Search results for: indigenous categories
1014 Disaster Mitigation from an Analysis of a Condemned Building Erected over Collapsible Clay Soil in Brazil
Authors: Marcelo Jesus Kato Avila, Joao Da Costa Pantoja
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Differential settlement of foundations is a serious pathology in buildings that put at risk lives and property. A common reason for the occurrence of this specific pathology in central Brazil is the presence of collapsible clay, a typical soil in the region. In this study, the foundation of a condemned building erected above this soil is analyzed. The aim is to prevent problems in new constructions, to predict which buildings may be subjected to damages, and to make possible a more precise treatment in less advanced differential settlements observed in the buildings of the vicinity, which includes a hospital, a Military School, an indoor sporting arena, the Police Academy, and the Military Police Headquarters. The methodology consists of visual inspection, photographic report of the main pathologies, analysis of the existing foundations, determination of the soil properties, the study of the cracking level and assessment of structural failure risk of the building. The findings show that the presence of water weaken the soil structure on which the foundation rest, being the main cause of the pathologic settlement, indicating that even in a one store building it was necessary to consider deeper digging, other categories of foundations, and more elaborated and detailed foundation plans when the soil presents this behavior.Keywords: building cracks, collapsible clay, differential settlement, structural failure risk
Procedia PDF Downloads 2531013 Analyzing Middle Actors' Influence on Land Use Policy: A Case Study in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
Authors: Kevin Soubly, Kaysara Khatun
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This study applies the existing Middle-Out Perspective (MOP) as a complementing analytical alternative to the customary dichotomous options of top-down vs. bottom-up strategies of international development and commons governance. It expands the framework by applying it to a new context of land management and environmental change, enabling fresh understandings of decision making around land use. Using a case study approach in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia among a village of indigenous Dayak, this study explores influences from both internal and external middle actors, utilizing qualitative empirical evidence and incorporating responses across 25 village households and 11 key stakeholders. Applying the factors of 'agency' and 'capacity' specific to the MOP, this study demonstrates middle actors’ unique capabilities and criticality to change due to their influence across various levels of decision-making. Study results indicate that middle actors play a large role, both passively and actively, both directly and indirectly, across various levels of decision-making, perception-shaping, and commons governance. In addition, the prominence of novel 'passive' middle actors, such as the internet, can provide communities themselves with a level of agency beyond that provided by other middle actors such as NGOs and palm oil industry entities – which often operate at the behest of the 'top' or out of self-interest. Further, the study posits that existing development and decision-making frameworks may misidentify the 'bottom' as the 'middle,' raising questions about traditional development and livelihood discourse, strategies, and support, from agricultural production to forest management. In conclusion, this study provides recommendations including that current policy preconceptions be reevaluated to engage middle actors in locally-adapted, integrative manners in order to improve governance and rural development efforts more broadly.Keywords: environmental management, governance, Indonesia, land use, middle actors, middle-out perspective
Procedia PDF Downloads 1141012 The Eye Tracking Technique and the Study of Some Abstract Mathematical Concepts at the University
Authors: Tamara Díaz-Chang, Elizabeth-H Arredondo
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This article presents the results of mixed approach research, where the ocular movements of students are examined while they solve questionnaires related to some abstract mathematical concepts. The objective of this research is to determine possible correlations between the parameters of ocular activity and the level of difficulty of the tasks. The difficulty level categories were established based on two types of criteria: a subjective one, through an evaluation, carried out by the subjects, and a behavioral one, related to obtaining the correct solution. Correlations of these criteria with ocular activity parameters, which were considered indicators of mental effort, were identified. The analysis of the data obtained allowed us to observe discrepancies in the categorization of difficulty levels based on subjective and behavioral criteria. There was a negative correlation of the eye movement parameters with the students' opinions on the level of difficulty of the questions, while a strong positive and significant correlation was noted between most of the parameters of ocular activity and the level of difficulty, determined by the percentage of correct answers. The results obtained by the analysis of the data suggest that eye movement parameters can be taken as indicators of the difficulty level of the tasks related to the study of some abstract mathematical concepts at the university.Keywords: abstract mathematical concepts, cognitive neuroscience, eye-tracking, university education
Procedia PDF Downloads 1181011 A Machine Learning Framework Based on Biometric Measurements for Automatic Fetal Head Anomalies Diagnosis in Ultrasound Images
Authors: Hanene Sahli, Aymen Mouelhi, Marwa Hajji, Amine Ben Slama, Mounir Sayadi, Farhat Fnaiech, Radhwane Rachdi
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Fetal abnormality is still a public health problem of interest to both mother and baby. Head defect is one of the most high-risk fetal deformities. Fetal head categorization is a sensitive task that needs a massive attention from neurological experts. In this sense, biometrical measurements can be extracted by gynecologist doctors and compared with ground truth charts to identify normal or abnormal growth. The fetal head biometric measurements such as Biparietal Diameter (BPD), Occipito-Frontal Diameter (OFD) and Head Circumference (HC) needs to be monitored, and expert should carry out its manual delineations. This work proposes a new approach to automatically compute BPD, OFD and HC based on morphological characteristics extracted from head shape. Hence, the studied data selected at the same Gestational Age (GA) from the fetal Ultrasound images (US) are classified into two categories: Normal and abnormal. The abnormal subjects include hydrocephalus, microcephaly and dolichocephaly anomalies. By the use of a support vector machines (SVM) method, this study achieved high classification for automated detection of anomalies. The proposed method is promising although it doesn't need expert interventions.Keywords: biometric measurements, fetal head malformations, machine learning methods, US images
