one step approach and 30 to 45 degrees angle from stationary ball. Three kicks were filmed, one kick selected for further analyses. Using Kinemetrix 3D motion analysis software, the position of the markers was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the mean and standard deviation, while the analysis of variance, and independent t-test (P < 0.05) were used to compare the kinematic parameters between two genders. Results and Discussion: Among the evaluated parameters, the knee acceleration, the thigh angular velocity, the angle of knee proportionately showed significant relationship with consequence of kick. While company performance on 5m in 2 genders, significant differences were observed in internal – external displacement of toe, ankle, hip and the velocity of toe, ankle and the acceleration of toe and the angular velocity of pelvic, thigh and before time contact. Significant differences showed the internal – external displacement of toe, the ankle, the knee and the hip, the iliac crest and the velocity of toe, the ankle and acceleration of ankle and angular velocity of the pelvic and the knee.

Keywords: biomechanics, kinematics, soccer, instep kick, male, female

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Authors: Diana Cunha, Catarina Coelho, Ana Paula Relvas, Elisabeth Kastenholz

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Context: Tourist experiences have a recognized impact on the well-being of individuals. However, studies on the specific benefits of tourist experiences for families are scattered across different disciplines. This study aims to systematically review the literature to synthesize the evidence on the benefits of tourist experiences for families. Research Aim: The main objective is to systematize the evidence in the literature regarding the benefits of tourist experiences for families. Methodology: A systematic literature review was conducted using Nvivo, analyzing 33 scientific studies obtained from various databases. The search terms used were "family"/ "couple" and "tourist experience". The studies included quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and literature reviews. All works prior to the year 2000 were excluded, and the search was restricted to full text. A language filter was also used, considering articles in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. For NVivo analysis, information was coded based on both deductive and inductive perspectives. To minimize the subjectivity of the selection and coding process, two of the authors discussed the process and agreed on criteria that would make the coding more objective. Once the coding process in NVivo was completed, the data relating to the identification/characterization of the works were exported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPPS), to characterize the sample. Findings: The results highlight that tourist experiences have several benefits for family systems, including the strengthening of family and marital bonds, the creation of family memories, and overall well-being and life satisfaction. These benefits contribute to both immediate relationship quality improvement and long-term family identity construction and transgenerational transmission. Theoretical Importance: This study emphasizes the systemic nature of the effects and relationships within family systems. It also shows that no harm was reported within these experiences, with only some challenges related to positive outcomes. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: The study collected data from 33 scientific studies published predominantly after 2013. The data were analyzed using Nvivo, employing a systematic review approach. Question Addressed: The study addresses the question of the benefits of tourist experiences for families and how these experiences contribute to family functioning and individual well-being. Conclusion: Tourist experiences provide opportunities for families to enhance their interpersonal relationships and create lasting memories. The findings suggest that formal interventions based on evidence could further enhance the potential benefits of these experiences and be a valuable preventive tool in therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: family systems, individual and family well-being, marital satisfaction, tourist experiences

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Authors: Diom Loreen Ndum, Omarine Njimanted

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With increasing automation in clinical laboratories, the requirements for quality control materials have greatly increased in order to monitor daily performance. The constant use of commercial control material is not economically feasible for many developing countries because of non-availability or the high-cost of the materials. Therefore, preparation and use of in-house quality control serum will be a very cost-effective measure with respect to laboratory needs.The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of in-house prepared pooled sera with respect to commercially acquired control sample for routine internal quality control at the Nkwen District Hospital Laboratory. This was an analytical study, serum was taken from leftover serum samples of 5 healthy adult blood donors at the blood bank of Nkwen District Hospital, which had been screened negative for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Hepatitis B antigens (HBsAg), and were pooled together in a sterile container. From the pooled sera, sixty aliquots of 150µL each were prepared. Forty aliquots of 150µL each of commercially acquired samples were prepared after reconstitution and stored in a deep freezer at − 20°C until it was required for analysis. This study started from the 9th June to 12th August 2022. Every day, alongside with commercial control sample, one aliquot of pooled sera was removed from the deep freezer and allowed to thaw before analyzed for the following parameters: blood urea, serum creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), potassium and sodium. After getting the first 20 values for each parameter of pooled sera, the mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation were calculated, and a Levey-Jennings (L-J) chart established. The mean and standard deviation for commercially acquired control sample was provided by the manufacturer. The following results were observed; pooled sera had lesser standard deviation for creatinine, urea and AST than commercially acquired control samples. There was statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the mean values of creatinine, urea and AST for in-house quality control when compared with commercial control. The coefficient of variation for the parameters for both commercial control and in-house control samples were less than 30%, which is an acceptable difference. The L-J charts revealed shifts and trends (warning signs), so troubleshooting and corrective measures were taken. In conclusion, in-house quality control sample prepared from pooled serum can be a good control sample for routine internal quality control.

