Search results for: learning experience and engagement
27 Developing Primal Teachers beyond the Classroom: The Quadrant Intelligence (Q-I) Model
Authors: Alexander K. Edwards
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Introduction: The moral dimension of teacher education globally has assumed a new paradigm of thinking based on the public gain (return-on-investments), value-creation (quality), professionalism (practice), and business strategies (innovations). Abundant literature reveals an interesting revolutionary trend in complimenting the raising of teachers and academic performances. Because of the global competition in the knowledge-creation and service areas, the C21st teacher at all levels is expected to be resourceful, strategic thinker, socially intelligent, relationship aptitude, and entrepreneur astute. This study is a significant contribution to practice and innovations to raise exemplary or primal teachers. In this study, the qualities needed were considered as ‘Quadrant Intelligence (Q-i)’ model for a primal teacher leadership beyond the classroom. The researcher started by examining the issue of the majority of teachers in Ghana Education Services (GES) in need of this Q-i to be effective and efficient. The conceptual framing became determinants of such Q-i. This is significant for global employability and versatility in teacher education to create premium and primal teacher leadership, which are again gaining high attention in scholarship due to failing schools. The moral aspect of teachers failing learners is a highly important discussion. In GES, some schools score zero percent at the basic education certificate examination (BECE). The question is what will make any professional teacher highly productive, marketable, and an entrepreneur? What will give teachers the moral consciousness of doing the best to succeed? Method: This study set out to develop a model for primal teachers in GES as an innovative way to highlight a premium development for the C21st business-education acumen through desk reviews. The study is conceptually framed by examining certain skill sets such as strategic thinking, social intelligence, relational and emotional intelligence and entrepreneurship to answer three main burning questions and other hypotheses. Then the study applied the causal comparative methodology with a purposive sampling technique (N=500) from CoE, GES, NTVI, and other teachers associations. Participants responded to a 30-items, researcher-developed questionnaire. Data is analyzed on the quadrant constructs and reported as ex post facto analyses of multi-variances and regressions. Multiple associations were established for statistical significance (p=0.05). Causes and effects are postulated for scientific discussions. Findings: It was found out that these quadrants are very significant in teacher development. There were significant variations in the demographic groups. However, most teachers lack considerable skills in entrepreneurship, leadership in teaching and learning, and business thinking strategies. These have significant effect on practices and outcomes. Conclusion and Recommendations: It is quite conclusive therefore that in GES teachers may need further instructions in innovations and creativity to transform knowledge-creation into business venture. In service training (INSET) has to be comprehensive. Teacher education curricula at Colleges may have to be re-visited. Teachers have the potential to raise their social capital, to be entrepreneur, and to exhibit professionalism beyond their community services. Their primal leadership focus will benefit many clienteles including students and social circles. Recommendations examined the policy implications for curriculum design, practice, innovations and educational leadership.Keywords: emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, leadership, quadrant intelligence (q-i), primal teacher leadership, strategic thinking, social intelligence
Procedia PDF Downloads 30426 A Computational Investigation of Potential Drugs for Cholesterol Regulation to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Marina Passero, Tianhua Zhai, Zuyi (Jacky) Huang
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Alzheimer’s disease has become a major public health issue, as indicated by the increasing populations of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. After decades of extensive research in Alzheimer’s disease, only seven drugs have been approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Five of these drugs were designed to treat the dementia symptoms, and only two drugs (i.e., Aducanumab and Lecanemab) target the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, especially the accumulation of amyloid-b plaques. However, controversial comments were raised for the accelerated approvals of either Aducanumab or Lecanemab, especially with concerns on safety and side effects of these two drugs. There is still an urgent need for further drug discovery to target the biological processes involved in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Excessive cholesterol has been found to accumulate in the brain of those with Alzheimer’s disease. Cholesterol can be synthesized in both the blood and the brain, but the majority of biosynthesis in the adult brain takes place in astrocytes and is then transported to the neurons via ApoE. The blood brain barrier separates cholesterol metabolism in the brain from the rest of the body. Various proteins contribute to the metabolism of cholesterol in the brain, which offer potential targets for Alzheimer’s treatment. In the astrocytes, SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) binds to Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Protein 2 (SREBP2) in order to transport the complex from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus. Cholesterol is secreted out of the astrocytes by ATP-Binding Cassette A1 (ABCA1) transporter. Lipoprotein receptors such as triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) internalize cholesterol into the microglia, while lipoprotein receptors such as Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) internalize cholesterol into the neuron. Cytochrome P450 Family 46 Subfamily A Member 1 (CYP46A1) converts excess cholesterol to 24S-hydroxycholesterol (24S-OHC). Cholesterol has been approved for its direct effect on the production of amyloid-beta and tau proteins. The addition of cholesterol to the brain promotes the activity of beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), secretase, and amyloid precursor protein (APP), which all aid in amyloid-beta production. The reduction of cholesterol esters in the brain have been found to reduce phosphorylated tau levels in mice. In this work, a computational pipeline was developed to identify the protein targets involved in cholesterol regulation in brain and further to identify chemical compounds as the inhibitors of a selected protein target. Since extensive evidence shows the strong correlation between brain cholesterol regulation and Alzheimer’s disease, a detailed literature review on genes or pathways related to the brain cholesterol synthesis and regulation was first conducted in this work. An interaction network was then built for those genes so that the top gene targets were identified. The involvement of these genes in Alzheimer’s disease progression was discussed, which was followed by the investigation of existing clinical trials for those targets. A ligand-protein docking program was finally developed to screen 1.5 million chemical compounds for the selected protein target. A machine learning program was developed to evaluate and predict the binding interaction between chemical compounds and the protein target. The results from this work pave the way for further drug discovery to regulate brain cholesterol to combat Alzheimer’s disease.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, drug discovery, ligand-protein docking, gene-network analysis, cholesterol regulation
Procedia PDF Downloads 6525 Deciphering Information Quality: Unraveling the Impact of Information Distortion in the UK Aerospace Supply Chains
Authors: Jing Jin
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The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in aircraft manufacturing and aerospace supply chains leads to the generation of a substantial amount of data among various tiers of suppliers and OEMs. Identifying the high-quality information challenges decision-makers. The application of AI/ML models necessitates access to 'high-quality' information to yield desired outputs. However, the process of information sharing introduces complexities, including distortion through various communication channels and biases introduced by both human and AI entities. This phenomenon significantly influences the quality of information, impacting decision-makers engaged in configuring supply chain systems. Traditionally, distorted information is categorized as 'low-quality'; however, this study challenges this perception, positing that distorted information, contributing to stakeholder goals, can be deemed high-quality within supply chains. The main aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the dimensions of information quality crucial to the UK aerospace supply chain. Guided by a central research question, "What information quality dimensions are considered when defining information quality in the UK aerospace supply chain?" the study delves into the intricate dynamics of information quality in the aerospace industry. Additionally, the research explores the nuanced impact of information distortion on stakeholders' decision-making processes, addressing the question, "How does the information distortion phenomenon influence stakeholders’ decisions regarding information quality in the UK aerospace supply chain system?" This study employs deductive methodologies rooted in positivism, utilizing a cross-sectional approach and a mono-quantitative method -a questionnaire survey. Data is systematically collected from diverse tiers of supply chain stakeholders, encompassing end-customers, OEMs, Tier 0.5, Tier 1, and Tier 2 suppliers. Employing robust statistical data analysis methods, including mean values, mode values, standard deviation, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson’s correlation analysis, the study interprets and extracts meaningful insights from the gathered data. Initial analyses challenge conventional notions, revealing that information distortion positively influences the definition of information quality, disrupting the established perception of distorted information as inherently low-quality. Further exploration through correlation analysis unveils the varied perspectives of different stakeholder tiers on the impact of information distortion on specific information quality dimensions. For instance, Tier 2 suppliers demonstrate strong positive correlations between information distortion and dimensions like access security, accuracy, interpretability, and timeliness. Conversely, Tier 1 suppliers emphasise strong negative influences on the security of accessing information and negligible impact on information timeliness. Tier 0.5 suppliers showcase very strong positive correlations with dimensions like conciseness and completeness, while OEMs exhibit limited interest in considering information distortion within the supply chain. Introducing social network analysis (SNA) provides a structural understanding of the relationships between information distortion and quality dimensions. The moderately high density of ‘information distortion-by-information quality’ underscores the interconnected nature of these factors. In conclusion, this study offers a nuanced exploration of information quality dimensions in the UK aerospace supply chain, highlighting the significance of individual perspectives across different tiers. The positive influence of information distortion challenges prevailing assumptions, fostering a more nuanced understanding of information's role in the Industry 4.0 landscape.Keywords: information distortion, information quality, supply chain configuration, UK aerospace industry
Procedia PDF Downloads 5424 A Modular Solution for Large-Scale Critical Industrial Scheduling Problems with Coupling of Other Optimization Problems
Authors: Ajit Rai, Hamza Deroui, Blandine Vacher, Khwansiri Ninpan, Arthur Aumont, Francesco Vitillo, Robert Plana
