Search results for: psychological and behavioral problems

Authors: B. Parchem, M. Watanabe, D. Modrakovic, L. Mathew, A. Franklin, M. Cao, R. E. Broudy

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Objective: Executive functioning (EF) deficits underlie several mental health diagnoses including ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Community mental health clinics face extensive waitlists for services with many referrals involving EF deficits. A pilot trial of a four-week group therapy was developed using key components from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness with an aim to improve EF skills and offer low-fee services. Method: Eight adults (M = 34.5) waiting for services at a community clinic were enrolled in a four-week group therapy at an in-house training clinic for doctoral trainees. Baseline EF, pre-/post-intervention ADHD and distress symptoms, group satisfaction, and curriculum helpfulness were assessed. Results: Downward trends in ADHD and distress symptoms pre/post-intervention were not significant. Favorable responses on group satisfaction and helpfulness suggest clinical utility. Conclusion: Preliminary pilot data from a brief group therapy to improve EF may be an efficacious, acceptable, and feasible intervention for adults waiting for services at community mental health and training clinics where there are high demands and limits to services and staffs.

Keywords: executive functioning, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness, adult group therapy

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Authors: R. Echeverría Echeverría, C. Carrillo Trujillo, N. Evia Alamilla

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Today, bullying is an expression of violence. It is a present problem in different contexts. Bullying and harassment have become subject matter of professional psychology , anthropology and other social sciences and related areas. However, most research on bullying have focused on peer violence and basic education. There is little attention to harassment in higher education. It also has little generation of research and interventions in universities, undergraduate and postgraduate level. The aim of this paper is to present a proposal for intervention to the attention of college students who have had an experience of harassment and / or bullying in a Public University of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The methodology was qualitative phenomenological. Semiestructura interview techniques and focus groups were used. 6 students participated who have lived harassment or bullying. Also they are participating teachers and university leaders who play an important role in the presence of such cases. The purpose is to analyze the presence of policies for the prevention, treatment and punishment of those problems. The qualitative data analysis will be based on the general proposal of Rodriguez Gomez Gil Flores and García Jiménez (1999). The results show the need to create a body entrusted to provide timely attention to cases of bullying or harassment that are reported. It is important to take legal and psychological support of the University authorities. It is proposed to create a mechanism to ensure timely care and not victimized who has had the experience; in addition to the punishment of those who exercised to ensure that violence. In discussing the successes and failures of the proposal are highlighted. And the processes that have been facilitated or hampered progress for the project.

Keywords: bullying, harassment, intervention, public university

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Authors: Saeideh Lotfi Nikoo, Azadeh Ghaheri, Reza Omani Samani

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Context: In most cultures around the globe, infertility is recognized as a crisis and exposed infertile couples are under psychosocial pressure. Indeed, the quality of life (QoL) for infertile women is lower in comparison with fertile control. Objective, The purpose of this study, was to investigate the impact of social support and hope on QoL in women undergoing infertility treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Patient(s): In this cross-sectional study, 350 infertile women were recruited who were referred to an infertility clinic for the first time and had no history of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) failure. Intervention(s): Questionnaires on the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL), Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (family and friends), and Snyder Hope Scale (pathway and agency) were used to collect data. Data analysis was done by univariate and multivariate analysis. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result(s): Multivariate analysis indicated that infertile women with a higher score of social support (by family & friends) (b= 0.59 (CI 95%: 0.03, 1.15) (P = 0.040), b= 0.61 (CI 95%: 0.17, 1.04) (P = 0.006)) and hope (pathway & agency) (b= 0.94 (CI 95%: 0.29, 1.59) (P = 0.005), b= 1.13 (CI 95%: 0.45, 1.82) (P = 0.001) respectively) have significantly better Core FertiQoL. The result revealed that social support and hope are significantly and positively associated with other subscales of FertiQoL as well. Conclusions: According to the results, lifestyle interventions such as receiving social support, building a sound family with effective communication, and providing appropriate health education are of crucial importance to address psychological distress and improve the fertility QoL of women experiencing fertility problems.

Keywords: inertility, social support, infertile women, hope

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Authors: Panagiotis Platanitis

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Purpose: This research paper seeks to review the empirical studies in the field of expatriate adjustment in East Asia in order to produce a thematic understanding of the current adjustment challenges, thus enabling practitioners to enrich their knowledge. Background: Learning to live, work, and function in a country and culture vastly different from that of one’s upbringing can pose some unique challenges in terms of adaptation and adjustment. This has led to a growing body of research about the adjustment of expatriate workers. Adjustment itself has been posited as a three-dimensional construct; work adjustment, interaction adjustment and general or cultural adjustment. Methodology: This qualitative systematic review has been conducted on all identified peer-reviewed empirical studies related to expatriate adjustment in East Asia. Five electronic databases (PsychInfo, Emerald, Scopus, EBSCO and JSTOR) were searched to December 2015. Out of 625 identified records, thorough evaluation for eligibility resulted in 15 relevant studies being subjected to data analysis. The quality of the identified research was assessed according to the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields. The data were analysed by means of thematic synthesis for systematic reviews of qualitative research. Findings: Data analysis revealed five key themes. The themes developed were: (1) personality traits (2) types of adjustment, (3) language, (4) culture and (5) coping strategies. Types of adjustment included subthemes such as: Interaction, general, work, psychological, sociocultural and cross-cultural adjustment. Conclusion: The present review supported previous literature on the different themes of adjustment and it takes the focus from work and general adjustment to the psychological challenges and it introduces the psychological adjustment. It also gives a different perspective about the use of cross-cultural training and the coping strategies expatriates use when they are abroad. This review helps counselling psychologists to understand the importance of a multicultural approach when working with expatriates and also to be aware of what expatriates might face when working and living in East Asia.