Keywords: internal quality control, levey-jennings chart, pooled sera, shifts, trends, westgard rules

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Authors: V. Samulionis, J. Banys, A. Sánchez-Ferrer

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Inorganic nanoparticles are used for fabrication of various composites based on polymer materials because they exhibit a good homogeneity and solubility of the composite material. Multifunctional materials based on composites of a polymer containing inorganic nanotubes are expected to have a great impact on industrial applications in the future. An emerging family of such composites are polyurea elastomers with inorganic MoS2 nanotubes or MoSI nanowires. Polyurea elastomers are a new kind of materials with higher performance than polyurethanes. The improvement of mechanical, chemical and thermal properties is due to the presence of hydrogen bonds between the urea motives which can be erased at high temperature softening the elastomeric network. Such materials are the combination of amorphous polymers above glass transition and crosslinkers which keep the chains into a single macromolecule. Polyurea exhibits a phase separated structure with rigid urea domains (hard domains) embedded in a matrix of flexible polymer chains (soft domains). The elastic properties of polyurea can be tuned over a broad range by varying the molecular weight of the components, the relative amount of hard and soft domains, and concentration of nanoparticles. Ultrasonic methods as non-destructive techniques can be used for elastomer composites characterization. In this manner, we have studied the temperature dependencies of the longitudinal ultrasonic velocity and ultrasonic attenuation of these new polyurea elastomers and composites with inorganic nanoparticles. It was shown that in these polyurea elastomers large ultrasonic attenuation peak and corresponding velocity dispersion exists at 10 MHz frequency below room temperature and this behaviour is related to glass transition Tg of the soft segments in the polymer matrix. The relaxation parameters and Tg depend on the segmental molecular weight of the polymer chains between crosslinking points, the nature of the crosslinkers in the network and content of MoS2 nanotubes or MoSI nanowires. The increase of ultrasonic velocity in composites modified by nanoparticles has been observed, showing the reinforcement of the elastomer. In semicrystalline polyurea elastomer matrices, above glass transition, the first order phase transition from quasi-crystalline to the amorphous state has been observed. In this case, the sharp ultrasonic velocity and attenuation anomalies were observed near the transition temperature TC. Ultrasonic attenuation maximum related to glass transition was reduced in quasicrystalline polyureas indicating less influence of soft domains below TC. The first order phase transition in semicrystalline polyurea elastomer samples has large temperature hysteresis (> 10 K). The impact of inorganic MoS2 nanotubes resulted in the decrease of the first order phase transition temperature in semicrystalline composites.

Keywords: inorganic nanotubes, polyurea elastomer composites, ultrasonic velocity, ultrasonic attenuation

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Authors: Karin Eines, Riki Tesler

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Introduction: The Mamanet Cachibol League (MCL) is a community-based model developed in Israel to promote physical activity (PA) and amateur team sports among women. team sports are not just groups in the context of specific sport activity but also incorporated into a person’s sense of self and become influencing factor on sport-related behavior among the players. While in the non-Arabic sector, sport venues are available for the local authority population, the Arabic sector authorities face limited access sport facilities, with 168 sport venues and authorities with no venues at all. Within the Arab community, women participation in sports has traditionally been limited and, even more so for participation in team sports. Aims: The purpose of the study was to explore attributes of women MCL activity via: (1) assess differences between participants in the MCL and non-participants among Arab women regarding well-being level; (2) to examine among MCL participants the relationship between health maintenance characteristics and the likelihood of participating in the MCL; and (3) Use qualitative approach to shed light over the question why Arabic women participate in MCL and continue their engagement in PA. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was employed to gain a deeper understanding of the advantages and motivations among women participating in community-based team sports. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Israeli Arab women aged 25–59. Demographic characteristics, well-being (SRH and psychosomatic symptoms), eating habits, and social support were analyzed using two-way analyses of covariance and multiple regression models with a sequential entry of the variables. Quantitative results were further explored in qualitative in-depth interviews among 30 of the MCL participants, which shed light on additional reasons for participation in PA. Results: MCL participants reported better self-reported health (p < 0.001) and lower rates of psychosomatic symptoms (p < 0.001) compared to non-participants. Participation in MCL was also related to higher levels of well-being and healthy eating habits. Women who participated also experienced a profound sense of belonging, leading to enhanced social interactions and positivity in their personal and professional lives. They were dedicated to the group and felt empowered by the reciprocal commitment. The group promoted equality, making the women feel valued and respected, resulting in community admiration. Their involvement positively impacted their families, justifying their time commitment.