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Large-scale critical industrial scheduling problems are based on Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problems (RCPSP), that necessitate integration with other optimization problems (e.g., vehicle routing, supply chain, or unique industrial ones), thus requiring practical solutions (i.e., modular, computationally efficient with feasible solutions). To the best of our knowledge, the current industrial state of the art is not addressing this holistic problem. We propose an original modular solution that answers the issues exhibited by the delivery of complex projects. With three interlinked entities (project, task, resources) having their constraints, it uses a greedy heuristic with a dynamic cost function for each task with a situational assessment at each time step. It handles large-scale data and can be easily integrated with other optimization problems, already existing industrial tools and unique constraints as required by the use case. The solution has been tested and validated by domain experts on three use cases: outage management in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), planning of future NPP maintenance operation, and application in the defense industry on supply chain and factory relocation. In the first use case, the solution, in addition to the resources’ availability and tasks’ logical relationships, also integrates several project-specific constraints for outage management, like, handling of resource incompatibility, updating of tasks priorities, pausing tasks in a specific circumstance, and adjusting dynamic unit of resources. With more than 20,000 tasks and multiple constraints, the solution provides a feasible schedule within 10-15 minutes on a standard computer device. This time-effective simulation corresponds with the nature of the problem and requirements of several scenarios (30-40 simulations) before finalizing the schedules. The second use case is a factory relocation project where production lines must be moved to a new site while ensuring the continuity of their production. This generates the challenge of merging job shop scheduling and the RCPSP with location constraints. Our solution allows the automation of the production tasks while considering the rate expectation. The simulation algorithm manages the use and movement of resources and products to respect a given relocation scenario. The last use case establishes a future maintenance operation in an NPP. The project contains complex and hard constraints, like on Finish-Start precedence relationship (i.e., successor tasks have to start immediately after predecessors while respecting all constraints), shareable coactivity for managing workspaces, and requirements of a specific state of "cyclic" resources (they can have multiple states possible with only one at a time) to perform tasks (can require unique combinations of several cyclic resources). Our solution satisfies the requirement of minimization of the state changes of cyclic resources coupled with the makespan minimization. It offers a solution of 80 cyclic resources with 50 incompatibilities between levels in less than a minute. Conclusively, we propose a fast and feasible modular approach to various industrial scheduling problems that were validated by domain experts and compatible with existing industrial tools. This approach can be further enhanced by the use of machine learning techniques on historically repeated tasks to gain further insights for delay risk mitigation measures.Keywords: deterministic scheduling, optimization coupling, modular scheduling, RCPSP
Procedia PDF Downloads 18923 Neologisms and Word-Formation Processes in Board Game Rulebook Corpus: Preliminary Results
Authors: Athanasios Karasimos, Vasiliki Makri
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This research focuses on the design and development of the first text Corpus based on Board Game Rulebooks (BGRC) with direct application on the morphological analysis of neologisms and tendencies in word-formation processes. Corpus linguistics is a dynamic field that examines language through the lens of vast collections of texts. These corpora consist of diverse written and spoken materials, ranging from literature and newspapers to transcripts of everyday conversations. By morphologically analyzing these extensive datasets, morphologists can gain valuable insights into how language functions and evolves, as these extensive datasets can reflect the byproducts of inflection, derivation, blending, clipping, compounding, and neology. This entails scrutinizing how words are created, modified, and combined to convey meaning in a corpus of challenging, creative, and straightforward texts that include rules, examples, tutorials, and tips. Board games teach players how to strategize, consider alternatives, and think flexibly, which are critical elements in language learning. Their rulebooks reflect not only their weight (complexity) but also the language properties of each genre and subgenre of these games. Board games are a captivating realm where strategy, competition, and creativity converge. Beyond the excitement of gameplay, board games also spark the art of word creation. Word games, like Scrabble, Codenames, Bananagrams, Wordcraft, Alice in the Wordland, Once uUpona Time, challenge players to construct words from a pool of letters, thus encouraging linguistic ingenuity and vocabulary expansion. These games foster a love for language, motivating players to unearth obscure words and devise clever combinations. On the other hand, the designers and creators produce rulebooks, where they include their joy of discovering the hidden potential of language, igniting the imagination, and playing with the beauty of words, making these games a delightful fusion of linguistic exploration and leisurely amusement. In this research, more than 150 rulebooks in English from all types of modern board games, either language-independent or language-dependent, are used to create the BGRC. A representative sample of each genre (family, party, worker placement, deckbuilding, dice, and chance games, strategy, eurogames, thematic, role-playing, among others) was selected based on the score from BoardGameGeek, the size of the texts and the level of complexity (weight) of the game. A morphological model with morphological networks, multi-word expressions, and word-creation mechanics based on the complexity of the textual structure, difficulty, and board game category will be presented. In enabling the identification of patterns, trends, and variations in word formation and other morphological processes, this research aspires to make avail of this creative yet strict text genre so as to (a) give invaluable insight into morphological creativity and innovation that (re)shape the lexicon of the English language and (b) test morphological theories. Overall, it is shown that corpus linguistics empowers us to explore the intricate tapestry of language, and morphology in particular, revealing its richness, flexibility, and adaptability in the ever-evolving landscape of human expression.Keywords: board game rulebooks, corpus design, morphological innovations, neologisms, word-formation processes
Procedia PDF Downloads 8722 Understanding the Impact of Spatial Light Distribution on Object Identification in Low Vision: A Pilot Psychophysical Study
Authors: Alexandre Faure, Yoko Mizokami, éRic Dinet
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These recent years, the potential of light in assisting visually impaired people in their indoor mobility has been demonstrated by different studies. Implementing smart lighting systems for selective visual enhancement, especially designed for low-vision people, is an approach that breaks with the existing visual aids. The appearance of the surface of an object is significantly influenced by the lighting conditions and the constituent materials of the objects. Appearance of objects may appear to be different from expectation. Therefore, lighting conditions lead to an important part of accurate material recognition. The main objective of this work was to investigate the effect of the spatial distribution of light on object identification in the context of low vision. The purpose was to determine whether and what specific lighting approaches should be preferred for visually impaired people. A psychophysical experiment was designed to study the ability of individuals to identify the smallest cube of a pair under different lighting diffusion conditions. Participants were divided into two distinct groups: a reference group of observers with normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity and a test group, in which observers were required to wear visual impairment simulation glasses. All participants were presented with pairs of cubes in a "miniature room" and were instructed to estimate the relative size of the two cubes. The miniature room replicates real-life settings, adorned with decorations and separated from external light sources by black curtains. The correlated color temperature was set to 6000 K, and the horizontal illuminance at the object level at approximately 240 lux. The objects presented for comparison consisted of 11 white cubes and 11 black cubes of different sizes manufactured with a 3D printer. Participants were seated 60 cm away from the objects. Two different levels of light diffuseness were implemented. After receiving instructions, participants were asked to judge whether the two presented cubes were the same size or if one was smaller. They provided one of five possible answers: "Left one is smaller," "Left one is smaller but unsure," "Same size," "Right one is smaller," or "Right one is smaller but unsure.". The method of constant stimuli was used, presenting stimulus pairs in a random order to prevent learning and expectation biases. Each pair consisted of a comparison stimulus and a reference cube. A psychometric function was constructed to link stimulus value with the frequency of correct detection, aiming to determine the 50% correct detection threshold. Collected data were analyzed through graphs illustrating participants' responses to stimuli, with accuracy increasing as the size difference between cubes grew. Statistical analyses, including 2-way ANOVA tests, showed that light diffuseness had no significant impact on the difference threshold, whereas object color had a significant influence in low vision scenarios. The first results and trends derived from this pilot experiment clearly and strongly suggest that future investigations could explore extreme diffusion conditions to comprehensively assess the impact of diffusion on object identification. For example, the first findings related to light diffuseness may be attributed to the range of manipulation, emphasizing the need to explore how other lighting-related factors interact with diffuseness.Keywords: Lighting, Low Vision, Visual Aid, Object Identification, Psychophysical Experiment
Procedia PDF Downloads 5721 Critiquing Israel as Child Abuse: How Colonial White Feminism Disrupts Critical Pedagogies of Culturally Responsive and Relevant Practices and Inclusion through Ongoing and Historical Maternalism and Neoliberal Settler Colonialism
Authors: Wafaa Hasan
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In May of 2022, Palestinian parents in Toronto, Canada, became aware that educators and staff in the Toronto District School Board were attempting to include the International Holocaust and Remembrance Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA) in The Child Abuse and Neglect Policy of the largest school board in Canada, The Toronto District School Board (TDSB). The idea was that if students were to express any form of antisemitism, as defined by the IHRA, then an investigation could follow with Child Protective Services (CPS). That is, the student’s parents could be reported to the state and investigated for custodial rights to their children. The TDSB has set apparent goals for “Decolonizing Pedagogy” (“TDSB Equity Leadership Competencies”), Culturally Responsive and Relevant Practices (CRRP) and inclusive education. These goals promote the centering of colonized, racialized and marginalized voices. CRRP cannot be effective without the application of anti-racist and settler colonial analyses. In order for CRRP to be effective, school boards need a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which the vilification of Palestinians operates through anti-indigenous and white supremacist systems and logic. Otherwise, their inclusion will always be in tension with the inclusion of settler colonial agendas and worldviews. Feminist maternalism frames racial mothering as degenerate (viewing the contributions of racialized students and their parents as products of primitive and violent cultures) and also indirectly inhibits the actualization of the tenets of CRRP and inclusive education through its extensions into the welfare state and public education. The contradiction between the tenets of CRRP and settler colonial systems of erasure and repression is resolved by the continuation of tactics to 1) force assimilation, 2) punish those who push back on that assimilation and 3) literally fragment familial and community structures of racialized students, educators and parents. This paper draws on interdisciplinary (history, philosophy, anthropology) critiques of white feminist “maternalism” from the 19th century onwards in North America and Europe (Jacobs, Weber), as well as “anti-racist education” theory (Dei), and more specifically,” culturally responsive learning,” (Muhammad) and “bandwidth” pedagogy theory (Verschelden) to make its claims. This research contributes to vibrant debates about anti-racist and decolonial pedagogies in public education systems globally. This paper also documents first-hand interviews and experiences of diasporic Palestinian mothers and motherhoods and situates their experiences within longstanding histories of white feminist maternalist (and eugenicist) politics. This informal qualitative data from "participatory conversations" (Swain) is situated within a set of formal interview data collected with Palestinian women in the West Bank (approved by the McMaster University Humanities Research Ethics Board) relating to white feminist maternalism in the peace and dialogue industry.Keywords: decolonial feminism, maternal feminism, anti-racist pedagogies, settler colonial studies, motherhood studies, pedagogy theory, cultural theory
Procedia PDF Downloads 6620 Developing VR-Based Neurorehabilitation Support Tools: A Step-by-Step Approach for Cognitive Rehabilitation and Pain Distraction during Invasive Techniques in Hospital Settings
Authors: Alba Prats-Bisbe, Jaume López-Carballo, David Leno-Colorado, Alberto García Molina, Alicia Romero Marquez, Elena Hernández Pena, Eloy Opisso Salleras, Raimon Jané Campos