Keywords: adjustment, counselling psychology, East Asia, expatriates

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Authors: Gaurav Kumar

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An information literate person is one who uses information effectively in all its forms. When presented with questions or problems, an information literate person would know what information to look for, how to search efficiently and be able to access relevant sources. In addition, an information literate person would have the ability to evaluate and select appropriate information sources and to use the information effectively and ethically to answer questions or solve problems. Information literacy has become an important element in higher education. The information literacy movement has internationally recognized standards and learning outcomes. The step-by-step process of achieving information literacy is particularly crucial in an era where knowledge could be disseminated through a variety of media. What is the relationship between information literacy as we define it in higher education and information literacy among non-academic populations? What forces will change how we think about the definition of information literacy in the future and how we will apply the definition in all environments?

Keywords: information literacy, human beings, visual media and computer network etc, information literacy

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Authors: C. Puangsawat, C. Limotai, P. Srikhachin

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Bio-psycho-social caring was required for promoting the quality of life of the patients with epilepsy (PWE), despite controlled seizures. Multifaceted issues emerge at the epilepsy clinic. Unpredicted seizures, antiepileptic drug compliance problems/adverse effects, psychiatric, and social problems are all needed to be explored and managed. The Nursing Service System (NSS) at the tertiary epilepsy clinic (TEC) was consequently developed for improving the clinical care for PWE. Case manager concept was integrated as the framework guiding the processes and strategies used for developing the NSS as well as the roles of the multidisciplinary team at the clinic. This study aimed to report the outcomes of the developed NSS integrated case manager concept. The processes of our developed NSS program included 1) screening for patient’s problems using questionnaire prior to seeing epileptologists i.e., assessing the patient’s risk to develop acute seizures at the clinic, issues related to medication use, and uncovered psychiatric and social problems; and 2) assigning the patients at risk to be evaluated and managed by appropriate team. Nurses specializing in epilepsy in coordination with the multidisciplinary team implemented the NSS to promote coordinated work among the team which consists of epileptologists, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and social workers. Determination of the role of each person and their responsibilities along with joint care plan were clearly established. One year after implementation, the rate of acute seizure occurrence at the clinic was decreased, and satisfactory feedback from the patients was received. In order to achieve an optimal goal to promote self-management behaviors in PWE, continuing the NSS and systematic assessment of its effectiveness is required.

Keywords: case manager concept, nursing service system, patients with epilepsy, quality of life

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Authors: Andrew Hwang

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The average American worker sits for thirteen hours a day, often with poor posture and infrequent breaks, which can lead to health issues and back problems. The Smart Cushion was created to alert individuals of their poor postures, and may potentially alleviate back problems and correct poor posture. The Smart Cushion is a portable, rectangular, foam cushion, with five strategically placed pressure sensors, that utilizes an Arduino Uno circuit board and specifically designed software, allowing it to collect data from the five pressure sensors and store the data on an SD card. The data is then compiled into graphs and compared to controlled postures. Before volunteers sat on the cushion, their levels of back pain were recorded on a scale from 1-10. Data was recorded for an hour during sitting, and then a new, corrected posture was suggested. After using the suggested posture for an hour, the volunteers described their level of discomfort on a scale from 1-10. Different patterns of sitting postures were generated that were able to serve as early warnings of potential back problems. By using the Smart Cushion, the areas where different volunteers were applying the most pressure while sitting could be identified, and the sitting postures could be corrected. Further studies regarding the relationships between posture and specific regions of the body are necessary to better understand the origins of back pain; however, the Smart Cushion is sufficient for correcting sitting posture and preventing the development of additional back pain.

Keywords: Arduino Sketch Algorithm, biomedical technology, pressure sensors, Smart Cushion

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Authors: Mamatha M. N.

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Traffic problems, congested traffic, and flow management were recognized as major problems mostly in all the areas, which have caused a problem for the ambulance which carries the emergency patient. The proposed paper aims in the development of ambulance which reaches the nearby hospital faster even in heavy traffic scenario. This process is activated by implementing hardware in an ambulance as well as in traffic post thus allowing a smooth flow to the ambulance to reach the hospital in time. 1) The design of the vehicle to have a communication between ambulance and traffic post. 2)Electronic Health Record with Data-acquisition system 3)Telemetry of acquired biological parameters to the nearest hospital. Thus interfacing all these three different modules and integrating them on the ambulance could reach the hospital earlier than the present ambulance. The system is accurate and efficient of 99.8%.