Procedia PDF Downloads 2871010 The Impact of Resource-oriented Music Listening on Oversea Dispatch Employees Work Stress Relief
Authors: Wei Yaming
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Objective: In order to compare the stress of employees sent overseas with (GRAS) before and after, we used the resource-oriented music listening intervention in this study. We also collected pertinent experimental data. Methods: The experiment involved 47 employees who were sent abroad by the Chinese side. They completed the stress scale test and documented it before the intervention. They tested for stress after five interventions and performed one-on-one interviews. Quantitative data and SPSS software were used to analyze relationships between stress reduction and resource-oriented music listening, as well as Pearson's correlation, multiple regression levels, and ANOVA. For the qualitative analysis, content analysis of one-on-one interviews was performed. Results: A comparison of data from before and after demonstrates how resource-focused music listening activities can lessen and relieve stress in remote workers. In the qualitative study, stress is broken down into six categories: relationship stress, health stress, emotional stress, and frustration stress. External pressures include work pressure and cultural stress. And it has been determined that listening to music that is resource-oriented can better ease internal stress (health, emotion, and dissatisfaction). Conclusion: The Guide Resource-oriented Music Listening (GROML) Program appears to have had some effect on the participants' stress levels. The resources that the participants encountered while listening to music are bravery, calm, letting go, and relaxing.Keywords: resource-oriented, music listening, oversea dispatch employees, work stress
Procedia PDF Downloads 951009 Allergy to Animal Hair in the Algerian Population
Authors: Meriche Hacene, Gadiri Sabiha
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Introduction: Allergy to animal hair is hypersensitivity to animal appendages to look for in front of any rhinoconjunctivitis or asthma. An anamnesis associated with the prick-tests makes it possible to guide the diagnosis, which will be supplemented in case of doubt by specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) assays. The objective of our study is to study the characteristics of patients sensitized to animal hair. Patients and methods: Retrospective study conducted on 105 adult patients and 69 children over a period of 3 years, including patients who received a specific IgE assay (respiratory panel and pediatric panel) by immunodot method. Result: 105 adult patients, including 74 women and 31 men, with an average age of 41 years, of which 8.5% had sensitization to animal hair (5 men and 4 women), namely: cat (5%), horse (4.7%) and dog (3.8%). For the 69 children, a slight female predominance was noted (56%), with an average age of 7.5 years, of which (13%) are sensitized to animal hair (5 girls and 4 boys): cat (10%), while awareness of dog and horse hair was less frequent with an identical prevalence of (4.34%). The dominant symptoms are rhinorrhea and sneezing for both categories, respectively (40% and 26.6% in adults and 23% for both symptoms in children). Cross-sensitization was observed in the 2 series: 1 single cat-dog and cat-horse case and 2 dog-horse cases in adults. In children 100% of patients with sensitization to dog hair had cross-sensitization to cat hair, only 1 case was observed for cat-horse cross-reactivity. Conclusion: This work shows that allergy to animal hair is common. Studies on more representative samples are recommended.Keywords: children, allegy to animals, specific Ig E, hypersensitivity
Procedia PDF Downloads 641008 Adaptive Response of Plants to Environmental Stress: Natural Oil Seepage; The Living Laboratory in Tramutola, Basilicata Region
Authors: Maria Francesca Scannone, Martina Bochicchio
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One of the major environmental problems today is hydrocarbon contamination. The promising sustainable technologies for the treatment of these contaminated sites involves the use of biological organisms. In Agri Valley (Basilicata Region) there is a living laboratory (natural oil seeps) where the selective pressure has enriched the environmental matrices with microorganisms, fungi and plant species able to use the hydrocarbons as a source of metabolic energy, to degrade or tolerate hydrocarbons. Observers visiting this area are fascinated by its unspoiled nature, and the condition of the ecosystem does not appear to has been damaged. The amazing resiliency observed in Tramutola site is of key importance to try to bring green remediation technologies, but no research has been done to identify high-performing native species. The aim of this research was to study how natural processes affect the fate of released oil or how individual species or communities of plants and animals are capable of dealing with the burden of otherwise toxic chemicals. The survey of vegetation was carried out, more than 60 species have been identified and divided into tree, shrub and herb layer. Plant data sheets have been completed only for the species that showed the most appropriate properties for phytoremediation. In general, members of the Salicales, Cyperales, Poales, Fagales, Cornales, Equisetales orders were the most commonly identified orders. They are pioneer plants with high adaptive capacity and vegetative propagation. The literature review has highlighted the existence of rhizosphere effect and a green liver model on selected plants. The study provides significant information on the environmental stress adaptation processes of many indigenous plants that are living and growing on a natural leak of crude oil and gas that migrates up through subsurface.Keywords: green liver, hydrocarbon degradation, oil seeps, phytoremediation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1731007 Regional Competitiveness and Innovation in the Tourism Sector: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Sérgio J. Teixeira, João J. Ferreira
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Tourism frequently gets identified as one of the sectors with the greatest potential for expansion on a global scale and hence conveying the importance of attempting to better understand the regional factors of competitiveness prevailing in this sector. This study’s objective essentially strives to provide a mapping of the scientific publications and the intellectual knowledge therein contained while conveying past research trends and identifying potential future lines of research in the fields of regional competitiveness and tourism innovation. This correspondingly deploys a systematic review of the literature in keeping with the bibliometric approach based upon VOSviewer software, with a particular focus on drafting maps for visualising the underlying intellectual structure. This type of analysis encapsulates the number of articles published and their annual number of citations for the period between 1900 and 2016 as registered by the Web of Science database. The results demonstrate how the intellectual structure on regional competitiveness divides essentially into three major categories: regional competitiveness, tourism innovation, and tourism clusters. Thus, the main contribution of this study arises out of identifying the main research trends in this field and the respective shortcomings and specific needs for future scientific research in the field of regional competitiveness and innovation in tourism.Keywords: regional competitiveness, tourism cluster, bibliometric studies, tourism innovation, systematic review