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Neurological disorders are a leading cause of disability and premature mortality worldwide. Neurorehabilitation (NRHB) is a clinical process aimed at reducing functional impairment, promoting societal participation, and improving the quality of life for affected individuals. Virtual reality (VR) technology is emerging as a promising NRHB support tool. Its immersive nature fosters a strong sense of agency and embodiment, motivating patients to engage in meaningful tasks and increasing adherence to therapy. However, the clinical benefits of VR interventions are challenging to determine due to the high heterogeneity among health applications. This study explores a stepwise development approach for creating VR-based tools to assist individuals with neurological disorders in medical practice, aiming to enhance reproducibility, facilitate comparison, and promote the generalization of findings. Building on previous research, the step-by-step methodology encompasses: Needs Identification– conducting cross-disciplinary meetings to brainstorm problems, solutions, and address barriers. Intervention Definition– target population, set goals, and conceptualize the VR system (equipment and environments). Material Selection and Placement– choose appropriate hardware and software, place the device within the hospital setting, and test equipment. Co-design– collaboratively create VR environments, user interfaces, and data management strategies. Prototyping– develop VR prototypes, conduct user testing, and make iterative redesigns. Usability and Feasibility Assessment– design protocols and conduct trials with stakeholders in the hospital setting. Efficacy Assessment– conduct clinical trials to evaluate outcomes and long-term effects. Cost-Effectiveness Validation– assess reproducibility, sustainability, and balance between costs and benefits. NRHB is complex due to the multifaceted needs of patients and the interdisciplinary healthcare architecture. VR has the potential to support various applications, such as motor skill training, cognitive tasks, pain management, unilateral spatial neglect (diagnosis and treatment), mirror therapy, and ecologically valid activities of daily living. Following this methodology was crucial for launching a VR-based system in a real hospital environment. Collaboration with neuropsychologists lead to develop A) a VR-based tool for cognitive rehabilitation in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). The system comprises a head-mounted display (HTC Vive Pro Eye) and 7 tasks targeting attention, memory, and executive functions. A desktop application facilitates session configuration, while database records in-game variables. The VR tool's usability and feasibility were demonstrated in proof-of-concept trials with 20 patients, and effectiveness is being tested through a clinical protocol with 12 patients completing 24-session treatment. Another case involved collaboration with nurses and paediatric physiatrists to create B) a VR-based distraction tool during invasive techniques. The goal is to alleviate pain and anxiety associated with botulinum toxin (BTX) injections, blood tests, or intravenous placements. An all-in-one headset (HTC Vive Focus 3) deploys 360º videos to improve the experience for paediatric patients and their families. This study presents a framework for developing clinically relevant and technologically feasible VR-based support tools for hospital settings. Despite differences in patient type, intervention purpose, and VR system, the methodology demonstrates usability, viability, reproducibility and preliminary clinical benefits. It highlights the importance approach centred on clinician and patient needs for any aspect of NRHB within a real hospital setting.Keywords: neurological disorders, neurorehabilitation, stepwise development approach, virtual reality
Procedia PDF Downloads 1519 Anajaa-Visual Substitution System: A Navigation Assistive Device for the Visually Impaired
Authors: Juan Pablo Botero Torres, Alba Avila, Luis Felipe Giraldo
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Independent navigation and mobility through unknown spaces pose a challenge for the autonomy of visually impaired people (VIP), who have relied on the use of traditional assistive tools like the white cane and trained dogs. However, emerging visually assistive technologies (VAT) have proposed several human-machine interfaces (HMIs) that could improve VIP’s ability for self-guidance. Hereby, we introduce the design and implementation of a visually assistive device, Anajaa – Visual Substitution System (AVSS). This system integrates ultrasonic sensors with custom electronics, and computer vision models (convolutional neural networks), in order to achieve a robust system that acquires information of the surrounding space and transmits it to the user in an intuitive and efficient manner. AVSS consists of two modules: the sensing and the actuation module, which are fitted to a chest mount and belt that communicate via Bluetooth. The sensing module was designed for the acquisition and processing of proximity signals provided by an array of ultrasonic sensors. The distribution of these within the chest mount allows an accurate representation of the surrounding space, discretized in three different levels of proximity, ranging from 0 to 6 meters. Additionally, this module is fitted with an RGB-D camera used to detect potentially threatening obstacles, like staircases, using a convolutional neural network specifically trained for this purpose. Posteriorly, the depth data is used to estimate the distance between the stairs and the user. The information gathered from this module is then sent to the actuation module that creates an HMI, by the means of a 3x2 array of vibration motors that make up the tactile display and allow the system to deliver haptic feedback. The actuation module uses vibrational messages (tactones); changing both in amplitude and frequency to deliver different awareness levels according to the proximity of the obstacle. This enables the system to deliver an intuitive interface. Both modules were tested under lab conditions, and the HMI was additionally tested with a focal group of VIP. The lab testing was conducted in order to establish the processing speed of the computer vision algorithms. This experimentation determined that the model can process 0.59 frames per second (FPS); this is considered as an adequate processing speed taking into account that the walking speed of VIP is 1.439 m/s. In order to test the HMI, we conducted a focal group composed of two females and two males between the ages of 35-65 years. The subject selection was aided by the Colombian Cooperative of Work and Services for the Sightless (COOTRASIN). We analyzed the learning process of the haptic messages throughout five experimentation sessions using two metrics: message discrimination and localization success. These correspond to the ability of the subjects to recognize different tactones and locate them within the tactile display. Both were calculated as the mean across all subjects. Results show that the focal group achieved message discrimination of 70% and a localization success of 80%, demonstrating how the proposed HMI leads to the appropriation and understanding of the feedback messages, enabling the user’s awareness of its surrounding space.Keywords: computer vision on embedded systems, electronic trave aids, human-machine interface, haptic feedback, visual assistive technologies, vision substitution systems
Procedia PDF Downloads 7518 “MaxSALIVA”: A Nano-Sized Dual-Drug Delivery System for Salivary Gland Radioprotection and Repair in Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Ziyad S. Haidar
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Background: Saliva plays a major role in maintaining oral and dental health (consequently, general health and well-being). Where it normally bathes the oral cavity and acts as a clearing agent. This becomes more apparent when the amount and quality of salivare significantly reduced due to medications, salivary gland neoplasms, disorders such as Sjögren’s syndrome, and especially ionizing radiation therapy for tumors of the head and neck, the fifth most common malignancy worldwide, during which the salivary glands are included within the radiation field or zone. Clinically, patients affected by salivary gland dysfunction often opt to terminate their radiotherapy course prematurely because they become malnourished and experience a significant decrease in their quality of life. Accordingly, the development of an alternative treatment to restore or regenerate damaged salivary gland tissue is eagerly awaited. Likewise, the formulation of a radioprotection modality and early damage prevention strategy is also highly desirable. Objectives: To assess the pre-clinical radio-protective effect as well as the reparative/regenerative potential of layer-by-layer self-assembled lipid-polymer-based core-shell nanocapsules designed and fine-tuned in this experimental work for the sequential (ordered) release of dual cytokines, following a single local administration (direct injection) into a murine sub-mandibular salivary gland model of irradiation. Methods: The formulated core-shell nanocapsules were characterized by physical-chemical-mechanically pre-/post-loading with the drugs (in solution and powder formats), followed by optimizing the pharmaco-kinetic profile. Then, nanosuspensions were administered directly into the salivary glands, 24hrs pre-irradiation (PBS, un-loaded nanocapsules, and individual and combined vehicle-free cytokines were injected into the control glands for an in-depth comparative analysis). External irradiation at an elevated dose of 18Gy (revised from our previous 15Gy model) was exposed to the head-and-neck region of C57BL/6 mice. Salivary flow rate (un-stimulated) and salivary protein content/excretion were regularly assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (3-month period). Histological and histomorphometric evaluation and apoptosis/proliferation analysis followed by local versus systemic bio-distribution and immuno-histochemical assays were then performed on all harvested major organs (at the distinct experimental end-points). Results: Monodisperse, stable, and cytocompatible nanocapsules capable of maintaining the bioactivity of the encapsulant within the different compartments with the core and shell and with controlled/customizable pharmaco-kinetics, resulted, as is illustrated in the graphical abstract (Figure) below. The experimental animals demonstrated a significant increase in salivary flow rates when compared to the controls. Herein, salivary protein content was comparable to the pre-irradiation (baseline) level. Histomorphometry further confirmed the biocompatibility and localization of the nanocapsules, in vivo, into the site of injection. Acinar cells showed fewer vacuoles and nuclear aberration in the experimental group, while the amount of mucin was higher in controls. Overall, fewer apoptotic activities were detected by a Terminal deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT) dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay and proliferative rates were similar to the controls, suggesting an interesting reparative and regenerative potential of irradiation-damaged/-dysfunctional salivary glands. The Figure below exemplifies some of these findings. Conclusions: Biocompatible, reproducible, and customizable self-assembling layer-by-layer core-shell delivery system is formulated and presented. Our findings suggest that localized sequential bioactive delivery of dual cytokines (in specific dose and order) can prevent irradiation-induced damage via reducing apoptosis and also has the potential to promote in situ proliferation of salivary gland cells; maxSALIVA is scalable (Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP production for human clinical trials) and patent-pending.Keywords: saliva, head and neck cancer, nanotechnology, controlled drug delivery, xerostomia, mucositis, biopolymers, innovation
Procedia PDF Downloads 8017 Auditory Rehabilitation via an VR Serious Game for Children with Cochlear Implants: Bio-Behavioral Outcomes
Authors: Areti Okalidou, Paul D. Hatzigiannakoglou, Aikaterini Vatou, George Kyriafinis
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Young children are nowadays adept at using technology. Hence, computer-based auditory training programs (CBATPs) have become increasingly popular in aural rehabilitation for children with hearing loss and/or with cochlear implants (CI). Yet, their clinical utility for prognostic, diagnostic, and monitoring purposes has not been explored. The purposes of the study were: a) to develop an updated version of the auditory rehabilitation tool for Greek-speaking children with cochlear implants, b) to develop a database for behavioral responses, and c) to compare accuracy rates and reaction times in children differing in hearing status and other medical and demographic characteristics, in order to assess the tool’s clinical utility in prognosis, diagnosis, and progress monitoring. The updated version of the auditory rehabilitation tool was developed on a tablet, retaining the User-Centered Design approach and the elements of the Virtual Reality (VR) serious game. The visual stimuli were farm animals acting in simple game scenarios designed to trigger children’s responses to animal sounds, names, and relevant sentences. Based on an extended version of Erber’s auditory development model, the VR game consisted of six stages, i.e., sound detection, sound discrimination, word discrimination, identification, comprehension of words in a carrier phrase, and comprehension of sentences. A familiarization stage (learning) was set prior to the game. Children’s tactile responses were recorded as correct, false, or impulsive, following a child-dependent set up of a valid delay time after stimulus offset for valid responses. Reaction times were also recorded, and the database was in Εxcel format. The tablet version of the auditory rehabilitation tool was piloted in 22 preschool children with Νormal Ηearing (ΝΗ), which led to improvements. The study took place in clinical settings or at children’s homes. Fifteen children with CI, aged 5;7-12;3 years with post-implantation 0;11-5;1 years used the auditory rehabilitation tool. Eight children with CI were monolingual, two were bilingual and five had additional disabilities. The control groups consisted of 13 children with ΝΗ, aged 2;6-9;11 years. A comparison of both accuracy rates, as percent correct, and reaction times (in sec) was made at each stage, across hearing status, age, and also, within the CI group, based on presence of additional disability and bilingualism. Both monolingual Greek-speaking children with CI with no additional disabilities and hearing peers showed high accuracy rates at all stages, with performances falling above the 3rd quartile. However, children with normal hearing scored higher than the children with CI, especially in the detection and word discrimination tasks. The reaction time differences between the two groups decreased in language-based tasks. Results for children with CI with additional disability or bilingualism varied. Finally, older children scored higher than younger ones in both groups (CI, NH), but larger differences occurred in children with CI. The interactions between familiarization of the software, age, hearing status and demographic characteristics are discussed. Overall, the VR game is a promising tool for tracking the development of auditory skills, as it provides multi-level longitudinal empirical data. Acknowledgment: This work is part of a project that has received funding from the Research Committee of the University of Macedonia under the Basic Research 2020-21 funding programme.Keywords: VR serious games, auditory rehabilitation, auditory training, children with cochlear implants