Keywords: bio-telemetry, data acquisition, patient database, automatic traffic control

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Authors: Kusmayadi Ita Nursita, Sundoro Ali

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Cleft lip and palate are one of the most common congenital abnormalities in the face. It could happen to anyone, but mostly affect Asian population including Indonesia. Factors that influence the occurrence of cleft lip and palate vary from genetic to environmental factors. Children with cleft lip and palate will often have various problems such as airway disorders, eating disorders, speech and language developmental disorders, hearing disorders and psycho-social disorders, one of which is caused by appearance disorders. During his life, the child will experience multidisciplinary surgery and non-surgical treatment and can be accompanied by a psychological and financial burden on himself and his family. In Indonesia, there are no detailed scientific data on the prevalence and characteristic of cleft lip and palate patients. It was mainly caused by the absence of a national level organization, differences in geographical location, and the absence of national guidelines. This study aimed to describe the characteristic and prevalence of cleft lip and palate patients in Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017. A total of 560 patients were included in the study. The highest percentage of cases are left unilateral cleft lip and palate with higher number of female patient and labioplasty as the most often surgical procedure to be conducted in Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center. In order to improve quality of life in patients with cleft lip and palate, early recognition and early treatment based on actual comprehensive data should be conducted. The data from Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center as one of the largest center of cleft lip and palate in West Java Indonesia hopefully could provide a big step of further comprehensive data collection in Indonesia and for the better overall management of cleft lip and palate in the future.

Keywords: cleft lip, cleft palate, characteristic, prevalence

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Authors: Ayodeji Adebayo, Tolulope Soyannwo, Oluwakemi A. Sigbeku

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Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem with adverse health consequences. There is increasing evidence of association of IPV with mental health problems. Understanding the association between IPV and mental health status of women of reproductive aged group in the rural communities in Nigeria can provide information to improve maternal health status. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between experience of IPV and mental health status of women of reproductive aged group in a rural community in Southwest Nigeria. A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted using a cluster sampling technique to select 283 non-pregnant women of reproductive age group (15-49 years Mental health was assessed based on respondents’ experience of any symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or low self-esteem. IPV was assessed over a period of 12 months and the forms of IPV assessed were emotional, physical and sexual. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on experience of IPV, reproductive history and factors influencing mental health. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression at 5% level of significance. The mean age of respondents was 26.1± 7.8 with 57.1% aged 15-24years. More than half (58.0%) were married. Overall, 60.7% of respondents had mental health problems while 84.8% experienced all categories of violence. The pattern of IPV includes physical violence (10.7%), emotional violence (82.7%) and sexual violence (20.8%). Women who experienced sexual violence by a partner are most likely to suffer from all mental issues. Also, gynaecological morbidities are associated with increasing risk of mental health problems. The research demonstrates an urgent need for mental health policies to recognize the relationship between intimate partner violence, gynaecological morbidities and mental health problems in women in Nigeria.

Keywords: intimate partner violence, mental health, reproductive age group, women

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Authors: Sudhir Kumar Tewatia, Kanishck Tewatia, Anttriksh Tewatia

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Advancements in soil consolidation are discussed, and further improvements are proposed with particular reference to Tewatia’s Y-Y’ Approach, which is called the Settlement versus Rate of Settlement Approach in consolidation. A branch of calculus named Y-Y' (or y versus dy/dx) is suggested (as compared to the common X-Y', x versus dy/dx, dy/dx versus x or Newton-Leibniz branch) that solves some complicated/unsolved theoretical and practical problems in physical sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, and allied sciences) and engineering in an amazingly simple and short manner, particularly when independent variable X is unknown and X-Y' Approach can’t be used. Complicated theoretical and practical problems in 1D, 2D, 3D Primary and Secondary consolidations with non-uniform gradual loading and irregularly shaped clays are solved with elementary school level Y-Y' Approach, and it is interesting to note that in X-Y' Approach, equations become more difficult while we move from one to three dimensions, but in Y-Y' Approach even 2D/3D equations are very simple to derive, solve, and use; rather easier sometimes. This branch of calculus will have a far-reaching impact on understanding and solving the problems in different fields of physical sciences and engineering that were hitherto unsolved or difficult to be solved by normal calculus/numerical/computer methods. Some particular cases from soil consolidation that basically creeps and diffusion equations in isolation and in combination with each other are taken for comparison with heat transfer. The Y-Y’ Approach can similarly be applied in wave equations and other fields wherever normal calculus works or fails. Soil mechanics uses mathematical analogies from other fields of physical sciences and engineering to solve theoretical and practical problems; for example, consolidation theory is a replica of the heat equation from thermodynamics with the addition of the effective stress principle. An attempt is made to give them mathematical analogies.