Procedia PDF Downloads 2311006 Cognitive Stereotype Behaviors and Their Imprinting on the Individuals with Autism
Authors: Li-Ju Chen, Hsiang-Lin Chan, Hsin-Yi Kathy Cheng, Hui-Ju Chen
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Stereotype behavior is one of the maladaptive syndromes of the individuals with autism. Most of the previous researches focused on the stereotype behavior with stimulating type, while less on the stereotype behavior about cognition (This research names it cognitive stereotype behavior; CSB). This research explored CSB and the rationality to explain CSB with imprinting phenomenon. After excluding the samples without CSB described, the data that came from 271 individuals with autism were recruited and analyzed with quantitative and qualitative analyses. This research discovers that : (1) Most of the individuals with autism originally came out CSB at 3 years old and more than a half of them appeared before 4 years old; The average age which firstly came out CSB was 6.10 years old, the average time insisting or ossifying CSB was 31.71 minutes each time and the average longest time which they last was 358.35 minutes (5.97 hours). (2) CSB demonstrates various aspects, this research classified them into 4 fields with 26 categories. They were categorized into sudden CSB or habitual CSB by imprinting performance. (3) Most of the autism commented that their CSBs were not necessary but they could not control them well. One-third of them appeared CSB suddenly and the first occurrence accompanied a strong emotional or behavioral response. (4) Whether respondent is the person with autism himself/herself or not was the critical element: on the awareness of the severity degree, disturbance degree, and the emotional /behavioral intensity at the first-time CSB happened. This study concludes imprinting could reasonably explain the phenomenon CSB forms. There are implications leading the individuals with autism and their family to develop coping strategies to promote individuals with autism having a better learning accomplishment and life quality in their future.Keywords: autism, cognitive stereotype behavior, constructivism, imprinting, stereotype
Procedia PDF Downloads 1281005 A Framework for Security Risk Level Measures Using CVSS for Vulnerability Categories
Authors: Umesh Kumar Singh, Chanchala Joshi
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With increasing dependency on IT infrastructure, the main objective of a system administrator is to maintain a stable and secure network, with ensuring that the network is robust enough against malicious network users like attackers and intruders. Security risk management provides a way to manage the growing threats to infrastructures or system. This paper proposes a framework for risk level estimation which uses vulnerability database National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) and the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). The proposed framework measures the frequency of vulnerability exploitation; converges this measured frequency with standard CVSS score and estimates the security risk level which helps in automated and reasonable security management. In this paper equation for the Temporal score calculation with respect to availability of remediation plan is derived and further, frequency of exploitation is calculated with determined temporal score. The frequency of exploitation along with CVSS score is used to calculate the security risk level of the system. The proposed framework uses the CVSS vectors for risk level estimation and measures the security level of specific network environment, which assists system administrator for assessment of security risks and making decision related to mitigation of security risks.Keywords: CVSS score, risk level, security measurement, vulnerability category
Procedia PDF Downloads 3191004 Evaluation of Symptoms, Laboratory Findings, and Natural History of IgE Mediated Wheat Allergy
Authors: Soudeh Tabashi, Soudabeh Fazeli Dehkordy, Masood Movahedi, Nasrin Behniafard
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Introduction: Food allergy has increased in three last decades. Since wheat is one of the major constituents of daily meal in many regions throughout the world, wheat allergy is one of the most important allergies ranking among the 8 most common types of food allergies. Our information about epidemiology and etiology of food allergies are limited. Therefore, in this study we sought to evaluate the symptoms and laboratory findings in children with wheat allergy. Materials and methods: There were 23 patients aged up to 18 with the diagnosis of IgE mediated wheat allergy that were included enrolled in this study. Using a questionnaire .we collected their information and organized them into 4 groups categories of: demographic data identification, signs and symptoms, comorbidities, and laboratory data. Then patients were followed up for 6 month and their lab data were compared together. Results: Most of the patients (82%) presented the symptoms of wheat allergy in the first year of their life. The skin and the respiratory system were the most commonly involved organs with an incidence of 86% and 78% respectively. Most of the patients with wheat allergy were also sensitive to the other type of foods and their sensitivity to egg were most common type (47%). in 57% of patients, IgE levels were decreased during the 6 month follow-up period. Conclusion: We do not have enough information about data on epidemiology and response to therapy of wheat allergy and to best of our knowledge no study has addressed this issue in Iran so far. This study is the first source of information about IgE mediated wheat allergy in Iran and It can provide an opening for future studies about wheat allergy and its treatments.Keywords: wheat allergy, food allergy, IgE, food allergy
Procedia PDF Downloads 1931003 A Systematic Literature Review on Security and Privacy Design Patterns
Authors: Ebtehal Aljedaani, Maha Aljohani