Procedia PDF Downloads 7916 Wellbeing Effects from Family Literacy Education: An Ecological Study
Authors: Jane Furness, Neville Robertson, Judy Hunter, Darrin Hodgetts, Linda Nikora
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Background and significance: This paper describes the first use of community psychology theories to investigate family-focused literacy education programmes, enabling a wide range of wellbeing effects of such programmes to be identified for the first time. Evaluations of family literacy programmes usually focus on the economic advantage of gains in literacy skills. By identifying other effects on aspects of participants’ lives that are important to them, and how they occur, understanding of how such programmes contribute to wellbeing and social justice is augmented. Drawn from community psychology, an ecological systems-based, culturally adaptive framework for personal, relational and collective wellbeing illuminated outcomes of family literacy programmes that enhanced wellbeing and quality of life for adult participants, their families and their communities. All programmes, irrespective of their institutional location, could be similarly scrutinized. Methodology: The study traced the experiences of nineteen adult participants in four family-focused literacy programmes located in geographically and culturally different communities throughout New Zealand. A critical social constructionist paradigm framed this interpretive study. Participants were mainly Māori, Pacific islands, or European New Zealanders. Seventy-nine repeated conversational interviews were conducted over 18 months with the adult participants, programme staff and people who knew the participants well. Twelve participant observations of programme sessions were conducted, and programme documentation was reviewed. Latent theoretical thematic analysis of data drew on broad perspectives of literacy and ecological systems theory, network theory and holistic, integrative theories of wellbeing. Steps taken to co-construct meaning with participants included the repeated conversational interviews and participant checking of interview transcripts and section drafts. The researcher (this paper’s first author) followed methodological guidelines developed by indigenous peoples for non-indigenous researchers. Findings: The study found that the four family literacy programmes, differing in structure, content, aims and foci, nevertheless shared common principles and practices that reflected programme staff’s overarching concern for people’s wellbeing along with their desire to enhance literacy abilities. A human rights and strengths-based based view of people based on respect for diverse culturally based values and practices were evident in staff expression of their values and beliefs and in their practices. This enacted stance influenced the outcomes of programme participation for the adult participants, their families and their communities. Alongside the literacy and learning gains identified, participants experienced positive social and relational events and changes, affirmation and strengthening of their culturally based values, and affirmation and building of positive identity. Systemically, interconnectedness of programme effects with participants’ personal histories and circumstances; the flow on of effects to other aspects of people’s lives and to their families and communities; and the personalised character of the pathways people journeyed towards enhanced wellbeing were identified. Concluding statement: This paper demonstrates the critical contribution of community psychology to a fuller understanding of family-focused educational programme outcomes than has been previously attainable, the meaning of these broader outcomes to people in their lives, and their role in wellbeing and social justice.Keywords: community psychology, ecological theory, family literacy education, flow on effects, holistic wellbeing
Procedia PDF Downloads 25015 Internet of Assets: A Blockchain-Inspired Academic Program
Authors: Benjamin Arazi
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Blockchain is the technology behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It revolutionizes the meaning of trust in the sense of offering total reliability without relying on any central entity that controls or supervises the system. The Wall Street Journal states: “Blockchain Marks the Next Step in the Internet’s Evolution”. Blockchain was listed as #1 in Linkedin – The Learning Blog “most in-demand hard skills needed in 2020”. As stated there: “Blockchain’s novel way to store, validate, authorize, and move data across the internet has evolved to securely store and send any digital asset”. GSMA, a leading Telco organization of mobile communications operators, declared that “Blockchain has the potential to be for value what the Internet has been for information”. Motivated by these seminal observations, this paper presents the foundations of a Blockchain-based “Internet of Assets” academic program that joins under one roof leading application areas that are characterized by the transfer of assets over communication lines. Two such areas, which are pillars of our economy, are Fintech – Financial Technology and mobile communications services. The next application in line is Healthcare. These challenges are met based on available extensive professional literature. Blockchain-based assets communication is based on extending the principle of Bitcoin, starting with the basic question: If digital money that travels across the universe can ‘prove its own validity’, can this principle be applied to digital content. A groundbreaking positive answer here led to the concept of “smart contract” and consequently to DLT - Distributed Ledger Technology, where the word ‘distributed’ relates to the non-existence of reliable central entities or trusted third parties. The terms Blockchain and DLT are frequently used interchangeably in various application areas. The World Bank Group compiled comprehensive reports, analyzing the contribution of DLT/Blockchain to Fintech. The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan are engaged in Project Stella, “Balancing confidentiality and auditability in a distributed ledger environment”. 130 DLT/Blockchain focused Fintech startups are now operating in Switzerland. Blockchain impact on mobile communications services is treated in detail by leading organizations. The TM Forum is a global industry association in the telecom industry, with over 850 member companies, mainly mobile operators, that generate US$2 trillion in revenue and serve five billion customers across 180 countries. From their perspective: “Blockchain is considered one of the digital economy’s most disruptive technologies”. Samples of Blockchain contributions to Fintech (taken from a World Bank document): Decentralization and disintermediation; Greater transparency and easier auditability; Automation & programmability; Immutability & verifiability; Gains in speed and efficiency; Cost reductions; Enhanced cyber security resilience. Samples of Blockchain contributions to the Telco industry. Establishing identity verification; Record of transactions for easy cost settlement; Automatic triggering of roaming contract which enables near-instantaneous charging and reduction in roaming fraud; Decentralized roaming agreements; Settling accounts per costs incurred in accordance with agreement tariffs. This clearly demonstrates an academic education structure where fundamental technologies are studied in classes together with these two application areas. Advanced courses, treating specific implementations then follow separately. All are under the roof of “Internet of Assets”.Keywords: blockchain, education, financial technology, mobile telecommunications services
Procedia PDF Downloads 17414 Taiwanese Pre-Service Elementary School EFL Teachers’ Perception and Practice of Station Teaching in English Remedial Education
Authors: Chien Chin-Wen
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Collaborative teaching has different teaching models and station teaching is one type of collaborative teaching. Station teaching is not commonly practiced in elementary school English education and introduced in language teacher education programs in Taiwan. In station teaching, each teacher takes a small part of instructional content, working with a small number of students. Students rotate between stations where they receive the assignments and instruction from different teachers. The teachers provide the same content to each group, but the instructional method can vary based upon the needs of each group of students. This study explores thirty-four Taiwanese pre-service elementary school English teachers’ knowledge about station teaching and their competence demonstrated in designing activities for and delivering of station teaching in an English remedial education to six sixth graders in a local elementary school in northern Taiwan. The participants simultaneously enrolled in this Elementary School English Teaching Materials and Methods class, a part of an elementary school teacher education program in a northern Taiwan city. The instructor (Jennifer, pseudonym) in this Elementary School English Teaching Materials and Methods class collaborated with an English teacher (Olivia, pseudonym) in Maureen Elementary School (pseudonym), an urban elementary school in a northwestern Taiwan city. Of Olivia’s students, four male and two female sixth graders needed to have remedial English education. Olivia chose these six elementary school students because they were in the lowest 5 % of their class in terms of their English proficiency. The thirty-four pre-service English teachers signed up for and took turns in teaching these six sixth graders every Thursday afternoon from four to five o’clock for twelve weeks. While three participants signed up as a team and taught these six sixth graders, the last team consisted of only two pre-service teachers. Each team designed a 40-minute lesson plan on the given language focus (words, sentence patterns, dialogue, phonics) of the assigned unit. Data in this study included the KWLA chart, activity designs, and semi-structured interviews. Data collection lasted for four months, from September to December 2014. Data were analyzed as follows. First, all the notes were read and marked with appropriate codes (e.g., I don’t know, co-teaching etc.). Second, tentative categories were labeled (e.g., before, after, process, future implication, etc.). Finally, the data were sorted into topics that reflected the research questions on the basis of their relevance. This study has the following major findings. First of all, the majority of participants knew nothing about station teaching at the beginning of the study. After taking the course Elementary School English Teaching Materials and Methods and after designing and delivering the station teaching in an English remedial education program to six sixth graders, they learned that station teaching is co-teaching, and that it includes activity designs for different stations and students’ rotating from station to station. They demonstrated knowledge and skills in activity designs for vocabulary, sentence patterns, dialogue, and phonics. Moreover, they learned to interact with individual learners and guided them step by step in learning vocabulary, sentence patterns, dialogue, and phonics. However, they were still incompetent in classroom management, time management, English, and designing diverse and meaningful activities for elementary school students at different English proficiency levels. Hence, language teacher education programs are recommended to integrate station teaching to help pre-service teachers be equipped with eight knowledge and competences, including linguistic knowledge, content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, curriculum knowledge, knowledge of learners and their characteristics, pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of education content, and knowledge of education’s ends and purposes.Keywords: co-teaching, competence, knowledge, pre-service teachers, station teaching
Procedia PDF Downloads 42213 Sustainable Agricultural and Soil Water Management Practices in Relation to Climate Change and Disaster: A Himalayan Country Experience
Authors: Krishna Raj Regmi