Keywords: wellbeing, obesity, community based sports, healthy eating habits, arab women

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Authors: Maico R. Severino, Laura G. Caixeta, Nadine M. Costa, Raísa L. T. Napoleão, Éverton F. V. Valle, Diego D. Calixto, Danielle Oliveira

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One of the biggest barriers that companies find nowadays is the coordination of production flow in their Supply Chains (SC). In this study, coordination is understood as a mechanism for incorporating the entire production channel, with everyone involved focused on achieving the same goals. Sometimes, this coordination is attempted by the use of logistics practices or production plan and control methods. No papers were found in the literature that presented the combined use of logistics practices and production plan and control methods. The main objective of this paper is to propose solutions for six case studies combining logistics practices and Ordering Systems (OS). The methodology used in this study was a conceptual model of decision making. This model contains six phases: a) the analysis the types and characteristics of relationships in the SC; b) the choice of the OS; c) the choice of the logistics practices; d) the development of alternative proposals of combined use; e) the analysis of the consistency of the chosen alternative; f) the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impact on the coordination of the production flow and the verification of applicability of the proposal in the real case. This study was conducted on six Brazilian SC of different sectors: footwear, food and beverages, garment, sugarcane, mineral and metal mechanical. The results from this study showed that there was improvement in the coordination of the production flow through the following proposals: a) for the footwear industry the use of Period Bath Control (PBC), Quick Response (QR) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP); b) for the food and beverage sector firstly the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), ERP, Continuous Replenishment (CR) and Drum-Buffer-Rope Order (DBR) (for situations in which the plants of both companies are distant), and secondly EDI, ERP, Milk-Run and Review System Continues (for situations in which the plants of both companies are close); c) for the garment industry the use of Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) and Constant Work-In-Process (CONWIP) System; d) for the sugarcane sector the use of EDI, ERP and CONWIP System; e) for the mineral processes industry the use of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), EDI and MaxMin Control System; f) for the metal mechanical sector the use of CONWIP System and Continuous Replenishment (CR). It should be emphasized that the proposals are exclusively recommended for the relationship between client and supplier studied. Therefore, it cannot be generalized to other cases. However, what can be generalized is the methodology used to choose the best practices for each case. Based on the study, it can be concluded that the combined use of OS and logistics practices enable a better coordination of flow production on SC.

Keywords: supply chain management, production flow coordination, logistics practices, ordering systems

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Authors: Nebojša Janićijević

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At the end of 1970s, Dutch researcher Geert Hofstede, had conducted an enormous empirical research on the differences between national cultures. In his huge research, he had identified four dimensions of national culture according to which national cultures differ and determined the index for every dimension of national culture for each country that took part in his research. The index showed a country’s position on the continuum between the two extreme poles of the cultural dimensions. Since more than 40 years have passed since Hofstede's research, there is a doubt that, due to the changes in national cultures during that period, they are no longer a good basis for research. The aim of this research is to check the validity of Hofstee's indices of national culture The empirical study conducted in the branches of a multinational company in Serbia, France, the Netherlands and Denmark aimed to determine whether Hofstede’s measures of national culture dimensions are still valid. The sample consisted of 155 employees of one multinational company, where 40 employees came from three countries and 35 employees were from Serbia. The questionnaire that analyzed the positions of national cultures according to the Hofstede’s four dimensions was formulated on the basis of the initial Hofstede’s questionnaire, but it was much shorter and significantly simplified comparing to the original questionnaire. Such instrument had already been used in earlier researches. A statistical analysis of the obtained questionnaire results was done by a simple calculation of the frequency of the provided answers. Due to the limitations in methodology, sample size, instrument, and applied statistical methods, the aim of the study was not to explicitly test the accuracy Hofstede’s indexes but to enlighten the general position of the four observed countries in national culture dimensions and their mutual relations. The study results have indicated that the position of the four observed national cultures (Serbia, France, the Netherlands and Denmark) is precisely the same in three out of four dimensions as Hofstede had described in his research. Furthermore, the differences between national cultures and the relative relations between their positions in three dimensions of national culture correspond to Hofstede’s results. The only deviation from Hofstede’s results is concentrated around the masculinity–femininity dimension. In addition, the study revealed that the degree of power distance is a determinant when choosing leadership style. It has been found that national cultures with high power distance, like Serbia and France, favor one of the two authoritative leadership styles. On the other hand, countries with low power distance, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, prefer one of the forms of democratic leadership styles. This confirms Hofstede’s premises about the impact of power distance on leadership style. The key contribution of the study is that Hofstede’s national culture indexes are still a reliable tool for measuring the positions of countries in national culture dimensions, and they can be applied in the cross-cultural research in management. That was at least the case with four observed countries: Serbia, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