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Privacy and security patterns are both important for developing software that protects users' data and privacy. Privacy patterns are designed to address common privacy problems, such as unauthorized data collection and disclosure. Security patterns are designed to protect software from attack and ensure reliability and trustworthiness. Using privacy and security patterns, software engineers can implement security and privacy by design principles, which means that security and privacy are considered throughout the software development process. These patterns are available to translate "security & privacy-by-design" into practical advice for software engineering. Previous research on privacy and security patterns has typically focused on one category of patterns at a time. This paper aims to bridge this gap by merging the two categories and identifying their similarities and differences. To do this, the authors conducted a systematic literature review of 25 research papers on privacy and security patterns. The papers were analysed based on the category of the pattern, the classification of the pattern, and the security requirements that the pattern addresses. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive review of privacy and security design patterns. The review is intended to help future IT designers understand the relationship between the two types of patterns and how to use them to design secure and privacy-preserving software. The paper provides a clear classification of privacy and security design patterns, along with examples of each type. The authors found that there is only one widely accepted classification of privacy design patterns, while there are several competing classifications of security design patterns. Three types of security design patterns were found to be the most commonly used.Keywords: design patterns, security, privacy, classification of patterns, security patterns, privacy patterns
Procedia PDF Downloads 1291002 Examining the Coverage of CO2-Related Indicators in a Sample of Sustainable Rating Systems
Authors: Wesam Rababa, Jamal Al-Qawasmi
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The global climate is negatively impacted by CO2 emissions, which are mostly produced by buildings. Several green building rating systems (GBRS) have been proposed to impose low-carbon criteria in order to address this problem. The Green Globes certification is one such system that evaluates a building's sustainability level by assessing different categories of environmental impact and emerging concepts aimed at reducing environmental harm. Therefore, assessment tools at the national level are crucial in the developing world, where specific local conditions require a more precise evaluation. This study analyzed eight sustainable building assessment systems from different regions of the world, comparing a comprehensive list of CO2-related indicators with a various assessment system for conducting coverage analysis. The results show that GBRS includes both direct and indirect indicators in this regard. It reveals deep variation between examined practices, and a lack of consensus not only on the type and the optimal number of indicators used in a system, but also on the depth and breadth of coverage of various sustainable building SB attributes. Generally, the results show that most of the examined systems reflect a low comprehensive coverage, the highest of which is found in materials category. On the other hand, the most of the examined systems reveal a very low representative coverage.Keywords: Assessment tools, CO2-related indicators, Comparative study, Green Building Rating Systems
Procedia PDF Downloads 561001 The Role of Employee Incentives in Financing from Customers
Authors: Mengyu Lu, Yongsheng Guo
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This study investigates how employee incentives affect employee performance in financing from customers. This study followed a grounded theory approach where data were collected through 29 interviews. Main themes and categories were identified through the coding processes. This study found that casual conditions, including financial barriers, informal finance, business location, customer base and customer relationship, influenced the adoption of customer finance in the case of SMEs. The SMEs build and maintain long-term relationships with customers through personal communications. The SMEs engage and motivate employees in customer communications and business financing strategy through financial incentives programs, including bonuses, salary rises, rewards and non-financial incentives, including training opportunities, extra holiday leave, and flexible working hours. Employee performance was measured through financing contribution and job contribution. As a consequence, customers will be well served by employees and get a better customer experience. SMEs can get benefits such as employee engagement, employee satisfaction and sustainable financing sources. This study gets in sight of employee incentives in improving employee performance in customer finance and makes implications to human capital theories. Suggestions are provided to the decision-makers in businesses as incentive programs improve employee performance that, eventually contributes to overall business performance.Keywords: SMEs, financing from customers, employee incentives, performance-based measurement
Procedia PDF Downloads 541000 Women Presentation and Roles in Arab-Israeli Female Filmmakers Movies
Authors: Mariam Farah
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With the beginning of the 21 century, female Arab directors entered the industry of cinema in Israel. Before their entrance, the Palestinian cinema, directed in Israel and in other places in the world, was defined as political-masculine cinema. The recent research wonders if the entrance of female directors to the Arab-Israeli cinema brings a new, feminist and un- common discourse, just like female directors movies in other cultures. The research also examines which gendered, social and political identities or statements do the Arab female directors reveal in their works, and what do they say about their real life? In order to get answers to the previous questions, the paper conducts a narrative comparative research between movies that was directed by female and male Arab-Israeli directors. The narrative research examines specific categories in each movie such as: main topic, women role, women appearance and women characteristics. The findings show that a new discourse replaces the political-masculine traditional discourse in the Palestinian cinema. Female Arab directors in Israel leave aside the main theme in Palestinian movies: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and replace it with new themes related to women lives and reality. Women in female directors movies are presented within non-traditional, empowering, and feminist identities: independent, strong, and active women.Keywords: feminism, gender, women presentation, women roles
Procedia PDF Downloads 499999 English Pronunciation Materials on TikTok
Authors: Sebastian Leal-Arenas