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A “Climate change adaptation and disaster risk management for sustainable agriculture” project was implemented in Nepal, a Himalayan country during 2008 to 2013 sponsored jointly by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Nepal. The paper is based on the results and findings of this joint pilot project. The climate change events such as increased intensity of erratic rains in short spells, trend of prolonged drought, gradual rise in temperature in the higher elevations and occurrence of cold and hot waves in Terai (lower plains) has led to flash floods, massive erosion in the hills particularly in Churia range and drying of water sources. These recurring natural and climate-induced disasters are causing heavy damages through sedimentation and inundation of agricultural lands, crops, livestock, infrastructures and rural settlements in the downstream plains and thus reducing agriculture productivity and food security in the country. About 65% of the cultivated land in Nepal is rainfed with drought-prone characteristics and stabilization of agricultural production and productivity in these tracts will be possible through adoption of rainfed and drought-tolerant technologies as well as efficient soil-water management by the local communities. The adaptation and mitigation technologies and options identified by the project for soil erosion, flash floods and landslide control are on-farm watershed management, sloping land agriculture technologies (SALT), agro-forestry practices, agri-silvi-pastoral management, hedge-row contour planting, bio-engineering along slopes and river banks, plantation of multi-purpose trees and management of degraded waste land including sandy river-bed flood plains. The stress tolerant technologies with respect to drought, floods and temperature stress for efficient utilization of nutrient, soil, water and other resources for increased productivity are adoption of stress tolerant crop varieties and breeds of animals, indigenous proven technologies, mixed and inter-cropping systems, system of rice/wheat intensification (SRI), direct rice seeding, double transplanting of rice, off-season vegetable production and regular management of nurseries, orchards and animal sheds. The alternate energy use options and resource conservation practices for use by local communities are installation of bio-gas plants and clean stoves (Chulla range) for mitigation of green house gas (GHG) emissions, use of organic manures and bio-pesticides, jatropha cultivation, green manuring in rice fields and minimum/zero tillage practices for marshy lands. The efficient water management practices for increasing productivity of crops and livestock are use of micro-irrigation practices, construction of water conservation and water harvesting ponds, use of overhead water tanks and Thai jars for rain water harvesting and rehabilitation of on-farm irrigation systems. Initiation of some works on community-based early warning system, strengthening of met stations and disaster database management has made genuine efforts in providing disaster-tailored early warning, meteorological and insurance services to the local communities. Contingent planning is recommended to develop coping strategies and capacities of local communities to adopt necessary changes in the cropping patterns and practices in relation to adverse climatic and disaster risk conditions. At the end, adoption of awareness raising and capacity development activities (technical and institutional) and networking on climate-induced disaster and risks through training, visits and knowledge sharing workshops, dissemination of technical know-how and technologies, conduct of farmers' field schools, development of extension materials and their displays are being promoted. However, there is still need of strong coordination and linkage between agriculture, environment, forestry, meteorology, irrigation, climate-induced pro-active disaster preparedness and research at the ministry, department and district level for up-scaling, implementation and institutionalization of climate change and disaster risk management activities and adaptation mitigation options in agriculture for sustainable livelihoods of the communities.Keywords: climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, soil-water management practices, sustainable agriculture
Procedia PDF Downloads 50112 Sexuality Education through Media and Technology: Addressing Unmet Needs of Adolescents in Bangladesh
Authors: Farhana Alam Bhuiyan, Saad Khan, Tanveer Hassan, Jhalok Ranjon Talukder, Syeda Farjana Ahmed, Rahil Roodsaz, Els Rommes, Sabina Faiz Rashid
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Breaking the shame’ is a 3 year (2015-2018) qualitative implementation research project which investigates several aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues for adolescents living in Bangladesh. Scope of learning SRHR issues for adolescents is limited here due to cultural and religious taboos. This study adds to the ongoing discussions around adolescent’s SRHR needs and aims to, 1) understand the overall SRHR needs of urban and rural unmarried female and male adolescents and the challenges they face, 2) explore existing gaps in the content of SRHR curriculum and 3) finally, addresses some critical knowledge gaps by developing and implementing innovative SRHR educational materials. 18 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 10 focus-group discussions (FGDs) with boys and 21 IDIs and 14 FGDs with girls of ages 13-19, from both urban and rural setting took place. Curriculum materials from two leading organizations, Unite for Body Rights (UBR) Alliance Bangladesh and BRAC Adolescent Development Program (ADP) were also reviewed, with discussions with 12 key program staff. This paper critically analyses the relevance of some of the SRHR topics that are covered, the challenges with existing pedagogic approaches and key sexuality issues that are not covered in the content, but are important for adolescents. Adolescents asked for content and guidance on a number of topics which remain missing from the core curriculum, such as emotional coping mechanisms particularly in relationships, bullying, impact of exposure to porn, and sexual performance anxiety. Other core areas of concern were effects of masturbation, condom use, sexual desire and orientation, which are mentioned in the content, but never discussed properly, resulting in confusion. Due to lack of open discussion around sexuality, porn becomes a source of information for the adolescents. For these reasons, several myths and misconceptions regarding SRHR issues like body, sexuality, agency, and gender roles still persist. The pedagogical approach is very didactic, and teachers felt uncomfortable to have discussions on certain SRHR topics due to cultural taboos or shame and stigma. Certain topics are favored- such as family planning, menstruation- and presented with an emphasis on biology and risk. Rigid formal teaching style, hierarchical power relations between students and most teachers discourage questions and frank conversations. Pedagogy approaches within classrooms play a critical role in the sharing of knowledge. The paper also describes the pilot approaches to implementing new content in SRHR curriculum. After a review of findings, three areas were selected as critically important, 1) myths and misconceptions 2) emotional management challenges, and 3) how to use condom, that have come up from adolescents. Technology centric educational materials such as web page based information platform and you tube videos are opted for which allow adolescents to bypass gatekeepers and learn facts and information from a legitimate educational site. In the era of social media, when information is always a click away, adolescents need sources that are reliable and not overwhelming. The research aims to ensure that adolescents learn and apply knowledge effectively, through creating the new materials and making it accessible to adolescents.Keywords: adolescents, Bangladesh, media, sexuality education, unmet needs
Procedia PDF Downloads 21911 Predicting Open Chromatin Regions in Cell-Free DNA Whole Genome Sequencing Data by Correlation Clustering
Authors: Fahimeh Palizban, Farshad Noravesh, Amir Hossein Saeidian, Mahya Mehrmohamadi
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In the recent decade, the emergence of liquid biopsy has significantly improved cancer monitoring and detection. Dying cells, including those originating from tumors, shed their DNA into the blood and contribute to a pool of circulating fragments called cell-free DNA. Accordingly, identifying the tissue origin of these DNA fragments from the plasma can result in more accurate and fast disease diagnosis and precise treatment protocols. Open chromatin regions are important epigenetic features of DNA that reflect cell types of origin. Profiling these features by DNase-seq, ATAC-seq, and histone ChIP-seq provides insights into tissue-specific and disease-specific regulatory mechanisms. There have been several studies in the area of cancer liquid biopsy that integrate distinct genomic and epigenomic features for early cancer detection along with tissue of origin detection. However, multimodal analysis requires several types of experiments to cover the genomic and epigenomic aspects of a single sample, which will lead to a huge amount of cost and time. To overcome these limitations, the idea of predicting OCRs from WGS is of particular importance. In this regard, we proposed a computational approach to target the prediction of open chromatin regions as an important epigenetic feature from cell-free DNA whole genome sequence data. To fulfill this objective, local sequencing depth will be fed to our proposed algorithm and the prediction of the most probable open chromatin regions from whole genome sequencing data can be carried out. Our method integrates the signal processing method with sequencing depth data and includes count normalization, Discrete Fourie Transform conversion, graph construction, graph cut optimization by linear programming, and clustering. To validate the proposed method, we compared the output of the clustering (open chromatin region+, open chromatin region-) with previously validated open chromatin regions related to human blood samples of the ATAC-DB database. The percentage of overlap between predicted open chromatin regions and the experimentally validated regions obtained by ATAC-seq in ATAC-DB is greater than 67%, which indicates meaningful prediction. As it is evident, OCRs are mostly located in the transcription start sites (TSS) of the genes. In this regard, we compared the concordance between the predicted OCRs and the human genes TSS regions obtained from refTSS and it showed proper accordance around 52.04% and ~78% with all and the housekeeping genes, respectively. Accurately detecting open chromatin regions from plasma cell-free DNA-seq data is a very challenging computational problem due to the existence of several confounding factors, such as technical and biological variations. Although this approach is in its infancy, there has already been an attempt to apply it, which leads to a tool named OCRDetector with some restrictions like the need for highly depth cfDNA WGS data, prior information about OCRs distribution, and considering multiple features. However, we implemented a graph signal clustering based on a single depth feature in an unsupervised learning manner that resulted in faster performance and decent accuracy. Overall, we tried to investigate the epigenomic pattern of a cell-free DNA sample from a new computational perspective that can be used along with other tools to investigate genetic and epigenetic aspects of a single whole genome sequencing data for efficient liquid biopsy-related analysis.Keywords: open chromatin regions, cancer, cell-free DNA, epigenomics, graph signal processing, correlation clustering
Procedia PDF Downloads 14310 Artificial Intelligence Impact on the Australian Government Public Sector
Authors: Jessica Ho
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AI has helped government, businesses and industries transform the way they do things. AI is used in automating tasks to improve decision-making and efficiency. AI is embedded in sensors and used in automation to help save time and eliminate human errors in repetitive tasks. Today, we saw the growth in AI using the collection of vast amounts of data to forecast with greater accuracy, inform decision-making, adapt to changing market conditions and offer more personalised service based on consumer habits and preferences. Government around the world share the opportunity to leverage these disruptive technologies to improve productivity while reducing costs. In addition, these intelligent solutions can also help streamline government processes to deliver more seamless and intuitive user experiences for employees and citizens. This is a critical challenge for NSW Government as we are unable to determine the risk that is brought by the unprecedented pace of adoption of AI solutions in government. Government agencies must ensure that their use of AI complies with relevant laws and regulatory requirements, including those related to data privacy and security. Furthermore, there will always be ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI, such as the potential for bias, intellectual property rights and its impact on job security. Within NSW’s public sector, agencies are already testing AI for crowd control, infrastructure management, fraud compliance, public safety, transport, and police surveillance. Citizens are also attracted to the ease of use and accessibility of AI solutions without requiring specialised technical skills. This increased accessibility also comes with balancing a higher risk and exposure to the health and safety of citizens. On the other side, public agencies struggle with keeping up with this pace while minimising risks, but the low entry cost and open-source nature of generative AI led to a rapid increase in the development of AI powered apps organically – “There is an AI for That” in Government. Other challenges include the fact that there appeared to be no legislative provisions that expressly authorise the NSW Government to use an AI to make decision. On the global stage, there were too many actors in the regulatory space, and a sovereign response is needed to minimise multiplicity and regulatory burden. Therefore, traditional corporate risk and governance framework and regulation and legislation frameworks will need to be evaluated for AI unique challenges due to their rapidly evolving nature, ethical considerations, and heightened regulatory scrutiny impacting the safety of consumers and increased risks for Government. Creating an effective, efficient NSW Government’s governance regime, adapted to the range of different approaches to the applications of AI, is not a mere matter of overcoming technical challenges. Technologies have a wide range of social effects on our surroundings and behaviours. There is compelling evidence to show that Australia's sustained social and economic advancement depends on AI's ability to spur economic growth, boost productivity, and address a wide range of societal and political issues. AI may also inflict significant damage. If such harm is not addressed, the public's confidence in this kind of innovation will be weakened. This paper suggests several AI regulatory approaches for consideration that is forward-looking and agile while simultaneously fostering innovation and human rights. The anticipated outcome is to ensure that NSW Government matches the rising levels of innovation in AI technologies with the appropriate and balanced innovation in AI governance.Keywords: artificial inteligence, machine learning, rules, governance, government