Keywords: national culture, leadership styles, power distance, collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance

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Authors: Phillipa Evans, Christopher Trotter

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Aims: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a practice skills framework implemented in three youth detention centres in Juvenile Justice in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The study is supported by a grant from and Australian Research Council and NSW Juvenile Justice. Recent years have seen a number of incidents in youth detention centres in Australia and other places. These have led to inquiries and reviews with some suggesting that detention centres often do not even meet basic human rights and do little in terms of providing opportunities for rehabilitation of residents. While there is an increasing body of research suggesting that community based supervision can be effective in reducing recidivism if appropriate skills are used by supervisors, there has been less work considering worker skills in youth detention settings. The research that has been done, however, suggest that teaching interpersonal skills to youth officers may be effective in enhancing the rehabilitation culture of centres. Positive outcomes have been seen in a UK detention centre for example, from teaching staff to do five-minute problem-solving interventions. The aim of this project is to examine the effectiveness of training and coaching youth detention staff in three NSW detention centres in interpersonal practice skills. Effectiveness is defined in terms of reductions in the frequency of critical incidents and improvements in the well-being of staff and young people. The research is important as the results may lead to the development of more humane and rehabilitative experiences for young people. Method: The study involves training staff in core effective practice skills and supporting staff in the use of those skills through supervision and de-briefing. The core effective practice skills include role clarification, pro-social modelling, brief problem solving, and relationship skills. The training also addresses some of the background to criminal behaviour including trauma. Data regarding critical incidents and well-being before and after the program implementation are being collected. This involves interviews with staff and young people, the completion of well-being scales, and examination of departmental records regarding critical incidents. In addition to the before and after comparison a matched control group which is not offered the intervention is also being used. The study includes more than 400 young people and 100 youth officers across 6 centres including the control sites. Data collection includes interviews with workers and young people, critical incident data such as assaults, use of lock ups and confinement and school attendance. Data collection also includes analysing video-tapes of centre activities for changes in the use of staff skills. Results: The project is currently underway with ongoing training and supervision. Early results will be available for the conference.

Keywords: custody, practice skills, training, youth workers

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Authors: E. Hegazy, S. Anderberg, J. Krook

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The city's wire-based infrastructure systems (WBIS) are responsible for the delivery of electricity, telecommunications, sanitation, drainage, and district heating and are a necessity for sustainable modern urban life. Maintaining the functionality of these structures involves high costs and, brings disturbance to the local community and effects on the environment. One key reason for this is that the cables and pipes are placed under streets, making system parts easily worn and their service lifetime reduced, and all maintenance and renewal rely on recurrent needs for excavation. In Sweden, a significant part of wire-based infrastructure is already outdated and will need to be replaced in the coming decades. The replacement of these systems will entail massive costs as well as important traffic disruption and environmental disturbance. However, this challenge may also open a unique opportunity to introduce new, more sustainable technologies and management practices. The transformation of WBIS management for long-term sustainability and meeting maintenance and renewal needs does not have a comprehensive approach. However, a systemic approach may inform WBIS management. This approach considers both technical and non-technical aspects, as well as time-related factors. Nevertheless, there is limited systemic knowledge of how different factors influence current management practices. The aim of this study is to address this knowledge gap and contribute to the understanding of what factors influence the current practice of WBIS management. A case study approach is used to identify current management practices, the underlying factors that influence them, and their implications for sustainability outcomes. The case study is based on both quantitative data on the local system and data from interviews and workshops with local practitioners and other stakeholders. Linköping was selected as a case since it provided good accessibility to the water administration and relevant data for analyzing water infrastructure management strategies. It is a sufficiently important city in Sweden to be able to identify challenges, which, to some extent, are common to all Swedish cities. By uncovering current practices and what is influencing Linköping, knowledge gaps and uncertainties related to sustainability consequences were highlighted. The findings show that goals, priorities, and policies controlling management are short-termed, and decisions on maintenance and renewal are often restricted to finding solutions to the most urgent issues. Sustainability transformation in the infrastructure area will not be possible through individual efforts without coordinated technical, organizational, business, and regulatory changes.