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TikTok’s influence on contemporary society is undeniable. The impact of the mobile app transcends entertainment, as shown by the growing presence of specialized accounts dedicated to providing educational content, particularly as it pertains to language learning. However, the prevailing trend on the platform is vocabulary and grammar acquisition, neglecting a critical component: pronunciation. This study examines English pronunciation materials available on TikTok by taking a comprehensive approach that incorporates established assessment tools, such as the Learning Object Review Instrument and the Framework for Language Learning App Evaluation. Furthermore, novel evaluation categories are introduced to provide a more holistic assessment of these educational resources. 60 English pronunciation videos were part of the analysis. The findings reveal that these audio-visual materials present clear audio bolstered by high-quality video content and automatically generated closed captions. These three components enhance the comprehensibility of the input, making these concise videos valuable assets for language learners. Nevertheless, certain deficiencies are observed, such as the lack of emphasis on specific segments and their relationship with articulators. Improvements and refinements are discussed, as well as their potential utility within the language classroom. This study contributes to the ongoing investigation of multimedia materials used for language teaching and emphasizes the need to adapt pronunciation instruction methods to today’s technology.Keywords: pronunciation, segments, teaching materials, technology
Procedia PDF Downloads 83998 Creativity, Skill, and Intelligence as Understood by Tradition Rooted Craftspersons
Authors: Swasti Singh Ghai
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Creativity is understood as an intersubjective phenomenon shaped by socio-cultural values and economic forces. Creativity as a means to achieve progress is a very modern concept, driven by a global capitalist market economy. The dominant urban, often first-world articulations of creativity, overshadow the rural, local and cultural notions of people in the developing nations. Artisanal practices of making grounded in preindustrial and pre-capitalist contexts hold varying cultural and region-specific concepts and standards for ascribing creativity to a person or product, or process. These notions reflect the underlying philosophy that constitutes their worldview. The process of colonization through western education has blurred or overlapped some of these key philosophical concepts. This article adopts a post-colonial stance to understand the perceptions of skill, intelligence and creativity among tradition rooted textile craft practitioners of Kutch, Gujarat in India. The artisans, while negotiating their space in the contemporary markets, are making efforts to include the modern categories of art, craft, and design in their worldview. The paper will first review theories of creativity that throw light on the link between skill, intelligence and creativity. Then the paper will use secondary research and data from interviews to share crafts person notions of skill, creativity and intelligence and their interrelationship.Keywords: traditional craft, textile, creativity, skill, intelligence
Procedia PDF Downloads 123997 An Investigation of the Barriers to E-Business Implementation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Jeffrey Chang, Barun Dasgupta
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E-business technologies, whereby business transactions are conducted remotely using the Internet, present unique opportunities and challenges for business. E-business technologies are applicable to a wide range of organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are no exception. There is an established body of literature about e-business, looking at definitions, concepts, benefits and challenges. In general, however, the research focus has been on larger organizations, not SMEs. In an attempt to redress the balance of research, this paper looks at e-business technologies specifically from a small business perspective. It seeks to identify the possible barriers that SMEs might face when considering adoption of the e-business concept and practice as part of their business process change initiatives and implementation. To facilitate analysis of these barriers a conceptual framework has been developed which outlines the key conceptual and practical challenges of e-business implementation in SMEs. This is developed following a literature survey comprised of three categories: characteristics of SMEs, issues of IS/IT use in SMEs and general e-business adoption and implementation issues. The framework is then empirically assessed against 7 SMEs who have yet to implement e-business or whose e-business efforts have been unsatisfactory. Conclusions from the case studies can be used to verify the framework, and set parameters for further larger scale empirical investigation.Keywords: business process change, disruptive technologies, electronic business (e-Business), electronic commerce (e-Commerce), ICT adoption, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
Procedia PDF Downloads 536996 Towards Developing Social Assessment Tool for Siwan Ecolodge Case Study: Babenshal Ecolodge
Authors: Amr Ali Bayoumi, Ola Ali Bayoumi
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The aim of this research is enhancing one of the main aspects (Social Aspect) for developing an eco-lodge in Siwa oasis in Egyptian Western Desert. According to credible weightings built in this research through formal and informal questionnaires, the researcher detected one of the highest credible aspects, 'Social Aspect': through which it carries the maximum priorities among the total environmental and economic categories. From here, the researcher suggested the usage of ethnographic design approach and Space Syntax as observational and computational methods for developing future Eco-lodge in Siwa Oasis. These methods are used to study social spaces of Babenshal eco-lodge as a case study. This hybrid method is considered as a beginning of building Social Assessment Tool (SAT) for ecological tourism buildings located in Siwa as a case of Egyptian Western desert community. Towards livable social spaces, the proposed SAT was planned to be the optimum measurable weightings for social aspect's priorities of future Siwan eco-lodge(s). Finally, recommendations are proposed for enhancing SAT to be more correlated with sensitive desert biome (Siwa Oasis) to be adapted with the continuous social and environmental changes of the oasis.Keywords: ecolodge, social aspect, space syntax, Siwa Oasis
Procedia PDF Downloads 127995 Survey of Neonatologists’ Burnout on a Neonatal Surgical Unit: Audit Study from Cairo University Specialized Pediatric Hospital
Authors: Mahmoud Tarek, Alaa Obeida, Mai Magdy, Khalid Hussein, Aly Shalaby