Keywords: calculus, clay, consolidation, creep, diffusion, heat, settlement

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Authors: Olusola Ezekiel Abolarin, Gift E. Noah

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This research work considered an innovative procedure to numerically approximate higher-order Initial value problems (IVP) of ordinary differential equations (ODE) using the Legendre polynomial as the basis function. The proposed method is a half-step, self-starting Block integrator employed to approximate fourth and fifth order IVPs without reduction to lower order. The method was developed through a collocation and interpolation approach. The basic properties of the method, such as convergence, consistency and stability, were well investigated. Several test problems were considered, and the results compared favorably with both exact solutions and other existing methods.

Keywords: initial value problem, ordinary differential equation, implicit off-grid block method, collocation, interpolation

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Authors: Adeola Adejumo, Oluwole David Adebayo, Muraina Kamilu Olanrewaju

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of some psychological factors (i.e, school climate, parental involvement and classroom interaction) on the learning gains of university undergraduates in Mathematics in Ibadan, Nigeria. Three hundred undergraduates who are on open distance learning education programme in the University of Ibadan and thirty mathematics lecturers constituted the study’s sample. Both the independent and dependent variables were measured with relevant standardized instruments and the data obtained was analyzed using multiple regression statistical method. The instruments used were school climate scale, parental involvement scale and classroom interaction scale. Three research questions were answered in the study. The result showed that there was significant relationship between the three independent variables (school climate, parental involvement and classroom interaction) on the students’ learning gain in mathematics and that the independent variables both jointly and relatively contributed significantly to the prediction of students’ learning gain in mathematics. On the strength of these findings, the need to enhance the school climate, improve the parents’ involvement in the student’s education and encourage students’ classroom interaction were stressed and advocated.

Keywords: school climate, parental involvement, ODL, learning gains, mathematics

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Authors: M. Moradi Dalini, M. R. Talebi

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This research revolves around a technical method according to combines econometric and multiobjective programming to select and obtain optimal solutions to management problems. It is taken for a generation that; it is important to analyze which combination of values of the explanatory variables -in an econometric method- would point to the simultaneous achievement of the best values of the response variables. In this case, if a certain degree of conflict is viewed among the response variables, we suggest a multiobjective method in order to the results obtained from a regression analysis. In fact, with the use of a multiobjective method, we will have the best decision about the conflicting relationship between the response variables and the optimal solution. The combined multiobjective programming and econometrics benefit is an assessment of a balanced “optimal” situation among them because a find of information can hardly be extracted just by econometric techniques.

Keywords: econometrics, multiobjective optimization, management problem, optimization

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Authors: Romuald Temomo Wamba, Robert Wanda

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The issue of creative accounting in the psychological and sociological framework has been a mixed subject for over 60 years. The objective of this article is to ensure the existence of creative accounting in Cameroonian entities on the one hand and to understand the strategies used by audit agents to detect errors, omissions, irregularities, or inadequacies in the financial state; optimization techniques used by account preparers to strategically bypass texts on the other hand. To achieve this, we conducted an exploratory study using a cognitive approach, and the data analysis was performed by the software 'decision explorer'. The results obtained challenge the authors' cognition (manifest latent and deceptive behavior). The tax inspectors stress that the entities in Cameroon do not derogate from the rules of piloting in the financial statements. Likewise, they claim a change in current income and net income through depreciation, provisions, inventories, and the spreading of charges over long periods. This suggests the suspicion or intention of manipulating the financial statements. As for the techniques, the account preparers manage the accruals at the end of the year as the basis of the practice of creative accounting. Likewise, management accounts are more favorable to results management.

Keywords: creative accounting, sociocognitive approach, psychological and sociological approach, cognitive dissonance theory, cognitive mapping

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Authors: Akram Sadat Jafari Roodbandi, Farzaneh Akbari, Vafa Feyzi, Zahra Zare, Zohreh Foroozanfar

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Introduction: Circadian rhythm or sleep-awake cycle in 24 hours is one of the important factors affecting the physiological and psychological characteristics in humans that contribute to biochemical, physiological and behavioral processes and helps people to set up brain and body for sleep or active awakening during certain hours. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of circadian rhythms on the sleep quality and sleepiness according to their demographic characteristics such as age. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was carried out among the general population of Kerman, aged 15-84 years. After dividing the age groups into 10-year demographic characteristics questionnaire, the type of circadian questionnaire, Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire and Euporth sleepiness questionnaire were completed in equal numbers between men and women of that age group. Using cluster sampling with effect design equal 2, 1300 questionnaires were distributed during the various hours of 24 hours in public places in Kerman city. Data analysis was done using SPSS software and univariate tests and linear regressions at a significance level of 0.05. Results: In this study, 1147 subjects were included in the study, 584 (50.9%) were male and the rest were women. The mean age was 39.50 ± 15.38. 133 (11.60%) subjects from the study participants had sleepiness and 308 (26.90%) subjects had undesirable sleep quality. Using linear regression test, sleep quality was the significant correlation with sex, hours needed for sleep at 24 hours, chronic illness, sleepiness, and circadian rhythm amplitude. Sleepiness was the meaningful relationship with marital status, sleep-wake schedule of other family members and the stability of circadian rhythm. Both women and men, with age, decrease the quality of sleep and increase the rate of sleepiness. Conclusion: Age, sex, and type of circadian people, the need for sleep at 24 hours, marital status, sleep-wake schedule of other family members are significant factors related to the sleep quality and sleepiness and their adaptation to night shift work.