Procedia PDF Downloads 669 Successful Optimization of a Shallow Marginal Offshore Field and Its Applications
Authors: Kumar Satyam Das, Murali Raghunathan
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This note discusses the feasibility of field development of a challenging shallow offshore field in South East Asia and how its learnings can be applied to marginal field development across the world especially developing marginal fields in this low oil price world. The field was found to be economically challenging even during high oil prices and the project was put on hold. Shell started development study with the aim to significantly reduce cost through competitively scoping and revive stranded projects. The proposed strategy to achieve this involved Improve Per platform recovery and Reduction in CAPEX. Methodology: Based on various Benchmarking Tool such as Woodmac for similar projects in the region and economic affordability, a challenging target of 50% reduction in unit development cost (UDC) was set for the project. Technical scope was defined to the minimum as to be a wellhead platform with minimum functionality to ensure production. The evaluation of key project decisions like Well location and number, well design, Artificial lift methods and wellhead platform type under different development concept was carried out through integrated multi-discipline approach. Key elements influencing per platform recovery were Wellhead Platform (WHP) location, Well count, well reach and well productivity. Major Findings: Reservoir being shallow posed challenges in well design (dog-leg severity, casing size and the achievable step-out), choice of artificial lift and sand-control method. Integrated approach amongst relevant disciplines with challenging mind-set enabled to achieve optimized set of development decisions. This led to significant improvement in per platform recovery. It was concluded that platform recovery largely depended on the reach of the well. Choice of slim well design enabled designing of high inclination and better productivity wells. However, there is trade-off between high inclination Gas Lift (GL) wells and low inclination wells in terms of long term value, operational complexity, well reach, recovery and uptime. Well design element like casing size, well completion, artificial lift and sand control were added successively over the minimum technical scope design leading to a value and risk staircase. Logical combinations of options (slim well, GL) were competitively screened to achieve 25% reduction in well cost. Facility cost reduction was achieved through sourcing standardized Low Cost Facilities platform in combination with portfolio execution to maximizing execution efficiency; this approach is expected to reduce facilities cost by ~23% with respect to the development costs. Further cost reductions were achieved by maximizing use of existing facilities nearby; changing reliance on existing water injection wells and utilizing existing water injector (W.I.) platform for new injectors. Conclusion: The study provides a spectrum of technically feasible options. It also made clear that different drivers lead to different development concepts and the cost value trade off staircase made this very visible. Scoping of the project through competitive way has proven to be valuable for decision makers by creating a transparent view of value and associated risks/uncertainty/trade-offs for difficult choices: elements of the projects can be competitive, whilst other parts will struggle, even though contributing to significant volumes. Reduction in UDC through proper scoping of present projects and its benchmarking paves as a learning for the development of marginal fields across the world, especially in this low oil price scenario. This way of developing a field has on average a reduction of 40% of cost for the Shell projects.Keywords: benchmarking, full field development, CAPEX, feasibility
Procedia PDF Downloads 1518 Impacts of Transformational Leadership: Petronas Stations in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Lizinis Cassendra Frederick Dony, Jirom Jeremy Frederick Dony, Cyril Supain Christopher
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The purpose of this paper is to improve the devotion to leadership through HR practices implementation at the PETRONAS stations. This emphasize the importance of personal grooming and Customer Care hospitality training for their front line working individuals and teams’ at PETRONAS stations in Sabah. Based on Thomas Edison, International Leadership Journal, theory, research, education and development practice and application to all organizational phenomena may affect or be affected by leadership. FINDINGS – PETRONAS in short called Petroliam Nasional Berhad is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and adding value to these resources. Fortune ranks PETRONAS as the 68th largest company in the world in 2012. It also ranks PETRONAS as the 12th most profitable company in the world and the most profitable in Asia. As of the end of March 2005, the PETRONAS Group comprised 103 wholly owned subsidiaries, 19 partly owned outfits and 57 associated companies. The group is engaged in a wide spectrum of petroleum activities, including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to downstream oil refining, marketing and distribution of petroleum products, trading, gas processing and liquefaction, gas transmission pipeline network operations, marketing of liquefied natural gas; petrochemical manufacturing and marketing; shipping; automotive engineering and property investment. PETRONAS has growing their marketing channel in a competitive market. They have combined their resources to pursue common goals. PETRONAS provides opportunity to carry out Industrial Training Job Placement to the University students in Malaysia for 6-8 months. The effects of the Industrial Training have exposed them to the real working environment experience acting representing on behalf of General Manager for almost one year. Thus, the management education and reward incentives schemes have aspire the working teams transformed to gain their good leadership. Furthermore, knowledge and experiences are very important in the human capital development transformation. SPSS extends the accurate analysis PETRONAS achievement through 280 questionnaires and 81 questionnaires through excel calculation distributed to interview face to face with the customers, PETRONAS dealers and front desk staffs stations in the 17 stations in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Hence, this research study will improve its service quality innovation and business sustainability performance optimization. ORIGINALITY / VALUE – The impact of Transformational Leadership practices have influenced the working team’s behaviour as a Brand Ambassadors of PETRONAS. Finally, the findings correlation indicated that PETRONAS stations needs more HR resources practices to deploy more customer care retention resources in mitigating the business challenges in oil and gas industry. Therefore, as the business established at stiff competition globally (Cooper, 2006; Marques and Simon, 2006), it is crucial for the team management should be capable to minimize noises risk, financial risk and mitigating any other risks as a whole at the optimum level. CONCLUSION- As to conclude this research found that both transformational and transactional contingent reward leadership4 were positively correlated with ratings of platoon potency and ratings of leadership for the platoon leader and sergeant were moderately inter correlated. Due to this identification, we recommended that PETRONAS management should offers quality team management in PETRONAS stations in a broader variety of leadership training specialization in the operation efficiency at the front desk Customer Care hospitality. By having the reliability and validity of job experiences, it leverages diversity teamwork and cross collaboration. Other than leveraging factor, PETRONAS also will strengthen the interpersonal front liners effectiveness and enhance quality of interaction through effective communication. Finally, through numerous CSR correlation studies regression PETRONAS performance on Corporate Social Performance and several control variables.1 CSR model activities can be mis-specified if it is not controllable under R & D which evident in various feedbacks collected from the local communities and younger generation is inclined to higher financial expectation from PETRONAS. But, however, it created a huge impact on the nation building as part of its social adaptability overreaching their business stakeholders’ satisfaction in Sabah.Keywords: human resources practices implementation (hrpi), source of competitive advantage in people’s development (socaipd), corporate social responsibility (csr), service quality at front desk stations (sqafd), impacts of petronas leadership (iopl)
Procedia PDF Downloads 3437 Speeding Up Lenia: A Comparative Study Between Existing Implementations and CUDA C++ with OpenGL Interop
Authors: L. Diogo, A. Legrand, J. Nguyen-Cao, J. Rogeau, S. Bornhofen
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Lenia is a system of cellular automata with continuous states, space and time, which surprises not only with the emergence of interesting life-like structures but also with its beauty. This paper reports ongoing research on a GPU implementation of Lenia using CUDA C++ and OpenGL Interoperability. We demonstrate how CUDA as a low-level GPU programming paradigm allows optimizing performance and memory usage of the Lenia algorithm. A comparative analysis through experimental runs with existing implementations shows that the CUDA implementation outperforms the others by one order of magnitude or more. Cellular automata hold significant interest due to their ability to model complex phenomena in systems with simple rules and structures. They allow exploring emergent behavior such as self-organization and adaptation, and find applications in various fields, including computer science, physics, biology, and sociology. Unlike classic cellular automata which rely on discrete cells and values, Lenia generalizes the concept of cellular automata to continuous space, time and states, thus providing additional fluidity and richness in emerging phenomena. In the current literature, there are many implementations of Lenia utilizing various programming languages and visualization libraries. However, each implementation also presents certain drawbacks, which serve as motivation for further research and development. In particular, speed is a critical factor when studying Lenia, for several reasons. Rapid simulation allows researchers to observe the emergence of patterns and behaviors in more configurations, on bigger grids and over longer periods without annoying waiting times. Thereby, they enable the exploration and discovery of new species within the Lenia ecosystem more efficiently. Moreover, faster simulations are beneficial when we include additional time-consuming algorithms such as computer vision or machine learning to evolve and optimize specific Lenia configurations. We developed a Lenia implementation for GPU using the C++ and CUDA programming languages, and CUDA/OpenGL Interoperability for immediate rendering. The goal of our experiment is to benchmark this implementation compared to the existing ones in terms of speed, memory usage, configurability and scalability. In our comparison we focus on the most important Lenia implementations, selected for their prominence, accessibility and widespread use in the scientific community. The implementations include MATLAB, JavaScript, ShaderToy GLSL, Jupyter, Rust and R. The list is not exhaustive but provides a broad view of the principal current approaches and their respective strengths and weaknesses. Our comparison primarily considers computational performance and memory efficiency, as these factors are critical for large-scale simulations, but we also investigate the ease of use and configurability. The experimental runs conducted so far demonstrate that the CUDA C++ implementation outperforms the other implementations by one order of magnitude or more. The benefits of using the GPU become apparent especially with larger grids and convolution kernels. However, our research is still ongoing. We are currently exploring the impact of several software design choices and optimization techniques, such as convolution with Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT), various GPU memory management scenarios, and the trade-off between speed and accuracy using single versus double precision floating point arithmetic. The results will give valuable insights into the practice of parallel programming of the Lenia algorithm, and all conclusions will be thoroughly presented in the conference paper. The final version of our CUDA C++ implementation will be published on github and made freely accessible to the Alife community for further development.Keywords: artificial life, cellular automaton, GPU optimization, Lenia, comparative analysis.