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Background: More doctors are complaining of burnout than before, Burnout is a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by the doctor’s lifestyle, unfortunately, Medical errors are also more likely in those suffering from burnout and these may result in malpractice suits. Methodology: It is a retrospective audit of burnout response on all neonatologists over a 9 months period. We gathered data using burnout questionnaire, it was obtained from 23 physicians, the physicians divided into 5 categories according to the final score of the 28 questions in the questionnaire. Category 1 with score from 28-38 with almost no work stress, category 2 with score (38-50) who express a low amount of job related stress, category 3 with score (51-70) with moderate amount of stress, category 4 with score (71-90) those express a high amount of job stress and begun to burnout, category 5 with score (91 and above) who are under a dangerous amount of stress and advanced stage of burnout. Results: 33 neonatologists have received the questionnaire, 23 responses were sent back with a response rate of 69.6%. The results showed that 61% of physicians fall in category 4, 31% of the physician in category 5, while 8% of physicians equally distributed between category 2 and 3 (4% each of them). On the other hand, there is no physician present in category 1. Conclusion: Burnout is prevalent in SNICUs, So interventions to minimize burnout prevalence may be of greater importance as this may be reflected indirectly on medical conditions of the patients and physicians, efforts should be done to decrease this high rate of burnout.Keywords: Cairo, work overload, exhaustion, surgery, neonatal ICU
Procedia PDF Downloads 211994 Emotion Processing Differences Between People
Authors: Elif Unveren, Ozlem Bozkurt
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Emotion processing happens when someone has a negative, stressful experience and gets over it in time, and it is a different experience for every person. As to look into emotion processing can be categorised by intensity, awareness, coordination, speed, accuracy and response. It may vary depending on people’s age, sex and conditions. Each emotion processing shows different activation patterns in different brain regions. Activation is significantly higher in the right frontal areas. The highest activation happens in extended frontotemporal areas during the processing of happiness, sadness and disgust. Those emotions also show widely disturbed differences and get produced earlier than anger and fear. For different occasions, listed variables may have less or more importance. A borderline personality disorder is a condition that creates an unstable personality, sudden mood swings and unpredictability of actions. According to a study that was made with healthy people and people who had BPD, there were significant differences in some categories of emotion processing, such as intensity, awareness and accuracy. According to another study that was made to show the emotional processing differences between puberty and was made for only females who were between the ages of 11 and 17, it was perceived that for different ages and hormone levels, different parts of the brain are used to understand the given task. Also, in the different study that was made for kids that were between the age of 4 and 15, it was observed that the older kids were processing emotion more intensely and expressing it to a greater extent. There was a significant increase in fear and disgust in those matters. To sum up, we can say that the activity of undertaking negative experiences is a unique thing for everybody for many different reasons.Keywords: age, sex, conditions, brain regions, emotion processing
Procedia PDF Downloads 83993 A Review on Factors Influencing Implementation of Secure Software Development Practices
Authors: Sri Lakshmi Kanniah, Mohd Naz’ri Mahrin
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More and more businesses and services are depending on software to run their daily operations and business services. At the same time, cyber-attacks are becoming more covert and sophisticated, posing threats to software. Vulnerabilities exist in the software due to the lack of security practices during the phases of software development. Implementation of secure software development practices can improve the resistance to attacks. Many methods, models and standards for secure software development have been developed. However, despite the efforts, they still come up against difficulties in their deployment and the processes are not institutionalized. There is a set of factors that influence the successful deployment of secure software development processes. In this study, the methodology and results from a systematic literature review of factors influencing the implementation of secure software development practices is described. A total of 44 primary studies were analysed as a result of the systematic review. As a result of the study, a list of twenty factors has been identified. Some of factors that affect implementation of secure software development practices are: Involvement of the security expert, integration between security and development team, developer’s skill and expertise, development time and communication between stakeholders. The factors were further classified into four categories which are institutional context, people and action, project content and system development process. The results obtained show that it is important to take into account organizational, technical and people issues in order to implement secure software development initiatives.Keywords: secure software development, software development, software security, systematic literature review
Procedia PDF Downloads 376992 Interaction or Conflict: Addressing Modern Trans-Himalayan Pastoralism and Wildlife
Authors: Amit Kaushik
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Equus kiang kiang is an indigenous large-bodied herbivore species, and in India, it is restricted to limited geographies of Ladakh. One of such areas is the Tsokar Basin. With the rise in global pashmina demand, the livestock numbers have grown significantly. Previous studies have reported conflict between a nomadic pastoral community, the Changpas, and kiang. Absentee pastoralism (in lieu of pure pastoralism) and tourism are two major economic activities among the local people. However, the social, economic, political, and ecological changes are inevitable in such a contemporary system. The study examines several factors influencing the local pastoral economy and focuses on the presence of two non-human cohabitants, kiang, and the wolf. This study used semi-structured interviews and vehicle count method in four different seasons. The results show that people perceived kiang as a threat but also reveal a level of tolerance towards them. The locals predicted high kiang numbers ranging from 200-3000 in the basin and contrastingly ranked them behind wolves, which are very few in numbers. Due to a lack of scientific pieces of evidence, the kiang population status remains obscure, and local peoples’ concerns remain unaddressed. But how this competitive dysfunctionality does take place? On one side, the rural development or the animal husbandry department aims at developing the area by providing stall-feed and tourism, whereas, on another side, the wildlife department emphasizes wildlife conservation. Therefore, the managers and planners may need to be cautious about the local socio-ecological complexities and may require inter-departmental communications. The study concludes that an interdisciplinary inquiry may be an important tool in understanding such a precarious situation and may be used in the policy-making processes.Keywords: coexistence, human-livestock-wildlife interactions, interdisciplinary approach, kiang, policymaking, tsokar.