Keywords: circadian type, sleep quality, sleepiness, age, shift work

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Authors: Tanja Salary

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This study uncovers a gap in the research and adds to the body of knowledge regarding medication errors in a juvenile justice facility. The study includes an introduction to data collected about medication errors in a juvenile justice facility and explores contributing factors that relate to those errors. The data represent electronic incident records of the medication errors that were documented from the years 2011 through 2019. In addition, this study reviews both current and historical research of empirical data about patient safety standards and quality care comparing traditional healthcare facilities to juvenile justice residential facilities. The theoretical/conceptual framework for the research study pertains to Bandura and Adams’s (1977) framework of self-efficacy theory of behavioral change and Mark Friedman’s results-based accountability theory (2005). Despite the lack of evidence in previous studies about addressing medication errors in juvenile justice facilities, this presenter will relay information that adds to the body of knowledge to note the importance of how assessing the potential relationship between medication errors. Implications for more research include recommendations for more education and training regarding increased communication among juvenile justice staff, including nurses, who administer medications to juveniles to ensure adherence to patient safety standards. There are several opportunities for future research concerning other characteristics about factors that may affect medication administration errors within the residential juvenile justice facility.

Keywords: juvenile justice, medication errors, psychotropic medications, behavioral health, juveniles, incarcerated youth, recidivism, patient safety

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Authors: Elias Kodjo Kekesi

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This study seeks to investigate a critical but neglected area in disaster and emergency management in Ghana. It explores aspects of work within one of the safety-critical work environments that expose workers to psychological, social and physical harm. With much attention to crises’ survivors, deceased and their families, this research attempts to answer a key question: ‘What happens to the rescuer’? Emergency response is associated with immense and unprecedented pressure that puts responders’ physical, mental and social well-being at risk. Despite the negative psychological outcomes, scholars argue that being in a traumatic situation may trigger positive outcomes for some people. Thus, the study also focuses on the positive impact of working in a risky crisis environment. Additionally, people’s interpretation of negative experiences or exposure to adverse conditions differ owing to their personal resources which explains why some people may be negatively affected whiles others are positively impacted. To examine these complex nuances, an exploratory sequential mixed method design is adopted. This paper will highlight the findings of study one, which explores the underlying themes emerging from the Ghanaian disaster and emergency response environment regarding psychosocial hazard exposures and the corresponding outcomes.

Keywords: psychosocial hazards, organisational outcomes, qualitative research, Ghana

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Authors: Thanaa M. Sulaiman

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The Iraqi education system has suffered greatly as a result of wars, political instability, and economic problems. After the fall of Saddam’s regime in 2003, the Iraqi education system was proportionally the most impacted sector. The new administration prioritized educational reforms. International organizations, as well as foreign countries, were in the lead to achieve educational reforms. The current study aims to shed light on the reformation process and the roles of different stakeholders, especially international organizations. It also aims to explore the current problems facing the Iraqi education system. Additionally, it aims to explore the different programs and projects that are funded and implemented by international organizations and the impact of these programs and projects.

Keywords: Iraq, Iraqi education system, educational reform, international organizations

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Authors: Yemisrach Mihertu Amsale

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The purpose of this study was to compare burnout and coping strategies between HIV counselors in face to face and online counseling settings in Addis Ababa. The study was mixed approach design that was quantitative and qualitative. For the quantitative data the participants involved in this study included 64 face to face and 47 online HIV counselors in both counseling settings. In addition, 23 participants were involved to offer qualitative data from both counseling settings. For the purpose of gathering the quantitative data, the instruments, namely, demographic questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory and the COPE questionnaire, were used to gather quantitative data. Qualitative data was also gathered in the FGD Guide and Interview Guide. Thus, this study revealed that HIV counselors in online counseling settings scored high on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low in personal accomplishment dimensions of burnout as compared to HIV counselors in face to face setting and the difference was statistically significant in emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, but there was no a significant difference on depersonalization dimension of burnout between the two groups. In addition, the present study revealed a statistically significant difference on problem focused coping strategy between the two groups and yet for on the emotion focused coping strategy the difference was not statistically significant. Statistically negative correlation was observed between some demographic variables such as age with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions of burnout; years of experiences and personal accomplishment dimension of burnout. A statistically positive correlation was also observed between average number of clients served per day and emotional exhaustion. Sex was having a statistically positive correlation with coping strategy. Lastly, a significant positive correlation was also observed in the emotional exhaustion dimension of the burnout and the emotional focused coping strategy. Generally, this study has shown that HIV counselors suffer from moderate to high level of burnout. Based on the findings, conclusions were made and recommendations were forwarded.