Keywords: case study, infrastructure, management, practice, Sweden

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Authors: Gergely Horvath

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The study analyzes the special provisions of the highest level of national agricultural legislation in the Fundamental Law of Hungary (25 April 2011) with descriptive, analytic and comparative methods. The agriculturally relevant articles of the constitution are very important, because –in spite of their high level of abstraction– they can determine and serve the practice comprehensively and effectively. That is why the objective of the research is to interpret the concrete sentences and phrases in connection with agriculture compared with the methods of some other relevant constitutions (historical-grammatical interpretation). The major findings of the study focus on searching for the appropriate provisions and approach capable of solving the problems of sustainable food production. The real challenge agricultural law must face with in the future is protecting or conserving its background and subjects: the environment, the ecosystem services and all the 'roots' of food production. In effect, agricultural law is the legal aspect of the production of 'our daily bread' from farm to table. However, it also must guarantee the safe daily food for our children and for all our descendants. In connection with sustainability, this unique, value-oriented constitution of an agrarian country even deals with uncustomary questions in this level of legislation like GMOs (by banning the production of genetically modified crops). The starting point is that the principle of public good (principium boni communis) must be the leading notion of the norm, which is an idea partly outside the law. The public interest is reflected by the agricultural law mainly in the concept of public health (in connection with food security) and the security of supply with healthy food. The construed Article P claims the general protection of our natural resources as a requirement. The enumeration of the specific natural resources 'which all form part of the common national heritage' also means the conservation of the grounds of sustainable agriculture. The reference of the arable land represents the subfield of law of the protection of land (and soil conservation), that of the water resources represents the subfield of water protection, the reference of forests and the biological diversity visualize the specialty of nature conservation, which is an essential support for agrobiodiversity. The mentioned protected objects constituting the nation's common heritage metonymically melt with their protective regimes, strengthening them and forming constitutional references of law. This regimes also mean the protection of the natural foundations of the life of the living and also the future generations, in the name of intra- and intergenerational equity.

Keywords: agricultural law, constitutional values, natural resources, sustainability

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Authors: Kailash Chandra, Devanshu Gupta

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The Himalayan Mountains of India fall under two biogeographic zones Trans Himalaya (TH) and Himalaya and seven biotic provinces (TH-Ladakh Mountains, TH-Tibetan Plateau, TH-Sikkim, North-West Himalaya, West Himalaya, Central Himalaya, and East Himalaya). Because of the extreme environment and altitudinal variations, unique physiography, varied ecological conditions, and different vegetations, the Himalaya exhibit a rich assemblage of life, both flora, and fauna, further subjected to the impacts of climate change. To the authors’ best knowledge, there is no comprehensive account except for sporadic faunal investigations, to assess or interpret the insect diversity and their biogeographic distribution in Indian Himalaya (IH), one of the biodiversity hotspots. Therefore, in this paper, a compelling review of the extensive knowledge of insect diversity of IH is presented for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The inventory of the known insect species of IH was compiled from the exploration cum faunal-study data ready with the zoological survey of India, Kolkata as well as from the information published in the scientific literature till date. The species were listed with their valid names with their distribution in seven biotic provinces of IH. The insect fauna of IH represents about 38% of the identified insect diversity of India. The interpretation of data provided significant information in detecting possible gap areas in the taxonomic representation of different insect orders. Archaeognatha, Zygentoma, Ephemeroptera, Phasmida, Embioptera, Psocoptera, Phthiraptera, Strepsiptera, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera, Siphonaptera, and Mecoptera need revisions, and it is required to collect more samples from remote areas of the region. Scope for finding new taxa even in the most diverse orders, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Hemiptera cannot be overlooked. Exploration of cold deserts of Trans Himalaya and East Himalaya (Arunachal Pradesh) may result in a good number of new species from these regions. The most notable data was that many of the species recorded from Himalaya are still known from their type localities only, so there is an urgency to revisit and resurvey those collection localities for the evaluation of the status of those species. It is also required to assess and monitor the impact of climate change on the diversity of insects inhabiting in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. DNA barcoding especially pests and biological control agents to solve the problems of identification in species complexes is also the need of the hour. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that the inventory of insects of this region is extensive but is far from final as every year hundreds of new species are described.

Keywords: catalog, climate change, diversity, DNA barcoding

Procedia PDF Downloads 197