Procedia PDF Downloads 138991 Prediction on Housing Price Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Li Yu, Chenlu Jiao, Hongrun Xin, Yan Wang, Kaiyang Wang
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In order to study the impact of various factors on the housing price, we propose to build different prediction models based on deep learning to determine the existing data of the real estate in order to more accurately predict the housing price or its changing trend in the future. Considering that the factors which affect the housing price vary widely, the proposed prediction models include two categories. The first one is based on multiple characteristic factors of the real estate. We built Convolution Neural Network (CNN) prediction model and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network prediction model based on deep learning, and logical regression model was implemented to make a comparison between these three models. Another prediction model is time series model. Based on deep learning, we proposed an LSTM-1 model purely regard to time series, then implementing and comparing the LSTM model and the Auto-Regressive and Moving Average (ARMA) model. In this paper, comprehensive study of the second-hand housing price in Beijing has been conducted from three aspects: crawling and analyzing, housing price predicting, and the result comparing. Ultimately the best model program was produced, which is of great significance to evaluation and prediction of the housing price in the real estate industry.Keywords: deep learning, convolutional neural network, LSTM, housing prediction
Procedia PDF Downloads 304990 The Influence of Physical Activity and Health Literacy on Depression Level of First and Second Turkish Generation Living in Germany
Authors: Ceren Akyüz, Ingo Froboese
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Health literacy has gained importance with the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide and has been associated with health status in various chronic diseases. Many studies indicate that mental health can be improved by low- or moderate-intensity activity, and several studies have been proposed to explain the relationship between physical activity and mental health. The aim of the present study is to investigate the levels of physical activity, health literacy, and depression in first- and- second generation Turkish people in Germany. The research consists of 434 participants (255 females, 179 males; age 38.09 ± 13.73). 40.8 % of participants are married, and 59.2 % of participants are single. Education levels are mostly at university level (54.8 %), and graduate level is 18.9 %. While 24.9 % of the participants are second generation, 75.1 % of participants are first generation. All analyses were stratified on gender, marital status, education, generation and income status, and five age categories: 18–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, and 61–79, which were defined to account for age-specific trends while maintaining sufficient cell size for statistical analysis. A correlation of depression with physical activity and health literacy levels between first- and- second generation Turks in Germany was evaluated in order to find out whether there are significant differences between the two populations and demographic variables (gender, marital status, education, generation, income status) with carrying out questionnaires which are European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47), International Physical Activity Questionnaire ( IPAQ) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).Keywords: health literacy, turks in germany, migrants, depression, physical activity
Procedia PDF Downloads 82989 School Emergency Drills Evaluation through E-PreS Monitoring System
Authors: A. Kourou, A. Ioakeimidou, V. Avramea
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Planning for natural disasters and emergencies is something every school or educational institution must consider, regardless of its size or location. Preparedness is the key to save lives if a disaster strikes. School disaster management mirrors individual and family disaster prevention, and wider community disaster prevention efforts. This paper presents the usage of E-PreS System as a helpful, managerial tool during the school earthquake drill, in order to support schools in developing effective disaster and emergency plans specific to their local needs. The project comes up with a holistic methodology using real-time evaluation involving different categories of actors, districts, steps and metrics. The main outcomes of E-PreS project are the development of E-PreS web platform that host the needed data of school emergency planning; the development of E-PreS System; the implementation of disaster drills using E-PreS System in educational premises and local schools; and the evaluation of E-PreS System. Taking into consideration that every disaster drill aims to test and valid school plan and procedures; clarify and train personnel in roles and responsibilities; improve interagency coordination; identify gaps in resources; improve individual performance; and identify opportunities for improvement, E-PreS Project was submitted and approved by the European Commission (EC).Keywords: disaster drills, earthquake preparedness, E-PreS System, school emergency plans
Procedia PDF Downloads 227988 Leading, Teaching and Learning “in the Middle”: Experiences, Beliefs, and Values of Instructional Leaders, Teachers, and Students in Finland, Germany, and Canada
Authors: Brandy Yee, Dianne Yee
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Through the exploration of the lived experiences, beliefs and values of instructional leaders, teachers and students in Finland, Germany and Canada, we investigated the factors which contribute to developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments for early adolescents. Student-centred leadership dimensions, effective instructional practices and student agency were examined through the lens of current policy and research on middle-level learning environments emerging from the Canadian province of Manitoba. Consideration of these three research perspectives in the context of early adolescent learning, placed against an international backdrop, provided a previously undocumented perspective on leading, teaching and learning in the middle years. Aligning with a social constructivist, qualitative research paradigm, the study incorporated collective case study methodology, along with constructivist grounded theory methods of data analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews and document review, as well as direct and participant observation. Three case study narratives were developed to share the rich stories of study participants, who had been selected using maximum variation and intensity sampling techniques. Interview transcript data were coded using processes from constructivist grounded theory. A cross-case analysis yielded a conceptual framework highlighting key factors that were found to be significant in the establishment of developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments. Seven core categories emerged from the cross-case analysis as common to all three countries. Within the visual conceptual framework (which depicts the interconnected nature of leading, teaching and learning in middle-level learning environments), these seven core categories were grouped into Essential Factors (student agency, voice and choice), Contextual Factors (instructional practices; school culture; engaging families and the community), Synergistic Factors (instructional leadership) and Cornerstone Factors (education as a fundamental cultural value; preservice, in-service and ongoing teacher