Keywords: counseling, burnout management, psychological, behavioral sciences

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Authors: Alshutwi Sitah

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Many countries around the world are struggling to maintain an adequate number of nurses. Inadequate nursing staffing could compromise the quality of patient care. Among many factors that contribute to registered nurses (RN) turnover, the influence of work–family conflict (WFC) has gained little attention. WFC was found to be significantly associated with increased turnover intention (TI) among employees. Furthermore, WFC has been linked to a number of negative consequences, including lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment, sleep insufficiency, insomnia symptoms, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, sleep insufficiency, and high cholesterol. In an effort to find strategies to manage the consequences of WFC, many behavioral, psychological, and career scholars have focused on the role of supervisor support. Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB) has been found to be a promising approach contributing to the reduction of TI in employees’ experiencing WFC. Despite the importance of work–family issues and the influence of FSSB, limited studies have been conducted among the nursing population and none were found that included a sample from Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the main Purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of FSSB on the relationship among WFC, Stress, and TI in Saudi Arabian registered nurses. Method: A cross-sectional study. Sample: Convenience sampling; 113 Saudi female nurse. Result: Fifty percent of nurses intended to leave their workplace, 68 % of nurses reported having a conflict between work and family, and 44% reported having a high level of stress. A significant positive correlation was found between WFC and TI (r= .43, P < 0.01). A negative correlation was found between FSSB and TI (r= -.53, P < 0.01). Both WFC and stress were associated with TI; however, these associations were buffered (weaken), when nurses had higher FSSB. Conclusion: The FSSB could be seen as a tool to help married, female nurses to demonstrate their professional role without compromising their family responsibilities. Nurses’ turnover is a complex issue that may require multiple prevention strategies; however, enhancing FSSB could be a key resource for maintaining a positive workplace environment and reducing TI.

Keywords: turnover intention, work-family conflict, supervisor support, nursing retention

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Authors: Pedro Esteban

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Most installations nowadays are exposed to many power quality problems, and they also face numerous challenges to comply with grid code and energy efficiency requirements. The reason behind this is that they are not designed to support nonlinear, non-balanced, and variable loads and generators that make up a large percentage of modern electric power systems. These problems and challenges become especially critical when designing green buildings and smart cities. These problems and challenges are caused by equipment that can be typically found in these installations like variable speed drives (VSD), transformers, lighting, battery chargers, double-conversion UPS (uninterruptible power supply) systems, highly dynamic loads, single-phase loads, fossil fuel generators and renewable generation sources, to name a few. Moreover, events like capacitor switching (from existing capacitor banks or passive harmonic filters), auto-reclose operations of transmission and distribution lines, or the starting of large motors also contribute to these problems and challenges. Active power filters (APF) are one of the fastest-growing power electronics technologies for solving power quality problems and meeting grid code and energy efficiency requirements for a wide range of segments and applications. They are a high performance, flexible, compact, modular, and cost-effective type of power electronics solutions that provide an instantaneous and effective response in low or high voltage electric power systems. They enable longer equipment lifetime, higher process reliability, improved power system capacity and stability, and reduced energy losses, complying with most demanding power quality and energy efficiency standards and grid codes. There can be found several types of active power filters, including active harmonic filters (AHF), static var generators (SVG), active load balancers (ALB), hybrid var compensators (HVC), and low harmonic drives (LHD) nowadays. All these devices can be used in applications in Smart Cities bringing several technical and economic benefits.

Keywords: power quality improvement, energy efficiency, grid code compliance, green buildings, smart cities

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Authors: Ivonne N. Pérez-Sánchez. María L. Rascón- Gasca, Angélica Riveros-Rosas, Rebeca Robles García

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Introduction: Primary caregivers of cancer patients have health problems related to their lack of time, stress, and fiscal strain. Their health problems could affect their patients’ health and also increase the expenses in public health. Aim: To describe self-care and risk behaviors in a sample of Mexican primary caregiver and the relation of these behaviors with emotional distress (caregiver burden, anxiety and depression symptoms), coping and sociodemographic variables. Method: Participated in this study 173 caregivers of a third level reference medical facility (age: M=49.4, SD=13.5) females 78%, males 22%, 57.5% were caregivers of patients with terminal cancer (CPTC), and 40.5% were caregivers of patients on oncology treatment (CPOT). Results: The 75.7% of caregivers reported to have had health problem in last six months as well as several symptoms which were related to emotional distress, these symptoms were more frequently between CPTC and female caregivers. A half (47.3%) of sample reported have had difficulties in caring their health; these difficulties were related to emotional distress and lower coping, more affected caregivers were who attend male patients and CPTC. The 76.8% of caregivers had health problems in last six months, but 26.5% of them waited to search medical care until they were very sick, and 11% didn't do it. Also, more than a half of sample (56.1%) admitted to have risk behaviors as drink alcohol, smoke or overeating for feeling well, these caregivers showed high emotional distress and lower coping. About caregivers healthy behaviors, 80% of them had a hobby; 27.2% do exercise usually and between 12% to 60% did medical checkups (glucose tests, blood pressure and cholesterol tests, eye exams and watched their weight), these caregivers had lower emotional distress and high coping, some variables related health behaviors were: care only one patient or a female patient and be a CPOT, social support, high educational level and experience as a caregiver in past. The half of caregivers were worrying to develop cancer in the future; this idea was 2.5 times more frequent in caregiver with problems to care their health. Conclusions: The results showed a big proportion of caregivers with medical problems. High emotional distress and low coping were related to physical symptoms, risk behaviors, and low self-care; poor self-care was frequently even in caregiver who have chronic illness.