Procedia PDF Downloads 296 Saving Lives from a Laptop: How to Produce a Live Virtual Media Briefing That Will Inform, Educate, and Protect Communities in Crisis
Authors: Cory B. Portner, Julie A. Grauert, Lisa M. Stromme, Shelby D. Anderson, Franji H. Mayes
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Introduction: WASHINGTON state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States is internationally known for its technology industry, fisheries, agriculture, and vistas. On January 21, 2020, Washington state also became known as the first state with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States, thrusting the state into the international spotlight as the world came to grips with the global threat of this disease presented. Tourism is Washington state’s fourth-largest industry. Tourism to the state generates over 1.8 billion dollars (USD) in local and state tax revenue and employs over 180,000 people. Communicating with residents, stakeholders, and visitors on the status of disease activity, prevention measures, and response updates was vital to stopping the pandemic and increasing compliance and awareness. Significance: In order to communicate vital public health updates, guidance implementation, and safety measures to the public, the Washington State Department of Health established routine live virtual media briefings to reach audiences via social media, internet television, and broadcast television. Through close partnership with regional broadcast news stations and the state public affairs news network, the Washington State Department of Health hosted 95 media briefings from January 2020 through September 2022 and continues to regularly host live virtual media briefings to accommodate the needs of the public and media. Methods: Our methods quickly evolved from hosting briefings in the cement closet of a military base to being able to produce and stream the briefings live from any home-office location. The content was tailored to the hot topic of the day and to the reporter's questions and needs. Virtual media briefings hosted through inexpensive or free platforms online are extremely cost-effective: the only mandatory components are WiFi, a laptop, and a monitor. There is no longer a need for a fancy studio or expensive production software to achieve the goal of communicating credible, reliable information promptly. With minimal investment and a small learning curve, facilitators and panelists are able to host highly produced and engaging media availabilities from their living rooms. Results: The briefings quickly developed a reputation as the best source for local and national journalists to get the latest and most factually accurate information about the pandemic. In the height of the COVID-19 response, 135 unique media outlets logged on to participate in the briefing. The briefings typically featured 4-5 panelists, with as many as 9 experts in attendance to provide information and respond to media questions. Preparation was always a priority: Public Affairs staff for the Washington State Department of Health produced over 170 presenter remarks, including guidance on talking points for 63 expert guest panelists. Implication For Practice: Information is today’s most valuable currency. The ability to disseminate correct information urgently and on a wide scale is the most effective tool in crisis communication. Due to our role as the first state with a confirmed COVID-19 case, we were forced to develop the most accurate and effective way to get life-saving information to the public. The cost-effective, web-based methods we developed can be applied in any crisis to educate and protect communities under threat, ultimately saving lives from a laptop.Keywords: crisis communications, public relations, media management, news media
Procedia PDF Downloads 1785 Exploring Symptoms, Causes and Treatments of Feline Pruritus Using Thematic Analysis of Pet Owner Social Media Posts
Authors: Sitira Williams, Georgina Cherry, Andrea Wright, Kevin Wells, Taran Rai, Richard Brown, Travis Street, Alasdair Cook
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Social media sources (50) were identified, keywords defined by veterinarians and organised into 6 topics known to be indicative of feline pruritus: body areas, behaviors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments. These were augmented using academic literature, a cat owner survey, synonyms, and Google Trends. The content was collected using a social intelligence solution, with keywords tagged and filtered. Data were aggregated and de-duplicated. SL content matching body areas, behaviors and symptoms were reviewed manually, and posts were marked relevant if: posted by a pet owner, identifying an itchy cat and not duplicated. A sub-set of 493 posts published from 2009-2022 was used for reflexive thematic analysis in NVIVO (Burlington, MA) to identify themes. Five themes were identified: allergy, pruritus, additional behaviors, unusual or undesirable behaviors, diagnosis, and treatment. Most (258) posts reported the cat was excessively licking, itching, and scratching. The majority were indoor cats and were less playful and friendly when itchy. Half of these posts did not indicate a known cause of pruritus. Bald spots and scabs (123) were reported, often causing swelling and fur loss, and 56 reported bumps, lumps, and dry patches. Other impacts on the cat’s quality of life were ear mites, cat self-trauma and stress. Seven posts reported their cats’ symptoms caused them ongoing anxiety and depression. Cats with food allergies to poultry (often chicken and beef) causing bald spots featured in 23 posts. Veterinarians advised switching to a raw food diet and/or changing their bowls. Some cats got worse after switching, leaving owners’ needs unmet. Allergic reactions to flea bites causing excessive itching, red spots, scabs, and fur loss were reported in 13 posts. Some (3) posts indicated allergic reactions to medication. Cats with seasonal and skin allergies, causing sneezing, scratching, headshaking, watery eyes, and nasal discharge, were reported 17 times. Eighty-five posts identified additional behaviors. Of these, 13 reported their cat’s burst pimple or insect bite. Common behaviors were headshaking, rubbing, pawing at their ears, and aggressively chewing. In some cases, bites or pimples triggered previously unseen itchiness, making the cat irritable. Twenty-four reported their cat had anxiety: overgrooming, itching, losing fur, hiding, freaking out, breathing quickly, sleeplessness, hissing and vocalising. Most reported these cats as having itchy skin, fleas, and bumps. Cats were commonly diagnosed with an ear infection, ringworm, acne, or kidney disease. Acne was diagnosed in cats with an allergy flare-up or overgrooming. Ear infections were diagnosed in itchy cats with mites or other parasites. Of the treatments mentioned, steroids were most frequently used, then anti-parasitics, including flea treatments and oral medication (steroids, antibiotics). Forty-six posts reported distress following poor outcomes after medication or additional vet consultations. SL provides veterinarians with unique insights. Verbatim comments highlight the detrimental effects of pruritus on pets and owner quality of life. This study demonstrates the need for veterinarians to communicate management and treatment options more effectively to relieve owner frustrations. Data analysis could be scaled up using machine learning for topic modeling.Keywords: content analysis, feline, itch, pruritus, social media, thematic analysis, veterinary dermatology
Procedia PDF Downloads 1834 A Regional Comparison of Hunter and Harvest Trends of Sika Deer (Cervus n. nippon) and Wild Boar (Sus s. leucomystax) in Japan from 1990 to 2013
Authors: Arthur Müller
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The study treats human dimensions of hunting by conducting statistical data analysis and providing decision-making support by examples of good prefectural governance and successful wildlife management, crucial to reduce pest species and sustain a stable hunter population in the future. Therefore it analyzes recent revision of wildlife legislation, reveals differences in administrative management structures, as well as socio-demographic characteristics of hunters in correlation with harvest trends of sika deer and wild boar in 47 prefectures in Japan between 1990 and 2013. In a wider context, Japan’s decentralized license hunting system might take the potential future role of a regional pioneer in East Asia. Consequently, the study contributes to similar issues in premature hunting systems of South Korea and Taiwan. Firstly, a quantitative comparison of seven mainland regions was conducted in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, and Kyushu. Example prefectures were chosen by a cluster analysis. Shifts, differences, mean values and exponential growth rates between trap and gun hunters, age classes and common occupation types of hunters were statistically exterminated. While western Japan is characterized by high numbers of aged trap-hunters, occupied in agricultural- and forestry, the north-eastern prefectures show higher relative numbers of younger gun-hunters occupied in the field of production and process workers. With the exception of Okinawa island, most hunters in all prefectures are 60 years and older. Hence, unemployed and retired hunters are the fastest growing occupation group. Despite to drastic decrease in hunter population in absolute numbers, Hunting Recruitment Index indicated that all age classes tend to continue their hunting activity over a longer period, above ten years from 2004 to 2013 than during the former decade. Associated with a rapid population increase and distribution of sika deer and wild boar since 1978, a number of harvest from hunting and culling also have been rapidly increasing. Both wild boar hunting and culling is particularly high in western Japan, while sika hunting and culling proofs most successful in Hokkaido, central and western Japan. Since the Wildlife Protection and Proper Hunting Act in 1999 distinct prefectural hunting management authorities with different power, sets apply management approaches under the principles of subsidiarity and guidelines of the Ministry of Environment. Additionally, the Act on Special Measures for Prevention of Damage Related to Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Caused by Wildlife from 2008 supports local hunters in damage prevention measures through subsidies by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which caused a rise of trap hunting, especially in western Japan. Secondly, prefectural staff in charge of wildlife management in seven regions was contacted. In summary, Hokkaido serves as a role model for dynamic, integrative, adaptive “feedback” management of Ezo sika deer, as well as a diverse network between management organizations, while Hyogo takes active measures to trap-hunt wild boars effectively. Both prefectures take the leadership in institutional performance and capacity. Northern prefectures in Tohoku, Chubu and Kanto region, firstly confronted with the emergence of wild boars and rising sika deer numbers, demand new institution and capacity building, as well as organizational learning.Keywords: hunting and culling harvest trends, hunter socio-demographics, regional comparison, wildlife management approach
Procedia PDF Downloads 2753 Beyond Bindis, Bhajis, Bangles, and Bhangra: Exploring Multiculturalism in Southwest England Primary Schools, Early Research Findings
Authors: Suparna Bagchi