development). In addition, sub-factors emerged from recurring codes in the data and identified specific characteristics and actions found in developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments. Although this study focused on 12 schools in Finland, Germany and Canada, it informs the practice of educators working with early adolescent learners in middle-level learning environments internationally. The authentic voices of early adolescent learners are the most important resource educators have to gauge if they are creating effective learning environments for their students. Ongoing professional dialogue and learning is essential to ensure teachers are supported in their work and develop the pedagogical practices needed to meet the needs of early adolescent learners. It is critical to balance consistency, coherence and dependability in the school environment with the necessary flexibility in order to support the unique learning needs of early adolescents. Educators must intentionally create a school culture that unites teachers, students and their families in support of a common purpose, as well as nurture positive relationships between the school and its community. A large, urban school district in Canada has implemented a school cohort-based model to begin to bring developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments to scale.Keywords: developmentally responsive learning environments, early adolescents, middle level learning, middle years, instructional leadership, instructional practices, intellectually engaging learning environments, leadership dimensions, student agency
Procedia PDF Downloads 304987 The Role of Continuing Professional Education in Interpretive Guiding in South Africa
Authors: Duduzile Dlamini-Boemah, Haretsebe Manwa, Lisebo Tseane-Gumbi
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The demands and expectations of twenty-first century tourists have changed, and they continue to have an impact on tour guiding in cultural and natural tourist attractions. The traditional communicative role of the tour guide as a mere presenter is not sufficient anymore; instead, there are expectations from the tourists of guides who provide effective interpretive guiding. It is always questionable if tour guides in South Africa are equipped with the skills for effective interpretation, yet limited research has been conducted to investigate the continuing professional education of tour guides in South Africa. Instead, much attention has been given to aspects of registration and certification of tour guides in South Africa. Concerns have been raised about tour guiding and have led to the development of a strategy by the Department of Tourism to professionalise tourists guiding that includes training. However, the necessity for tourism training in tour guiding in South Africa was raised as early as in the 1980s, the paper argues that there is a further need to emphasise continuing professional education in interpretive guiding in South Africa. In this study, continuing education and training are considered to involve the upgrading of the skills and knowledge of interpretation of those who are already working as tour guides at the cultural and natural attractions. The study is guided by the empowerment theory. The aim of this paper is to present issues of effective interpretive guiding and continuing professional education in interpretive guiding in South Africa. This study is based on the literature survey of secondary sources such as academic journal articles, government documents, and reports and books. The conclusions indicate that there is a need for training in interpretive delivery techniques in South Africa. The need for interpretive training in interpretive delivery techniques is attributed by the call to allow people to use indigenous knowledge, rather than formal education as a basis for becoming a field guide as well as affording the previously disadvantaged individuals to access training opportunities as tourist guides.Keywords: continuing education, interpretive delivery skills, interpretive guiding, tour guide
Procedia PDF Downloads 172986 Public Bus Transport Passenger Safety Evaluations in Ghana: A Phenomenological Constructivist Exploration
Authors: Enoch F. Sam, Kris Brijs, Stijn Daniels, Tom Brijs, Geert Wets
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Notwithstanding the growing body of literature that recognises the importance of personal safety to public transport (PT) users, it remains unclear what PT users consider regarding their safety. In this study, we explore the criteria PT users in Ghana use to assess bus safety. This knowledge will afford a better understanding of PT users’ risk perceptions and assessments which may contribute to theoretical models of PT risk perceptions. We utilised phenomenological research methodology, with data drawn from 61 purposively sampled participants. Data collection (through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews) and analyses were done concurrently to the point of saturation. Our inductive data coding and analyses through the constant comparison and content analytic techniques resulted in 4 code categories (conceptual dimensions), 27 codes (safety items/criteria), and 100 quotations (data segments). Of the number of safety criteria participants use to assess bus safety, vehicle condition, driver’s marital status, and transport operator’s safety records were the most considered. With each criterion, participants rightly demonstrated its respective relevance to bus safety. These findings imply that investment in and maintenance of safer vehicles, and responsible and safety-conscious drivers, and prioritization of passengers’ safety are key-targets for public bus/minibus operators in Ghana.Keywords: safety evaluations, public bus/minibus, passengers, phenomenology, Ghana
Procedia PDF Downloads 337985 A Comprehensive Review on Health Hazards and Challenges for Microbial Remediation of Persistent Organic Pollutants
Authors: Nisha Gaur, K.Narasimhulu, Pydi Setty Yelamarthy
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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have become a great concern due to their toxicity, transformation and bioaccumulation property. Therefore, this review highlights the types, sources, classification health hazards and mobility of organochlorine pesticides, industrial chemicals and their by-products. Moreover, with the signing of Aarhus and Stockholm convention on POPs there is an increased demand to identify and characterise such chemicals from industries and environment which are toxic in nature or to existing biota. Due to long life, persistent nature they enter into body through food and transfer to all tropic levels of ecological unit. In addition, POPs are lipophilic in nature and accumulate in lipid-containing tissues and organs which further indicates the adverse symptoms after the threshold limit. Though, several potential enzymes are reported from various categories of microorganism and their interaction with POPs may break down the complex compounds either through biodegradation, biostimulation or bioaugmentation process, however technological advancement and human activities have also indicated to explore the possibilities for the role of genetically modified organisms and metagenomics and metabolomics. Though many studies have been done to develop low cost, effective and reliable method for detection, determination and removal of ultra-trace concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) but due to insufficient knowledge and non-feasibility of technique, the safe management of POPs is still a global challenge.Keywords: persistent organic pollutants, bioaccumulation, biostimulation, microbial remediation
Procedia PDF Downloads 296