Keywords: cancer, primary caregiver, risk behaviors, self-care

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Authors: Krisada Sungkhamanee

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The objectives of this research are to search the management pattern of one district lodging entrepreneurs by sufficient economy ways, to know the constrains that affects this sector and design fit arrangement shape to sustain their business with Samut Songkram style. What will happen if they do not use this approach? Will they have a monetary crisis? The data and information are collected by informal discussions with 8 managers and 400 questionnaires. A mixed methods of both qualitative research and quantitative research are used and Bent Flyvbjerg’s phronesis is utilized for this analysis. Our paper will prove that sufficient economy can help small business firms to solve their problems. We think that the results of our research will be a financial pattern to solve many problems of the entrepreneurs and this way will can be a super model for other provinces of Thailand.

Keywords: Samut Songkram, service sector, sufficient economy, management pattern

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Authors: Abderrahim Elmoataz

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More and more contemporary applications involve data in the form of functions defined on irregular and topologically complicated domains (images, meshs, points clouds, networks, etc). Such data are not organized as familiar digital signals and images sampled on regular lattices. However, they can be conveniently represented as graphs where each vertex represents measured data and each edge represents a relationship (connectivity or certain affinities or interaction) between two vertices. Processing and analyzing these types of data is a major challenge for both image and machine learning communities. Hence, it is very important to transfer to graphs and networks many of the mathematical tools which were initially developed on usual Euclidean spaces and proven to be efficient for many inverse problems and applications dealing with usual image and signal domains. Historically, the main tools for the study of graphs or networks come from combinatorial and graph theory. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the investigation of one of the major mathematical tools for signal and image analysis, which are Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) variational methods on graphs. The normalized p-laplacian operator has been recently introduced to model a stochastic game called tug-of-war-game with noise. Part interest of this class of operators arises from the fact that it includes, as particular case, the infinity Laplacian, the mean curvature operator and the traditionnal Laplacian operators which was extensiveley used to models and to solve problems in image processing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and to study a new class of normalized p-Laplacian on graphs. The introduction is based on the extension of p-harmonious function introduced in as discrete approximation for both infinity Laplacian and p-Laplacian equations. Finally, we propose to use these operators as a framework for solving many inverse problems in image processing.

Keywords: normalized p-laplacian, image processing, stochastic game, inverse problems

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Authors: Promila Dahiya, Kiran Singh

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Indian agriculture has come a long way from being an era of frequent droughts and vulnerability to food shortages to becoming a significant exporter of agricultural commodities. Polyhouses are essentially microcosms aimed at providing physical environment suitable for the survival and growth of plants with high degree of temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide. The present study was conducted in 21 districts of Haryana State to review Polyhouse farming is an alternative farming in Haryana State to fulfil the needs of population byminimum use of land, water and energy. The information regarding number, area and type of polyhouses and subsidy provided by Govt. of India and Haryana on polyhouse farming was collected from respective district horticulture offices of Haryana State. Four different types of polyhouses were studied during work viz., Hitechnology polyhouse (Hi-tech), Anti-Insect Net Shade House (AINSH), Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse (NVPH) and Walk-In-Tunnel (WIT).In study it was found that in walk-in-tunnel (WIT) and natural ventilated polyhouses (NVPH) the temperature was 69.54% and 52.29% higher and the humidity was 96.37% and 85.19 % higher in comparison to open farming in the months of January and May. No significant different was found in temperature, humidity, dust, solar radiation and CO2 level between open and anti insect net shade house (AINH). In Hi-tech polyhouse, the environment was totally controlled by computer and was not found to much strenuous. Health status of workers was checked by doctor, and it was found that in polyhouse farming workers were more prone to problems of allergy and asthma.

Keywords: polyhouse, unfavorable climate, walk-in-tunnel, psychological aspect

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Authors: Deni Stincer Gomez, Zuraya Monroy Nasr, Luis Pérez Alvarez

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The preparation of academic documents such as thesis, articles and research projects is one of the requirements of the higher educational level. These documents demand the implementation of logical argumentative thinking which is experienced and executed with difficulty. To mitigate the effect of these difficulties this study designed a thesis seminar, with which the authors have seven years of experience. It is taught in a graduate program in Psychology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In this study the authors use the Toulmin model as a mental heuristic and for the application of a set of psychodidactic strategies that facilitate the elaboration of the plot and culmination of the thesis. The efficiency in obtaining the degree in the groups exposed to the seminar has increased by 94% compared to the 10% that existed in the generations that were not exposed to the seminar. In this article the authors will emphasize the psychodidactic strategies used. The Toulmin model alone does not guarantee the success achieved. A set of actions of a psychological nature (almost psychotherapeutic) and didactics of the teacher also seem to contribute. These are actions that derive from an understanding of the psychological, epistemological and ontogenetic obstacles and the most frequent errors in which thought tends to fall when it is demanded a logical course. The authors have grouped the strategies into three groups: 1) strategies to facilitate logical thinking, 2) strategies to strengthen the scientific self and 3) strategies to facilitate the act of writing the text. In this work the authors delve into each of them.