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Education as a discipline will probably be shaped by the importance it places on a conceptual, curricular, and pedagogical need to shift the emphasis toward transformative classrooms working for positive change through cultural diversity. Awareness of cultural diversity and race equality has heightened following George Floyd’s killing in the USA in 2020. This increasing awareness is particularly relevant in areas of historically low ethnic diversity which have lately experienced a rise in ethnic minority populations and where inclusive growth is a challenge. This research study aims to explore the perspectives of practitioners, students, and parents towards multiculturalism in four South West England primary schools. A qualitative case study methodology has been adopted framed by sociocultural theory. Data were collected through virtually conducted semi-structured interviews with school practitioners and parents, observation of students’ classroom activities, and documentary analysis of classroom displays. Although one-third of the school population includes ethnically diverse children, BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) characters featured in children's books published in Britain in 2019 were almost invisible, let alone a BAME main character. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) are vocal about extending the Curriculum beyond the academic and technical arenas for pupils’ broader development and creation of an understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. However, race equality and community cohesion which could help in the students’ broader development are not Ofsted’s school inspection criteria. The absence of culturally diverse content in the school curriculum highlighted by the 1985 Swann Report and 2007 Ajegbo Report makes England’s National Curriculum look like a Brexit policy three decades before Brexit. A revised National Curriculum may be the starting point with the teachers as curriculum framers playing a significant part. The task design is crucial where teachers can place equal importance on the interwoven elements of “how”, “what” and “why” the task is taught. Teachers need to build confidence in encouraging difficult conversations around racism, fear, indifference, and ignorance breaking the stereotypical barriers, thus helping to create students’ conception of a multicultural Britain. Research showed that trainee teachers in predominantly White areas often exhibit confined perspectives while educating children. Irrespective of the geographical location, school teachers can be equipped with culturally responsive initial and continuous professional development necessary to impart multicultural education. This may aid in the reduction of employees’ unconscious bias. This becomes distinctly pertinent to avoid horrific cases in the future like the recent one in Hackney where a Black teenager was strip-searched during period wrongly suspected of cannabis possession. Early research findings show participants’ eagerness for more ethnic diversity content incorporated in teaching and learning. However, schools are considerably dependent on the knowledge-focused Primary National Curriculum in England. Moreover, they handle issues around the intersectionality of disability, poverty, and gender. Teachers were trained in times when foregrounding ethnicity matters was not happening. Therefore, preoccupied with Curriculum requirements, intersectionality issues, and teacher preparations, schools exhibit an incapacity due to which keeping momentum on ethnic diversity is somewhat endangered.Keywords: case study, curriculum decolonisation, inclusive education, multiculturalism, qualitative research in Covid19 times
Procedia PDF Downloads 1062 Times2D: A Time-Frequency Method for Time Series Forecasting
Authors: Reza Nematirad, Anil Pahwa, Balasubramaniam Natarajan
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Time series data consist of successive data points collected over a period of time. Accurate prediction of future values is essential for informed decision-making in several real-world applications, including electricity load demand forecasting, lifetime estimation of industrial machinery, traffic planning, weather prediction, and the stock market. Due to their critical relevance and wide application, there has been considerable interest in time series forecasting in recent years. However, the proliferation of sensors and IoT devices, real-time monitoring systems, and high-frequency trading data introduce significant intricate temporal variations, rapid changes, noise, and non-linearities, making time series forecasting more challenging. Classical methods such as Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and Exponential Smoothing aim to extract pre-defined temporal variations, such as trends and seasonality. While these methods are effective for capturing well-defined seasonal patterns and trends, they often struggle with more complex, non-linear patterns present in real-world time series data. In recent years, deep learning has made significant contributions to time series forecasting. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and their variants, such as Long short-term memory (LSTMs) and Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs), have been widely adopted for modeling sequential data. However, they often suffer from the locality, making it difficult to capture local trends and rapid fluctuations. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), particularly Temporal Convolutional Networks (TCNs), leverage convolutional layers to capture temporal dependencies by applying convolutional filters along the temporal dimension. Despite their advantages, TCNs struggle with capturing relationships between distant time points due to the locality of one-dimensional convolution kernels. Transformers have revolutionized time series forecasting with their powerful attention mechanisms, effectively capturing long-term dependencies and relationships between distant time points. However, the attention mechanism may struggle to discern dependencies directly from scattered time points due to intricate temporal patterns. Lastly, Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) have also been employed, with models like N-BEATS and LightTS demonstrating success. Despite this, MLPs often face high volatility and computational complexity challenges in long-horizon forecasting. To address intricate temporal variations in time series data, this study introduces Times2D, a novel framework that parallelly integrates 2D spectrogram and derivative heatmap techniques. The spectrogram focuses on the frequency domain, capturing periodicity, while the derivative patterns emphasize the time domain, highlighting sharp fluctuations and turning points. This 2D transformation enables the utilization of powerful computer vision techniques to capture various intricate temporal variations. To evaluate the performance of Times2D, extensive experiments were conducted on standard time series datasets and compared with various state-of-the-art algorithms, including DLinear (2023), TimesNet (2023), Non-stationary Transformer (2022), PatchTST (2023), N-HiTS (2023), Crossformer (2023), MICN (2023), LightTS (2022), FEDformer (2022), FiLM (2022), SCINet (2022a), Autoformer (2021), and Informer (2021) under the same modeling conditions. The initial results demonstrated that Times2D achieves consistent state-of-the-art performance in both short-term and long-term forecasting tasks. Furthermore, the generality of the Times2D framework allows it to be applied to various tasks such as time series imputation, clustering, classification, and anomaly detection, offering potential benefits in any domain that involves sequential data analysis.Keywords: derivative patterns, spectrogram, time series forecasting, times2D, 2D representation
Procedia PDF Downloads 341 Enhancing Disaster Resilience: Advanced Natural Hazard Assessment and Monitoring
Authors: Mariza Kaskara, Stella Girtsou, Maria Prodromou, Alexia Tsouni, Christodoulos Mettas, Stavroula Alatza, Kyriaki Fotiou, Marios Tzouvaras, Charalampos Kontoes, Diofantos Hadjimitsis
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Natural hazard assessment and monitoring are crucial in managing the risks associated with fires, floods, and geohazards, particularly in regions prone to these natural disasters, such as Greece and Cyprus. Recent advancements in technology, developed by the BEYOND Center of Excellence of the National Observatory of Athens, have been successfully applied in Greece and are now set to be transferred to Cyprus. The implementation of these advanced technologies in Greece has significantly improved the country's ability to respond to these natural hazards. For wildfire risk assessment, a scalar wildfire occurrence risk index is created based on the predictions of machine learning models. Predicting fire danger is crucial for the sustainable management of forest fires as it provides essential information for designing effective prevention measures and facilitating response planning for potential fire incidents. A reliable forecast of fire danger is a key component of integrated forest fire management and is heavily influenced by various factors that affect fire ignition and spread. The fire risk model is validated by the sensitivity and specificity metric. For flood risk assessment, a multi-faceted approach is employed, including the application of remote sensing techniques, the collection and processing of data from the most recent population and building census, technical studies and field visits, as well as hydrological and hydraulic simulations. All input data are used to create precise flood hazard maps according to various flooding scenarios, detailed flood vulnerability and flood exposure maps, which will finally produce the flood risk map. Critical points are identified, and mitigation measures are proposed for the worst-case scenario, namely, refuge areas are defined, and escape routes are designed. Flood risk maps can assist in raising awareness and save lives. Validation is carried out through historical flood events using remote sensing data and records from the civil protection authorities. For geohazards monitoring (e.g., landslides, subsidence), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical satellite imagery are combined with geomorphological and meteorological data and other landslide/ground deformation contributing factors. To monitor critical infrastructures, including dams, advanced InSAR methodologies are used for identifying surface movements through time. Monitoring these hazards provides valuable information for understanding processes and could lead to early warning systems to protect people and infrastructure. Validation is carried out through both geotechnical expert evaluations and visual inspections. The success of these systems in Greece has paved the way for their transfer to Cyprus to enhance Cyprus's capabilities in natural hazard assessment and monitoring. This transfer is being made through capacity building activities, fostering continuous collaboration between Greek and Cypriot experts. Apart from the knowledge transfer, small demonstration actions are implemented to showcase the effectiveness of these technologies in real-world scenarios. In conclusion, the transfer of advanced natural hazard assessment technologies from Greece to Cyprus represents a significant step forward in enhancing the region's resilience to disasters. EXCELSIOR project funds knowledge exchange, demonstration actions and capacity-building activities and is committed to empower Cyprus with the tools and expertise to effectively manage and mitigate the risks associated with these natural hazards. Acknowledgement:Authors acknowledge the 'EXCELSIOR': ERATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment H2020 Widespread Teaming project.Keywords: earth observation, monitoring, natural hazards, remote sensing
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