Keywords: psychodidactic strategies, logical thinking, academic documents, Toulmin model

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Authors: Gamal Abd El-Nasser A. Said, El-Sayed M. El-Horbaty

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Container handling problems at container terminals are NP-hard problems. This paper presents an approach using discrete-event simulation modeling to optimize solution for storage space allocation problem, taking into account all various interrelated container terminal handling activities. The proposed approach is applied on a real case study data of container terminal at Alexandria port. The computational results show the effectiveness of the proposed model for optimization of storage space allocation in container terminal where 54% reduction in containers handling time in port is achieved.

Keywords: container terminal, discrete-event simulation, optimization, storage space allocation

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Authors: Mehravar Javid, Sadrieh Khajavi Mazanderani, Kelly Gleischman, Zoe Andris

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The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of transactional analysis group training on self-knowledge and Its dimensions (self, child, and adult) in counselors working in public and private high schools in Tehran. Counseling has become an important job for society, and there is a need for consultants in organizations. Providing better and more efficient counseling is one of the goals of the education system. The personal characteristics of counselors are important for the success of the therapy. In TA, humans have three ego states, which are named parent, adult, and child, and the main concept in the transactional analysis is self-state, which means a stable feeling and pattern of thinking related to behavioral patterns. Self-knowledge, considered a prerequisite to effective communication, fosters psychological growth, and recognizing it, is pivotal for emotional development, leading to profound insights. The research sample included 30 working counselors (22 women and 8 men) in the academic year 2019-2020 who achieved the lowest scores on the self-knowledge questionnaire. The research method was quasi-experimental with a control group (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). The research tool was a self-awareness questionnaire with 29 questions and three subscales (child, parent, and adult Ego state). The experimental group was exposed to transactional analysis training for 10 once-weekly 2-hour sessions; the questionnaire was implemented in both groups (post-test). Multivariate covariance analysis was used to analyze the data. The data showed that the level of self-awareness of counselors who received transactional analysis training is higher than that of counselors who did not receive any training (p<0.01). The result obtained from this analysis shows that transactional analysis training is an effective therapy for enhancing self-knowledge and its subscales (Adult ego state, Parent ego state, and Child ego state). Teaching transactional analysis increases self-knowledge, and self-realization and helps people to achieve independence and remove irresponsibility to improve intra-personal and interpersonal relationships.

Keywords: ego state, group, transactional analysis, self-knowledge

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Authors: Jung Lee, L. G. Pee

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The 'Like' function in social media platforms represents the immediate responses of social media users to postings and other users. A large number of 'likes' is often attributed to fame, agreement, and support from others that many users are proud of and happy with. However, what 'like' implies exactly in social media context is still in discussion. Some argue that it is an accurate parameter of the preferences of social media users, whereas others refute that it is merely an instant reaction that is volatile and vague. To address this gap, this study investigates how social media users perceive the 'like' function and behave differently based on their perceptions. This study posits the following arguments. First, 'like' is interpreted as a quantified form of social capital that resides in social media platforms. This incarnated social capital rationalizes the attraction of people to social media and belief that social media platforms bring benefits to their relationships with others. This social capital is then conceptualized into cognitive and emotive dimensions, where social capital in the cognitive dimension represents the awareness of the 'likes' quantitatively, whereas social capital in the emotive dimension represents the receptions of the 'likes' qualitatively. Finally, the ambivalent perspective of the social media users on 'like' (i.e., social capital) is applied. This view rationalizes why social media users appreciate the reception of 'likes' from others but are aware that those 'likes' can distort the actual responses of other users by sending erroneous signals. The rationale on this ambivalence is based on whether users perceive social media as private or public spheres. When social media is more publicized, the ambivalence is more strongly observed. By combining the ambivalence and dimensionalities of the social capital, four types of social media users with different mechanisms on liking behaviors are identified. To validate this work, a survey with 300 social media users is conducted. The analysis results support most of the hypotheses and confirm that people have ambivalent perceptions on 'like' as a social capital and that perceptions influence behavioral patterns. The implication of the study is clear. First, this study explains why social media users exhibit different behaviors toward 'likes' in social media. Although most of the people believe that the number of 'likes' is the simplest and most frank measure of supports from other social media users, this study introduces the users who do not trust the 'likes' as a stable and reliable parameter of social media. In addition, this study links the concept of social media openness to explain the different behaviors of social media users. Social media openness has theoretical significance because it defines the psychological boundaries of social media from the perspective of users.

Keywords: ambivalent attitude, like function, social capital, social media

Procedia PDF Downloads 241